Maine scouting trip #1 is booked!

[N7YA]

I just booked my first trip to scout out the terrain in Maine...very stoked! Ball is rolling.

I sent my boss the time off request (had to book the flight first so i had actual dates, he can make the rest happen). I had to mock reserve every block of time between August and October for both the flight and the hotel until i found the best price, it took a while, but i found it...i will be there September 8th through the 16th.

It looks like it will be a long travel day there and back so i gave myself a whole week, plenty of time to do the very full itinerary that i have set up. I fly from Vegas at 1:00am to Minn/St. Paul and sit for 3 hours. Then its off to NYC to sit in LaGuardia for another 2 hours. Then its up to Bangor by late afternoon where i pick up my rental car for the drive down to the Midcoast and the town of Belfast. But the hotel is great! Here is what my room will look like...

1258212583

The beach is at the end of the property, and Belfast is just over the bridge. Lobster, trees, nice folks...should be great. But it IS a business trip of sorts. I will be scouting several plots of land, contractors, stores, hospitals, utilities, general vibe, food, etc., etc., and reporting back with Dev every night with tons of pics and video and info, yada, yada...no worries, happy to do it. Don't have to ask me twice.

Lots to do, but i really don't give a crap...we are making this happen! One half is excited about starting a new, simpler and happier life in a beautiful and kind hearted place, in the state i was born in and my wife came here from, and another part of me is absolutely stoked that the nightmare that is Las Vegas will be coming to a permanent close. I will miss my friends and all the absolutely brilliant people i have had the pleasure of working with and just being around, but if we don't leave, our spirit will shrivel and die...and that's not a light statement. We are both very excited to be making this move, i'm happy to get a short break from here and Devie is ready to get her new business venture going.

Finally! Light on the horizon! :-D

[N2CHX]

Yay! Congrats!! You and Dev are awesome and this is fun watching you all make your dream happen.

[PA5COR]

Nothing better as seeing someone going to fulfill his/her dream.
All the luck in your endeavor and find the right spot for you both.
;)

[W3WN]

I just booked my first trip to scout out the terrain in Maine...very stoked! Ball is rolling.
< snip >
Finally! Light on the horizon! :-DThere's a light, over at the Frankenstein place...

Have a good trip.

[WX7P]

Good for you Adam!

Glad to see you are making the steps to get Back Where You Belong, long..long..long..

I'm completely hip to regional dynamic. It's interesting how you grow up and where really make a HUGE influence on how one perceives one's surroundings. I got a big dose of that moving here to Illinois, as did Sarah. I didn't think changing locations would really make much difference, but it really does.

We don't have the Vegas slime factor that you do, the people are great here, but it isn't home. Heh, I'd move to Nevada in a heartbeat, even Vegas, because it's on the West Coast, if there was work. It's kind of hard to explain, but I still feel like a fish out of water here. We definitely WILL be going back west, maybe not back to California, but somewhere west of the Rockies.

Maine IS beautiful, but when I was there, I had trouble speaking the language.(!) "Bar Harbor" spoken sounded like "Baja" to me.

[N2NH]

Congratulations Adam. NHE and I are glad to see that you are getting closer to your dream of leaving Lost Wages. If you're near the seacoast, the high water table will be a boon to DX'ing on HF. There's ducting on the higher frequencies along the coast too.

[KC2UGV]

Congrats man! I hope you find exactly what youse guys are looking for there during this trip :)

[N7YA]

Thanks everyone! I have a couple of months to prepare. We are online now looking at floor plans to take to various designers up there to see what kind of price we can get a small house built for. Trying to control the flow of events each step of the way. Tis' can be done! :)

[NQ6U]

I might come visit you once you move there if for no other reason that it would give me an excuse to go to Maine, the only one of the contiguous 48 states I haven't been to so far. Need Maine, Alaska and Hawaii to complete the full 50.

[N7YA]

Out of those three, i need Hawaii...but thats an easy fix. Yeah, come on up, we will be living in a tiny house so i dont know if there will be room between an old dog, 4 cats and some chickens...and us, but we can steer you to something more comfortable. Who knows, you may really like it. :chin:

[KJ3N]

There's a light, over at the Frankenstein place...

