July 19, 2012

Another very nice day.  The high today was only about 71 or so, and I actually had to put on my sweatshirt and lined gloves for the first time.  Skies were clear, but it got real windy starting about noon and didn't die down until around 7:00 this evening.

I went to the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor today.  Turns out it was about 1/2 mile from where I was staying.  The museum is named after the Cole family, who owned and operated a trucking company in the northeast from about 1915 to 1992 or so.  The museum was packed full of an odd assortment of vehicles of every description, but it was interesting.  Outside the museum is the Maine Vietnam Veterans Memorial:

While inside there was an eclectic collection of every kind of stuff imaginable.  Here are a few of the more interesting items:

Above is a Ford Model T equipped with a kit that converts it to a snowmobile.

Above is a camping trailer from 1925.  Reminds me of a couple Pat and I rented many moons ago.

This is a genuine, original Conestoga wagon.  Can you imagine pulling that thing 3,000 miles across the continent to get "out west"?

And Earl, if you're reading this, it's a 1915 steam-powered pumper truck used by the Bangor Fire Department.  Real pretty red color!

And, finally, here is one of the original trucks operated by Cole Express in 1915.

I left Bangor and headed south on US1A to the Penobscot Narrows and Fort Knox (not Kentucky).  Several years ago the state replaced the old suspension bridge spanning the Narrows with a new cable-stayed span that has an observation area 400 feet up in one of the towers.

The view from the bridge was spectacular.  Below is a view of the Penobscot River downriver from the bridge and heading out toward the ocean:

Adjacent to the bridge is Fort Knox itself, which was built from about 1825 to 1865 to protect access inland along the Penobscot River. 

Above is one of the gun batteries with the Bridges in the background.

This is the interior of the fort itself.  It's not really all that big.

And, finally, this is a view of the village of Bucksport, ME, across the river from the fort:

Bucksport is on the eastern end of the new bridge, and it's really picturesque.

I left For Knox and headed north on US1 to Calais, Maine and the Canadian border.  Along the way, I came across this:

I crossed the 45th parallel of latitude, which is "almost" halfway between the equator and the north pole. 

I'm in Pennfield, New Brunswick for the night and will be travelling to Moncton, NB along the southern coast of New Brunswick tomorrow.

Miles today: 202
Total:  1,941