#21 MAINE

Maine is known as Down East (makes sense in an odd geographical sense), the Pine Tree State or as the license plates proclaim: Vacationland

Lobstering is a long-standing and delicious Maine tradition. More than 60 lighthouses line the rocky coast and picturesque coastal cities are what I conjure when I think of Maine but more than 90 percent of Maine’s land area is forested. Vast areas of virtually uninhabited (aside from moose, that is!) woodland justify the “Pine Tree State” moniker.

50 States of Literature’s, Melanie Jones of the Columbia Spectator and new find Book Club Classics!; 50 States 50 Books have not yet designated a Maine book but it must be something by Stephen King, right? Many authors have found inspiration in Maine such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edna St. Vincent Millay and E.B. White. I suspect the long, severe winters contribute to the Maine creativity. A favorite book from recent years is Linda Greenlaw’s The Lobster Chronicles; Life on a very small island. Her memoir of Maine island life is about “life, luck and lobsters” but it’s really about community and commitment. Great stuff!

Then, of course, there’s L.L. Bean. The Freeport flagship store is one of my must stops! An addition to my “to read” list is the 1990 Paul Rudnick novel, I‘ll Take It was a humorous tale of a Long Island mother taking some of her children on a fall shopping trip through New England with L.L. Bean being the final destination. As the plot unfolds, the mother divulges to her son that she is actually planning to rob L.L. Bean in order to update her and her husband’s furniture in their retirement.

Leon Leonwood Bean, an avid hunter and fisherman, started the mail order business in 1912. The Freeport outlet is a goldmine of preppy gear at unbelievably low prices. There were canoes filled with the ubiquitous boat bags that had been returned or incorrectly monogrammed. Every gift recipient on my list came very, very close to receiving a mystery monogram bag this year. I regret my restraint – isn’t that the way it always goes!

Our first dinner in Maine had to be lobster! Of all the world’s lobsters, be they spiny, hairy, hunchbacked, shovel-headed or clawless, none is so much revered as the wily American Lobster, from the North Atlantic Ocean’s icy waters off the coast of Maine. Today you can get Maine Lobster anywhere in the world but they are most succulent direct from local waters sans the frequent flier miles.

We got our lobster at the Harbor View Restaurant in Thomaston. How perfect!

The busy harbor town of Rockland is known for its bountiful lobster harvest and also claims the state’s largest windjammer fleet. We visited the Maine Lighthouse Museum to view the best collection of lights that I’ve seen. They recommended that we walk the 7/8 mile granite breakwater across Penobscot Bay to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. (that makes lighthouse #50!) It was advice we were glad we followed on such a sunny day. I wouldn’t be so keen to venture out on the breakwater in inclement conditions, however.

The Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center in downtown Rockland was amazing. I marveled at the use of space in the converted church before my eye was drawn to the exhibit of works by the Wyeth’s. The main museum was no less impressive featuring American art with an emphasis on Maine artists.

We worked our way up the coast stopping in for lobster rolls at Young’s Lobster Pound and Seafood Restaurant, in East Belfast, the quintessential outpost for the classic feast. Walk into the huge barnlike building by the Passagassawakeag River (even a 10 year old boy couldn’t make up a name like that) where it flows into the Belfast Bay, and you know you’re in seafood heaven. Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling shelves await the summer season’s trove of black-green lobsters up to a capacity of 30,000! One amply stocked big, open tank was available from which you could pluck your own lobster to buy by the pound. Because cut-up lobster stored in the refrigerator hardens and loses it’s flavor we forced to impatiently wait for our freshly cooked, just cut meat to fill hot dog buns for our lobster rolls. The wait was well worth it.