Just remember to stay close to the candles. The stairway can be... treacherous.

[KK4AMI]

Living on Penobscot Bay, I am jealous. Catch Lobsters, fish Stripers, then fish and fish some more. You need to get a 30 ft Down Eastern Lobster boat. All those vacation Islands you can also take your products out to the Islands. Have you done a Zillow search around the Belfast area yet? My wife and I did that for the Hertford area in North Carolina. Zillow has been our friend. We called a Real Estate agent down there to schedule looking at houses. We plan on going down there in July to see about 5 houses, then head for the Outerbanks for a couple of days. Luckily, it's only a 225 mile drive for us.

[KG4CGC]

Cool deal! September huh? Bring your snowshoes. You know, those tennis racket contraptions that you strap to your feet.
But I'm happy for you. My own plans are to go in the other direction.

[W3WN]

Just remember to stay close to the candles. The stairway can be... treacherous.Put.. the candle... back!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZctouMPIjk

[N7YA]

Living on Penobscot Bay, I am jealous. Catch Lobsters, fish Stripers, then fish and fish some more. You need to get a 30 ft Down Eastern Lobster boat. All those vacation Islands you can also take your products out to the Islands. Have you done a Zillow search around the Belfast area yet? My wife and I did that for the Hertford area in North Carolina. Zillow has been our friend. We called a Real Estate agent down there to schedule looking at houses. We plan on going down there in July to see about 5 houses, then head for the Outerbanks for a couple of days. Luckily, it's only a 225 mile drive for us.


All those islands also mean IOTA DXpeditions! :-D

We can be very popular guys on the air. Good luck to you, its a great feeling. Keep us posted.

[N7YA]

Cool deal! September huh? Bring your snowshoes. You know, those tennis racket contraptions that you strap to your feet.
But I'm happy for you. My own plans are to go in the other direction.

Ah yeah, i used those in KL7-land. But midcoast Maine doesnt really get the stuff the inlanders get until about late november so i should be ok. I chose the flight i did (with the long layovers) because i will be flying through Minnesota and there could be delays. Nothing like shitting yourself hoping that you arent going to miss the connecting flight while still at 40'000 ft!

[KG4CGC]

Ah yeah, i used those in KL7-land. But midcoast Maine doesnt really get the stuff the inlanders get until about late november so i should be ok. I chose the flight i did (with the long layovers) because i will be flying through Minnesota and there could be delays. Nothing like shitting yourself hoping that you arent going to miss the connecting flight while still at 40'000 ft!

Minnesota? ARGO (and the horse you rode in on)

[WX7P]

Are you going to be N7YA/1?

[K7SGJ]

Are you going to be N7YA/1?

My guess is that he won't want anything to remind him he lived in 7 land.

[n2ize]

Good luck. I hope you're future dreams are fulfilled. Maine is indeed a beautiful and diverse state, from coast to mountains. NY is also similarly very diverse.... from the coast to NYC to the Adirondacks being one of the most vast wilderness areas east of the Mississippi. The Northeast is indeed a beautiful place.

My future dream is to head way up north. To far northwestern Canada (Yukon territory) or northern Alaska. Although still a ways off (8-10 years) I am getting ready to make the move. Anyway, good luck and I hope you find a place you are contented to call home.

[WX7P]

My future dream is to head way up north. To far northwestern Canada (Yukon territory) or northern Alaska.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3tAJS0wpRY

[NQ6U]

When John the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna jump for joy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liIQLIx2Onw

[N7YA]

Are you going to be N7YA/1?

Probably at first. But i did research all the unissued 2x2 calls i could go with. It needs to flow easily on CW and stand out from the crowd. But no matter what, i will always make sure other stations know im in 1-land. Its just the right thing to do, im not THAT lazy. :lol:

[N7YA]

My guess is that he won't want anything to remind him he lived in 7 land.

Nah, its not THAT bad...7 land is fine, its just Vegas that i will want to leave on the curb like my bathroom trashbag.

Ya know, now that we have an escape route, it feels a little better...kind of like you know parole is coming up and you will be free, but you dont want to tell the other inmates or you will get shanked.

