Days 83 - 87: Pittsburgh to Bath, ME

Dear Friends,
Yesterday I spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot and today I write to you from a Starbucks. I honestly do not know what has become of me. Although, in my defense, the ratio of bars to coffee shops is drastically different on the East Coast. After driving Aleisha to the Airport on Wednesday, I made an early start of it and began my drive to upstate New York. I did not feel inclined to stop in Buffalo for any reason, although I did have a strange desire to run up to a Buffaloan and shout Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo! Alas I did not. I continued North to Niagara Falls and contemplated my fleeting mortality as well as the tensile strength of a bungee cord (kidding). There are two main attractions to Niagara Falls State Park, neither one of which is Niagara Falls. They do not exist. The park is the first State Park in the nation and includes American Falls and the more famous Horseshoe Falls. After taking my leave of all things falling and moist I crossed the border into Canada and visited the Butterfly Conservatory which, contrary to popular belief in Canada, is not a front for a terrorist cell. Try convincing a border agent of THAT. I then drove to Rochester and engaged in my most recent hobby, wandering about. The next day was spent driving to Burlington, Vermont which reminded me in no small part of Arcata. I have noted with some dismay that pop culture seems to have homogenized the dialect of our country, and most people in major cities have little to no detectable accent to me. Vermont especially so. Throughout the North East are sprinkled quaint little towns and villages which consist of 1 volunteer fire dept, 1 Lutheran or Anglican or Catholic church (or an Anglican and Catholic church across the street from one another), 2 or 3 bars, and a railroad. The next day I drove from about 11am to 8pm, finally reaching the Atlantic and spending the night in Bar Harbor. The next morning I awoke to the sun rising over an ocean, something of a novelty for me. That day was spent exploring Acadia National Park and driving down the coast of Maine to my present location in Bath. I am sorry to report that there are no pictures to accompany this post (or likely any in the future) as I am without a digital camera. I am afraid you will have to use your imaginations.
I plan on staying in Maine and New Hampshire today before arriving in Boston later this week.
A good day to you all,
Pickles

Current mileage: 10,510.9