Well its been over a year since I updated my online diary with the BBC at home in Lincolnshire. In that time I have moved upstate a ways (as they say in these parts) to a place called Millinocket.




Millinocket is in the shadow of Maine's largest mountain, Mount Katahdin. Katahdin is over 5,268 feet high and it looms over the town when you drive in from Interstate 95.

Katahdin is situated in Baxter State Park and is open year round. Today, As I was driving home I looked up to the mountains and they were covered in snow. We get a lot of snow in these parts as we are really only a hop skip and a jump to the Canadian border at Houlton.

For an area of such outstanding beauty there isn't a lot of work to be had. Most people (my self included) have to travel down to Bangor to work and that's over 65 miles from here. It's not too bad at the moment but when the snow really starts to fly is when it gets tricky.

There is a lot of wild life here in the area, there is an abundance of Moose and deer as well as smaller animals such as raccoon. When I first moved up here I didn't realize that Raccoons were such thieves! I had put my garbage out one evening in readiness for the bin men to come and collect it and the very next morning the garbage was strewn from one end of the garden to the other! I was most put out. There were little holes in the bags where the raccoons had gotten in to them and it was quite a mess to clean up. I was still cleaning the mess up when the bin men arrived. They came on over to give me a hand in the cleaning up and I was impressed. I hadn't been here in Millinocket all that long and I was pleasantly surprised to get a hand.

There is a world of difference between Northern Maine and southern Maine in as far as the friendliness of the locals are concerned. Folks round here would gladly help you but down south there is always a price to pay.

Up here in Northern Maine there is a lot of hunting and fishing to do if you are so inclined. Early in the morning you see all the hunters going out with their bright orange caps and coats on. The orange is a requirement by the state so that hunters out in the field don't shoot at each other. There are a lot of people who come from out of state to hunt, mainly from places like Massachusetts and Connecticut. These people pay big money to hunt Maine's game.

Just outside of Millinocket there are a few places called Indian Purchase. There are quite a few tribes here in Maine. Passamaquoddy and Penobscot to name just two. There is a place called Indian Island down near Bangor that is Tribal Land and it's the only place in Maine that you can play Bingo and win money. We had an election here the other week and one of the questions asked was, are you in favour of a casino being built in the south of the state?

The voters overwhelmingly voted against the tribes building the casino. A pity really as Maine is one of the poorer states in the Union.

Until next time...

Shane :-)



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