Tag: Aroostook County

The Trip To Bangor Maine When You Live In Aroostook County

The quick down and back trip to Bangor Maine when you live in Aroostook County.

Maine is a big state. When you live here, the exploring it in bits and pieces small bites is enjoyable. Living full time based in Northern Maine, taking a little mad dash escape south out of Aroostook County is a treat.

Interstate 95 Traveling To Bangor In The Winter. Roads Bare, Plowing Done Right For Clear Sailing.

The length of time you are away is not so important. What you do in say Bangor Maine is not either. Could be a sporting event, shopping, picking someone up at the airport, or passing through to points further south. But just a change of scenery and getting on Interstate 95 to head to a little more populated area of Maine does a body and soul good. Small rural Maine living is peaceful but the cobwebs from house bound cabin fever take their mental toll during the winter months.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled For Deer, Maine Moose. They Like The Roadside Salt Used To Melt Highway Ice.

Before I-95 was clear cut and the highway added to the landscape, US RT 2A was the “Bangor Road”.

You’ve maybe heard the country classic song about all those truckers buried up in Maine along that cold, lonely stretch of highway through the Haynesville Woods? If you look close, there is a tombstone every mile according to the Fort Fairfield county boy who penned and sang the song wearing the patch over one eye.

This weekend, Meg and I climbed into the car, buckled up to zip down to Bangor Maine from Aroostook County.

A pair of tickets in hand with a bar code to scan to see the Penobscot Theatre live stage production of Don’t Dress For Dinner. Sitting close to the front in the center aisle section for one very good live community production perch. And after the show on the stage up the hill, then wandering down to Paddy Murphy’s Pub at the bottom. Study the menu and time for a bite to eat in Bangor Maine.

In a few past play runs to see a show in Bangor from Aroostook County I rented a 15 passenger van from Wayne’s Auto for the day. To take the local community actors group down to the Penobscot Theatre. The popular place to eat for that crew was the Happy China Buffet. It was not eat and run and when the crab legs make their entry, other delicacies were all expertly predicted by regulars who knew the routine.

Good Food, Easy Prices, Friendly Staff And Setting. Paddy Murphy’s Bangor Maine Near Penobscot Theatre In The Downtown.

Both of us lived in the Bangor Maine area when attending the University of Maine at the Orono campus.

We can share stories of renting an apartment at University Park even though each of us lived there at different times in our life. That’s why we both enjoy the quick trip to Bangor Maine from Aroostook County that is always fun. Done around the year when the schedule can be opened up to nail it down for let’s head to Bangor Maine.

Lights, Sound, Cell Phones Off. Another Penobscot Theatre Production Opens In Bangor Maine.

Pretty familiar surroundings and my brother Stephen lived in Bangor Maine most of his life… born there, died there.

He was a big advocate of affordable housing in the Bangor Maine area working at Penquis CAP. Even if your family’s combined household income is pretty low, as a kid Stephen thought you should still be proud of where you live. Growing up in a housing project does not have to be a blighted or negative experience Stephen reasoned your surroundings treated with respect.

Opening Music Act For Jerry Lee Lewis When He Rocked The Bangor Auditorium.

Miss you Stephen B Mooers. He played the keyboard ivories and sang in lots of local Bangor Maine bands as a part time nights and weekends gig. His most popular Bangor music band probably “Bootleg” that played at local bottle clubs.

Bootleg opened for Jerry Lee Lewis as the warm up act when “The Killer” came to the Bangor Auditorium to entertain the music crowd who could get a limited ticket.

Brother Stephen’s music therapy as much for him as the patrons. He reminded the dancers I know some of you are going through hard times, it’s been a bitch of a week. But forget all that, leave it at the door. And for the next two or three hours let’s just shimmy and shake.

The instructions for everyone to fun laughing, dancing, slurping some favorite concoction. And more importantly don’t forget to tip your waitress who is working her heart out to make sure like the band members that you have one memorable time.

If you have never lived in Maine during the winter it is so easy to think the worse about what it must be like.

Tall snow banks, howling winds, all alone house bound and hibernation come to mind. When nothing could be further from the truth. Maine winters are a time when we get outside to play in the white stuff. Just like the other three seasons.

