Acadia National Park - Wed Sept 29th

The morning was misty and overcast, so we decided to head to the Schoonic Peninsula part of Acadia in the hopes that the fog would burn off later in the day.  We first stopped at a little park outside of Ellsworth which had a signpost about the tidal falls in that area.  Schoodic was beautiful,even though the fog prevented seeing much past the coast line. We had been here two years ago, and fell in love with the stark beauty of this area.  From there, we stopped at a litttle mom and pop winery, Bartlett's, which made wines from local fruits...apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, and of course, blueberries. I wonder if they used what I found in the garden to ferment the fruits!  We then went to the part of Acadia that is near Bar Harbour.  By then, most of the fog had cleared, although clouds of mist whipped by every now and then. At Sand Beach, there was roof  top parking only, as you will see below.  We headed up to Cadillac Mountain.  Near the base, we spotted a cruise ship in the harbor which we could see from the top of the mountain. The winds were in full force!  We got lost after coming down the mountain, and we didn't see the other half of the park.  Guess that gives us a good reason to return another time!

p h



Lubec- West Quoddy-Eastport

Monday, September 27th - Happy 88th, Uncle Mike and Happy Anniversary, Jack &Angie!  We celebrated those events by heading east...to Lubec, which hails as the easternmost town in the US, the lighthouse at  West Quoddy, the eastern most point in the US, and Eastport, the eastern most city in the US!  Why the eastern most point is called West Quoddy is easily understood when you realize that somewhere there is an East Quoddy, but not as eastern as West Quoddy. Ayuh!  FDR's retreat - Campobello is across the waters from Eastport, but a passport is required now to go there.  Go figure that one, too.  In Eastport, I wanted to get a shot of the fisherman statute.  When we were there two years ago, I had taken lots of photos only to find I hadn't put film in the camera, which is why I've switched to digital!  I saw Peavey Library on the hill and wanted to see inside.  It was beautiful with its old wooden bookcases, fireplace, and leather chairs.  I could have holed up there for hours.  They had a special section that contained old geneology records for the area, but it was in a secured room which would require the librarian's assistance.  

Sunset RV at Harrington, ME

In Harrington, we stayed at Sunset RV Park on Mill Creek tidal basin off the Harrington River which flows to the Atlantic.  The waters rise and fall by as much as 12 feet between tides. The campground has spacious sites with covered picnic tables and fire rings.  There is a trail along the coast which is very scenic and easy to walk.  Once again the Maine humor is evident as you will see from the sign posted along the trail.  About 5 miles down the road there was "coastal access" where local lobster and fishing boats were bringing in their catch.. 

Houlton to Harrington ME

From Houton, we took US1 South where there was the "million dollar view" of Grand Lake outside of Weston. Before getting into  Calais we went on Rte 9 to 193 through Cherryfield which is known as the "blueberry capital of the world" (go figure) and again picked up US1 and headed east to Harrington.

Northeastern Maine

Sunset in Jackman was almost as pretty as at the beach.  Along the Kennebec River was a rest area with a marker relating some of the logging history of the river.  From there we took Rt 16 to I-95 north and stopped at "My Brother's Place" in Houlton where the town's pride and joy is "The Boy in the Boot" sculpture.

On Saturday, September 24, we took a ride north on Rt 11 up to Fort Kent.  It was still rainy and foggy, but we happened to catch sight of  a moose in a field along the way.  The fort was the main outpost during the Aroostok War in 1839 where Canada/England and the US fought over the border land between New Brunswick and Maine.  Rt 11 ended in Fort Kent.  We picked up US 1 and drove along the US/Canada border and headed south.  The photo of Presque Isle is for my dear friend Steve, whose ancestors lived there.  Best shot we could get riding through town!  Further south, we stopped at a farm where on an honor system, you could buy potatoes, squash, straw or pumpkins.  We got a big bag full of red and yukon potatoes for $2.50.  Back at camp, we enjoyed a campfire before bunking down for the night.