Accidental Tourist - Bar Harbor, ME (8/14-9/5/2023) Part 2

After the family departed that first week, we had a couple of days to ourselves.  One of the days we took our bikes on a great ride along the carriage roads within Acadia National Park.  We got the last parking spot at the trailhead and were able to ride 25 miles within the woods.  The trails were crushed limestone and easily navigated with our e-bikes.  

We also celebrated Mike's 60th birthday while on the road on 8/21.  It was a rainy day.  Our friends, Bruce and Kris also arrived that day to spend a few days with us.  The afternoon weather improved and we were able to use Mike's pizza oven again to make pizzas for his birthday. 

We took a trip to another side of the island and enjoyed an excellent boat tour of a different part of the bay.  The Captain of Bass Harbor Boat Tours was clearly a seaman and spoke in great deal about the animals, sea creatures and ecosystems of the area.  We even pulled up a lobster trap and learned about what they do to sustain the population.  Upon a very good recommendation, we ended up at lunch at Archies.  Lobster grilled cheese, YES!

We had a couple of lovely days in a row that allowed us to explore the coastline of Acadia including Winter Harbor and the Schoodic penninsula.  We were able to play some pickleball with the locals and walked across Bar Island during low tide along with hundreds of other tourists.  We were treated to a view David Geffen's yacht (Rising Sun), which anchored in the harbor for a few days.  It was quite the spectacle.  We never got an invite to party with him. We packed a lot in our days and had a great time with our friends before they continued on their journey.  We planned to meet up with them just an hour north of Bar Harbor to rent a UTV for the day. 

We still had an additional two weeks in the Bar Harbor area on our own to do some more hiking and riding more carriage road trails.  We were scheduled to move campgrounds for that additional two weeks on Monday 8/28.  We only had to drive 7 miles to get to the next campground so we decided to take a quick bike ride on the country roads near the campground.  

BOOM!  I T-boned Mike on his e-bike as he was turning toward me on our way back to the campsite.  Blood, road rash and a pretty significant gash under my kneecap had me sitting on the side of road while he went back to get the Jeep and bike rack.  I got back to the RV, Mike did everything to get us ready to move while I tried to clean the debris from my skin and stop my cut from bleeding. 

We were able to get into our new campsite relatively easy.  I continued to nurse my leg to try to avoid a visit to the Emergency Room.  Mike was a very good medic and butterflied my knee gash closed.  It did not seem there was any "significant" damage that required an X-ray so we continued to clean and rebandage the wounds for the first week.  Needless to say I was pretty hobbled.

We had plans to meet Bruce and Kris for the UTV ride the next day.  I did not want to miss out on it.  I was going to be in a bit of pain wherever I was so I loaded up on some anti-inflammatories, bandaged up my wounds to keep dirt out and headed out.  It was a bit of a painful day when hitting the bumps, but we had a fun day overall. 

The first few days I was not very ambulatory and Mike puttered around the RV trying to get our bikes functional again.  They were not damaged too bad, but required some "realignment".  After about a week we were able to take the shuttlebus down to Bar Harbor and walk around a bit for one last look.

Since our planned activities were disrupted, we decided to modify our plans again head south to Boothbay Harbor for a few days and then get back on our regular schedule. 

I will always remember our visit to Bar Harbor, for a variety of reasons. 

 

Family and Friend Time - Bar Harbor, ME (8/14-9/5/2023) Part 1

As we settled in to our two weeks at Hadley Point Campground in Bar Harbor, ME we were happy to have a spacious green space on our patio side.  This stop included a few days with Mike's sister and Brother-in-law, Mike's niece and Steve and Linda who traveled down with us from Eastport. 

The weather continued to be uncooperative at times, with rain showers mixed with cloudy then sunny days.  It was a mixed bag.  After hanging out and catching up wit the fam, we decided our first outing would be to see the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain with our coveted entrance reservation. 

A few of us braved the 3am wake up call and drive up the mountain to enjoy the gorgeous sunrise.  The few clouds provides a beautiful kaleidoscope of color as we moved from dark to light.  We came back had breakfast a took a little nap to make up for the early reveille.  We enjoyed a cocktail sunset cruise on the harbor afterwards caught dinner at the The Thirsty Whale on our way home. 

The next day Mike and I took off with his niece Kym for a hike in Acadia.  I am an easy to easy/moderate trail hiker.  Mike and Kym agreed to hike to my "lower" level so I could join them.  We explored the Otter Rock Trail and took in the gorgeous bay views.  We then headed to our second hike of the morning towards Bubble Rock Trail on James Pond trail. 

The beginning of the trail leisurely rounded the James Pond and then we took an offshoot trail that began to ascend up on a rocky trail to larger and more significant boulder scrambling.  At a certain point, I decided this trail had probably surpassed my rock climbing capabilities.  I said I would wait for them at this point in the trail and catch them on the descent.  

