The Last Ride

It's been so long ... would you believe that I forgot my login password??? Or, maybe that I fell off the end of the Earth? Well, we traveled to the end of the Earth ... Limestone, Maine ... the last weekend in March, but that's a story for another blog ...

In the meantime, we've been anticipating the last ride in for a while now. Hopefully that very expensive Lehigh education that I received so many moons ago ... 267 to be exact ... has finally made itself useful. I have industrial engineered this upcoming month to the nth degree and am hoping that we are truly ready. It will be the last test of endurance after a very enlightening winter spent surviving in these woods.

Paul arrived Thursday night for the Easter weekend ... actually it was Friday morning at 3:30 am ... after having driven 576 miles and walked 1 1/2 miles into camp with the dog. That included a short stop at Walmart to purchase a flashlight as he did not appreciate the value of a full moon. We resumed using the snowmobile on Friday but on Saturday night, returning from the final performance of the Pirates of Penzance, brought to us by the Greenville Middle School/High School, the light came on on the snowmobile during the second trip in indicating that the engine was overheated. On Sunday, we tried again on the way to the local VFW Pancake Breakfast (the opportunities for socialization are numerous as you can see). While Caroline and I managed to get out on the first run, the machine overheated again upon returning to the house to get Paul. So, Paul and Garrick had the benefit (?) of walking out, quickly, I might add, as the breakfast closed at 10 and it being Easter Sunday, nothing else in Greenville was open. We haven't yet determnined if it was the frozen snow that caused the problem ... the machine uses the snow to cool the engine ... or perhaps those 'little' patches of mud that we had to cross on the way out. As we are now out of coolant and those 'little' stretches of dirt have gotten bigger, we have retired our trusty sled and have resorted to the original method of transportation when our 'development' was first established, the feet. And that is getting old quickly!

This morning both kids had to be in town at 7 am to catch the van to Bangor for the final Math Meet. So, we left the house at 5:55 am in order to make it to town by 7, including a short stop for Colby, our 7th grade coffee addict. While I considered booking a hotel room in town for the night, I felt that my status as a true mountain mama would be degraded by this blunder. When the electricity went out yesterday afternoon, I reconsidered but knew that I must tough it out. Of course it helped that the repairman was extremely efficient and had the power back on within 45 minutes!

I am now headed out for my second trip to town for the day ... that's 6 miles of walking now ... to run some errands and pick up the kids. Luckily, the sun is shining and the temperature has reached 50.2 F. Hard to believe that it is 85 degrees warmer today than it was only 10 weeks ago!

Karyn