We dress to match the temperatures of the day in Maine. More or less layers happens. The highway department does a cracker jack job of clearing the roads. Big side wings direct the snow back to pave the way for moving around on open roads. No fear of being stranded, no reason not to take a quick trip south to see how the rest of the state lives. The trip to Bangor Maine from Aroostook County because of I-95 is very doable and affordable.

Stayed overnight at the Bangor Airport. No, not stranded sleeping on the terminal floor homeless many miles from home and hungry.

Going Somewhere? BIA Is There To Whisk You Away By Air In Bangor Maine.

But not climbing on a silver bird to go anywhere this time either. The Priceline price for Bangor Maine lodging picked just right for the Four Points Sheraton. Bangor International Airport is not that busy with round the clock flights where it will keep you awake at night.

Walked around a few stores Sunday, hit Home Depot to dream about household projects and get some ideas.

Spent way way too long in lighting. Too many choices when used to a small town Maine hardware store for selection of just a couple that work just fine.

Picked up a few children clothes items for the precious grand daughter who just turned one today and lives local where she is enjoyed so much.

Hit BAM for perusing books and magazines. Those usually help inspire the next Me In Maine blog topic in some shape or form.

The trip to Bangor Maine from Aroostook County via Interstate 95 is quick and painless.

Cruise control for 75 mph and sit back, turn up the tunes and zing. Next thing you know you are on top of the Hogan Road exit heading down from Aroostook County.

Where to eat, what to sample, washed the car, jiffy lube changed the oil and fueled up to head back to “The County”. The one day down, next day back mini-vacations are great for a change up of the setting during a Maine winter.

The Maine high school vacation week is approaching. The Maine basketball, hockey tournaments for the eastern, western, state title are on the line. No doubt will be making another abbreviated get away trip to Bangor Maine for a short return visit to hoot and holler for the home town team.

When we were kids, the potato picking money earned out in the Aroostook County farm fields was ear marked for the school clothes.

The ones needed to look neat and clean and to be warm heading into a Maine winter. You take better care of what you buy with your own money. You stretch those hard earned dollars too. We always bought locally whatever there was for selection. But when a store did not have something locally, it was fair game to get the best deal you could to find. To maximize your potato picking money down in the woo hoo big city of Bangor Maine.

The return from Bangor Maine on Interstate 95 as dark sets in and the row of red tail lights ahead are folks that just did the same down and back trek.

Who are now weaving their way north too from Penobscot up into Aroostook County. Less than a two hour trip from Bangor to Houlton and add on another pair of 60 minutes driving segments if you go all the way to the top, the Crown of Maine.

Tourists, in Winter The Snowmobiliers Flock To Use The ITS Maine Snow Sled Trails. Over 14,000 Of Them To Enjoy Helps The Economy.

The St John River Valley is two more hours up US Rt 1 or the back way RT 11. Heading up Interstate 95 after a trip out of state or just down to Bangor or Portland, there is nothing like seeing one sign. It always makes me smile and sign in relief.

The exit for Benedicta Maine which only got one northbound signals you are in Aroostook County Chummy.

Like the Hotel California, you can enter but never get on I-95 in Benedicta Maine to leave. Check in any time you like but you can never leave. Or just not without hitting RT 11 further north and then boomerang ricochet maneuver using the Sherman south bound exit to get back on I-95. Benedicta Maine, still waiting for the south bound exit to get constructed when the DOT highway folks finally allocate the funds to do the job.

When you see the Benedicta Maine interstate sign, you know you are back in “The County” of Aroostook. Maine, come for a day and end up staying a life time. It happens easily when she grabs you by the heartstrings and just won’t let go in her playful four seasons ways. Maine is big, beautiful.

How Much Snow Did We Get Last Night? Check The Bottom Of The Maine Home Back Door.

Lots of Canadian vehicle plates on the cars and trucks you see on the highways of Maine.

We are related to most of them if you took the time to go back through the family DNA. Plenty of snow sled trailers being pulled up and down the Maine pike too. Come on up, lots of snow to play in. It’s a winter wonderland play ground.

