Headed Back to the USA

Another beautiful morning in Canada.  Today we say Au Revoir to Quebec City and to Canada.  We're headed back to the U.S. through Maine.

US Border

Wewe have a long drive - about 5.5 hours with no stops- to Portland, Maine.    We travel through Canada for the first couple of hours traveling on Routes 73 and 173.  The last Canadian Highway, Route 173, is named Route-du-Président-Kennedy.  There should not be any traffic at this border entry.

We cross the border in Sandy Bay Township  near Jackman, Maine (Population: 862).  Entering the U.S. we follow Route 201 for most of the way.  This is a National Scenic Byway known as the Old Canada Road. 



Route 201 follows old river trading routes of the Abenaki tribe. Benedict Arnold made part of this interconnected network of waterways famous during the Revolutionary War when he led a tough band of soldiers up the Kennebec and Dead rivers in flat bottom boats called bateaux, to lay siege to the French settlement at Quebec. Today, the vitality of the region is bolstered by the area’s working forests, and Route 201 remains an important trade route linking Canada and the U.S. with the international border crossing at Sandy Bay.

Maine State House

As we emerge from the wilderness, we travel on good ole I-95 toward Portland traveling through the state capital of Augusta, Maine.  With only 20,000 people its the third smallest town that's a state capital.  Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820 and the capital was moved from Portland to Augusta in 1832.  The dome was added in the early part of the 20th century and replaced in 2014.





If we have time, we'll stop at the headquarters of L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine.  The outlets there are said to take up five buildings.   The business started in 1912 with the waterproof boot you see depicted here.

Portland, Maine describes itself as a historic seaport town with a funky vibe.  We're staying at the Hyatt Place in the Old Port area and most of the activities we will be seeing are within walking distance.  Tonight, we feast on lobster!  Getting a Maine lobster dinner was the reason we took this route home.   I also like taking different routes to and from vacation, as General Patton once said, "I don't like to pay for the same real estate twice."