Wells, ME

Later on during the storm last evening, I realized that I was surrounded entirely by trees.  I eventually fell asleep despite visions of being squashed by a toppling pine and slept rather well until about 3:30 am when the rain had stopped and the raccoons came out to see what we had all left out when we dashed into our tents before the storm.  When my alarm went off, I opted to sleep right through it.  Checkout here isn't until 1pm, so it was really easy to sleep late and use the excuse  that my tent and the stuff on the clothesline needed time to dry.  At some point in the morning, I decided to simply stay in Wells for the day and play tourist.

I have fond memories of Wells, though we only came here twice.  I remember going to the car museum on rainy days - I've got a memory of walking there with my Mom during the rain and us giggling at the traffic on Rt. 1; it was a complete parking lot and we were making excellent time.  Mom leaned over at some point and said "People are going to think we're natives!"  After I paid for a second night (which involved switching campsites), I set out on foot for the car museum.  I'm a car nerd...always have been.  I walked right past the place we stayed 15 years ago and smiled when I realized they had bought out the complex next to them...that doubled their size, so they're definitely doing a good business.  Though they had built more cabins in the field and ruined whatever view there used to be.  I walked on, past the indian moccasin shop and on to the museum.

This car museum is privately owned and operated, containing much more than the 80 cars.  The owner's collection also incorporates about 40 more cars in storage somewhere in Massachusetts.  He started out with a Stanley Steamer that was given to him as a gift and the hobby simply grew.  Mr. Gould is in his 80s now and is no longer restoring the cars himself (or much at all), but his collection includes bicycles, motorcycles, hubcaps, gas caps, hood ornaments, license plates, spark plugs, horn systems, pinball machines, nickelodeons, orchestrions, violin-playing mills, Regina hexaphones and all kinds of other neat stuff.  These games, musical devices and picture machines were all coin operated when I came as a kid, and I was happy to see that they were still a very "hands on" display.  There's nothing better than walking into a car museum and being able to put on music from the roaring 20s.

I won't go into detail here - check the Maine photo album for lots of pics and descriptions to go with them.  Suffice it to say that I had a very pleasant day of playing tourist, strolling through my memories and reading a book over a bottle of wine and a hunk of cheese.  Tomorrow, I'll head north in time to catch lunch at a a particular microbrewery in Kennebunk that the guys at the campground office recommended.  Translation = I'm going to sleep late again...Kennebunk is only about 5 miles away :P

So in honor of the car museum, I'll leave you with lyrics from Rusty Old American Dream by David Wilcox, an alum of Warren Wilson College where I spent two years after high school...

Well I don't look all that ragged, for all the time it's been
but I'm weakened underneath me, where my frame has rusted thin
and this year's state inspection, I just barely past
won't you drive me 'cross the country, boy, this year could be my last

I'm a tail-fin road locomotive
from the days of cheap gasoline
and I'm for sale by the side of the road - goin' nowhere
...a rusty old american dream

Comments

[John Kerr]

Matt,
Met you at the museum today. Soooo glad to have meet you. Find it interesting about your trip, hope to keep up with you.

I've been enjoying a glass of wine and some cheese myself tonight. Good stuff.

What is your 'current' itinerary? I ask that knowing that you really don't have one, but maybe ther is some possible route.

Good luck and God be with you.

Keep in touch if at all possible.

Thanks again for stopping in,
JK

[Shawn G.]

How's the weather out in Maine? I hope the storm cooled things down for you like they did back here.