Traveling to Bangor Maine from Aroostook County! We do it a lot! Maine is Vacationland. Southern New England, Portland and Lewiston area snowmobilers flock to Northern Maine when the conditions are right to hit the ITS trails. Ice fishing in Northern Maine is big just like downhill and cross country skiing is too. Thank you for following our blog posts on living in Maine.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton Maine 04730 USA

February 11, 2020
St John River Valley | The Crown Of Maine

The St John River Valley is the Crown of Maine.

When someone says they’ve been to Maine, ask them to tell you where. Dollars to donuts, the landing in Maine is usually near the Green Bridge on the state’s south end. Then after a short visit they probably high tail it back to the population centers below Maine.

The St John River Valley, Aroostook County’s Crown Of Maine.

Time, travel and knowing Maine is very tall, pretty wide keeps some from venturing too far north, east and west.

Missing out on so much up into the many interior sections to sample like the Crown of Maine.

The purpose of this blog post to leave you knowing more about the St John River Valley than when you stumbled onto the Me In Maine website.

More on settling the St John River Valley and the people called the Acadians, the French Canadians. To strengthen the mail route and plug a gap in service providing was one of the goals of the Quebec and New Brunswick governors.

The Acadians, displaced to make room for loyalists to the King of England after the American Revolution then moved from the southern valley to the north.

What was the carrot to entice the relocation? Moving for the land grants, the chance to gain the services of a priest and to reunite deported family members. (more…)

January 10, 2020
The Maine Potato Picking Field Checks Gladly Handed Over To Your Mother…

The long standing tradition of picking Maine potatoes, when harvest hand crews reined supreme, kids were king.

My Dad a farmer claimed that potato pickers, the rag tag motley crew of mostly kids did the best job. Leaving less behind in the field. Picking them clean as the field boss walking by would remind.

Hand crews dressed in layers of clothing for frosty mornings. But stripped down to just a t-shirt by noon time as barrel production was in full swing. Hit the top efficiency stride with only a short break when the tractor digger broke down. And you darted to the woods for a nature call. Or pulled up a seat with your back to a full pair of potato barrels. To tap into the food supply stash. That tasted oh so much sweeter, more delicious because of working hard out in the Maine fall fresh air and sunshine.

Both cedar stave or taller, narrower more expensive plywood potato barrels used, bought new in Bridgewater Maine from Wheeler’s Mill.

Wearing your number on the ticket flapping in the breeze. Slid into the top barrel groove wherever you could find a space to securely wedge it. To tell the world you get credit at the end of the day. When the one by one hoisted full, 165 pound barrels of golden Maine potatoes rolled to the back of a field truck got counted. Tallied up. The ticket can and all that fine Maine potato dust filtered down on to the yesterday’s newspaper. Laid out over the farmer’s kitchen table to reflect, record each pickers production efforts that day.

The Maine farm trucks cruising up and down, plying every other picked row in the potato field. Vehicles used pretty much just for a three week stint each year. Whipped into action. Thirty years old but only showing less than 7,0000 miles on the cab dashboard odometer. The triangle over and over mission from the field of the day, to the potato house bin, back to the farm headquarters was a small one.

Greater yield, avoiding the bruising and skinning of the famous Maine potato is why Dad and Mom kept very large picking crews of kids.

Harvesting, picking potato acreages that were usually table stock varieties. Burbank Russets, Katahdins, Green Mountains, Superiors, Ontarios, Shepodies, Atlantics to name a few. But all destined for a housewife’s supper table in states to the south. If they stayed good, held up in storage. If pockets of rot, or over production in other areas, too low market prices did not mess up the plan before the trip to ship to market.

Talked to Joe Fitz, a local business man from a large family who at this week’s Rotary Club meeting Monday remembered the ritual. Work hard, hand the picking check over to your mother gladly. To buy your own winter coat was part of where the earnings got ear marked. New clothes, shoes for church and school replacement wear was each child’s job, obligation. And the individual kids in the family felt more responsible for their welfare. Gave them a sense of pitching in, to help carry the load of the family household where each held down a special spot. The Maine farm potato picking job and entry level employment that sets the stage, becomes the rock solid foundation for your approach to every other work assignment.

A few dollars trickled back from your mother was part of the plan each fall harvest too.

To spend wisely. On something not so practical but that fueled, provided the steam to get up in the dark, very early each morning. To drive the process of motivation to head to the potato field. Where the local farmer needed you to show up, counted on your presence. In the field for another long day where it might rain.

