Fort Fairfield....

....Maine, on of the towns that smell like a french fry,
growing potatoes is old hat, they taste good on the first try;
this is one place where they're grown and cooked,
follow you nose, it's the first place you looked.

That photo up on top, has some steam just above the crop,
that's the fry plant, over in town, one more reason for you to stop;
The Potato Blossom Festival every year, draws lots of people from far and near,
they'll crown a Queen and have lots of fun, don't you wish you could've been here.

Top: Working the field.  Maine potatoes are mostly fryers or chippers.
Middle (1): The "cream of the crop".
Middle (2): one storm winter 2008.
Bottom: Fields at rest.

Caribou....

....Maine, in the heart of "the county",
is a land of plenty, and natures bounty;
home to NOAA one of two in Maine,
and home to long winters, but you can stay sane.

Caribou is a busy place and a pleasant ride,
there's history here, and progress side by side,
there are new ways to cook and freeze potatoes now,
and a few new languages in which "not to have a cow".

Top:  In the winter
Middle: Gateway to downtown Caribou.
Bottom: Waiting to unload barrels of potatoes at the Starch Factory in 1940.

The Acadian Historic Village...

...Van Buren, Maine..people from France settled in Acadia, now Nova Scotia, long ago,
they were evicted by the British and scattered across North America, some of them had to go...
...to Saint David, Maine in 1785, where the first French-speaking settlement took shape,
it has been recreated now in the village we see here, all I could do was gape.

The houses were moved from all over the place,
and carefully restored, it was not a race;
what we see today, is as it was then,
right down to the cattle, and the old mother hen.

The  La Route Culterelle de la Valle St-Jean, or, The Saint John Valley Scenic Byway starts here.

Top: A restored house, overlooking the river
Middle: One of the houses - it has been restored now.
Bottom: The Village as it is today.

Madawaska....

...Maine, most northern town in the state,
in the St. John River here, the fishing may be great;
but people make a town, what else can I say,
everyone here, could really make your day.

Eighty-three percent of people here, speak French at home,
too bad I couldn't join them, it's almost if I'm alone;
they're up here making paper, or doing other things,
and some of them are waiting to see what winter brings.

Top: Fishing the St. John River.
Middle: Madawaska seen from Edmundston New Brunswick.
Bottom: Main Street, or U S Route One.

St. Francis, Allagash and Dickey...

....Maine, right to the end of the road,
you can continue via canoe, if you can carry the load;
if you put your canoe in the water here, get set...
it's 740 miles to New York State, and it's not by jet.

From the Allagash National Waterway that's true,
to Quebec, New Hampshire and Vermont, the water is blue,
it's a long trip, but it's been done,
in pair, all alone, men and women have won.

Top: How to pole a canoe in shallow water.
Middle: Start here, and head out.
Bottom: Ice jam on the St. John River at the Dickey bridge.

Fort Kent area....

....Maine, where it's the end of the road for U S route one,
and a place where part of the Winter Olympics are lost or won;
right across the river from Claire New Brunswick,
and it snows all winter, in the spring the ice jams stick.

It's a wonderful place any time of the year,
and had a time in the Aroostook War, there was reason to fear;
the Blockhouse still stands guard on the border,
but now as a museum, things stand in order.

Top: Fort Kent, an aerial view.
Middle(1): Fort Kent and Claire NB connect.
Middle(2): End of the road.
Bottom: 1979 Plane crash, landed this civil equivalent of a C54 in Soldier  Pond.

Ashland, Portage Lake, Marsardis....

....Maine, in the middle of Aroostook County,
lumber is the game, and the hunting bounty;
the mill in Masardis can cut 140 million board feet a day,
but the Ashland mill is closed, Canadian imports don't make pay.

there are 8.3 million acres of woods up here,
and agricultural land is abundant and clear;
you can grow potatoes, broccoli, or cut wood,
if you've never been here, well then, you should.

Top: Portage Lake, the lake not the town.
Middle: Farming in the snow; really it's grooming snowmobile trails
Bottom: Stacks at the Masardis mill.

Patten....

....Maine, home to the Lumberman's Museum,
and one time home to NBA floors, you should see 'em;
maple flooring from Patten was on every NBA floor,
add high schools and colleges, and there's even more.

The Museum is well known, home to the Lombard Engine too,
you can see how they worked in the woods, educational for you;
and the North Portal to Baxter State Park is next up the road,
and the hill where the top photo was taken, could shift a load.

