After a nine-month break, with a few stops here and there along the way, I have finally returned to Fort Kent, Maine for the summer. Originally having planned to move here nearly three weeks ago, I changed my plans and decided to be a college student for one last week. Also delaying me was the work that I needed to complete on my new gunstock.

The whole affair of packing up everything I own into my gas-guzzling SUV is far from easy, but with every move that I have made since leaving Minnesota two years ago, it becomes easier and easier. Yes, it is true that I had to leave a few things behind in Vermont, but all that I will need for the next few months did indeed fit into the back, and onto the top of my truck.

Since Fort Kent is sort of at the end of nowhere, far from most highways, I had to actually drive through Canada to get to the town from Vermont. It is quite a long road through the land of the French-speaking Canadians. Quebec is an interesting place. On the outskirts of Quebec City, there are signs declaring it the national capital, when in actuality the capital of Canada is Ottawa. Nevertheless, it provided me a quicker route to Fort Kent, and I have never had any problems with Customs.

The drive was rather uneventful, my parents will be glad to read. No speeding tickets, this time. No accidents. All that I had to amuse myself was my music. Eight hours provides for a lot of play time, and a lot of different tunes, too. I had some U2 going… classic road tripping music. But then I also had a Russian language disc blaring for a half-hour introducing me, in Russian, to the great city of Saint Petersburg. Coldplay and Neil Young returned some normalcy to the ride so that, by the time I reached the U.S. Border Station, I was not arrested, held without bail, and sent to Guantanamo Bay, for greeting the Customs Officer in Russian.

A day after arriving in Fort Kent, I set out for the Gaspe Peninsula in search of a three-day vacation of skiing, hiking, and caribou chasing.

Peace,