Once in a while snow flurries happened, spitted, appeared on the scene. If it became too late in the game for harvesting the rows and rows that never ended. Where the section you marked out represented just long enough a stretch so you were picked up completely just as the squeak squeak squeak of the digger bed and old familiar drone of the tractor engine approached. Pasted your section providing another row of uncovered spuds to remove the tops. Shake them free and fill one of four weaved baskets of brown ash to make another barrel for the cause.

Kids did not feel picked on, taken advantage of or abused.

And all your friends were in the potato field. The norm not the exception. Trucked in riding with filed to the brim metal dinner buckets of loving prepared sandwiches, snacks. Carrying precious water jugs. As you climbed up and into the back of a canopied pick up truck. On the chain gang. The same vehicle that delivered you back to your house at the end of the long day in the farm field. To hop out, head to the bath tub, clean up for a hot meal waiting back at home.

While you thumbed through the just arrived Sears or Penney’s Christmas catalog. And between mouthfuls of supper thought about what to spend that few hard earned bucks on. That were all yours to enjoy. To make the executive decision solely by your lonesome. On where to spend those dollars. And whatever it was you bought, what you did Saturday night down town in a small Northern Maine community, you took very good care of the wise made purchase. Respected it more because of the patient selection process, study. All due to the effort it took to raise the funds, on your own wallet horsepower, to actually be able to buy the item.

Sometimes you walked away.

And left the pondered item parked back on the shelf if that was just too many barrels of potatoes in your opinion. The final conclusion to not let go of the hard earned money that easily if the value was missing. If things just did not add up in your young mind to represent a fair exchange, trade. I am so glad like my three older brothers, all my friends growing up that we all had the family farm picking potato experience. All of my kids did too. None are the worse for wear because of the valuable work ethic lesson. All think proudly of the contribution each had, the role they played each fall in Aroostook County spent out in the fields.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

October 2, 2013
Maine Land Speed Races, Loring Air Force Base Limestone ME

The 2.5 Mile Long Loring Air Force Base Runway Better Be Moose Free For Land Speed Trial Races.

Going very fast, see world records made on land speed races at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone Maine July 15 through the 17th in Aroostook County.

This summer’s land speed record trials in Northern Maine are year three. With over 150 North American cars and motorcycles gathered together for high speed competitions. If you were on board for the 2010 Land Speed Races at Loring Air Force Base In Limestone you saw a motorcyle attempt the first ever 300 miles per hour record.

The former runway for B-52 and other American airplanes at this air force base facility is 2.5 miles long. And known around the racing circuits as the perfect spot on earth to set world land speed records.

Watch racers in Northern Maine go very very fast and witness history in the land speed trials being made front and center.

Nothing planned this weekend and car all gassed up to head up Interstate 95 for something new and different, exciting? Head to Limestone Maine’s Loring Air Base. More details on the 2011 Maine Land Speed Races at the former LAFB in Limestone.

Other entertainment options for the weekend too with Maine blues, celtic music festivals too. Maine, way way more than light houses, lobsters, potato fields and Mt Katahdin. Come see what you are missing.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

July 15, 2011
Maine, The Lower Population, Insulation Away From Wall To Wall People A Big Plus.

Elbow Room, You Will Pay For It, Need It And In Maine You Can Secure It Easily For Less Money.

In my job as a Maine real estate broker, many of our property buyers do not live local.

Some use to and moved with their parents to say Connecticut years ago to work at Pratt and Whitney, General Dynamics, Electric Boat, even Royal typewriter many moons ago. But as the new town becomes crowded, over populated, problems start.

Life can be a noisy blur with heavy traffic, pollution, and just too many people. I hear Maine real estate buyers from over populated states and even from Southern Maine that is pretty close to Boston indicate they just want space. Not to bother any one, but to be spaced out, free of neighbors right on top of them.

Lots of people mean potential for misunderstandings, hot tempers if your personal space is violated, intruded on. It’s the same with humans as with labratory rats. Too many jammed in an too tiny piece of real estate, then biting, hot tempers, over reactioning to situations, other “rats” happens.

