day 9: scarborough, me to norway, me to chantilly, va

After months of looking forward to meeting the fellow-Honda loving Million Mile Joe- today was the day!

Joe and I made no absolutely no schedule or plans other than to meet at a local coffee shop and go from there. I got there early and anxiously awaited his arrival:

Joe came and we chatted for a long while. Even though it was a first time meeting, we talked and talked and laughed like old friends. We then decided to go explore a bit and check out each others cars, so we were off:

Joe turned out to be quite the tour guide! The first place he wanted to show me was Lake Pennesseewasee. (Called Lake Norway by locals.):

A gorgeous back drop for where older meets new Honda:

Joe’s quite the jokester. He pretends his car needs a push:

After the lake stop, it was a must to go to this well-known sign with all the countries (towns) in Maine:

Off we went to Joe’s house. Check out this fun sign Sharon (Joe’s wife) made to welcome me:

How sweet was that? (Thanks Sharon!)

I had to get a photo of Joe’s bumper, twin to mine with his URL:

…and one of the man and the car; uninterrupted:

Does that look like one happy guy or what?

First thing was first. A gift exchange!

Hours flew by as we shared stories and information about our lives in Honda. I jumped in Joe’s rig to give a thumbs up:

…and then thought I was funny to pretend I was cooly cruising down the road:

(Yes, I was in full geek-out mode!) I zoomed in on that odometer that’s so close to a million:

…and of course added a the blue lollipop:

I was very excited to see that Joe uses paper maps too:

Joe showed me the engine and parts that keep on trucking’:

…and showed me a few of the parts and pieces he’s used over the years:

Who’s Powered by Honda?

Joe is! There’s that famous hat. Who else is Powered by Honda?

I am! Yep- Joe let me borrow his hat for a few minutes. I need to get myself one of those…

After a whole bunch of car talk, Joe suggested we go explore a couple of local spots, so in the car we went buzzing down the back roads of Maine:

I like the sight of this; The special blue lollipop right in the mix of Joe’s console collection:

First stop what we though was going to be a Deer Farm that actually turned out to be an Elk Farm:

(This was a blast and as you heard in the video extra special for me in that I love when I visit people and it turns into an excuse for them to do something in their own town they haven’t done yet!)

After the Elk Farm, Joe took me to Snow Falls:

Here we are together!

…and the falls were that green New England nature that’s so nice and relaxing to breathe in:

Back to Joe’s house we went so he could show me his log books of all the miles he’s driven:

Quite the collection.

It was time for some last words for the day and bits of advice from the Pro Joe:

Do you love that Joe’s favorite are Snow Caps? Joe and I already got along famously, but when I learned his vice was chocolate just like me, our bond was certainly kicked up 100 notches! (Great minds think alike:)

Perhaps my favorite photo of the day, I had to get one with Joe and the blue Lollipop:

This picture really makes me smile.

What a blast of a day! So many great unexpected surprises for me. Joe and I spent way more hours together than I thought we would (and I was happy about that!) We had to practically force ourselves to step away because we could have talked forever, but I needed to get on the road to knock out some serious mileage. Like the sweet Dad he is (Joe has daughters my age)- he was sort of shooing me to go so I wouldn’t be driving too late. (My Parents will appreciate reading that. Thanks from my Mom before she even reads this Joe.)

I collected so much from the day, it’d take me forever to list here. The biggest thoughts from the day though, are that Joe and I might look different, but we are very much the same. We love our families, we’re regular people, hard workers, we have have cars that have been our partners in crime, that transportation that’s been reliable everyday that we never worry about, and we find joy in small things in life. No matter where I am on the road, I continue to meet people like Joe that I connect with that I never might expect to. This is always a welcomed surprise and one of the reasons I stay excited about getting up in the morning. Did I ever think I’d connect with a complete stranger in Maine because of the love I have for my Honda’s that’ve taken me to so many amazing places over the years? No. Am I happy that I have, and do I think I probably have a new friend for a very long to come that “gets” me in my quirky Honda loyalty because he has the same? Absolutely. That is awesome.

Even though I rolled out of Joe’s driveway much later than expected and was facing a long 10 hour drive, I felt like I was on a high as if I’d just finished a marathon. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It’s always a such a treat for me to be able to spend time with someone I can laugh with and that shares a similar passion to mine. I am quite confident Joe and I will see each other again, and I am looking forward to it!

Thank you so much for a great day Joe. I appreciate you letting me jump into your world and being able to share some of mine too. Let’s get together for some Snow Caps and whoopie pies soon? Until then, here’s to never giving up on a dream, and hitting that million miles. You deserve all the best and I can’t wait to watch you reach your big goal!

I am now that good exhausted after such a fantastic day and a drive until 4am all the way from Central Maine to Virginia. I’ve been invited to the Great Grapes, Wine, Art & Food Festival tomorrow, so off I go…

***Total miles driven today, day 9: 694

***Total miles driven since trip start (9/2/11): 1,562

***Total blue lollipops gifted/left behind since trip start (9/2/11): 13