We all know about Maine’s famous lobsters but I forgot about the fiddleheads, the immature sprouts of the ostrich fern. We passed many road side tables sporting handwritten FiddLeheaD signs. Oh, what torture to not be able to buy! But we had to continue our tour and drove west to northern New Hampshire. I kept my eyes pealed for a moose but was disappointed. Maybe next time…

#20 MASSACHUSETTS

When I think of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts I think of the Red Sox, the Kennedy’s, Plymouth Rock, Harvard and Cape Cod. All of that with a sound track in my mind of the Bee Gees singing Massachusetts. To the best of my knowledge the Bee Gees have absolutely no connection to the state aside from this song but I still hear it go round and round. To blend (somewhat) with the native population you have to know when to skip over perfectly good letters in order to properly pronounce the names of towns like Gloucester (Glos-ter). It’s part of the experience. And if you do get a sidelong glance for not dropping your r’s, so what?

This visit to the Bay State found me North of Boston. We stopped in Salem and then headed up through Essex, Ipswich and Newburyport. The area is encompassed in the Essex National Heritage Area. The NPS brochure tells us “It’s where beaches sing, mills hum and your heritage whispers”.

Salem was the capitol of Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1626-30. The name Salem was known to traders worldwide at one time but most tourists today think of the Witchcraft Trials of 1692.

We wanted to learn more and entered the Witch History Museum, our destination was the Salem Witch Museum but the witchery was at work because we were unclear which of similarly named “Witch” museums we were in until after we paid our admission. No worries – we enjoyed what we saw and the tour and displays filled in a few blanks about the history of the witch trials. One would think that it is all ancient history and could never happen again but the other day I was disturbed to read “Kenya Mob kills 11 accused of being witches” on SFGate.
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Nathanial Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, hails from Salem. We walked past the Salem Maritime Historical Site and viewed The House of Seven Gables to glean a greater understanding of the area’s offering and step back in time while avoiding the new-age sorcery shops. Salem was one of the most significant seaports in early America. It boasts the first National Historic Site designated by Congress, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which protects Salem's historic waterfront.

Essex, founded as a shipbuilding center, was later a port for New York-bound steamboats, and is now a tourism and clamming area. There are opportunities for hiking, canoeing and kayaking plus ample bird watching. We did none of those but we did have a TERRIFIC lunch at Woodman’s of Essex thanks to the Road Food recommendation. We had fried clams on a platter accompanied by both French fries and onion rings. As Road Food puts it “It’s a deep-fried pig out beyond description!” The story goes that on July 3rd, 1916, Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman fried up a few clams at his roadside stand in Essex as a joke and started the venerable New England summer staple of fried clams. The next day during the 4th of July Parade, Chubby and his wife, Bessie, presented their fried clams to the citizens of Essex and the Yankee appetite has never been the same since! I can personally attest that the clams are delicious. This is not where you go for an elegant dining experience. You place your order at one counter, head to a second to order drinks and hopefully locate a table in the cavernous space. We were there before “the season” and scored a table just outside of the main room. I suspect in the summer all bets are off. When your number is called you are presented heaping plates in a cardboard box and dig in with plastic forks. I would go back in a heartbeat (eat too much food like this and the heart has a more difficult time beating!) There is a separate building where we could have purchased Woodman’s apparel but I contented myself with a photo.

Next meal is in Maine.

#19 RHODE ISLAND

The Port of Galilee

Recreational sailing and the US Navy keep Rhode Island’s focus clearly on the water. There are 400 miles of shoreline earning the name “Ocean State” in this 48 miles long by 37 miles wide state, the smallest in the country. The official name is somewhat cumbersome: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. We opted to refer to it as simply Rhode Island, being rather informal about these things

We drove in to Rhode Island in search of lunch (some things never change.) Our destination was George’s of Galilee, near the ferry port to Block Island. Galilee is directly across a channel from Jerusalem. Due to a navigational miscalculation we found ourselves in Jerusalem looking across to the blue awnings at George’s. We could see it clearly but the only access would be by boat, swim or a drive back up around the inlet. The drove won after limited consideration. Finally we got our Rhode Island clam chowder (the clear broth differentiating it from New England clam chowder) and clam rolls.

