Member Since: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Norwich
Posts: 164
My USA Road trip
Gonna get me a f k truck for 3 weeks and drive around Maine this summer with the family.
Tips on places to go, things to do etc welcome but what I'd really like some help on is a portable satnav with US maps that I can buy here in the UK and set up and be familar with by the time I go. I don't want to spend a fortune but for what the RV rental company want to rent one for a couple of weeks I could own one. I've got official permission from SWMBO to buy a gadget (there's a first time for everything!)2008.5 D3 HSE, Stornoway, Ebony
2007 BMW 335iSE - lust for speed satisfied
24th Jun 2008 1:18 pm
yawlboy
Member Since: 23 Feb 2007
Location: Dubai
Posts: 509
I got my Garmin Nuvi 770 yesterday. Paid €308 +VAT and it has all Europe and US maps preloaded. It also has bluetooth and an FM transmitter so you can do car handsfree through the vehicle stereo.
IT's my 3rd Garmin and I think it is the dogs 1993 Defender 110 300tdi - many mods
24th Jun 2008 1:20 pm
garyr
Member Since: 29 Oct 2007
Location: Bucks
Posts: 182
Rockport is a charming little fishing community - worth visiting 56 Tonga Green HSE.
24th Jun 2008 1:35 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
Re: My USA Road trip
eddtheduck wrote:
I've got official permission from SWMBO to buy a gadget
Don't take this the wrong way but do you want to swap SWMBOs for a little while. I'm after an iPhone but Mrs DSL just gives me that withering look she has perfected!
24th Jun 2008 3:01 pm
Hijack
Member Since: 19 Jul 2006
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 381
Re: My USA Road trip
eddtheduck wrote:
....... but what I'd really like some help on is a portable satnav with US maps that I can buy here in the UK and set up and be familar with by the time I go. I don't want to spend a fortune but for what the RV rental company want to rent one for a couple of weeks I could own one. I've got official permission from SWMBO to buy a gadget (there's a first time for everything!)
If you have N95 or similar Nokia phone you could use them as sat navs in US. It is possible to buy the license for 7 or 30 days for entire US (do not remember the price but not too expensive
Then,you can spend the money somewhere else D3 XS Manual - gone
24th Jun 2008 4:35 pm
eddtheduck
Member Since: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Norwich
Posts: 164
Re: My USA Road trip
DSL wrote:
[.....do you want to swap SWMBOs for a little while. I'm after an iPhone but Mrs DSL just gives me that withering look she has perfected!
Sorry Mate, never been into that sort of thing -no matter how good your car keys look 2008.5 D3 HSE, Stornoway, Ebony
2007 BMW 335iSE - lust for speed satisfied
24th Jun 2008 5:21 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
You are wise beyond your years!!! If Mrs DSL reads this I'm in real trouble!
24th Jun 2008 5:25 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
I enjoyed Moosehead lake, unbelievable numbers of moose each evening, loons, saw a bear as well as deer coyotes etc. You can take a float plane trip too, we went with a guy who is employed to fire watch each day and you got a 1 hour trip instead of a 10 minute one. The Road Kill Cafe was fun, but a lot of places only open at weekends. We went white water rafting too which was DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
24th Jun 2008 6:53 pm
couchsachraga
Member Since: 04 Jun 2008
Location: Adirondacks
Posts: 12
Ah, Maine. My wife and i have gone on mini-"expeditions" there every year for the past 6 years in our '68 SIIa, and years ago I went to college there.
Site's worth seeing:
1) Acadia. Yes, it's a tourist trap national park, but it's beautiful. I prefer Southwest Harbor personally. The Claremont (in Southwest Harbor) is a nice place to stay.
2) Bucksport / Searsport and the bridge over the Fjord (not that most folks realize it is a Fjord, but it is a nice one). One of my favorite restaurants is there - McLeod's (decend sea food, GREAT "famous" Chocolate Silk Pie)
3) Driving the coast and stopping at a few beaches. Mid-week if you can. Summer is zooey enough in maine...and weekends are the worst.
4) If you or your spouse likes pottery, definitey check out Edgecomb Potters in Edgecomb, ME. Nearby villages of Friendship are nice too, and Moody's Diner on Route 1 near Waldoboro, ME.
If you enjoy the woods, the Rangely area is nice. Pick up a Delorme Atlas and Gazetter and see how many scenic sites you can check out. My favorites (and these I personally like MORE than the above, but I go to Maine to get away from people...):
1) Smalls Falls
2) Angel Falls (a short hike,but worth it)
3) Height of Land (near Rangely...right on the road)
4) Any number of back woods lumber roads. Log trucks have the right of way, but you can camp on the logging headers that aren't being used and enjoy peace and solitude, and great views, with NO PEOPLE. We usually see a moose or three every year, especially at dawn or dusk around Flagstaff Lake or the Jackman, ME area. My favorite camping areas are actually overlooking Flagstaff lake...
Seriously, your best bet for things to check out is to order a DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer (or pick one up in Freeport..either at LL Bean or at the DeLorme headquarters).
The Maine State museum in Augusta is a great place to go on a rainy day to get an idea of life in Maine and history of the state. Their fishing and lumbering exhibits in particular can be eye-opening to folks not from rural areas (and if you ARE from a rural area you'll appreciate it).
If you want other ideas, particularly if you're looking to either be very frugal or not, feel free to PM me.
And if you want to travel a bit more, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Great Adirondack Region in upstate NY also have a lot to offer (particularly the Adirondacks...though I'm a bit biased living here).
Have a GREAT trip!
P.S. We're going on a road trip across the US (well, out to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah anyway) in the Rover (the 07, not the '68 8) ) (camping out in the Eezi-awn most of the time), and look forward to exploring many a mountain pass.
25th Jun 2008 2:42 am
catweasel
Member Since: 05 May 2006
Location: Bundaleer
Posts: 4805
DSL wrote:
You are wise beyond your years!!! If Mrs DSL reads this I'm in real trouble!
I've been copying some of your posts over the last few months to flash drive. you might want to start your last will and testament before I show her
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k truck for 3 weeks and drive around Maine this summer with the family.
(there's a first time for everything!)