[N7YA]

Good luck. I hope you're future dreams are fulfilled. Maine is indeed a beautiful and diverse state, from coast to mountains. NY is also similarly very diverse.... from the coast to NYC to the Adirondacks being one of the most vast wilderness areas east of the Mississippi. The Northeast is indeed a beautiful place.

My future dream is to head way up north. To far northwestern Canada (Yukon territory) or northern Alaska. Although still a ways off (8-10 years) I am getting ready to make the move. Anyway, good luck and I hope you find a place you are contented to call home.

Thanks, John, its all we are asking for. A place to call home, kind people and a place thats more blue collar hippie than trendy hipster. I will confirm this in september.

[KG4CGC]

Probably at first. But i did research all the unissued 2x2 calls i could go with. It needs to flow easily on CW and stand out from the crowd. But no matter what, i will always make sure other stations know im in 1-land. Its just the right thing to do, im not THAT lazy. :lol:

.- -.. .---- .- --

Nevermind. It's taken.

[N7YA]

.- -.. .---- .- --

Nevermind. It's taken.

:lol: Already looked it up back in december. But AD1AMT is available...but i dont really want that. Some nice 2x2 Nx1xx calls are ready to roll. Ill find something.

[W3WN]

:lol: Already looked it up back in december. But AD1AMT is available...but i dont really want that. Some nice 2x2 Nx1xx calls are ready to roll. Ill find something.No, it isn't. The A & N 2x3 blocks are not available to the Amateur service.

Vanity HQ used to be a great place to research calls available & soon to be available, but it bit the dust a few months back. If you have a particular call in mind, you can check it's history & availability on AE7Q's site, but I don't know if Dean has programmed a "rolling" general listing of available calls.

[K7SGJ]

Nah, its not THAT bad...7 land is fine, its just Vegas that i will want to leave on the curb like my bathroom trashbag.

Ya know, now that we have an escape route, it feels a little better...kind of like you know parole is coming up and you will be free, but you dont want to tell the other inmates or you will get shanked.

I remember that feeling. Like the last few weeks before the end of school, or more recently, that last few months prior to retirement.

[n2ize]

I wouldn't mind visiting southwest, preferably during a time of year when it isn't so hot. Living there would be another story, the southwest is WAY too hot for me to live in year round. To me anything much over 70 degrees I consider uncomfortably hot and the air conditioning comes on. I doubt I could deal with triple digit temps.

[WX7P]

I wouldn't mind visiting southwest, preferably during a time of year when it isn't so hot. Living there would be another story, the southwest is WAY too hot for me to live in year round. To me anything much over 70 degrees I consider uncomfortably hot and the air conditioning comes on. I doubt I could deal with triple digit temps.

It's really not THAT bad because it's dry heat. You don't notice the heat as much until it gets up in the high 90's, at least I don't.

Here in Illinois, if it gets in the 80's with humidity, it's go inside and shut the door time. I've tried doing some things outside when it's like that, and I sweat like crazy.

[W3WN]

It's really not THAT bad because it's dry heat. You don't notice the heat as much until it gets up in the high 90's, at least I don't.

Here in Illinois, if it gets in the 80's with humidity, it's go inside and shut the door time. I've tried doing some things outside when it's like that, and I sweat like crazy.That's what I thought. Then we went to Dallas a few years back, in June, a talent convention for Little Miss Field Day.

I remember asking a hotel desk clerk how hot it was before I walked out the front door. "Oh, it's about 100, but don't worry, you won't notice. It's a dry heat." So I went through the double doors, and felt like I'd just walked into a blast furnace. Yuck.

[K7SGJ]

Up to 115 or so isn't as bad as it sounds, until the end of July and all of August. That is, or was, the monsoon season out here. It used to rain almost every afternoon and would cool things off, but as it dried out, it would get humid as hell. Anymore, we just pretty much only get the cloud build up and humidity when the moist air from the south meets up with the cooler air from the north. The storms were awesome to watch as they would roll in over the mountains all around us. Now, the clouds get near the mountains, and it seems the heat from down in Phoenix causes them to just roll back and dissipate, or go around us to the east or west, or both.

