Jenna and I are sitting on a dock in Rangeley, Maine, which is evidently the best spot in town to steal the local inn's WiFi.  A bullfrog is being noisy in the reeds on the far side of the pond, and some baby ducks swam within three feet of us.

You might surmise from the fact that we are still in Maine that we've run into further mechanical problems, and you would be right - but I can say, with some confidence, that we have the coolant problems figured out.  After Adley's replaced our radiator, we had noticed an air conditioning tube vibrating in the engine bay, and had mostly corrected that issue with the application of some zip-ties.  When we started to hear funny sounds under the hood, we assumed that this was probably the cause.  Then, in a terrifying reprise of our last mechanical failure, the engine began heating up on a long hill partway to Rangeley.  The sounds under the hood reached a new intensity, and, again, I pulled the van to the side of the road.  We let the engine cool, talked to our parents, and steeled our fraying nerves, then brought the van limping into the town of Rangeley.

After coffee in the local diner, we located a garage in town, where a gruff straight-shooter named Sparky came out and squinted into the engine bay.  "You're missing two bolts on the air conditioning compressor, didja know that?" he asked.  Within 90 minutes, he was able to diagnose and fix several small errors that our previous garage had made in  the water pump/radiator replacement.  Specifically, the radiator had been hung crookedly, and the radiator fan was rubbing on its shroud as a result.  This was the sound we were hearing, and it was also the reason that the radiator wasn't able to dissipate the heat properly.  We hung out in the garage and watched him work, and the fix ended up being very affordable.  The van now runs smoother, like it did before we encountered these problems.  The errant noises have also disappeared, and we've had no trouble with the engine temperature.

We decided to stay the night near Rangeley, and went to the state park to determine if we could pull in somewhere and sleep for free.  It didn't seem very likely, but we got a list of hikes and scenic detours in the area, and decided to follow up on a picnic area with waterfalls, thinking it might make a good place to stay,.  Even if not, there would be waterfalls.

As it turns out, Smalls Falls was a great and secluded place to camp.  Two rivers turn into waterfalls near the picnic area, providing unbelievably beautiful scenery and swimming holes, where we swam underneath the falls.  The picnic area itself had tables, barbecues, and bathrooms.  It was much, much better than we expected.   We cooked lentils and slept very soundly, and weren't bothered by anyone.

Today, we decided to remain in the Rangeley area.  We got up early and drove to the Appalachian Trail entrance near the town.  Jenna and I are trying to build up our strength and experience for a long backpacking trip in the Olympic Mountains, so we decided to pack our framed backpacks with what we imagine we would need for a three-day outing.  We didn't have straps to attach our tent and sleeping pads, but we put in food, clothes, our stove, sleeping bags, fuel, water, and various other supplies.  The packs were heavy.  We planned on going towards Piazza Rock, which is supposed to be a sort of enormous inverted pyramid-shaped rock; however, the trail list didn't mention which way we should hike, and it wasn't immediately obvious from the trailhead.  We ended up going the wrong direction, which was fine, because we ended up at a small lake, where there were boats for public use.  We ate lunch on a rowboat, then hiked back.  I think we did about four miles.  It felt good, and the packs weren't too much.  I feel confident that we'll be able to do multi-day hikes.  We have one tentatively planned after we visit Toronto, before we WWOOF in Michigan.

If all continues to go well, we'll proceed to Quebec City tomorrow.  I think a change of scenery will help put our minds at ease.

Here are pictures from our time in Rumford and Rangeley.

Upper falls in Rumford

The bridge leading "downtown"

Lower falls in Rumford, where we picnicked and read

Some of our cooking preparations

Paul Bunyan is a big deal in Rumford

There's also a Babe the Blue Ox over by the Rite-Aid, but we (sadly) didn't take any photos

We hiked here on our last day in Rumford

To put this in context, the Deluxe Diner was maybe 80 feet from this sign

Rangeley Lake

One of the Smalls Falls waterfalls

The other falls

Swimming at Smalls Falls