Day 12: Montreal to Solon, ME

It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.
Dave Barry

230 Miles
2 Canadian provinces
13th state (Maine)

We drove out of Montreal and through some more beautiful country (once we got off the main roads).  We drove the length of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.  Those Great Lakes are really Great!  Hard to believe you're not looking at the ocean when you see the vast expanse of water.  We re-entered the U.S. through the border in Coburn Gore, Maine -- a much easier border crossing than the Port Huron, Michigan to Canada border.  The border patrol agent was very no-nonsense -- checking passports, car registration, "how long have you been in Canada," "what are you carrying across the border," "may I look in the back of the car,"... until he got to the question, "Where are you headed in Maine?"  When we told him Solon, he finally broke official face and said, "If you don't mind my asking, where are you staying?"  When we told him we might camp, he said, "Good.  The hotel in Solon is a dump."  !!

Driving into Maine, we saw our first rain of the trip.  Then we saw more and more and started to panic a little about the great camping adventure.  We decided to make it to the campgrounds and play it by ear.  We drove into Evergreens Campground in Solon, and found it to be beautiful -- a perfect site on the Kennebec River.  When we asked the owner about our alternatives, she directed us to a "high and dry" campsite and told us the storm would "just blow right through."  We asked about motel alternatives in case it got too awful, and she told us the only one was the Solon Hotel, and "Nice ladies don't stay there!"

Serving not-nice-ladies for 117 years!

The adventure was on!  The weather had cleared a little and we laid out the tarp and the tent and started the set up.  As soon as we were committed (we should have been committed!) and there was no turning back, it started pouring.  By the time we got the tent up, we were drenched.  By the time the air mattress was inflated, it was apparent there was a leak in the floor of the tent.  We eventually got ourselves zipped in, floating above the 2" puddle in the tent, and listened to the pouring rain and thunder.  We discovered we had limited Internet access, and when we looked up the weather, the prediction was all-night thunder showers, and then flashed the FLASH FLOOD ALERT: SOLON, ME!!  Oh well, we knew we were in for an adventure, hunkered down, and actually slept well (and warm and dry).  Figures.  The only night of our entire trip with even a drop of rain is the night we had the great idea to camp!  The new day dawned bright and warm, and we had to pack up a lot of dirty, wet stuff.  ON TO NEW HAMPSHIRE!

The campground owner told us the bear chased him halfway through the wall, & then got stuck!

The Kennebec River in Solon, ME, where my great-grandfather was a logger, and my grandmother used to "run the logs"