[KG4CGC]

We had a blast furnace Summer in 2012 and a cool wet one in 2013. This time it's like normal so far. Hot and humid with afternoon thunder bumpers.

[K7SGJ]

We haven't seen rain since February or thereabouts, and even then, it wasn't much.

[KG4CGC]

We haven't seen rain since February or thereabouts, and even then, it wasn't much.

Our lakes are still very low from previous years although Hartwell is kept artificially low since the town of Anderson figured out how to make money off the low levels via legislation. Just this year they let the water fill back up partially but, and this is their claim, since the lake bottom was exposed for so long the plants grew back and now, again their claim, this has caused an unusual type of algae to bloom and choke off the oxygen levels in the water. This is the same lake that they use for water and now the water in Anderson is so bad that people are getting up in arms over it as the water authority keeps telling everyone that it's safe while people keep getting sick from drinking it.

People have also been complaining that since this started that they only have the water on in their homes for the toilets as they can't even shower in it but the thing that is also happening is that the resting toilet water is causing their homes to stink. Some have described the smell as a combination of rotted fish, potting soil and fermenting manure. Restaurants in the town have stopped serving water and ice to patrons and one bistro owner has taken to removing ceiling tiles in the restrooms and installing fans to pull the air up and towards to roof vents. While it helps, the smell is still so bad that people have lost their appetites except for the few who for whatever reasons have no sense of taste or smell.

The water authority says it will be a few more weeks before the new filtration system is online. This has been a reoccurring problem over the past 5 years. Everytime they simple said the same thing about the safety and letting nature take its course. Seems that there is more than just nature going on here. I am fortunate to live in an area that gets its water from a reservoir higher up in the mountains that is more closely guarded.

[W2NAP]

It's really not THAT bad because it's dry heat. You don't notice the heat as much until it gets up in the high 90's, at least I don't.

Here in Illinois, if it gets in the 80's with humidity, it's go inside and shut the door time. I've tried doing some things outside when it's like that, and I sweat like crazy.

welcome to the midwest summer misery. its better when its "hot" with the west or west south west wind brings the more arid air in. southwest south and south east brings in the gulf which is what normally we end up getting. its bloody awful. granted not "as" bad as farther south but still bad.

[W2NAP]

Our lakes are still very low from previous years although Hartwell is kept artificially low since the town of Anderson figured out how to make money off the low levels via legislation. Just this year they let the water fill back up partially but, and this is their claim, since the lake bottom was exposed for so long the plants grew back and now, again their claim, this has caused an unusual type of algae to bloom and choke off the oxygen levels in the water. This is the same lake that they use for water and now the water in Anderson is so bad that people are getting up in arms over it as the water authority keeps telling everyone that it's safe while people keep getting sick from drinking it.

People have also been complaining that since this started that they only have the water on in their homes for the toilets as they can't even shower in it but the thing that is also happening is that the resting toilet water is causing their homes to stink. Some have described the smell as a combination of rotted fish, potting soil and fermenting manure. Restaurants in the town have stopped serving water and ice to patrons and one bistro owner has taken to removing ceiling tiles in the restrooms and installing fans to pull the air up and towards to roof vents. While it helps, the smell is still so bad that people have lost their appetites except for the few who for whatever reasons have no sense of taste or smell.

The water authority says it will be a few more weeks before the new filtration system is online. This has been a reoccurring problem over the past 5 years. Everytime they simple said the same thing about the safety and letting nature take its course. Seems that there is more than just nature going on here. I am fortunate to live in an area that gets its water from a reservoir higher up in the mountains that is more closely guarded.

oh man the rotten fish spell... I can take you to some landlocked ponds and lakes around here that have that smell..

[N7YA]

No, it isn't. The A & N 2x3 blocks are not available to the Amateur service.

Vanity HQ used to be a great place to research calls available & soon to be available, but it bit the dust a few months back. If you have a particular call in mind, you can check it's history & availability on AE7Q's site, but I don't know if Dean has programmed a "rolling" general listing of available calls.


Ah, so it is true. I only checked the Zed, but i guess that would be correct. I dont want something like that anyway, i have my eye on about 30 different 2x2 N calls anyway.

[N7YA]

I remember that feeling. Like the last few weeks before the end of school, or more recently, that last few months prior to retirement.