The story of how Galilee got it’s name taken from an information sign in town is this: “In 1902, the story goes, Thomas Mann, a fisher man from Nova Scotia who settled here, felt the village that sprung up with it’s fishing shacks should be called Galilee, after the fishing village of biblical times. One day, an old timer sat on the dock repairing his fishing nets when a stranger called out to him “Where am I?” The answer was “Galilee”. “And what is that?” asked the stranger pointing to the land on the other side of the channel. The old timer thought for a while, nodded his head and replied “Must be Jerusalem.” And so the names Galilee and Jerusalem have been used to denote a most picturesque part of Rhode Island.” So now we all know.

We made a stop at Point Judith Lighthouse which is a working Coast Guard Station. It was a spectacular setting but it was cold and very, very windy.

The Mt. Hope Bridge. One of many we crossed in RI.

#18 CONNECTICUT

Spring at the O'Neill Theater

When one arrives in New England what’s appropriate to do first? Well if you’re me it involves food. It was Mothers’ Day and things were crowded but we were very impressed with our meal at Carmen Anthony Fishhouse in Wethersfield, CT. I, of course, had the NEW ENGLAND Clam Chowda’ which was delicious and rich and creamy and clam filled. When in Rome…

The "Constitution State" dates from the early colonial times and was one of the thirteen original colonies. The first two constitutions drafted in 1638 hail from Connecticut. The state is the 4th most populous in the Union and has the highest per capita and median household income. In addition to being known as the "The Constitution State," as seen on the automobile license plates, Connecticut is also known as "The Nutmeg State”. Contrary to logic, nutmeg is not grown here, but the reference may come from the importation of this valuable spice in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Connecticut has a beautiful coastline and naturally that’s where John & I headed.
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is located in Waterford, CT and has beautiful grounds which we enjoyed roaming. O’Neill, author of The Iceman Cometh, among other theatrical classics, summered in an unimposing cottage called Monte Cristo in nearby New London. These more cerebral sites were interesting but, as always, we had food on our mind. The Road Food book recommends Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough in Noank. After taking several wrong turns and “scenic” twists we came across a closed Abbott’s. Noank is a charming town and Abbott’s looks terrific. Maybe next time!

No Lobsters in the pot at Abbott's

A few miles down the road is Mystic. The wind was howling as we wandered around past Mystic Pizza, home of the same-named Julia Roberts film and into the Mystic Seaport. The Mystic Seaport is a large maritime museum with several ships and outside exhibits simulating an 19th century New england village. Because of the gale force winds (how nautical!) we contented ourselves with the inside displays before moving on.

Our favorite stop was the Stonington Lighthouse dates from 1823. This was our 48th lighthouse visited and it was charming. Breathtaking vistas of three states are visible from the, rather squat, 30 foot tower and it was an immersion experience to climb the ladder and stand as the winds howled and shook the building. The displays of local history included a cannonball lodged in a piece of wall dating from the Revolutionary War and a historic character, Zebulon Hancox, and I mean a character.

George W. Bush was born in Connecticut. He is has roots in the state extending three generations. Other notable figures from the state span American political and cultural history, including Ralph Nader, eli whitney, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Katharine Hepburn. The state is often associated with Mark Twain, author of A Connecticut Yankee in Kind Arthur’s Court. His Hartford home is the site of his financial decline in late life and now is suffering financial difficulties as a tourist destination. The Mark Twain House is featured in a terrific Ken Burns documentary about Twain. I hope to visit someday, but not today.

Next: Rhode Island.

#17 OHIO

My Ohio visit was boring. I had a great time visiting Cleveland last year so I can’t blame the state. I actually place all of the blame upon myself for scheduling a too quick turn-around from what was essentially a mielage run to Dayton, OH.


Maybe next year I’ll do the Cincinnati Flying Pigs Marathon. Last week the 26.2 mile course was extended about ¼ mile due to a reroute because of a fire along the course. Now a full marathon is no small feat, adding any distance to the course just seems unfair, but then again once you’re out for a run what’s a little farther? The crux of the matter is this: The race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and times should be competitive. Many people qualify by mere seconds. A compromise is being worked out.