It was shady and cool where I waited. I waited a bit. Several people passed me on their way up.  Some looked way more capable and fit than me, others not so much.  A small group on their way up encouraged me to continue to the climb as the "money shot" view was just a bit further up the trail.  I bent to the peer pressure and figured if these people can do it, so can I.   I knew I would pass Mike and Kym at some point so I started up with this small group of "influencers".  As we climbed, my comfort level was not improving.  We encountered another person, resting, contemplating the way down was the same as the way up.  Not comforting.  My group then said that there was a way back down that was longer but not via the boulders we had just climbed.  That bolstered us both and she joined our merry band of misfits.  

While the group that encouraged us stopped for a rest, I continued on with my new climbing friend Alaina to get to the top.  The climbing got harder and harder as we ascended.  Without the help of a couple of fellow climbers we would not have made it.  We did make it though, all the way to the top where we ran into a very surprised Mike and Kym.  They were heading back down the way we had just come up.  That was a hard pass for me.  So we agreed that I would continue on the longer, flatter route back with Alaina and take the shuttle bus back from the park.  In retrospect the whole thing was kind of crazy, but it all worked out and I felt like I had challenged myself in a good way. 

That evening Kym, Lynn and I attended a Lumineers concert in Bangor.  The traffic was terrible on the way there, but the concert venue outside was beautiful and the weather was perfect for the concert.

Kym, Lynn and I also took a nighttime ghost tour of Bar Harbor.  The tour was held rain or shine and of course it rained.  The weather made it appropriately eerie and an enjoyable tour with an interesting host who was possibly the Ghost of Bob Ross himself.  You decide.

The week with the family flew by.  As always, there was a lot of sarcasm and comedy with this crew.  We had one last dinner with Mike's sister and her husband at McKay's and afterwards did a taste test of the proposed two best ice cream stores in Bar Harbor.  Winner: Mt. Desert Ice Cream, hands down.

Sunset Cocktail Cruise

Bay of Fundy - Eastport, ME (8/10-8/14/2023)

On August 10th we headed on up to Eastport, ME to meet up with Mike's brother and sister-in-law who would be joining us. 

The drive up was an interesting and hilly one with nice pavement.  That makes for a much more enjoyable trip. We made a fuel stop then continued on our route to the coast.  Unfortunately, my routing did not prove to be a good one.  It was rough, curvy, narrow with hardly any shoulder, not ideal.  As always, Mike kept it between the lines and we made it safely.  

Unbeknownst to us, that was a good practice for the campsite at Eastport.  It was tight but he got in on the first try and before you know it, we were parked right at the edge of the Bay of Fundy.  From this spot we could watch the 18 foot tidal change occur each day right from our deck.

Once Steve and Linda checked into their cabin we went off to explore the small town of Eastport.  We found a lovely wine bar on the waterfront and ended the day with another lobster roll at The Cannery. 

Eastport is only a few miles from the Canadian border.  We headed out the next day to explore the Canadian Island of St. Andrews. We parked and walked the shops in town and had a lovely lunch at The Kennedy House.  

Our second full day in Eastport took us the other direction across the Canadian border through Lubec and onto Campobello Island.  We headed to the West Quoddy Lighthouse and checked out the museum and them made our way to the Head Harbor Lightstation (East Quoddy Head Lightstation).  We timed it right to be able to walk out across the rocky, somewhat slippery Bay of Fundy during low tide to access the lighthouse.  We saw some whales while out there in the bay.  It was a cool experience to be out there in the middle of bay.

On our way back, we toured the Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  A one of a kind park shared by the United States and Canada. The park houses, among others, the summer home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  It was an interesting tour of the home and learning about the history of the area.

As our stay was shortened a bit to this area, we left feeling there was much more to explore, but it was time to head to Bar Harbor for the next 4 weeks. We had breakfast at Bob's Waco Diner and headed on down the coast on US 1 to our next stop.

Maine Lobster Festival - Belfast, ME (7/30-8/10/2023)

Rain continued to plague us overnight before our drive to Belfast, Maine.  After Mike cleaned Ruth's roof of buckets of rain that had pooled overnight and the remaining acorns, we headed out towards Belfast, ME.  This stop was targeted specifically to attend the annual Lobster Festival held in Rockland, ME each year.  

This drive was made a little more difficult as Mike had been experiencing some back pain that was making for sleepless nights. Dealing with medical issues on the road can be challenging, but luckily we can find urgent care and emergency services within our insurance plan.  

The Moorings campground was located right on the water and we settled in for a couple of days of rest and recuperation. We were able to ride our bikes into Belfast via a purpose built footbridge.  This was our first real glimpse at one of those picturesque Maine harbor towns you might see on a post card.  We would see many more.  Belfast had a lovely walking/bike path along its waterfront towards town and a 2.5 mile gravel path along the water away from town.  

