Day 26, Sat, Sept 27, Bangor, Maine

We arrived in Bangor, Maine on Friday afternoon, hoping to find suitable, affordable accomodations for the weekend. The weather reports said the storms in the Atlantic would bring heavy rain across Maine and the other New England States. We wanted to rest ourselves and attend church here in the place where I had served as the Supervising Elder of the Northern Maine District so many years ago.

We visited several hotels in the area and found the rates excessive, much as we had in North Conway, NH the previous day. We finally bedded down at a Days Inn just off Interstate 95. They were one of the very few hotels that would honor their add in the hotel savings coupon book we obtain from Denny's Restaurants as we travel. What we didn't realize until after we had signed in and gotten our things brought in from the car is that this hotel is within a stone's throw of one of the runways at Bangor's international airport. That first commerical airliner that came roaring overhead was quite the experience! They must be using other runways most of the time because these thundering take-offs and landings have only happened about three times.

This is the LDS chapel where we will be attending Sunday morning with the members of the Brewer Ward. It is located about 5 miles from our hotel. The Church Web site shows there are two wards in the Bangor area and two smaller Branch's nearby as well. When I served here in 1960-62 we had only one small branch of the Church in Bangor and no Wards or Stakes anywhere in New England at all until the organization of the Boston Stake in early 1962.

The rainy conditions have kept us in. Except for a run to the store and a pizza place for the some takeout we have been tucked in to our hotel room.

Day 25, Friday, Sept 26, N. Conway, NH to Bangor, Maine

This is the beautiful Kennebec River that flows down from the mountains through the heart of Maine and on to the Atlantic Ocean. This was taken at a rest stop just east of Skowhegan, Maine, on US 2, as we journied toward Bangor.

This is looking north along a rocky stream bed just off to the east side of Rt 16 in the midst of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Learning that serious rain and wind was being forcast for the New England area, beginning today(Friday, Sept 26), we hoped to remain in Conway, NH rather than drive through the beautiful White Mountains during rain and limited visibility. But such was not to be because of high room rates and non-availability.

So, after a comfortable night's rest at North Conway's Comfort Inn we continued on up NH Rt 16 to Goram, then turned east on US 2 stopping for the night in Bangor, Maine where I served as a missionary so many years ago (Fall and Winter of 1961).

This picture was taken along Rt 16 in the heart of the White Mountains, the tops of which are caught in the storm clouds. This drive through New Hampshires mountain region provided our best experience to date viewing the amazing colors of Fall.

Day 24, Thurs, Sept 25, Laconia to Conway, NH

This is Chocorua Lake with famous Mount Chocorua in the distance. This is one of the most photographed mountain peaks in New Hampshire. We were northbound on NH Rt 16 heading towards Conway when we came upon this splendid scene!

Along the same side road we drove down to pick apples was this log home, tucked there in the New Hampshire woodland. This is so typical of the many,many homes we see as we drive through rural New England.

Thursday morning we took our journey south from Laconia along State Rt 11, planning to drive around to the east side of Lake Winnipisaukee, then north toward the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire. Just south of Laconia we noticed a sign saying "Apples U-Pick." A short distance down a side road we found this apple orchard and were given a 1/2 peck size sack and permitted to pick apples off the trees, getting a dollar off the regular price for our efforts.