Everett and Janet Parker escorted trips for Moosehead Historical Tours for years, and learned the business from the inside. When Dr. Everett Parker retired as the museum¹s executive director in December 2004, the couple decided to continue the tour business as part of their corporate identity, Moosehead Communications. The other part of Moosehead Communications is a printing and publishing business which provides full service printing as well as publishing and worldwide distribution of journals and newsletters as well as books.

"The museum did not want to continue to offer tours, so it was natural for us to pick it up since so many people had said in past years that they really enjoyed the trips," Dr. Parker said.

A brochure describing escorted tours to be offered during 2005 was mailed to hundreds of people about three weeks ago. The mailing included people from throughout Maine and out of state who have taken part in both day trips and multi-day trips in the past. That brochure is also available by calling the office at 695-3163, or writing to 719 Moosehead Lake Road, Greenville, ME 04441-9727 (electronic mail: eparker@midmaine.com).

Dr. Parker began offering tours as a fundraiser for the museum. "My wife and I began taking bus trips ourselves back in the 1970s," Dr. Parker said. "Over time, we saw that we could offer the same kind of service to people in the area where we live." Response was immediate and gratifying. "The first year, we offered a few trips, all in Maine, and they were well received."

The following year, trips were expanded to Quebec, and from there, they really took off. "We found that people love to go to Quebec City and elsewhere in eastern Canada," Dr. Parker said. "About four years ago, we learned about a tourist train in Valley Junction, Quebec, and that was so popular we offered five trips in one summer."

With the birth of Northland Tours, the Parkers will expand the number of destinations and offer more in-depth, multi-day trips. "We learned from our five day Prince Edward Island trip last year that people really do enjoy the longer excursions, particularly when they can sit back and leave all the details to us."

One of the key ingredients the Parkers employ in their trips is knowledge of the location. "We rarely schedule a trip where we have not been ourselves," Parker said. "When we set our trip to Nova Scotia for this summer, we have already been there on a scouting trip to find out places to visit, places to eat, and places to stay. Nothing is left to chance."

As a result, the trips are much more meaningful for those traveling. "Each trip is thoroughly interpreted," Parker said. "You don¹t just get on a bus and have endless hours of riding. We explain a lot of the history of the areas we travel through, point out things of interest such as covered bridges or historic sites, and provide plenty of rest stops." The Parkers have been frequent visitors to Prince Edward Island over the years, so when it was time to schedule a visit in 2004, those who went enjoyed an insight of the province that tourists probably wouldn't. "We took them to the North Shore and explained how the island is eroding rapidly, and showed how a river has been diverted through dune migration," Parker said. "A person likely wouldn¹t know that, or see it, if they were on their own."

Another key ingredient to escorted bus trips is comfort. "We use air conditioned motorcoaches chartered from Cyr Bus Line in Old Town, and the drivers are highly professional and courteous," Parker said. "All of the coaches have bathroom facilities and comfortable seats." Part of the comfort equation is the ability to "leave the driving to us," Parker said.

With an escorted tour, those traveling don¹t have to worry about driving and traffic, where to eat or sleep, and what to see and do. "Everything is taken care of," Parker said. "Our travelers get the best seats at performances, have top-notch accommodations and often have a private dining room in rstaurants."

This year¹s tours will include trips to Boston, railroad trips in New Hampshire and Maine, a lobster dinner and Casco Bay boat ride, an overnight dinner theater trip to Saint John, New Brunswick, a week on Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia (already partially booked!), a multi-day trip to Prince Edward Island (different than last year¹s trip), a "Victorian weekend" at Kings Landing in New Brunswick and much more.