Maine Events

[<Alfisto@xxxxxxx>]

Just spent a couple of weeks in Maine, doing 1500 miles visiting every fishing
port and town on the coast and what a delightful State it is with fab. Alfa
roads. But guess what! In two weeks not even ONE Alfa - where were they all-
in Monterey? Rented a Hyundai Accent and what a delightful little car to drive
this turned out to be, and well equipped. Cruised at 65 and at 2K rpm !
Three weird things I did see. Miles from anywhere on a back country road en
route to Deer Isle - an ex-London double-decker bus gussied up like a London
Tour bus and converted into a mobile fish and chip shop. (They were closed
otherwise I would have loved to have had a couple of bob's worth wrapped in
the News of the World. Down the road a few miles, an auto wrecking yard
specializing ONLY in Citroens and Peugeots. A nice SM sitting there among the
weeds! Also way up DownEast a restored Austin Cambridge and a 63 Singer
Gazelle California Coupe in a used car lot. I was tempted as I used to have a
59 4AD and a 61 Minx convertible at one time and a friend had nine Singers
(no, not the sewing machines!), but where the Heck do they get their customers
for these exotic machines now? Also hit the Owl Head Transportation Museum
near Camden, the day of their annual auto/air show. What a collection of
exotic cars they have - one of the best I've seen. Many rare steam cars and a
couple of electric cars made in 1902, believe it or not. An extremely rare 37
Stout Scarab that even looks like one, and a lot of very early cars and bikes.
Highpoint of Museum was seeing their large collection of World War 1 fighter
planes mostly original but some replicas, and all flyable. One SE6 flew there
from California, and what a trip to see an aerial dogfight between a Sopwith
Camel, a Nieuport and an SE-5 take place over the original "Memphis Belle"
B17F. On the ground also a show of locally owned restored cars with some
interesting Brit sports cars. But guess what - NO Alfas or even anything
Italian ! You East Coasters should take a trip up there some time - well worth
it!

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