Allagash Lake, Maine Four o’clock on a late August afternoon and it’s pouring down rain deep in the Maine North Woods. We (husband Hy and friends Dawn and Lee) are in a muddy parking lot where we’d planned to strap our canoes onto carts, complete a one-mile portage to the south edge of Allagash Lake, canoe four miles, and set up camp. But no one’s feeling inspired. Even on the brightest of days, Allagash Lake is not your mainstream North Woods destination. From Bangor, drive

My car of 14 years died in October. We bought an EV. The first thing we did with the EV was drive from Maine to Montana to Idaho.

He coached us on all things Japanese—manners, food, traditions—