By Tayler Franklin (now 14 years old)
End of the Trilogy
Winchester, Virginia. A gorgeous place and one where I would enjoy seeing the historic sights if we weren’t just passing through. I side glanced at Rinnah, who was holding our pre-marked map. “Can you call out the route again for me?” I asked. “Yeah! So we stay on Robert E. Lee Hwy 11 into Pennsylvania then over to Hwy 15 into Harrisburg then 22 west along the Susquehanna River to 209 along the Delaware Water Gap into New York along the Catskill Mountains then on to Vermont and the Green Mountains into the White Mountains in New Hampshire where we eventually find 202 that will take us over to I95 into Central Maine then we take route 3 into Belfast.
“Seeing as the MG while running very well but isn’t happy crusing much over 3500 RPM or about 63 MPH, I say we should get to Fishkill, NY in about another eight hours or so. Mmm, I don’t know, I just hope we get there at a good time.” I rambled on to Rinnah who hummed in acknowledgement, probably not even paying my constant babbling any attention. I rolled my eyes at her with a smile and turned on our music playlist. There was something so serene about watching the scenery go by in an open car, maybe it was the way the greenery sparkles like emeralds after the morning dew or mountains in the background, depending on your location, they seemed untouchable reaching for the horizon. It could also be the subtle glimpses of wildlife or the chirping of the birds accompanied by the melodic sound of our faitfhul MG. Whatever it was, it made taking the backroads worthwhile, metaphorically or not.
We stopped just outside Westpoint, NY which is home to the US Army Academy, a fact that I found interesting. After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, we were on the road again to our final destination Belfast, Maine. I was thrilled to see my family “down” there. You see, in central Maine you are considered to be down east. I haven’t seen my cousins in years and now since we are staying at their house I can catch up on their lives. I can introduce Rinnah to the other side of my family while exploring the lifestyle and history of Maine. I’ve heard so many stories about Maine from my Papa who was born there so I’ve always wanted to go, especially for the famous delicious blueberry everything from pancakes to cobbler. I would say lobster as well but I’m allergic to shellfish but Rinnah was excited to try her first Maine lobster in Maine. My Papa says, “If you take a perfectly good Maine lobster out of Maine it will spoil him some wicked so you have to eat it right here”. We went to the bottom of Main Street in Belfast to a restaurant called Nautilus. It was right on the water so we went to the docks where we saw enormous luxury yachts and lots of lobster and pleasure boats.
There were so many things to do, gorgeous places to take pictures, shops to see including the oldest shoe store in America, and overall a remarkable town to visit. There was so much culture. We went to the art show down on the water and we got to buy so many souvenirs that I hope we are able to fit them in our little MGTD. Following my tradition to get a dreamcatcher at everyplace I visit, I found a stunning and well-made one at the show. Rinnah and I had a mini-photoshoot on the little walkways by the water because the background was so breathtaking.
The next day, we just stayed at the family cabin and planned on spending the day at the lake. We swam out to the floating dock and tanned on the blow-up floaties. Rinnah and I also took the single-kayaks out on the lake, spending hours exploring the small islands and shoreline. Rinnah flipped a couple of times when I rear-ended or t-boned her by accident. Well maybe a little bit on purpose. Which she retaliated for by splashing water on me with her paddle and that led to a full-on water fight between us, which resulted in us being soaked by the time we returned to the cabin. We relaxed by the campfire at the water’s edge and ended the night with s’mores and reflections of our adventure.
The next day was our chill day inside, we wanted to just relax with a Netflix marathon of Grey’s Anatomy and Vampire Diaries. With two bowls of popcorn, we dimmed the lights and settled in bed with a bundle of fluffy blankets. Being us, we ventured into deep conversations and rants about the tv show characters, our fears about impending college, and talked about any cute boys we saw in passing. The topic of college caused me to open my Notes app and show her my planning list that I’ve prepared in advance because a change in scenery causes my anxiety to skyrocket but preparing for different scenarios helps. My over preparation causes Rinnah to chuckle of course and unsurprisingly she hasn’t thought of stuff like that. I’m also terrified that we are going to grow apart and forget about each other, something that I know will affect me strongly since she has always been such a large part of my life but that’s another conversation for later. For now, we look forward to fresh beginnings and new experiences.
After a week of being tourists in Maine, we were beginning to feel like we were real “Mainahs”. The breakfast place that served huge pancakes (blueberry of course) was treating us like regulars, saying, “hi Tayler and Rinnah” when we walked in they started getting our regular order. They were so nice and welcoming to us that we never felt like outsiders. Rinnah made many friends of all ages which in turn caused me to make friends and there was something so heartwarming about walking down the street and people calling out your name in greeting. I love the small town atmosphere and I would love to live in one if I wasn’t more of a suburban person. Maybe that will change. Before we knew it, it was our last day so we spent the night watching our final Maine sunset over the lake and listening to the eerie sound of the loons for tomorrow will mark the beginning of a new era.
Traveling in an old MG with your best friend along the senic back roads made this road trip definitely the best and fitting for our last hurrah before we go our separate ways. Maybe we will meet again in the future as successful women or keep contact over Facebook throughout the years. Who knows, Rinnah says we may have to make a small sidetrip to see a certain boy at a little British repair garage in northern Virginia. The future is uncertain but all I know is that this was an unforgettable experience in a 1953 MGTD. It may be the end of this life’s chapter but certainly not our books.
Editor’s note: Thanks Tayler for an entertaining story. If only we could all take a trip like that, even now! CG
