Maine!

We departed camp at Woodstock CT at a leisurely hour and continued north and east on I-84 into Massachusetts and onto the Massachusetts turnpike.  We had intended to take the outer loop, I-495, around Boston, but I was cut off trying to enter the ramp and was unable to take that exit.  We continued on the Mass Turnpike, as Dorcas screamed for me to take the next ramp and go back.  Dorcas was adamant that she didn't want to go into the heart of Boston. But there was no next ramp, so we had no choice but to continue, and then take 1-95 north out of Boston.  We had expected congestion and delays, but it was actually pretty smooth sailing.  The only downside was that there was an extra toll plaza or two.  I think the distance was about the same.

The Big Blunder

We safely escaped Boston and cut through a corner of New Hampshire for about 12 miles.  In Portsmouth NH we topped off with some relatively cheap  diesel.  At $2.98/gal it will likely be the cheapest fuel we will see for the next 6 weeks or more.  Shortly thereafter we crossed into Maine.

A quick stop at the Maine rest stop

We arrived in Freeport ME about 2:00 on Monday May 18.  Online research revealed free overnight RV parking in Freeport in a public lot on Depot Street only 2 blocks from the L.L. Bean campus.  We hoped it wasn't full and our good living paid off; there were only two other RVs in the lot  There were 4 lanes for RVs but within each lane it was nose-to-tail parking.  I could see right away it might be easy to get blocked in.  We picked a lane on the left edge of the lot and pulled up behind a Class B van conversion.  After a short while the van left, and we were able to pull up to the head of the lane, facilitating a clean getaway when it came time to leave.  The weather has been cool and wet since arriving in New England, so we bundled up and went shopping.

Our first stop was at the L.L. Bean outlet store where we shopped for a while.  We have most everything we need nowadays, but we found a few items that called to us.

With the numerous stores and warehouses around town operated by L.L. Bean, there were a lot of company delivery trucks and maintenance vehicles darting around town.

We spotted the Boot Mobile at the L.L. Bean headquarters campus.  We actually saw at least two different ones.   I think it was size 156EE.

The L.L. Bean campus is currently undergoing a massive renovation project, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2026.  A re-boot, if you will.  The L.L.Bean Flagship Re-Boot  The original flagship store was closed, but there were four satellite stores selling various wares.   The outerwear and apparel goods were being sold in a huge tent named Camp L.L. Bean.  See map below:

Parts of original flagship store and construction zone

Interior of the Hunting & Fishing Store

Rods galore

A tent sale, if you will

Boats galore

Cold, windy, wet weather is conducive to buying comfort clothing, so we dropped a few coins at the stores. We departed Freeport about 2:00 PM on Tuesday May 20 after parking for almost the full 24-hour limit..  

After a sprint of only 109 miles we arrived at Pumpkin Patch RV Resort, just south of Bangor ME, our home for the next 3 nights.  A number of our Newmar caravan members are gathering here too, preparing to cross the Canadian border.  I spent some time catching up on this journal while Dorcas got our paperwork in order and inventoried our alcoholic beverage stores.

Site #15 at Pumpkin Patch

I mostly hung out at camp, but while shopping in Bangor, Dorcas visited the Stephen King home.  King no longer lives here and the home now is the headquarters to The Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation. 

We will be at Pumpkin Patch for 3 nights then cross the border and meet our caravan in St. John NB.