Short timer disease. :yes:

While its good, its also miserable because it sucks having to wait...kind of like the long drive and you have to poop. Just knowing you cant go yet sets your body into chill mode, then you can handle it, but once you see the gas station in the distance, even though you arent quite there, you start to do that goddammit dance! :lol:


We're doing the goddammit dance.

[NA4BH]

Short timer disease. :yes:

While its good, its also miserable because it sucks having to wait...kind of like the long drive and you have to poop. Just knowing you cant go yet sets your body into chill mode, then you can handle it, but once you see the gas station in the distance, even though you arent quite there, you start to do that goddammit dance! :lol:


We're doing the goddammit dance.


Don't ever take the San Juan PR to Ponce' PR trip with a bathroom need in your immediate future. It won't end well. It just won't.

[N7YA]

But if i ever find myself in such a situation (on said trip), i will keep the video rolling to show the grandkids at dinner time for good fun! :-D

THAT is the kind of old guy i want to be!

[N7YA]

Hey, i just found out that Harold Beverage (yes, inventor of the Beverage antenna) is from Belfast, Maine.

I guess i need to put one up...you know...in honor of Harold and stuff.

[n2ize]

It's really not THAT bad because it's dry heat. You don't notice the heat as much until it gets up in the high 90's, at least I don't.

Yeah, I know they get far less humidity than we do here so you don't get as much of that feeling of being in a sauna constantly. Last night was miserable here. I was coming home from orchestra rehearsal at around 10pm. I was walking the "last mile" from the train station to me house with the vilin case strapped to my back and my stand and accessories in my other hands. The temp was about 70 degrees but the humidity was like a steam bath. The walk to my house is all uphill and by the time I got to my driveway I was drenched in sweat. Felt good to come inside and flap on the fan and the air conditioner.



Here in Illinois, if it gets in the 80's with humidity, it's go inside and shut the door time. I've tried doing some things outside when it's like that, and I sweat like crazy.

It's exactly the same here in southeast New York except I suspect most of your humidity comes in from the Great Lakes where as here it comes in off the Atlantic. But as far as everything else goes the discomfort level is still the same.

When I eventually move up to the Yukon I will still run into hot weather. Most people envision the YT as perpetually frozen year round. But they do have summer up there with plenty of lush greenery and it can get quite hot there at times depending on where exactly you are and the elevation. But the summer season is relatively short and of course the winters are long, cold, snowy and dark. I think I'll like it but, I will want to spend a year living up there at some point before I commit myself to taking up permanent residence there.Other possibilities I am considering are Alaska, and, if for some future and unforseen reason I can't make it that far north then perhaps the Adirondacks right here in upstate NY. Summer nights are always cool and winters are also long and cold.

[n2ize]

Hey, i just found out that Harold Beverage (yes, inventor of the Beverage antenna) is from Belfast, Maine.

I guess i need to put one up...you know...in honor of Harold and stuff.

And K1MAN is from Belgrade Lakes Maine :).

[W2NAP]

It's exactly the same here in southeast New York except I suspect most of your humidity comes in from the Great Lakes .

Gulf of Mexico actually.. for The lakes to have an effect of any kind = north wind which = cold.

summer the south winds tend to dominate..

[N2NH]

Gulf of Mexico actually.. for The lakes to have an effect of any kind = north wind which = cold.

summer the south winds tend to dominate..

Agreed. I was thinking the same thing, but discretion got the better of me.

[N7YA]

And K1MAN is from Belgrade Lakes Maine :).


Im going to go on record by saying that i think Harold can build a better antenna than Mr. Man. :lol:

[n2ize]

Gulf of Mexico actually.. for The lakes to have an effect of any kind = north wind which = cold.

summer the south winds tend to dominate..

Okay, so basically the same system that affects our weather here.

[n2ize]

Im going to go on record by saying that i think Harold can build a better antenna than Mr. Man. :lol:

I think you are quite right.

[W3WN]

And K1MAN is from Belgrade Lakes Maine :).
You know, I wonder if he might have a nice ham shack for sale, real soon?

No, wait. "Shack", yes. "Nice"? To be determined.