Day 8: October 1, 2015 Cars and Diners Comment via blog

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US-1 about three miles west of Ellsworth, Maine. It may be cloudy but it's not raining.

In Belfast, Maine, this large gathering of Volkswagens naturally caught my eye. Despite the name, The Beetle Shop didn't have many Beetles around but it sure had a lot of Kombis.

One time Maineiac (I assume that's what you call people who live in Maine.) Alex Burr turned me onto this diner that has been operating in this location since 1934. That's when US-1 was routed through here and the business that had begun in 1927 moved to its side. Moody's Diner has been expanded many times since then and many elbows have rested on its counter.

I've stopped at a few breweries on this trip and I'll stop at a few more but none impressed me like the Maine Beer Company. The company was founded with and operates on the simple premise of doing what's right. That includes treating employees and the planet right in major ways. They have just signed with a Columbus, Ohio, distributor so will soon be available in my home state. I quite liked the one beer I tasted and am looking forward to trying more back in Ohio.

DeLorme world headquarters seems to have some of the more colorful trees in New England just now. It's just down the road from the Maine Beer Company. Inside is their map store and Eartha, the world's largest rotating globe. I had to stitch together a couple of photos to get a full view of Eartha whose official Guinness measured diameter is 41 feet 1.5 inches. I played satellite and took a picture of my home from the second floor.

I had to turn around for this one. I don't recall ever seeing so many classic cars on an outdoor lot with a V16 Cadillac sitting right up front. Motorland's inventory is a mix of their own cars and consignments. The gorgeous MGA, looking good inside and out, was off by itself as was the pair in the last photo. I don't believe either is for sale. The Jaguar is clearly marked. Must be tough deciding whether to drive the XK-150 or what I'm guessing is a late 1940s Packard.

This is another Alex Burr recommendation. I stopped in for just a piece of pie but fell for the sweet talking waitress's ice cream pitch. It's blueberry. It's delicious. The Maine Diner has been around only since 1983 which might explain the new looking counter. Or maybe 1983 materials hold up better than the older stuff.

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