"The Pine Tree State"

Welcome to Maine

Maine/New Hampshire border on I-95
August 10, 2009

Poor Maine. It really seems to be off by itself in the northeastern corner of the U.S. It shares a border with just one state while sharing a border with two Canadian provinces. Also, it is the only state that is just one syllable. That always felt wrong in my mind, as a state's name should roll off the tongue. "Maine" seems too abrupt and halting to sound stately. But the Pine Tree state does make up for its short name with a diverse set of landscapes, ranging from rocky coastline to dense forests to rolling mountains. Maybe the best part about Maine is the abundance of seafood that is harvested from its waters, specifically lobster. But you need to watch out for creatures on land as well.

If you think this sign is dull, you should have seen the first sign I passed in a rural location. I was hoping the sign along the Maine Turnpike would have significantly more pizzazz, but it turns out the only addition was the tourism slogan. The "welcome to" part of the sign in all capital letters seems to overwhelm the state's name in the middle, perhaps because it feels like the sign is screaming at me. It also seems indistinguishable from your average blue "Rest Area 22 miles" sign as well. The location of this sign was a little surprising, as it was two exits past the border. If I hadn't been traveling from Maine and constantly checking my rear-view mirror for the sign, I might have assumed I missed it after the first exit.

Welcome to Augusta

August 9, 2009

Straddling the Kennebec River and almost equally distributed on both sides, Augusta is a small city that didn't leave a lasting impression. It seemed to lack a city center, a proverbial "downtown" business district that contained most of the stores in the area. I very well could have missed it, as the streets were a little confusing with several roundabouts, bridges and missing road signs. The capital was moved from Portland to Augusta shortly after Maine became a state, as the town was more centrally located. Aside from geographic location, it didn't seem to have much else going for it. It was cool to think that this was the furthest east I would be at any point during Assignment: America.

I think it's cool that architects choose a capitol location that is on top of a hill, as it allows the building to be higher up that those around it and making it visible for some distance. Of course, they weren't thinking about me trying to take a picture when they were planning. This layout reminded me of the setup in Nashville, where the steep elevation made it tough to find a good angle. I initially tried from the back, but the legislative office building was too close and I couldn't fit all of the building in the shot. I then tried from the front, but the trees were blocking me. I crossed the street into a large, grassy park at the bottom of the hill and climbed up to where the road was passing in front. This was as good as I was going to get, and what you see above is the result. It seems pretty traditional, with the exception of the dome having a green tint to it. I've seen that a few times before, but not dark as here.

Miscellaneous Maine Symbols

State Route Sign

License Plate

Seal

Quarter