You can't always trust a GARMIN!?!?!

Our visit to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park came to an end this morning as we set out for our drive to Montpelier, Vermont. We got our things ready and loaded the car and we were off - no breakfast or coffee. We left at about 7:15am and decided we could have breakfast in Bangor. The drive to Bangor took a little longer than we anticipated because of road work. But eventually we arrived and I had set the GARMIN for a letterbox at the Bangor Library. The library wasn't open yet so we walked a couple of blocks over to Central Street Cafe for a little breakfast and some coffee. Once we finished breakfast we walked back to the library. There were suppose to be two boxes at the library - one inside and one outside. The clues for the one outside were pretty straight forward and clear but we were unable to find the box. So we went inside and looked for the second one. I found this one quickly and took it to a table so I could stamp in. I got the box back in place and we left the library. I got the GARMIN out and pressed it for the next box. The next three boxes were all in the same area, literally blocks from each other. So we drove from one to the other finding, stamping and rehiding. They were decent carvings and I enjoyed finding these. Thanks Tri-Colored Paws! At this point we decided we did enough letterboxing in Bangor and we needed to move on. But there was one more thing I wanted to do. I love Stephen King. I have been reading his books for a long time. So before leaving the town I wanted to go by his house. I had the information from Roadside America and we followed the directions and found it. I took a couple of pictures of the house and gate and then we were on our way.

Next stop, the Capital of Maine, Augusta. As we arrived in Augusta we headed directly for the Capitol. I like visiting these buildings and learning a little State history. We spent about an hour walking through the building, looking at artwork and checking out portraits of past Governors. In the Senate chambers we saw a painting of Joshua Chamberlain. I originally found out about this man in Brunswick on Saturday. There were a few boxes near his home (which is now a museum). I only knew of his military achievements until today when I learned he had served as President of Bowdoin College and was the 32nd Governor of Maine. The man was truly incredible. So after touring the Capitol we returned to the car to get my letterboxing things. There were a couple of boxes in the vicinity we were going to look for. The first one we didn't find. And not because it isn't there but because we couldn't follow the clues. There were three compass directions and numerous steps. But no real landmarks. Once I ended up smack dab in the middle of a parking lot and the next time right up against a blank wall of a building - neither of which made since with the clues. So then I had Thomas try since apparently I was compass and steps illiterate. He didn't come close either. I am not sure where we went wrong with the directions but after 20 minutes we gave up. So we tried the second box. I was concerned about finding this one as well since when I solved the puzzle I didn't get a totally clear clue. Most of it made sense but there were a few words that weren't words. I rechecked the puzzle to make sure I hadn't missed things and I hadn't - so I decided that the placer left out letters and mixed up the puzzle in a couple of places. So I made up what wasn't there and low and behold we found the box. I was glad because I didn't want to miss two mystery boxes. So it turned out well and thus ended our letterboxing adventures for the day. We still had quite a bit of driving to do so we headed out.

Here is where the title of this post comes into play. We left Augusta headed south on I95. At first this didn't seem right. So I had Thomas pull over and we checked a real paper map. So, okay, it turned out the GARMIN was right. So we continued merrily on our way. Things seemed to be going okay, we were following the GPS making each turn when it was time. But then we missed a turn and the GARMIN wasn't happy - he recalculated and told us to turn, which we did but I didn't feel right about it. But he was right the first time I questioned him so I thought okay lets go with it. I then took out the map and realized we had gotten off onto a smaller road and it was taking us slightly the wrong way. So we pulled over and I reverted to the paper map. Found where we were and located the best route to get us back to the highway I wanted. Needless to say the GARMIN was silenced after that snafu at least until we returned to the right highway. We arrived in Bethel, ME and Thomas and I decided we needed a break from the car. So we stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom and we asked the person working there for a good place to eat. He sent us just up the road to Hungry Harry's Ice Cream & Burger Bar. This is the kind of place that should be on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We each had a hamburger and a shake, and I had sweet potato fries and Thomas had onion rings. It was just what we needed after the GPS problem. Now that we were totally full and had stretched our legs it was time to finish the drive. So I checked the map (printed version) and figured out the route and then I decided to give the GARMIN another try. I guess he knew he was replaceable with a printed version of his electronic brain that he behaved himself for the rest of the trip and took us on the same route I had mapped out. So about 45 minutes later than we anticipated we arrived in Montpelier, VT.

We arrived in town and got checked in to the Capitol Plaza hotel. Once our things were in the room we decided to walk around a little. We made our way to the Capitol and I took a few pictues then we walked along State Street and stopped at The Skinny Pancake for some decaf coffee. We talked about what we wanted to do tomorrow and just relaxed. Around 9:00pm we decided to head back to the hotel to get settled for the night. It was a long day but it is over and tomorrow we can just enjoy Montpelier.