Sundown Heaven Town

We finally made it to Bangor, Maine and yesterday was our last day off.  The weather was gorgeous so we decided to take out the bikes.  We found a path by the waterfront we wanted to ride but the only truckstop in the area was six miles away and the roads to get from there to downtown weren't the most bike-friendly.  So we got on Google Earth and scoped out a place that was closer to downtown.  

In the course of our search, we found out there was going to be a concert at the waterfront pavilion later that evening.  Tim McGraw was playing.  He was three weeks in on his Sundown Heaven Town tour.  Opening for him was Kip Moore (I have no idea who he is) and Cassadee Pope (The Voice season three winner, who I do know).  We were excited to have found something happening on a Thursday night in a town we knew nothing about.

The waterfront area was quite pretty with a path running along the river.  We rode for a while, then went to a riverfront restaurant for lunch.  After lunch, we looked for a spot to watch the concert.  Here you can see the two Eds in a unique panorama of the river and concert stage taken from the hill across the street, where we perched ourselves for the concert.

click to enlarge

We sat for a while people watching before the concert but it was getting a little chilly and the temperature was rapidly dropping.  It started out as a sunny seventy-three, but then it dipped about ten degrees and the sun hadn't even set yet.

So before the concert started, we rode back to the truck - a different way than we came, which I thought looked like a shortcut on the map, but wound up being a grueling trip up some insanely steep hills - to get our lawn chairs and change into warmer clothes.  Long pants, long sleeves, and a winter coat.  I kid you not.  People were streaming in and I was amazed at how scantily dressed some of the girls were, Daisy Dukes and cowboy boots.  Great outfit for a country concert, but not in sixty-degree weather. 

My winter coat and pashmina weren't even warm enough, and you know I'm never cold. It was fifty-three degrees by the time the second act went on but we were determined to stay until the end.  It was a free concert for us and we had seats that were comparable to those in a concert arena.  We couldn't really see the artist on the stage, but we had a great view of the screen above it and the sound was bold and clear.

We wound up leaving just before the concert ended because it had gotten really cold and we wanted to avoid the mad rush of bodies.  Before we rode off, we got a little closer to the fencing near the stage area.  It was standing room only.  From that location, we were able to see Tim McGraw pretty clearly.  He's sooo skinny.  I'm pretty sure he waved to us as we left.  OK, maybe he was waving to the entire crowd but it felt like just us.  After all, we were the only ones leaving.

After the concert, we had breakfast for dinner at Dysart's, a truckstop in Hermon that's been around for over forty-five years.  It's been a while since we'd been up this way and the restaurant was just as great as I remembered.  

This has been a really great two weeks but now it's time to get back to work.  Tomorrow we pick up our load and head to the hot and steamy south.  And instead of complaining about how cold it is, I will begin the complaints about the stifling heat and humidity.

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2013: Hold The Vodka
2012: Forging America In The Holy Land Of Steel
2011: Captivating
2010: Not That He’s Insensitive Or Anything
2009: Ode To Milk
2008: Eddie On The Rocks Friday
2007: The Unintentional Beating Of A Red State Child
2006: Sorry, no post for this day.
2005: Sorry, no post for this day.