Hospital Homestretch Tourblog: Day 1
We started Friday on the west side of Maine, in Rumford Falls in Oxford County. We received a warm reception despite the chilly temperatures, biting wind and fluttering snow. We passed out literature to businesses and people on Congress Street. We met up with local supporters who grabbed a bunch of signs and went out to put them up immediately.
When we left, she was sporting a LaMarche for Governor button and offered to volunteer! |
We visited the hospital and stopped by the Dunkin' Donuts in Farmington in Franklin County and then took Route 2 east to Skowhegan.
In Skowhegan, in Somerset County, Pat was treated like royalty on Water Street. This is the home base of the 133rd Maine National Guard, whose members remember the many ways she has been supportive of them over the years, including the time she deployed to Ft. Drum to describe for Mainers what our young soldiers are going through.
Mary Behn and her husband, owners of Mac's Taxi, rushed out to greet Pat. Then we went to the Empire Grill, an old-style diner, where Sgt. Genness had questions for Pat. Sgt. Genness started out as an undecided voter. When we left, she was sporting a LaMarche for Governor button and offered to volunteer!
We took Route 150 past the controversial incinerator at Athens, and then had a long, beautiful ride up to Moosehead Lake. What a gem, what a treasure. Moosehead needs to be protected.
We were lucky enough to enjoy an early dinner at the Black Frog Restaurant in Greenville in Piscataquis County while the sun was still setting. The Black Frog sits right on the lake. We could see Mt. Katahdin, and a tour boot that cruises the lake. The locals were gearing up for freezing temperatures and the ice shacks and snow mobiles to come.
We swooped down to Dover-Foxcroft to visit the Mayo Hospital, drove through Milo and put up signs at the Piscataquis High School, and then visited Lincoln (in Penobscot County). We had a lovely time eating a big meal. One of the Team LaMarche members had too much pie and had to stop in the Rite Aid for Tums! Ironically, we met another Team LaMarche member from Auburn who happened to be on his way to visit his mom in Lincoln, so we traded stories of how well the campaign was going.
The last tour stop of the day was in Millinocket, where we put up signs, met with the locals, and enjoyed walking around the downtown gazebo.
To get ready for an early start the next morning in Ft. Kent, we drove north on Route 11. The moonlight on the mountains was just gorgeous.
In Ft. Kent, you are looking at the border crossing to Canada. The temperatures were in the twenties, the sky was clear and our spirits were soaring.
While we traveled almost 500 miles today, we can't wait for day 2!
