Can you describe Maine summers? (Portland, Bangor: calculator, camping, live in)

[Tarheel22]

Originally Posted by corgis

The humidity in Maine is very low compared to North Carolina - when the people in Eastport complained about how humid it was on any given day - I found it to be nothing like West Virginia humidity. The kind that makes you wet before you can get in your car.

Cool humidity doesn't make you suffer like hot, sticky humidity. We have that in NC all summer long and it is oppressive. I am looking forward to summering up in northern Maine.....bring on the fog!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Tarheel22

Cool humidity doesn't make you suffer like hot, sticky humidity. We have that in NC all summer long and it is oppressive. I am looking forward to summering up in northern Maine.....bring on the fog!

We have been here since 2005, so not very long at all. But so far we have not encountered any heavy fog at all. A little bit of very light patchy stuff, but you could always see the pavement in front of your vehicle.

I learned to drive in much thicker fog, but so far here in Maine, I am not sure that Maine really gets much fog.

I can honestly say that in Maine I have not seen visibility drop to less than 20 feet. I have only driven in pretty light fog here.

[cmacyman]

while i am soon (with a little help and a miracle from god) moving to maine, i can say that maine, nor n.c....not even soth txas, can match the unberarlbly HOT, THICK, STICKY, SWELLTERING heat of south east florida.........and only arizona is a close second with even higher temps (125*F.) in the shade but with only slighter less humidity...........i can't stand it. my heart always goes out to the poor dogs i see in arizona, hot footing it all the way while their owners walk them while talking on their cell phones totally oblivious of their agony. the poor dogs can't even stand in one spot at a traffic light. i am so looking forward to cool summers and the change of seasons.

i will say that there is one noce thing about az...the sky is clear blue not even a cloud, every single day...but i miss rain. never thought i would. my sister lives in minnesota and even there the summers are humid and down right hot....

maine......here we come.
hope to see you all there

[mainegrl2011]

Maine summers have always been my favorite time of the year...not that I don't like the other seasons. My house is one mile from the ocean and we have never had or used AC for the past 70+ years. We open the windows and the house stays cool and comfortable. I can only remember a few times when it was uncomfortably hot at night...hardly worth mentioning at all. I can still hear my mother saying, "What a lovely breeze." Speaking of fog, I drove up Cadillac one time when I could barely see 20 ft. in front of me. I was careful not to drive off over the side.

Most likely it will rain--some years more, some years less, but there will also be sun. IMHO the weather is pretty close to perfect....the beach, the ocean, the lakes and ponds, outings with friends and relatives, canoeing, the smell of the ocean, cookouts at the ocean with a wood fire, toasted marshmallows, all the events and activities to choose from that only take place in the summer, pitching a tent to sleep in right in your own yard, packing a picnic lunch and a cooler filled with drinks (also blanket, beach towel, change of clothes, sweatshirt, long pants, shorts, sunscreen, bug spray, but not in the cooler), getting in the car and not really knowing where you'll end up or what new things/places you'll discover (the first item of clothing is a bathing suit--just in case) Bar Harbor on the 4th of July (I am not deterred by the traffic or people--irritated at times, but not deterred ), berry picking and eating, making jams and jellies, fresh veggies, Acadia National Park, state parks, long walks, hikes, enjoying the great outdoors.........Make a list of things to do a) when it rains, b) when it is overcast and c) when it is sunny--works for me.

[Chickenbarngeezer]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I have only driven in pretty light fog here.

You need to get yourself done on the coast or out on the islands. Driv'in in fogs that you can't see 5 feet in front of you. Now that's fog, baby.

[Chickenbarngeezer]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

... pitching a tent to sleep in right in your own yard......

gettin' bit by the ants because you pitched your tent on an ant hill that you didn't know was there under the grass.... and gettin' up to go to the bathroom and getting eaten by black flies.

[mainegrl2011]

Hi you ole geezer: nope, not in my yard....guess I must be picking the right spot....haven't gotten bit by ants, haven't pitched my tent on an ant hill, and haven't gotten eaten by black flies on my way to the bathroom nor while using it .......I did get attacked by some pesky little skeeters up in the vicinity of Georges Pond, but that's another story...

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Chickenbarngeezer

You need to get yourself done on the coast or out on the islands. Driv'in in fogs that you can't see 5 feet in front of you. Now that's fog, baby.

Where I grew up often you could extend your arms and not see your hands; get in a car and you can only see halfway down the hood.

Around here you can always see the hood of your car, and the pavement just beyond.

My mother drives on the freeway in the fog with the driver's door open. She watches underneath her door so she can see the paint on the pavement to determine lane position.

"Dont worry about folks in front of you, they have brake lights".

"Just stay centered in your lane and moving at the posted speed so the big trucks dont pile into you".

[RMoore007]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Where I grew up often you could extend your arms and not see your hands; get in a car and you can only see halfway down the hood.

Around here you can always see the hood of your car, and the pavement just beyond.

My mother drives on the freeway in the fog with the driver's door open. She watches underneath her door so she can see the paint on the pavement to determine lane position.

"Dont worry about folks in front of you, they have brake lights".

"Just stay centered in your lane and moving at the posted speed so the big trucks dont pile into you".

Don't they call that 'tooley fog' FB? I remember bad pile-ups on Interstate 5 or Highway 101 in the central valley of CA. Every year, there seems to be a 10-20 car accidents due to this low lying fog. People actually will drive faster than they think they are going. It is deceiving, I know.

I believe fog lights give you a better look at the ground immediately in front of the car, left and right. Plus, opposing traffic can see you better too.

[AliceT]

The summers are nowhere nearly as wonderful as the winters, but they are far better than summers anywhere else in the country. I am speaking of north central Maine, a point about 74 miles northeast of downtown Bangor, as this is the area I call my retreat. But my view may differ from someone else's view as my retreat is heavily wooded and my romps through the area are usually in shaded areas beneath the canopy of the trees.

The nights are filled with the twinkling of fireflies, the glimmer of stars in a glossy black sky and a moon so clear you can almost touch it.