Blue Goose ~ Day 75

August 14, 2014 ~ Orono, ME to Calais, ME

I went back to Bangor this morning (about 12 miles) to get coffee and use the WiFi at the only Starbuck's in the area. The barista noted that I had been coming in "every day" which surprised me, but then, whatever you think of this corporation, it does have the customer service thing nailed. And this was a large and busy Starbuck's.

I also went to the nearby Best Buy to redeem a reward that had been emailed to me and bought CDs of Hank Williams and Miles Davis, found a mailbox and headed to Calais (NOT pronounced the lovely way but rather "callus") The town is right across the St. Croix river from New Brunswick, as far east as I will be traveling and almost as far east as one can go in the continental US.

On the way to Calais, ME

Moosehorn NWR has two units: Baring and Edmunds, and Baring is just southwest of Calais. I drove to the headquarters and office areas and picked up maps and information, but it was raining and dreary and buggy. I didn't explore much, although I did drive one of the few available roads through flowages and wetlands, bogs and forests.

Moosehorn NWR - ME

There were several trails but nothing tempted at this time day and in the rainy weather. Bear and moose and migratory birds....all find refuge here. A special area of interest is the woodcock which are "studied and managed intensively" at Moosehorn. One can can fish and hunt at certain times of the year or pick a couple of quarts of blueberries in season, while watching for bears which love this food. It seemed one of those busy refuges with the obligatory nod to the public. Some are like that; some are very welcoming. But I know it is not fair to judge a refuge so quickly.

I had a good pizza in town before settling in for the night. Often a few RVs pull into the Walmart lot at dusk and occasionally 18-wheelers if not specifically prohibited, but usually not many of those. I have no idea how many others choose this option for just sleeping, but I suspect I'm not the only one. It's so easy.....although rather boring as far as meeting people and hearing their stories....and surprisingly quiet after 10 or 11 o'clock, even though most are open 24 hours.