Dayton, Ohio a city of over 150,000 is a 45 minute drive from Cincinnati, or 30 minutes if you speed, so I’m told. Dayton has one of the most consistent street cleaning schedules. On a daily basis street sweepers roam the downtown. The streets seemed quite clean, but they also seemed deserted.


Ohio's nickname "Birthplace of Aviation" is also frequently seen due to Dayton being the hometown of the Wright Brothers. The Dayton Airport capitalized on that even to the extent of the airplane design in the carpet.

The ice cube tray was invented in Dayton and no one can dispute that is a remarkable contribution.

#16 NEVADA

Nevada brings to mind the desert and gambling. The May 7, 2008 USA Today article by
Gary Stroller: “Gas of Gamble? Economy forces many to choose - Casinos across the USA report falling revenues” implies that the gambling aspect is hitting it’s first downturn in many years but presumably the desert is still intact. I’m not a gambler, preferring to squander my money on airfare, but wanted to do my Nevada part. It was a small part: I’d set aside a few quarters in the hope that I would win big and obtain the 17 state quarters that I’ve not yet collected. It was not to be as I could not locate a slot machine that would take my quarters. They are all require a pre-purchased ticket. Oh well.

John & I made a loop from Highway 88, north on 395 through Reno and west on I80. We drove through the state capitol, Carson City and detoured into Genoa. Genoa, pronounced ge-NO-a, was the first settlement in the Nevada territory and only boasts 248 residents now. I wonder how many were there in 1851? Genoa was first settled by Mormons, creating a fort on the Carson Pass trail between Sacramento, CA and Utah. Nevada’s first hotel, newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, and court hail from Genoa. Another first for the state, the Genoa Bar, billed "Nevada's oldest thirst parlor", was patronized by Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt and Johnny Cash and was used in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films.

A recommended fictional history is Clint McCullough’s Nevada maybe that will be my personal “50 States of Literature” selection. I’ve not read it but the two customer reviews on Amazon intrigue me.

Next we went Reno, thwarted at my gambling attempt I ate lunch at the El Dorado Casino instead.
According to Wikipedia movies filmed in Reno include:
The Cooler
Magnolia
Hard Eight
Charley Varrick
The Wizard
Jinxed!
The Misfits
Kingpin
Blind Fury
Pink Cadillac
Diamonds
Sister Act
Father's Day
Waking Up in Reno
Jane Austen's Mafia!
California Split
Up Close and Personal
The Pledge
Thunder Over Reno
Kill Me Again
The Last Don

We exited the state with Johnny Cash’s voice in my head "When I was just a baby, my mother told me, 'Son, always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.' But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ts4M3irWM

Not the most uplifting but it’s the only Reno song that came to mind. Sorry!

#15 TENNESSEE Country Music Marathoning

The impetuous for this five state adventure was the Nashville Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. Lois & I completed the half-marathon. The day before the race we toured the town. Nashville is the home of the Grand Ole Opry and a hot bed of country music activity. We went to the Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame and OpryLand along with the requisite pre-race pasta dinner.

Our race route took us by several of the 16 universities and a smattering of the 800 churches and down “Music Row”. Interestingly Nashville has many industries in addition to the $4 billion music business: one other being Bible publishing. They’ve referred to Nashville as the “buckle on the Bible Belt”. The number of t-shirts sporting Bible verses on fellow marathoners would reinforce that.

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The full-size replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park, the race start, is a remarkable example of the Greek Architecture that is prevalent in this city, also know as “The Athens of the South”. We ended at LG Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. There was a post-race concert for which was we managed to get third row seats Marathoners are probably not the best concert audience after a race because there was a notable reluctant to jump up and dance in the aisle despite admirable encouragement from the stage. Between the first and main acts the marathon awards were given out. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever be to someone who runs a marathon in less than 2 ½ hours. You can be sure I’ll never be near them on the course.