Top: Patten from the "hill".
Middle: A Lombard Hauler, it would pull skids of logs in a 'train like' fashion, making
              it faster than teams of horses or oxen.
Bottom: Mount Katahdin in a different view, from the North Portal of Baxter State Park.

Millinocket area....

....Maine, paper making and recreation,
that's what this area does, with creation;
the first mill started in 1892 and today...
...two mills continue to provide steady pay.

Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin all start here,
and lakes and snowmobile trails too and the weathers clear;
summer, spring and winter people ride or swim,
and of course there's fall, when the hunters try to win.

Top: The East Millinocket mill.
Middle: Mount Katahdin and Salmon Stream.
Bottom: Spring on the East Branch of the Penobscot River, rafting time.

Lincoln....

....Maine, is a paper making town, on the lake,
deep dyed tissue, cardstock and pulp they make;
the pulp is shipped to Europe, and other places too,
and if you bought crepe paper some went to you.

This is a place near where Ol' Larry used to live,
seems he used to get a haircut, when he had hair to give;
it's a nice New England town, in a land of lakes,
there are seven in Lincoln, and none of them are fakes.

Top: Downtown Lincoln from the air.
Middle: A collage of scenes in Lincoln
Bottom: Stump Pond, looks nice.

Dover-Foxcroft....

...Maine, it's a county seat,
with a river and a lake - that's neat.
Small town America, at it's very best;
it was good to spend a night, and get some rest.

The Old Jail is now a bakery, and a gristmill too,
and a farmers market, with stuff that's good for you;
and scenery abounds, if you look just right,
so don't expect good photos, if you only shoot at night.

Top: Dover-Foxcroft from a hillside.
Middle: Peakes-Kenny State Park on Sebec Lake is in Dover-Foxcroft.
Bottom: Loews Bridge over the Piscataquis River is nearby.

Greenville....

....Maine, and the sun comes up on Moosehead Lake,
that's cold water, even in July, jump in - give you body a shake;
this is a town caught in the middle, some like tourist,
and some like lumber or something more Maine purest.

People come here to fish and to hunt,
and each September there's the seaplane stunt,
the Greenville Fly in, it's been going on for a long time,
for a while a DC3 equipped with floats did fine.

Top: Sunrise on Moosehead Lake
Middle: Greenville from the air, and a lot of Moosehead Lake
Middle 2: A stream in the countryside, thanks to Ol' Larry's wife Linda.
Bottom: A poster for the Fly In.

Jackman....

....Maine, home to less than 700 souls,
but this is a lumber town, and the log rolls;
but in the winter, it's snowmobile center, when the lumber ails,
people come from miles around to ride the trails.

This close to the border and trucks and cars go by,
and the Moose River Valley has the clear blue sky;
lots of woods and water, a sportsman's kind of place,
so there's plenty to keep busy, and out of the rat race.

Top: A sign on U S Route 201, welcome to Jackman.
Middle: Aerial view of the area.
Bottom: A neighbor.

Bingham....

....Maine, I guess it's right on the line,
the forty-fifth parallel, mixed in with the pine;
this is a river town, on the Kennebec,
with white water rafting, and other stuff by heck.

The peoples work is simple, cut trees or stay in bed,
so cutting trees to feed the sawmill will keep a family fed;
there are no easy answers in an area that's remote,
except for the preacher who reads what he says god wrote.

Top: Sign on U S Route 201 entering town.
Middle: A lake in the area.
Bottom: Sunrise on the Kennebec River.

Skowhegan....

...Maine, is a shoe making town, and more,
looking for a bakery in a former jail? You score.
Just about where the bottom of the picture above is..
..there's a foot bridge across the Kennebec forces.

This is the hometown of Margaret Chase Smith,
the first woman nominated for President by a major party, but missed.
It's also the home of the Skowhegan State Fair,
put those together, and you've got quite a pair.

Top: One of the New Balance mills, US Route 2 crosses the bridge.
Middle(1): The Library, built as a Civil War Memorial, all oak interior.
Middle(2): Workers assemble New Balance Shoes.
Bottom: Skowhegan from the air.

Farmington...

....Maine, in the shade of old Mount Blue,
and the University of Maine at Farmington, that's here too.
From farms along the river, to the small downtown;
there is nothing here, that would ever get you down.

The older brick buildings, a testament to their day,
workmanship and an eye for beauty, if I have my say.
So come on up, have a look around,
you'll be walking on some pretty special ground.

Top: Farmington see from the air.  That guy must have had a long arm to get a camera up there.
Middle: One of the University buildings - there are quite a few.
Bottom: A street corner in downtown Farmington.