Mid-Maine - Adventure Guide to Maine - page 385

Route 2 then roughly parallels the south shore of the Kennebec River for
the next 10 miles to Norridgewock . Here it leaves the river and turns
south-westerly over rolling hills. Watch for Route 27 on the left. It leads
to the scenic Belgrade Lakes area.
Continue on Route 2 to New Sharon , where it crosses the attractive
Sandy River. Farmington , home to a branch of the University of Maine,
a mountain biking and cross-country ski center, and a great jumping off
place for the Western Mountains area, is just ahead. You can continue
north on Route 27 or stay on 2 and continue west to Bethel and into New
Hampshire.
Route 9/202, Hampden to Augusta
60 miles, 1½ hours, one way
Highlights: Route 9 and 202 from Hampden to Augusta may bear half
the fabled numerical designation of “The Airline,” which passes through
wild, wild country in Eastern Maine. Here, though, Route 9 and its co-
designee denote a very different road.
Route: Access 202 from Interstate 395, which connects Bangor and
Brewer. Head west on the divided highway which quickly narrows to a
conventional two-laner. It joins Route 9 with a left turn in Hampden .
The road is easy to follow as it eases over gentle hills and through woods
and by farms. For nearly 30 miles there is barely a major curve as you
gently ease to the southwest. In Dixmont Route 9/202 crosses Route 7.
Two miles south on Route 7 leads to a gated dirt road to the abandoned
fire tower on top of Mount Harris , which provides spectacular views in
all directions.
Twelve miles farther on Route 9/202 you'll reach Unity on the shores of
Unity Pond. Here is the headquarters of the seasonal Belfast and
Moosehead Lake Railroad , which offers rail excursion and cruise
packages between Unity and Belfast. Unity is also home to the popular
Common Ground Fair each September, a celebration of organic farm-
ing techniques, alternative energy and counter-culture politics and orga-
nizations.
The nearby Quaker Hill Road is home to the Peter Smith Terry Collec-
tion of Native American Artifacts , which includes a research library
and exhibits.
In the middle of the village of Unity Route 9/202 takes a southerly head-
ing and assumes a more traditional winding route toward the state capi-
tal in Augusta. It passes through Albion and Johnny's Selected
Seeds , a company that specializes in variety of flowers and vegetables
that grow best in northern climates.