If New Jersey has 1000 people per square mile, Alaska one person and Northern Maine 11 people, just the population of a place can be a major influence on the atmosphere, day to day there.

And if you want to be on a dead end road, on a hobby farm or to own a seasonal recreational river ME property, something on a ME lake, the elbow room has a big bearing on the experience.

The lower price tag means you can purchase more for less, to protect your seclusion, privacy, personal space.

In areas of high cost, precious down to the inch real estate due to over population, pressure of more people per mile and subsequent increase in crime, etc the luxury of owning a big chunk of real estate becomes more remote. Partly due to cost, partly do to availability.

So a common inquiry when out of town, out of state Maine real estate buyers considering purchasing property in Aroostook County is tell me about the weather, how many people per square inch, etc. I have found the frequently asked questions videos, the local community events movies help people “transition” from the hurry scurry where they live now to being a Maine country mouse.

Maine, wake up, start your dream. Get your own “corner” or dead end quiet large piece of property for little money, low priced. Maine’s lower population may be all you need to be content, happy. Not bothering any one. Just enjoying the peace and quiet, no mortgage without wall to wall neighbors on top of you. Many upset over something brand new every day that you are somehow the cause of and in the middle of.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers

207.532.6573

info@mooersrealty.com

June 29, 2010
Maine Shoreland Zoning, Do’s, Don’ts Around ME Lakes, Rivers, Ocean, Ponds.

Fish So Big In Maine You Get A Hernia Landing Them In A Boat.

Waterfront real estate in Maine, and what are the rules on what you can and can not do without a fine, severe penalties.

Before 1972, help yourself with a bulldozer wading out in to the water of a Maine lake, pushing rocks to the side. Or removing them all together was not uncommon. Neither was a establishing a rolling lawn. One crew cutted of trees, removing all shade, anything vegetation like to hold the soil in place to prevent erosion in to the water.

Oh sure, many folks kept the land looking like the woods, pristine. Resisted the urge to have a lush green, country club perfect lawn to the water’s edge. But common sense was not enough to protect the resource so Maine’s shoreland zoning ordinance was crafted, beefed up over the years. Shoreland zoning in Maine pertains, regulates the 250 foot strip around our waterbodies of lakes, rivers, ponds, ocean frontage.

Why the need for rules, fines, regulations for the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) and LURC (Land Use Regulation Commission) to administer, police and protect maine water bodies, water sheds?

Because remember a lake that gets so much erosion from silt run off, wood cutting operations in that water shed “drain” from miles away, poorly designed roadways, driveways will die if over burdened, not cared for.

Improperly built Maine water frontage driveways, primary roadways are 50% of the problem. Add to it man’s love of weed and feed to have the best, greenest lawn. Then pile on his removing vegatation along the shoreline, and penchant for building bigger and bigger vacation homes (McMansions) that are no longer camps, cottages. It adds to the water resources stress, pressure on that lake, river, pond, ocean frontage.

On the subject of camp roads, Nickerson Lake, that is south of the Houlton Maine Community Golf Course in New Limerick is the site of a ME camp road workshop on June 23rd. Bill LaFlamme of the Maine DEP will be educating on why maintenance of that gravel camp road around your lake, pond, river is so important. The damage caused if nothing is done to protect your waterfront real estate. Also, another worthwhile session on effective road repair practices with David Rocque of the Maine Department Of Agriculture happens the same day.

Interested in protecting your Maine lake, pond, river, ocean front property and want to learn how, more? Register by emailing
angela.wotton@nacdnet.net or calling 207.532.2087, ext 3 at the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA).

Think like a Maine fish…you are worried about milfoil, evasive plant vegetation that puts a strangle hold on a ME lake, pond.

And then consider how hard it is to breath thru your gills with all this debris, silt coming in to the Maine lake.

Gushing in by gallons, tons and hurting water purity, visibility.

The Maine soil and water districts around Vacationland need your help to protect these fish, aquatic plant life that is the good kind keeping erosion to a minimum. Run off chokes a lake and fish lake rolling lawns, where all the ground cover has been removed and water “races” to the water body carrying all kinds of contaminants along the way. Any lake association representative is invited to this Maine camp road workshop in New Limerick Maine, Aroostook County.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

June 7, 2010