Day 4 – The Journey West, Theme of the Day: Frustration

Another early day for me. I hit the road shortly after 8am, a bit intimidated by how far I had to travel, especially given everything I wanted to do along the way. The goal for the day was to make it as far west as possible while hitting all my destinations along the way. My route would take me through the middle part of Maine, through northern NH and VT, down the VT state line and finally into New York. First, though, I had to finish up my visit to Mt. Desert Island.

The theme of the day – frustration – became evident early. In an attempt to circle the island, I got lost and wasted valuable time. Losing time was one thing, but I’m usually good with directions and it frustrated me that I kept ending up back at the same place, like I was stuck in a loop. I eventually made it back to the right road, continued my loop of the island and stopped at Bass Harbor to check out another lighthouse

The loop now complete, I headed west towards Bangor, where I left the major roads and struck out on Rt. 2 across the heart of the state. Frustrations continued to mount here; the road was a mess. Construction work along a good portion of it and in these areas it was barely recognizable as a road, just lumps of concrete. This was surprising since this wasn’t a small country road, but a decent sized 2-lane road that seemed to be well traveled. In a half a dozen spots, the road was reduced to one lane, complete with flaggers directing traffic. I’d end up sitting for five minutes waiting for oncoming traffic to finish, then drive for a few miles before repeating. More time was lost here, and to make matters more frustration, the scenery wasn’t all that nice. I was already missing the coast…

I finally made it to New Hampshire and the scenery improved greatly. Mountains and valleys, rivers and streams made for some great vistas. While in northern NH, I stopped by Franconia State Park, home of Old Man of the Mountain. At least it used to be… Somehow I missed the news, or had forgotten, that the granite face had fallen in 2003. While walking around the park, I was curious as to the lack of signs and wondering about how few people where around. The parking lot outside the entrance to the path leading to the Old Man was empty. I guess if I had read signs at the visitor center, I would have known. Nevertheless, I walked the path and saw where the Old Man had been.

After this brief stop, I drove northwest and crossed into Vermont. The plan as of that morning had been to stop in St. Johnsbury, VT and visit some of the maple farms and shops. Continuing the day’s theme, I arrived at Maple Grove Farms about 45 minutes after it closed. Frustrated and running well behind at this point, I didn’t waste any more time in St. J but continued the drive on to Montpelier and Burlington.

Before getting to Burlington, there was one stop I couldn’t pass up. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream plant! It was located in Waterbury, VT. There was a geocache outside, so I grabbed that, a perfect one for my first find in VT. I hadn’t planned on taking the tour, but it was only $3 and after the craziness of the day, I really needed a break. Free samples at the end, FTW!

An hour later, I was back on the road…getting really sick of driving at this point. I wanted to spend some time in Burlington, on the shores of Lake Champlaign, but I was well behind schedule and had a looong way to go still. I took the bypass around the city and began heading south. It soon began growing dark, so I missed the views of the Adirondack Mtns. The more I drove, further away home felt. Too many hours in the car at this point and not much time to enjoy things along the way had left me more tired and drained than when I started. Thankfully, Kristy kept me company most of the drive that evening. Though there was much frustration with dropped calls and no service, she kept me occupied and awake as I trudged on to New York. I wanted to at least make it to Albany, but with her help, I pulled into a hotel west of Syracuse after 2am.

Related posts:

1. Road Trip to the Northeast – Day 3
2. Road Trip to the Northeast – Day 2
3. Road Trip to the Northeast – Day 1
4. Road Trip to the Northeast – Day 5
5. Road Trip to the Northeast – Wrapup Thoughts