New Mexico - Land of Enchantment

Land of Enchantment

New Mexico is celebrating its Centennial this year! Scenic and historic, the Land of Enchantment is throwing a party all summer long with festivals and events that will surely be second to none.

 The actual date of New Mexico's Centennial is June 16, so for those of you in the West and Southwest United States, you still have time to plan a trip to what will I'm sure be something that will leave you with memories that will last you for the rest of your life.

New Mexico at Night

From its magnificent scenery to its incredible history...(cont)

Celebrate Wisconsin's 164th Year as a State!

Cheesehead Lighthouse

Today I want to fill you in on some stuff about one of my favorite places in the Lower 48 - America's Dairyland,Wisconsin.

I spent a couple of months in Wisconsin about 25 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. What a beautiful place with some great people. Great people including my very good friend Kevin who lives near the Mississippi River not far from La Crosse. Wisconsin is also home to my favorite NFL team, the 13-Time World Champions, Green Bay Packers! No, I am not a fair weather fan. I have been a Cheesehead for over fifty years, so I don't want to hear any guff from you guys, OK?  :)

Continued here...

Boothbay, Maine - Coastal Splendor

Boothbay, Maine

With the onset of gardening seasom here in Maine, I am looking back with great fondness on this year's garden. I live in an apartment with my wife and kids, so I am limited as to exactly what I can do gardenwise, but I plow (pun intended) ahead by doing as much as I can without pissing off the Property Manager. And those you that know me know that I teeter right on the edge of "acceptable" and "don't you dare". Such is life.

While time is short until first frost here in Maine, we still have time to enjoy the bounty before us and I know just the place to enjoy said bounty - the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. From mainegardens.org/  we learn of the humble beginnings of CMBG, "This magnificent and ambitious project began with a kernel of an idea generated by Rollins Hale of Boothbay Harbor. He and other mid-coast Maine residents who shared the belief that northern New England in general, and Maine in particular, were in need of a botanical garden founded the grassroots organization in 1991." Sixteen years later, on June 13, 2007, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens became a dream come true. The Gardens now encompasses 248 acres, a 9500 square foot Visitors Center, a seasonal cafe and a gift shop, as well as a bevy of  blooming botanical beauties bound to bewilder you.

The CMBG also serve as an educational experience, with information about natural history, botany, horticulture and the ecology of the area. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens can be reached here. CMBG is privately funded (as far as I can tell) and that alone is reason enough to label it as 248 acres of awesome.

Coastal Maine Accomodations and Activities

While much of the country has enjoyed Spring for several weeks, we are just getting started with it in New England and a place like Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a perfect reminder of the bounty that awaits us.So getting to a wonderland like CMBG is a must for Northeast US residents.

Boothbay is a neat little town in a great area for family fun and exploration. Given Boothbay's location, fishing and boating are the obvious activities at hand. But there is much more to the area than that. There is dinner theater, music arts and along with water sports, terrific opportunities to see the flora and fauna of Coastal Maine. This handy Calendar of Events has an itenerary that has a variety of offerings surely to please everyone in your family.

As far as places to stay, you'll find everything from campgrounds to fine hotels. Dining, including bakeries and specialty food shops dot the seaside and believe you me, they are outstanding!


More Info

I realize that I haven't covered all you need to know to plan a trip to Boothbay, so click on the Boothbay Region Information Center's web site and scroll down to the bottom for contact numbers and such.

Be sure to click on one of the ads on this page to look for the right hotel/motel for you.

Order your FREE Maine Travel Guide at visitmaine.com.

We've Grown Up! New Site Has More Info Than Ever on All 50 States!

Three States Plus One has expanded! We have grown from our original three states plus one to the Lower 48 (Plus 2)! The new blog will feature more information on each of the fifty states in the United States to include food, lodging, history and stories of interesting people relevant to that day's "State of the Day".

The Lower 48 (Plus 2) allows you to learn about the featured state, its festivals and attractions as well as plan a trip to that state all in one location! We will be giving you year round information, so you can go fishing in the summer or snow skiing in the winter with all the tools you need to make your trip a memorable one.

If you're not quite sure where you want to go or what you want to do, we'll even look up the information you need to help you make a decision FREE of charge! All you have to do is email us at lower48plus2 AT gmail DOT com, make your request and wait for our reply. It's that easy!

America is a wondrous place with many exciting and even off the beaten path things to see and do, and The Lower 48 (Plus 2) is just the place to help you discover the hidden gems that are a part of this great country

Simply click on over to The Lower 48 (Plus 2) and see what all the fuss is about!

Thanks,
Toby
Head Tour Guide

The Lower 48 (Plus 2)