The road tracklog 
from Calais to Boston
from 2011/07/04 to 2011/07/10

The project of visit of the East Coast of the USA is north-southwards with incursions into the adjacent states in the west. Its duration is limited by a three-month visa from November to the end of January 2012. Entering at Calais, Maine, the USA, coming from St Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, I head to Boston coasting on the coast. I will not go to Vermont where my ex-companion has friends who remained on our flat in Neuilly, France, but it was in another life. At final my truck will be stored in RV-storage in the south of the USA at the end of January. Indeed I will be in France for the 10th birthday of the death of my mother. On February 04, 2012 with my brother and my sister-in-law we will pay homage to our parents at the cemetery in Les Loges-Margueron, Aube, France. Then I will remain in Draguignan at my brother and my sister-in-law to make a medical check-up.

I began the trip in New England made up of six states: Connecticut (CT), Maine (ME), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), Rhode Island (IH), Vermont (VT). The area was inhabited by the Algonquians when Captain B. Gosnold landed it in 1602 but it is only into 1614 that the captain John Smith charted it for King James I. Settlement started with the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth (MA) in 1620.

Maine was inhabited by  about 20,000 Wabanaki before the arrival of Europeans. The territory was annexed by Massachusetts in 1652 to form a line of defense during the Franco-British war. In 1820 Maine separated from Massachusetts to form a state in the Union.

After the formalities of the border crossing I stationed on the McDo carpark to prepare and publish the pages of my website for closing the journey in Canada. Then I dealt with full the tanks of my truck with diesel and water, without forgetting food of the driver. I stationed on the shore of Saint Croix River opposite St Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.

The day was sunny but a violent wind came from the Arctic swept the area with a temperature around 5°C during the day. On this side of the Saint Croix River the French settlement on the eponym island is also at the honor for the hard gained experience.

Saint Croix Island 
en Route 
05/11/2011 

By leaving Beals Island I thought of having a beautiful walk day in Acadia NP on Mount Desert Island, the day was beautiful and cold. Alas after more than 150 km the booklet of the park, in self-service all was closed, gives a map which mentions four bridges whose vertical clearance is less than 12 feet that is to say lower than the height of my truck! It was a day of easily deceived. Moreover I drove on the island in the hope to find a spot of parking at seashore, nothing. I returned on the carpark of Visitor Center where about 5:30 am at the night fallen a police car came to ask me go away, I pled my cause. The police officer was understanding, well.

Bivouac, early morning 
Hulls Cove VIC 
07/11/2011 

Still a beautiful cold day on the splendid coast of Maine. I choose to visit Pemaquid Peninsula with the hope to find a sympathetic bivouac. The road Hwy # 32 meanders under one red  autumnal under wood then led to a agitated sea at the foot of the lighthouse, no tourist. I continued my road on Hwy # 130 to find a wished bivouac in front of the port of New Harbor. The afternoon was a romantic daydream.

Bivouac 
New Port 
07/11/2011 

The site of New Harbor was enchanter, I remained one more day to prepare the continuation of the trip in New England. Wednesday morning I left this haven of peace in  fog which was dissipated at the entrance in Portland around 10:00 where I was accommodated by closed doors, Visitor Center, Observatory Museum and Longfellow House was “closed for season”. But Portland Museum of Art was opened and it was a pleasure of strolling in its showrooms. At  ground floor some ceramics of which Lalique then in the floors paintings by American artists and many paintings by French impressionists and post-impressionists. At the beginning of afternoon I sacrificed to the visit of the headlight most photographed in New England at Cape Elisabeth. I decided to go ahead to Portsmouth in New Hampshire where I arrived at the falling night to bivouac in Walmart. The Indian Summer lasts with low temperatures in the night and a beautiful sun in the day and with splendid colors in the forests under a low angle light in the late afternoon.

New Hampshire was named after Hampshire in England in 1629. It was one of the first states to declare its independence in 1776. In the 19th century Manchester had the most important textile factories in the world. The village of Bretton Woods was the place of the conference of the 44 allied Nations in 1944 to organize a new monetary order with the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

From Walmart to Visitor Center there is a stone jet. I discovered with pleasure that it was open but it was of short duration when the hostess informed me that all attractions were closed including the Strawberry Banke Museum. She indicated me a carpark into Prescott Park at the edge of Piscataqua River where a municipal employee helped me to park my truck. The city is the third oldest in New England created in 1623. It was the shipbuilding yard. With a plan and a Harbor Trail booklet I strolled in the old city with very British character of its red brick buildings. The sky was threatening I returned to the carpark about midday for a collation before leaving to Boston in a flood water where I arrived in night to KOA Kampground looking for a site. I put more than four hours to traverse the 140 km at a snail speed in a long tunnel at Boston after crossing the Leonard P. Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge on I-93.

 
Portsmouth, NH 
10/11/2011 

 
Portsmouth, NH 
10/11/2011 

 
Portsmouth, NH 
10/11/2011 

By consulting the commuter timetable I noted with astonishment that there was no train on Saturdays and Sundays. The KOA Kampground is at more than 40 miles southwards away from Boston. I thus remained at the campground preparing, as always, the continuation of the trip. The visits of Boston are presented in the next travelog.