This Was One of the Most ‘Maine’ Moments I’ve Ever Had

A room full of flannels and bean boots, a craft beer on the lake, and a cashier at Reny’s with no “R” in his vocabulary are all “Maine” moments. Having been born and raised here in the Pine Tree State, I constantly find myself in situations or moments in time that make me sigh and say, “wow, that is so ‘Maine’”.

Every state has its quirks and norms but I feel like Maine’s are the most specific and easy to notice. I had one of these moments the other day and I really just had to shake my head and laugh.

The Rack, Sugarloaf

I was at The Rack in Sugarloaf for a Rigometrics show and was packed in a cabin-like building surrounded by animal heads, local stickers and license plates, ski gear, and Mainers adorning their favorite flannel after a run on the slopes.

The bar has a gondola bolted into the second floor overlooking the first floor that you can actually sit in. I was sitting in the gondola, staring at a giant moose head, listening to people talking literally without “R”s in their vocabulary, thinking to myself how “Maine” this felt when a woman came over and took it to a whole new level.

Snow Traction Cleats

I’m sitting there taking in the scenery and sounds when a woman comes over and says, “excuse me, I’m sorry but I left my snow cleats under your seat.” I reached under the seat in the gondola and pulled out a pair of traction cleats and handed them to her.

I burst out laughing. That just topped it off.

Do you have a pair of traction cleats?

For places that are hit with winters like Maine is, they are great for making sure you don’t fall on your butt walking around. My sister works in Portland and will put them on her work shoes just to walk down the sidewalk.

The whole situation sitting there with the moose, the ice cleats, sitting on a mountain in Maine, was just too funny to me. I love this place.