Year 1 - Bangor ME to Calais ME





We arrived in Bangor about noon today, Tuesday 8/31. We immediately purchased our next leg tickets from the not overly friendly clerk! After I asked if we could buy our West Transportation tickets at the Concord bus terminal, he said, “Yes, ID”. Then as I got my bank card out, he snapped “cash only!” I then inquired about including the $7 cost for each bike. He quickly quipped “pay the driver”. It’s nice to love your job!

With about two hours to kill till the West bus leaves, we decided to have a gourmet lunch at the dining establishment next to the terminal. Yup, you guessed it, Wendy’s!

We watched, from the Wendy’s elegant outside dining room, as the tiny West bus arrived and dropped off its arriving passengers. When I say tiny, it is smaller than a short school bus. More like a 15 passenger van on steroids! We each looked at each other with a thought of slight despair that our bikes would not fit along with us and any additional passengers. 

I even began to search the web for potential rental cars we could get in Bangor and drop off in Calais.

As the time drew closer to our scheduled departure, the crowd grew larger and larger. More and more deeper despair. At one count there was a minimum of 15 people waiting to board. Little did I realize that there are many buses departing that little station all around the same time. 

Two just got on a down East bus. Then the West bus pulls in. The door opens and the very pleasant lady driver greets us with a huge smile. Dan asked her about the possibility of loading three bikes into the bus? Sure, she replies, we will get them all in. Music to our ears!

We pay her the extra fee for the bikes and quickly begin to dismantle the bags from the bikes. I am still assuming there will be a full bus so we are working feverishly to get the bikes into the rear of the bus so as not to hold up any other passengers. The bikes safely stowed in the bus, we each take a seat. I sit next to the bikes so I can attempt to hold them from either falling over or heading toward the driver if she has to stop quickly! 

A couple minutes pass and none of the assembled crowd is approaching the bus. We are the only three people on the bus with our driver, Erica. 

Erica tells us she is motivated to get home early tonight because her daughters school is having an open house. So if there is no one at the bus stop in Ellsworth, we are not going to make any other stops, but instead go directly to Calais from Ellsworth. This will save us about an hour of travel time. Second best news today!

She asked where we are staying and told us she will drop us off right at the motel. Now that’s the kind of personal service that gets people a tip.

Comments

  1. Diane FalkowskiSeptember 2, 2021 at 3:14 PM

    Nothing like unexpected first class service and a detour that saves time! Glad all worked out well. Now the real fun can begin!

    ReplyDelete

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