Cold Weather, Hot Propane, and Chasing the Maine Coastline

Tim Eagle
9 minutes ago
3 min read

At the end of April, we pulled into Maine after a spell at Horseneck Beach in Massachusetts. I try to make a habit of staying at state parks when we aren't boondocking at a rest stop; they’re usually cheaper, more scenic, and provide a beautiful setting to sit back and really take in the area. The mission during our four-day stay in Massachusetts was simply to wait for our site to be prepared in Bar Harbor. It was chilly, but a nice, scenic pause.

As we drove a few hours north toward Maine, the weather seemed to take a nose-dive. Leaving Michigan’s unpredictable weather was one thing, but entering Maine was like jumping backward a full month in season. It was downright freezing. I pulled out my hoodie and long pants and stopped pretending summer was just around the corner.

Those chilly nights in Massachusetts had already forced me to burn through quite a bit of propane. The biggest drinker of LP is the furnace. I actually quit using electric space heaters after one shorted out a GFCI in the bathroom a few years back, a bit of damage I haven't been able to repair yet. Dealing with propane is always a touchy process when it comes to motorhomes. The tank is built right into its own compartment. You don’t just unhook it and carry it to the station; you have to take the whole house, in our case, the Mothership, and pull right up to the propane to let them fill away.

Through almost five years of full-time RV life, I’ve grown accustomed to finding convenient places for a fill. Most of the time we choose Tractor Supply, but they aren't always equipped to accommodate a rig. I called ahead and found out a "big box" farm store in Ellsworth, Maine couldn't fill me up, but they graciously directed me to another "big box" along our route. So, we stopped in Holden, Maine to get topped off before venturing further east toward the coastline.

Maine offers incredible scenes. As I drove on Route 3 toward Hulls Cove, chocolate-brown mountainous rocks jutted out from the sides of the road. Bare trees and pines filled the forests; you could tell spring hadn't sprung yet just by how naked the woods looked.

I had never workamped for a hotel before, and I'd certainly never worked for a place that charged me rent for my FHU (full hook-up) site, but here I was. Still, when I commit to a job, it’s game on. I found the street where we were supposed to park (picture of site below), which is a couple of miles from my job. It's a perfect setup, it literally takes only five minutes to get to work each morning.

Every new place we travel takes some time to adjust to, and arriving in Hulls Cove, just outside of Bar Harbor, I had some navigating to do. I had to figure out where to buy groceries, set up a P.O. Box for mail and packages, and learn how to survive like a Bar Harbor native instead of a seasonal worker or a tourist. I’ll break all of that down next week.

For the time being, enjoy the pictures below of where the Mothership has landed, along with a few worthy shots from our stay in Massachusetts. Stay tuned for the next chapter of the full-time RV life!

Thanks for reading.

Tim Eagle

Tim Eagle is an author of the novellas Karma Cop, Life Ship, and the Vasectomus Collection. He lives full time, on the road, with his wife, Maria and cat Walter White. He grew up in Michigan and is inspired by the dysfunction of America. His books are available on Amazon, godless and this site timeaglefiction.com