ORONO, Maine, Sept. 25, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- U-Haul International today announced the release of 600 new 17-foot and 600 14-foot moving vans that showcase the most recent SuperGraphic celebrating Maine's unique Ice Age Trail, along with discoveries of ancient geological and marine marvels that once were concealed beneath the last massive ice sheets in the United States. The landscape of Maine tells a unique story of an unknown past world.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2882
18,000 years ago, during the last ice age, a vast continental glacier still covered the state of Maine, and extended out into what is now the Gulf of Maine in the Atlantic Ocean. This enormous ice sheet shaped the mountains and carved out the valleys occupied by today's rivers and lakes. The glacier was so heavy that it pushed the land hundreds of feet downward, causing the ocean to flood much of southern Maine as the ice started to retreat. The sea lapped against the edge of the glacier in areas touched by the Ice Age Trail, and the fossil remains of marine life have been found in areas that were eventually left high and dry as the land rose back up again. Maine's ice age marine world is like no other environment in the United States. This week, U-Haul will officially unveil the state of Maine's SuperGraphic, as its "Venture Across America" Campaign visits the University of Maine in Orono on Monday, October 2, at 10:30 a.m.
"We are thrilled to partner with the University of Maine to help educate and inform the public about the intriguing landscapes of Maine that tell the tale of the last great ice age, which occurred as recently as just 12,000 years ago, and to encourage people to visit Maine and see all that this great state has to offer," stated Jon Hynes, area district vice president. "For many years to come, people along the highways of America will have the privilege of journeying down Maine's Ice Age Trail, and discovering what happened where the glacier met the sea."
U-Haul has been decorating its moving trucks with vibrant images featuring distinctive features of every U.S. state and Canadian province since 1988 with the launch of the "America's Moving Adventure" and "Canada's Moving Adventure" SuperGraphics Campaigns. The newest graphics are part of the "Venture Across America" Campaign that highlights little-known facts about North America. Nearly 200 different images have been created since the SuperGraphics Program began. They can be viewed online by visiting www.uhaul.com/supergraphics.
Photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
