Maine-ly a Hidden Gem.....

One of the best things about living in Maine is that there is always some hidden gem that awaits discovery. This time it's something not all that far from our house and is a true example of Maine's beauty. It's the Massabesic Experimental Forest (http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/durham/4155/massabes.htm#INT), owned and operated by the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. It consists of 3600 acres in the towns of Alfred and Lyman. It is described as an "oak-pine forest interspersed with diverse wetlands associated with three rivers and numerous streams, ponds, and swamps."

I've driven by it many times with my husband on our way to Sanford. It's a regular stop for him on his way home from work for an evening swim in Estes Lake, which is on the edge of the forest. Until last night though, I'd never hiked it. It is just as the website describes it. There are markers along the path identifying the types of trees and things of note, such as a small quarry. It's a very easy hike in to the lake and all the way in you can't help but think of it as a sylvan cathedral.

It was certainly a perfect night for a walk and a swim - not too warm and just perfectly lit as it was just before sunset. I passed on the swim, but enjoyed sitting on the rocks at the water's edge. The lake was a bit busy with jet skis (ugh) but not enough to really distract from the overall beauty of the area. We stayed just long enough for Bobby to have a quick swim. It was a bit dark on the way out of the forest ("lions and tigers and bear, oh my!" dark) but the trail is well-marked and easy to walk.

I think that there is a picnic there in the near future and a lot more in terms of hiking.....Oh, I love being a Maineiac!

You can get there from here....

I went to type something into the computer and hit the wrong key, landing on a Google map of "Lake Mashu." Where in the world, Carmen Sandiego, is Lake Mashu? It looked like Japan, so I thought I'd see just how far away it is. I put my home address in Google Maps and I was told that it takes between 37 days and 5 hours and 37 days and 15 hours to get there from here. How can that be? Wouldn't it just be a day's plane ride?

Well, you start out from my house and go across country by car staying mostly on I-90. When you get to the Washington coast you hop in a KAYAK and go to Hawaii (2756 miles)! After many twists and turns through the Hawaiian islands, you hop back on your KAYAK and head to Japan (3879 miles)! Of course, I'd do fine in finding the place until I had to turn left toward 県道344号線. It does take a bit longer if I go the northern route through Canada.

Wow, I think if I did all that paddling that would certainly have me in great shape and lick my cholesterol problem. Of course, if I didn't want to do all that paddling, I could walk. Google tells me that it would take me 140 days and 15 hours if I walked. However, they do caution me that the route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.

You've got to admit that the direction makers at Google maps certainly have a good sense of humor!!!

Where were you....

Where were you 40 years ago tonight? Were you as glued to your tv screen as I was, watching the most phenomenal event of a lifetime - man walking on the moon? Lots of good memories have resurfaced with respect to this anniversary.

When I was really young, I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. Then I discovered that math and I did not get along. Science was not a close friend, either. During the winter we used to dig caves in the snow and use them as space capsules, even finding an old chair that we could recline in just like the real astronauts.

So, 40 years ago tonight I was with family and friends on Orrs Island, celebrating our country's great achievement. We had had a great cookout and we all waited anxiously for the big moment - switching between Cronkite and Huntley/Brinkley. (It all depended upon which station was coming in best at the time. No cable? That was still several years away for the Island.) I can remember being very emotional (okay, I cried!). What a great night all around.

Today I was looking over a new book about exploring the moon, "Moon Missions" by Rob Pyle. It's great. It covers not only U.S. of A.'s explorations, but it does a good job of detailing our race with the USSR. Very interesting, indeed. The book has a lot of extras in it, like maps and NASA press releases, which makes it fun, but a bit of a nightmare for a librarian to catalog and process. Anyway..... I came across a telegram the VP Humphrey sent to Mission Control Director Chris Craft. Hmm, I think today it would probably be either an IM or a Tweet. I wonder which?

Great job NASA and USA. Happy anniversary. I raise my glass of Tang in your honor.