I was very impressed by the organization of the pre-race expo and the race itself. There were multiple Country Music acts performing along the route along with church choirs and fabulous cheerleaders from area schools which kept the momentum up. I would do this again but probably will seek out another of Elite Racing’s events in another state for the future. This was my 2nd half-marathon bringing my total of marathons and halfs to four in as many states. I’ve participated in the New York Marathon, the San Francisco Nike Marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon and now this. Could I be on my way to a marathon in every state? Hmmm…. I’d better ramp up my training!

Hydration is the key!

#14 MISSISSIPPI BLUES ROUTE

The Mississippi Visitors Center and Rest Area clinched my positive attitude about the state. It may have been that I had crossed the hurdle of my fight against the common cold and was feeling optimistic about everything but I was happy to be on a road trip. Among the handouts and pamphlets that I gathered was a single sheet with Mississippi Trivia on one side and an extensive list of famous Mississippians on the other.

Just some tidbits:

• Gail Borden produced the first can of condensed milk in Liberty.


• Memorial Day was started in Columbus


• The first co-educational college in the US to grant a degree to a woman was MS College.


• Barq’s Root Beer was invented by Edward Barq in Biloxi in 1898


• The Blazon-Flexible Flyer (snow sled) came from West Point
  

A sampling of famous folks hailing from the Magnolia State include Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, James Earl Jones, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Britney Spears, Muddy Waters, Oprah Winfrey, 6 astronauts, 4 Miss Americas, Brett Favre, Walter Payton and Jerry Rice.

My visit was short but action packed. I drove south from Memphis along US Route 61 through verdant fields of winter wheat to Clarksdale to get a taste of the Mississippi Blues Trail. I loved the small, but comprehensive Delta Blues Museum which boasts the Muddy Waters guitar made from a plank from Muddy Water’s cabin and used on tour by ZZ Top plus the remains of the cabin along with all sorts of nifty memorabilia. Clarksdale hosts several events throughout the year but I was there on a sleepy, soggy April day.

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After getting my fill of blues history I eagerly drove to Abe’s BBQ for tamales, located near the junction of highways 61 and 49 “the crossroads where blues legend tells us you sell your soul to the devil in exchange for the gift of music”. Obviously you need sustenance for such an endeavor and Abe has the right idea. Abe’s is the first restaurant that I’ve been able to visit that is listed in Road Food, a book given to me by my friend Lois. I’ve diligently consulted it prior to every excursion and make note of potential dining spots but something always conspires to thwart my Road Food experience. I enjoyed the recommended tamales along with tart slaw immensely and can’t wait to try other locations from the book!

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I was having a great time and wanted to extend my Mississippi tour instead of heading directly north to Nashville so I detoured east through Oxford, home of William Faulkner and the University of Mississippi aka Ole Miss. Faulkner used Oxford as a backdrop for many of his novels rechristened as Jefferson. Another literary success, John Grisham was a graduate of Ole Miss Law. The antebellum houses line gracious streets and I fantasized about packing up and relocating to a more leisurely lifestyle.

Continuing east I was serenaded by Elvis Radio as I drove through Tupelo, birthplace of THE KING, and easily located 306 Elvis Presley Drive. After a brief exploration I headed north on the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444 mile drive across Mississippi, the corner of Alabama and Tennessee, culminating just south of Nashville. This former American Indian footpath is liberally sprinkled with wayside exhibits and footpaths and warrants serious lingering but I conceded defeat and fatigue and turned off to the freeway to make a more rapid final push to Nashville and my awaiting hotel.

I truly enjoyed my tour and would most definitely recommend Mississippi as a road trip destination. The state is small, less than 50,000 square miles and I only ventured through the top quadrant. Who knows what delight awaits those who venture deeper into the Deep South?

There is a dark side. Mississippi the poorest state in the union with the US Census reporting 21.3% living below poverty level. The lack of affluence could be a direct reason for the lack of development. There were noticeably fewer Starbuck’s and Taco Bell’s and generic homogenization. Does that mean it’s not economically desirable for those companies to invest here? The funky road side diner/gas station/taxidermy/dental office with a pile of junk out front does not speak well of a standard of living but it’s a delight for my eyes weary of McDonald’s arches.

