Flat Stanleyvisits

Maine

This is the story of Flat Stanley’s visit to our log cabin in Harrison, Maine.

We are Michael and Cara Nadeau. Both of us grew up in Maine and we love sharing

our state with visitors, especially fun visitors like Flat Stanley!

The state of Maine is the most northeastern state in the

United States. It is bordered by New Hampshire to the south

and west, Canada to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the

east. When the sun rises every morning over the United

States, it rises over Maine first. Maine has lots of forests, mountains, and beaches.

Maine farmers are famous for growing blueberries and

potatoes and making Maple syrup for your pancakes.

Maine fishermen are most famous for catching lobster.

Flat Stanley traveled more than 1,100 miles to get from Campbellsville, Kentucky to Harrison, Maine.

If you were to get in your car and drive, it would take you almost 24 hours to make the trip!

Because he had traveled such a long way, when he

arrived he was hungry. We made him bacon and eggs for breakfast. Once Flat Stanley’s belly was

full, it was time to set off on a winter adventure!

Maine is cold and snowy in the winter and there

are lots of woods to explore, so Flat Stanley

decided he wanted to try snowshoeing. Our

snowshoes were a bit too big for his feet, so we let him ride in our backpack

instead.

On our hike through the woods, Flat Stanley saw tracks in the snow made by rabbits, grey

squirrels, and whitetail deer. Can you guess which tracks below were made by which

animal?

Flat Stanley had heard about another winter sport in Maine he wanted to try – ice fishing!

In Maine, the temperature is so cold in the winter that the lakes freeze over, and the ice is so thick you can

actually drive a car right out on the lake! People drag these colorful ice shacks on the lake, drill a

hole in the ice, and go fishing!

Flat Stanley didn’t catch any fish, but he had fun trying. He also learned that you should never walk on a frozen

lake or pond without a grown-up’s permission. If the ice isn’t thick enough, it could break and you

might fall in the cold water!

There are a lot of different types of vehicles that you can

use to get around in the snow. Flat Stanley saw an

antique truck used to deliver goods to people across frozen

lakes and ponds. Did you notice there are skis where the front tires should be?

Flat Stanley even got to ride on a modern-day

snowmobile! Snowmobile races are a popular way to

spend a day in Maine. Some snowmobiles can go as fast

as 100 miles per hour!

Flat Stanley’s last stop of the day was at the ocean! We visited the Portland Head Light, a famous lighthouse that guides ships in and out of Portland Harbor. The lighthouse emits a beam of light every few seconds to help ships see

the path around the rocks and islands when they are coming into port. In foggy weather, the lighthouse blasts a loud horn

to warn ships that they are near the shore.

Because Maine has such a big coastline, there are lots

of lighthouses to visit.

Flat Stanley asked us to tell him about lobster fishing. Lobstermen put bait in big metal traps that they lower to the sea floor. Lobsters get caught in the traps, and the lobstermen haul the traps up into their boats. When lobsters are alive, they are brown, green or even blue in color, but when they are cooked

they turn a bright red. They are delicious to eat!

At the end of such an exciting day, Flat Stanley was ready to relax. He spent a while getting to

know our dogs, Snickers and Moxie.

Then we tucked him into bed in his very

own Flat Stanley-sized log cabin. Thanks for visiting Maine, Flat Stanley! We hope you’ll come back

again soon!