View from front window of Ruth

Mike had a few rough days at the start of this trip until the Prednisone kicked in.  That allowed us to attend the Lobster Festival on Thursday 8/3.  The festival itself was smaller than I expected.  There were a couple of music stages, an art display and a gitchy pirate ship tour and of course lobster.

We sampled a lobster dinner and lobster mac and cheese.  It was fresh and tasty.  We enjoyed some acoustic guitar at one of the music venues then walked the town of Rockland before heading home.  While this was an anchor event for this trip, we both agreed that this was the only day we would likely attend. 

Mike was still struggling to get back to normal and feel good enough to drive to our next stop in Eastport, ME.  We were able to rearrange our reservations to stay a few more days in Belfast and just shorten our stay in Eastport.  Both campgrounds were very accommodating and we had a revised schedule.  

We enjoyed our extra days in Belfast be going to Young's Lobster Pound on the pier and attending an outdoor evening concert presented by Camden Summer Sounds at the SnowBowl Ski Resort.  It was a lovely evening of Cuban music by Primo Cubano.

 

Strafford South KOA and Kennebunkport, ME (7/19-7/29/2023)

On our drive from Brandon, VT on Hwy 4 through Killington in the Green Mountains and past Woodstock, VT we saw firsthand the damage caused by the flooding.  We were very luck to be able to exit the area on these main arteries that had already been temporarily repaired to restore commercial traffic through Vermont.

We had booked a little KOA on our way to our longer stop at Hemlock Grove near Kennebunkport, ME. The park was rustic and site was extremely unlevel but we got settled in.  We found some good pickleball one day and explored Portsmouth, NH on a lovely day.  Had some more rain, but nothing torrential. 

On July 24th, we headed to Maine.  As we had a short drive, I drove the Jeep separately.  Mike fueled Ruth on the way in and we nestled into our spot at Hemlock Grove Campground.  This spot was centrally located between Kennebunk and Portland. We were finally in lobster country. 

The weather had been improving over the last few days, but we did have a couple of rainy days on this stop.  Our site was nestled under a high tree canopy which brings rain drops even after the rain actually stops and in this case also brings the sounds of dropping acorns on top of the RV roof which has a distinctive "BOOM" than timpani sound as it rolls down the roof.  Sounded a bit like we were living inside a pinball machine, needless to say we had a few sleepless nights.

We were not deterred however, from our first "official" lobster roll experience.  We explored Kennebunkport on a beautiful sunny day along with hoards of tourists.  The shops and restaurants were plentiful... welcoming a long stroll around the waterfront ending with a meandering drive along the coastline.  We passed the Walker's Point Estate (Bush family compound) and finally turned inland at Goose Rock's Beach. 

You can literally get lobster everywhere and anywhere.  After our lobster roll experience, we opted to have a couple of lobsters steamed for us that we could eat at home.  After watching a couple youtube videos on the proper way to crack open a lobster, Mike went at it like a pro and we had lobster at home.  We learned all about soft shell vs. hard shell and also watched a video of a lobster molting its shell.  We went way down the lobster rabbit hole, but we learned a lot of useless knowledge.

Our official entry into Maine included many lighthouses, more than one slice (or whole) of the local wild blueberry pie and coastal drives.  

We explored Portland, Maine via a walking tour of the city with our guide Dugan.  It was a nice, but warm day and we saw much of the city on foot.  We continued on to visit LL Bean's flagship store in Freeport, Maine.  It was an interesting visit. We did not buy anything. 

We played some pickleball one evening in Kennebunk and rounded out our visit with a Beach House History Tour.  We walked along the coast and discussed the age and architecture styles of the various beach side homes, some over 100 years old.  Nice way to round out our visit. 

 

 

Here comes the flood - Brandon, VT (7/8-7/19/2023)

After a very long, curvy, narrow difficult drive from our Alexandria Bay, NY we arrived the small rustic campground of Smoke Rise.  Thankfully our driving day was dry.  We were extremely excited about this stop as we had a planned meet up with some good friends who had rented an Airbnb to join us in exploring this part of Vermont.  We had a full schedule of events from a cooking class, to interesting restaurant reservations, hikes and of course as many hands of Canasta that we could fit in around all of that.  

The forecast for the week was for rain, but not in the volume or duration that we experienced.  Over the next few days the entire state of Vermont experienced biblical rains that caused devastating floods.  The capital of Montpelier was completely washed away by this onslaught.  We were lucky enough to not be located near any river or stream tributaries or Ruth would have needed pontoons. 