Kentucky Derby Roller Coaster

I realize that I’m 3 states behind in my posts but today I’m going to write about Barbaro, Seabiscuit, Big Brown and Eight Belles

When I was recently in the Bluegrass State, I was 1 ½ weeks ahead of the Derby festivities and about as far away from Churchill Downs as one could be and still be in the state. It’s horse country and I couldn’t help wishing that my timing was slightly different and I could say I was in Kentucky for the Derby. My sister-in-law was there a few years ago visiting friends in Louisville, it only seems fair that I could be there sometime too! Quilts and horse racing would be the iconic Kentucky experience with a sampling of bourbon for good measure. When I first schemed about visiting all 50 states in one year I fantasized about hitting all of the iconic events. Reality quickly set in and I resolutely reined in my ambitions to my existing plan.

I am not a huge horse racing fan but I love horses. I was fortunate to have horses in my youth and remember watching the “big” races from a young age. A few years ago, when the book and subsequent movie, Seabiscuit, came out John & I really enjoyed both. Always eager to jump on a theme we embraced the Seabiscuit story and took it one step (well several) beyond what one would expect. We went to the Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, CA which is formerly the site of the Tanforan Racetrack and viewed the statue of Seabiscuit. We went to Bay Meadows Race Track for a day of racing to experience the thrill up close. There’s a street in Ingleside District of San Francisco, Urbano Drive, which was a race track in the 1920’s so, of course, we had to march around the loop. See what I mean by beyond?

Two years ago we closely followed the heartbreaking tale of Barbaro and now we have another high-profile tragedy.

Last Saturday I wrote the following excerpted email to my sister-in-law:

Hello from the sexy Days Inn in Sonora. (It's a dump but at least there's wifi) We drove up here this morning to attend the Buie wedding tonight and are taking a brief siesta while watching the Kentucky Derby hype. I can just picture you and Bill in town. I know you didn't go to the race itself but what a thrill to be a part of it all! OH - what a sweet Budweiser commercial - it brought tears to my eyes. Can you imagine me crying to a Budweiser commercial?!? How gauche. Must pause to sing "My Old Kentucky Home"

A perfect segue to the quilt museum. The town was all abuzz with white haired ladies carrying quilted bags. What a zoo! It was two days before the annual National Quilt Show and I naively thought I'd arrive prior to the crowds. Quilts were festooning the entire town of Paducah, Kentucky. I really don't have much to report about the quilts. The crowds were ferocious and there were quilt shows in every public building in town plus many private ones, I imagine. The supposedly really remarkable quilts were in an area that was closed for a private event. All I can say is I'd like to return and I was impressed by the fervor of the quilting fans but I needed to get on the road because Missouri was beckoning so I couldn't linger.


AND THEY'RE OFF......

WOW... go Big Brown!!!!

so, where was I? ah yes, well…

oh no---the filly is down on the track.

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oh no....how sad...the 2nd place horse broke both front legs and they euthanized her. Horse racing is way too traumatic for me. Tears at a commercial are nothing now.

I know I should write this in a more cohesive manner but I feel like you're sitting here next to me!

The wild spectrum of cheering on a remarkable animal to victory then gasping in despair as the fate of Eight Belles became known was a roller coaster shared by millions across the world. The last two days have brought much commentary and judgment in the media. The Kentucky Derby should bring to mind mint juleps, hats and a rose garland for the winning horse but sadly this year added a tragedy to the mix. I don’t feel the horses are abused but undoubtedly there are issues that need to be addressed. For me the cloud of Barbaro and Eight Belles lingers but the thrill of Big Brown’s accomplishments and heartwarming tale of Seabiscuit shine through. My interests in the tradition of the Derby and in horse racing have been enhanced greatly by my travels and “field trips”. That’s why I do it. That’s why I’ll continue to do it. That’s also why I’ll watch the Preakness Stakes on May 17 cheering Big Brown on and saying a prayer for Eight Belles and Barbaro.