18th State–Vermont (Oct. 19, 2010)

After a wonderful time in Maine, I decided to return to Vermont and find a place to paddle.  I’ll have to fill you in on the name of the place when I find my notes. Update: 2/27/16 - it was Harriman Reservoir, a dammed lake formed on the Deerfield River.  Went through Medburyville on Woods Road.  That's off Rt. 9 (Molly Stark Trail) and west of US 91.  It was a small lake, and no one was there but me.  Serene.  But getting wintery.  There was signs that someone had made a camp along the shore.

17th State Paddle–Maine (Oct 12, 2010)

Maine is without a doubt one of the prettiest states of all, especially in the fall.  I kayaked at Arcadia National Park.  I paddled the entire length of Long Pond on Mount Desert Island.  This was on the opposite side of the island from where the tourists usually go.  It was serene and lovely, almost unspoiled.  Only saw one boater there.  A person could spend weeks kayaking around Mount Desert Island.

Other Maine sights:
My friend Jackie Morgan… she and I swapped State quarters for a couple years.  It was neat to finally get to meet her and her husband in person.
The Fryeburg Faire… I ran across this event years ago when exploring back roads of Maine… and came across a number of yoke of oxen… and I stopped to ask what was going on… turns out it’s the largest show of working oxen in the country, if not the world.  It’s like stepping off Earth and onto another planet.  People and Oxen of every imaginable size and color.  Amazing.
More beauty around Maine.
Met another vandweller there but am not allowed to post her photos.  I think she is a natural-born naturalist… and gave some interesting explanations of the local flora and fauna to people we ran into.  It seems much easier for her to talk to strangers than for me.
More details to follow.