Recording Live Driving From Biddeford Maine to Bar Harbor

Mar 24, 2023

Here I am

I left my house at 9:45 am.

Thought I was going to get air in my tires close to my house but there was a truck blocking the entrance to the air pump, so I decided to just keep driving.

I took the Maine Turnpike 95 North.

I opted to take it all the way to Gardiner — where I would get off at Exit 113 to get onto Route 3 that goes directly to Acadia where the town of Bar Harbor resides.

My destination visiting my daughter and grandtoddler.

If you take the Maine Turnpike straight from my new town that I now live in, Biddeford, it requires paying tolls three times — it's $1.00 then $2.25 and then another $1.75.

WTF?

But it saves some time rather than getting off at the local highway and then getting back onto the Turnpike.

I was eager to progress so perhaps on the way home I will go the slower path and save some toll money!

So, all is well now on the road for over an hour!

I have had no traffic.

I recently turned onto Route 3 heading east towards the mountains which you can see from my opening photo!

I get so excited and breathe deeply upon seeing that first view.

Always catches me by surprise and brings great joy.

I’m not a hiker but still, who doesn't get exhilarated when spotting a mountain especially when there have been none in the usual life one is leading?

I did find a good gas station where I got tire-air, filled the tank and ran in for a relief.

Taking 3 East — I’ve made this trip many times — is beautiful but easy to get distracted and turn off it not realizing!

The last few trips I made a point in making sure every time I see 3-East signage I mentally note it so that if at a later time I feel like I’m lost — because there is an extensive stretch with no signs at all — I can at least recall I recently saw a 3 East sign!

So I’m recording into the phone and hopefully a policeman won't see me with a hand-held device.

Final packing in the morning after beginning last night was so tedious. I’m only gone for five days but there’re just so many little things to have to deal with and I bring a lot of my food as well.

And all my silly supplements.

But it went well.

I love travelling and the organization of it all once things are in order.

I have an old car — it runs well. It doesn't have that much milage but is geriatric, so I worry it won't make it. It's a 2007 Subaru Forester with 166,000 miles.

There's no reason to suspect it will break down since this is only a three- and-a-half hour trip. Just an anticipatory quirk of mine!

I think that's all for now so this is where I’m leaving you.

Maybe I will catch some other ideas but for the most part I am way looking forward to seeing my daughter and granddaughter — who is turning two.

I offer a fun last little tidbit regarding my ex-husband, about whom I have been writing a lot recently.

I invited him to read two grateful, lighthearted stories I wrote on Medium regarding when we were married.

He responded to them a few moments ago, before I began this monologue.

I generally do not text while driving, but was curious, so took a peek.

He wrote that he enjoyed those — and one other he found — but noticed others he said he "definitely WON’T read" because they seem too personal.

I don't know which ones he meant but I feel like although I have not crossed lines — reporting on our marriage or divorce — I still feel like I would probably not want to read them if I were in his shoes.

It can be uncomfortable to witness the inner voice of another person when they’re writing about you and there is a shared sensitive history.

Instead, he congratulated me on my opportunity on Medium to write my heart out and possibly make some money.

For now, I bid you farewell with some additional roadside photos.

Between the texting, story recording and the snapshots I felt a bit irresponsible with my device while driving. Never again!