Here is the link to my pictures.
10/5/14 – Canada to Bar Harbor
We had a long drive from Truro, Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor. It rained the entire time we were in Canada but once we got into Maine, it became nice. It was really nice to be back in the US. We had arrived late in the afternoon so we decided to skip the Roosevelt Park. When we arrived at our motel, we realized it was the same one we stayed in years ago and even the same room! We ate dinner at Denny’s and learned they were out of iced tea and ranch dressing for our salads. We stopped at WalMart and bought some supplies before going to our room at the Robbins Motel ($49).
10/6/14 – Bar Harbor
We had breakfast at the Mainely Meat BBQ place and it was wonderful. It reminded me of home! Then we drove to the Parkman Mountain Parking Lot to do a 2 ½ hour hike with the Ranger. Ranger Linda Morrison talked about Mr. Rockefeller’s Bridges. I like how she “invited” people to do things and not just demanded that they followed the rules. She also had a box with clip that I could use when I lead the second graders on hikes. We walked to the Hemlock Bridge, built in 1924 and the Waterfall Bridge, built in 1925. We ate lunch at Lundy’s Gateway Lobster Pound and thought it was overpriced. We had 2 soft drinks and 2 lobster rolls plus $5 tip for a total of $40! Then we took the free shuttle around the loop road so my hubby could see the scenery instead of focusing on his driving. Our dinner at Mcdonald's came to $3 when I used my two Monopoly-winning coupons for a free drink and a free sandwich.10/7/14 – Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park
After breakfast, we drove around the loop road and took a lot of photos. Then we drove over to the Bass Cove Lighthouse and saw how pretty it was. After lunch, we headed around the loop road again and did a few short hikes. We also saw lots of activity around a shipwreck that happened earlier in the morning. In the afternoon, we had another ranger-led hike and I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as the day before. I was thrilled to see that our leader was Ranger Linda Morrison again! She led a hike on the Ocean Path from Gorham Mountain Trailhead to the Otter Cliffs. She is such a wonderful storyteller that 2 hours fly by before you realize it! I really like how she incorporated songs in her talks when she found them appropriate. This made me realize that we could sing This Land Is Your Land at the end of the hike I lead with the second graders! Another story she told was about the Story of Lichen. – Alice Algae and Freddy Fungus took a “lichen” to one another. Alice said she would supply the food and Freddy said he would supply the house. Unfortunately their marriage was on the rocks! See below for other things that I learned from this hike. 10/8/14 – Boothbay Harbor
We left in the morning during the pouring rain and headed south along the coast of Maine. Even in the rain, the leaves looked beautiful. Along the way, we stopped at antique stores to browse. One shop was going out of business and had 75% off of everything so of course Don found some treasures. I thought the man was extremely rude and nasty so I refused to buy anything. By then the rain had stopped and the sun came out again. It turned out to be a beautiful day! We stopped for lunch at Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro and saw an ad on the placemat for an alpaca farm around the block. Of course, we had to go and I bought Don a pair of alpaca copper hiking socks. The man said athletes wear copper in their socks because it is antibacterial. Then we drove down to Boothbay Harbor to spend the night. We didn’t know where we would stay but when we both saw the Midtown Motel (classic 50’s motel), we realized that we had stayed there before. The room was only $75 and right downtown so we wouldn’t have to pay for parking. There was no internet though. Tim, the owner, told me his parents built this motel almost 60 years ago! The article on the wall said when it opened, the rooms were $7 off season and $10 peak season! Then we walked around town and stopped for happy hour at Kaler’s and had $2 Coors Lite beers. It was a very pleasant day! 10/9/14 – Maine
We got up early and headed towards Freeport, Maine. On the way, we stopped at antique stores. When we got to Freeport, I stopped at LL Bean and the LL Bean Outlet store. Boy, was I thrilled to find a pair of corduroy pants for only $8.50! We also went downtown and I found a wooden clothes dryer for $39! It is so big that it takes up the whole back of my car! Then we headed up to Bethel, Maine and found lots of antique stores along the way. We finally ended up in Gorham, NH for the night at the Gorham Motor Inn ($78/night). 10/9/14 – Maine
We left the motel and headed back to Oxford, ME where my hubby decided he wanted to buy more of the view master reels that he didn’t buy yesterday. After that, we traveled up Hwy. 26 to find Screw Auger Falls and look for Moose. It was really pretty scenery but we never saw any moose. We took Hwy. 17 south along the scenic byway to the Height of Land and stopped at more antique stores and yard sales along the way. Finally we headed towards Augusta to look for a motel room. We had hoped to stay at the Hampton Inn but they wanted $263 per night and was all sold out anyway. We had passed the Cobbossee Motel which looked very cute and inviting and when I called, a room was only $69 so we decided to stay. We were thrilled to find out that the room had a sitting room with a sofa and table and chairs along with a full kitchen! It was a wonderful room!
10/10/14 – Maine
We drove along the coast since it was Saturday and we
stopped at the yard sales and flea markets. We didn’t buy a lot but it was fun
to look. After lunch in Freeport, we headed towards Bridgton, ME where we spent
the night at the Pleasant Mountain Inn. The desk clerk was a snooty young girl
and the motel had rules everywhere, even in the bathroom. It wasn’t a very
welcoming place to stay and we have two nights here! I wouldn’t come back to
this place.
Things I’ve Learned:
1. There are no moose, bear, or venomous snakes in Acadia National Park.
2. Rockefeller had 16 out of the 17 park bridges built.
3. But he also bridged relationships with his father, with the government, and with the public.
4. I found it interesting that during Rockefeller’s time, hiking trails on private land was acceptable practice and still is.
5. The sandy beach in Acadia NP comes and goes each year, due to the action of the water.
6. The round stones created by the water are called cobblestones.
7. The buoy that makes so much noise is called a Bell Buoy.
8. There are no otters at Otter Cliffs or seals at Seal Harbor.
9. There are a lot of antique stores on the back roads of Maine!
10. Screw Auger Falls was right along the roadside.
11. Height of Land was an overlook along Hwy. 17 overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake and it was a beautiful sight!
12. Moose hide well because we never got to see one.
Original Photos by Pat Hensley
No comments:
Post a Comment