I am currently reading "An Explorer's Guide to Maine," and right now I am cranky that 90 percent of it is about the coast.

The book is almost 700 pages long, and was written by veterans Christina Tree and K.W. Oxnard.

I should say "updated" rather than "written."

The first version (by Tree) came out in the early '80s, and the one I am perusing was 2003.

Actually, I am not cranky.

But I am amazed that to most drive-by people - writers and tourists - Maine is the coast.

That's nothing new.

But here are two thoughts.

The lakes regions in central Maine are the last places to buy waterfront property.

Based on the number of visitors who will be sent along the coast by books such as this, real-estate within 10 miles of the ocean will be under siege forever.

But in central Maine, in places like Franklin County where my cabin is perched, there is still opportunity to buy on a lake or a river.

Thought #2: I still wonder if there are 44 million "visits" to Maine each year.

This was a figure mentioned by the state tourist bureau several years ago.

It doesn't mean tourists, which are generally defined as staying overnight.

A "visit" could be from parents going to see their kids for the afternoon at Bowdoin, or a tour bus of senior citizens from Portsmouth up for the day.

Still, 44 million seems like a lot.

Assuming that the figure is close to being accurate, you can see why tourism in all its forms is being seen as the major industry in the future now that the mills, shoeshops and papermaking plants are just about history.

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