Dennis Dixon is heading North!: Maine #5 (Mount Abraham)

Continuing in the middle group (Maine's Middle Mountains), last week's peaks (Saddleback Mountain and The Horn) are X-ed out, and today's peak (Tuesday, June 13, 2017) - Mount Abraham - is in the purple circle:

4-hours-driving up and 4-hours-driving back:

I think I am getting comfortable going up 95 for a couple of hours, then taking exit 75 to head north into "real Maine". I always try to look down-and-out when I cross a river - it usually is BEAUTIFUL. This was crossing the Sandy River in Farmington, Maine at 10 AM:

Is it a High School "Senior Day"??

Then a little further north, after going through Kingfield, Maine, I head west on West Kingfield Road, which turns into a dirt road: Rapid Stream Road

and I LOVE this shot which gets both Rapid Stream plus The Road

The beginning of The Trail:

It is hard to read, but "MOUNT ABRAHAM SUMMIT" is a lot closer to 4.5 miles, not 4.0.

Beautiful day for a hike, with the blue blazes on the trees:

The Trail crosses over 4 lovely brooks/streams:

Keep going UP:

until at 4 miles you break out of the trees

and get your first BIG VIEW:

This is an Appalachian Trail sign that has blown down (1/2 mile) from the mountain ridge:

I guess winter gets a little INTENSE up here in Maine!

Some pretty mountain flowers:

Climbing up the scree

5 minutes to go to the top!

I forgot my sign for the summit:

(the metal is an old fire tower)

The Geodetic marker:

About 80 meters southeast of the summit is another rock tower, so I hiked there while eating my sandwich, and got a nice picture back up to the summit:

Saddleback Mountain and The Horn 8 miles west:

Time to head back down the scree field:

After a swim in one of the streams, back at the car at 3:30 - 9.44 miles in 4:34:

(its good to get Map My Walk back up-and-running properly)

Thank You God for a GREAT DAY!

Music today - MORNING

I, of course, have been listening to The Doors since they came out with their "Light My Fire" single in 1967. I have always LOVED their studio albums, and have always thought their live stuff was garbage - classic example of bands NEEDING a producer (another example is Jefferson Airplane). I have also enjoyed reading about rock and roll over the years, and a well-worn book in my collection is The Rolling Stone Record Guide (first edition, 1979):

and The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (second edition, 1983):

What is A LOT OF FUN is to compare entries from each edition. Almost always, it is a simple addition of a paragraph or two reflecting the additional output in those four years. Once in a while, there is a complete re-write of an artist's entry, which is the case for The Doors. The reviewer in the first Guide (B.A. = Billy Altman) gave the first 6 studio albums
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
4 stars
5 stars

Unfortunately, in the second Guide, the reviewer Dave Marsh came down rather hard on the band, giving them
3 stars
2 stars
2 stars
2 stars
3 stars
2 stars

and ended his review with:
"Is this the most overrated group in rock history? Only a truly terminal case of arrested adolescence can hold out against such a judgment for very long."

Oh Well - I still love the music!! And it sounded GREAT on this morning's drive up into Maine!

The Doors - The Doors, 1967

The Doors - Strange Days, 1967

The Doors - Waiting for the Sun, 1968

The Doors - The Soft Parade, 1969

The Doors - Morrison Hotel, 1970

The Doors - L.A. Woman, 1971

The last song on the album - "Riders on the Storm" - was the last song they ever recorded together; going out on top, if you ask me.

EVENING

Steely Dan - Aja, 1977