When we woke up the first morning and saw the disaster area that was Vermont, we were faced with the reality that some main and many secondary roads leading to our planned activities were either flooded or covered in earth from landslides.  Our cooking class that was located in nearby Killington was cancelled, they informed us that they were flooded from both sides and there was no way in or out.

The rain kept on coming and the water flowed downhill as it will, swelling picturesque Vermont streams into torrents that continued to creep onto roadways, into towns and fields that became temporary ponds.  The news continued to be bad for Vermont and parts of New Hampshire, our planned next stop. 

Luckily for us, our friend's Airbnb was spacious and only minutes away from our campground.  We got together that first day and regrouped.  Although our travel radius had become quite limited, we sought out some more "secondary" activities that were accessible. 

No visit to Vermont would be complete without a visit to a maple syrup museum.  It was small and a little hokey but we sampled maple ice cream enjoyed their display of history and artifacts.  We explored the waterfront town of Burlington and visited the Shelbourne Museum when there was a break in the rain.

On a misty afternoon, we toured the Morgan Horse farm and the Wilson Castle.  The Wilson Castle was very creepy upon approach.  There was not a car in the grown over grass parking lot.  We thought for sure that it was closed.  We approached the front entry and were greeted by a very enthusiastic docent for the place.  Technically, the building is considered a castle, but it had a long way to go to restore it to its former glory.  The castle had an extremely interesting history and is considered to be very haunted.  The visit turned out to be worth it at then end of the tour.  

On our last evening with our friends, we had dinner reservations at a little French bistro in Brandon, VT, within walking distance of their place.  No risk of flooding impacting this night out.  The skies were darkening as we headed out.  We had just sat down at the near empty restaurant on a Thursday night.  Before our cocktails arrived, all of our phones were alarming that there was a tornado warning in our area.  Oh, and did I mention the power was flickering on and off in the restaurant?  We were all looking for an interior stairwell to dive into. It was a quick storm and after significant wind, rain and darkness, it passed and we were able to enjoy a lovely meal. 

This stop also brought with it some concern over Ruth's performance and and down the hills.  Mike was on top of it as always and we were able to get it checked out while were here in Vermont.  Ruth is just heavy and slow,  I can relate. 

We had fun with our friends despite the weather, played a lot more Canasta and watched a lot more of Wimbledon than expected.  But the continuing rain made our planned next stop in the Twin Mountain, NH not very practical.  We cancelled that reservation and stayed in Brandon, VT for a couple extra days then booked spot in southern NH that had been out of the rain bands on our way to our first stop in Maine, Kennebunkport.

In a New York State of Mind: Jazz, Family and 1000 Islands (6/21-7/8/2023)

One of the anchor points of this trip was to attend the Rochester Jazz Festival, and as a bonus meet up with Mike's brother and sister-in-law at their seasonal campsite in Byron, NY.  We had camped there once before but not with Ruth.  It is a very busy park and we had the good fortune of booking early so got a spot for a week.  

After a slight routing mishap that brought us in on a gravel road (not ideal) we arrived and set up camp.  We were within walking distance of their campsite, but Steve was kind enough to borrow a golf cart from a friend for us to borrow during our stay.   

The four of us had tickets to see Bonnie Raitt at the festival one night and we planned to attend some of the other free music throughout the week.  Mother Nature threatened and actually rained on us more frequently than we had hoped so we only got over to Rochester one additional day for music.  However, Bonnie Raitt sounded amazing and it was such a treat in such a beautiful intimate theatre. 

We played a bit of pickleball, rode our bikes along the Erie Canal and enjoyed a nice visit with Mike's brother and sister-in-law and even his nephew and family for a few days.  Mike finally had a chance to get out his pizza oven for lunch one day.  

Music, campfires and pizza

Our next stop was 1000 Islands Campground, nestled between Alexandria Bay and Clayton, New York.  We stayed here over July 4th weekend.  Clayton had their planned fireworks celebration on the 3rd awhile Alex Bay had theirs on the 4th.  As the weather looked better on the 3rd, we opted to get a spot on the waterfront, pack a picnic and enjoy the celebration in Clayton.  Clayton hosted a band that played all the hits of the 70's and 80's, right up my alley.  It was a lovely, small town evening. 

We had a few nice weather days in which we took a boat tour to Singer Castle.  Gal's Place ice cream was located right in front (walkable) of the campground, there was a line every night.  The holiday weekend was crazy, but we did manage to polish off a hot fudge sundae one evening after dinner.   

The Clayton Antique Wooden Boat Museum was worth a stop.  Multiple buildings full of works of art on the water and many of them are aging very well. 

We also packed our bikes on the Jeep one morning and traversed the bridge into Canada for an enjoyable trail ride and lunch.  Thank goodness for e-bikes on those hills.  The border crossing was non-eventful. 

This is an area that could easily lend itself to a much longer exploration, but it is time for us to head to Vermont.