Maine stays...Part 2

We spent a full day driving around the Acadia National Park. What a beautiful drive. It had a little of everything, beautiful forests, unusual beaches, waterfalls, loads of pretty flowers (both planted and wild), a wonderful restaurant, great views, an incredible bridge and even a lighthouse!

One of my favorite stops was at Hunter's Beach in the Mount Desert Island. One of the photographers that I had met in Belfast, had taken some photos of it and told me where to find it. What a treasure! Gorgeous cobblestones of all sizes and all colors. They had been "well-rounded" from the ocean floor, producing a wonderfully smooth surface. I couldn't help but take tons of pictures of them! Each one was different, each one more beautiful than the one before. Seeing them wet and dry produced different "looks".

Another stop was at the only restaurant in the park, the Jordan Pond House. A lovely old "tea house" dating back to the 1800's. The massive interior would have been enough to just gawk at, but they also had plantings of beautiful flowers all around it, through the back yard, along sidewalks, etc. Very picturesque and the food was good too!

As you enter the park, you drive over the Penobscot Narrows Bridge & Observatory which is breathtaking in itself. It has an observation window on the very top of one of the obelisk towers that is said to give you a 360 degree view of the Penobscot River and bay, the Maine countryside and the distant mountains to the west. We had hoped to make it in time at the end of the day to take the elevator to the top; but unfortunately we didn't. I did get some fun shots of the bridge at night tho.

Another day visit was to Bar Harbor. When I think of Maine, Bar Harbor is what comes to mind. A small little village really, but most charming! We did the "tourist" thing and pretty much just walked around, stopping in at the various shops and restaurants, buying souvenirs and just enjoying the lovely sunny day.

Our last location in Maine was in Calais. This town is the very last American town before you enter New Brunswick Canada. We stayed at a nice family camp with a pretty pond, a level site and really nice folks who own it. It was a great location to do day trips from and to start & end our trip over to Canada. We were having some mail challenges (not catching up to us in time) and they graciously agreed to hold on to any until we returned from Canada. They even "plant sat" for our one plant that we carry with us. We didn't want to take the chance that one of the borders (to/from) would confiscate it!

All in all, we really enjoyed Maine. For such a small state, it really has a lot to see and do! Like everywhere else, the people were really friendly and fun to talk with (gotta love the accent!). Other states will have a tough act to follow!


























































































































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...on the road in New England, Marie

Maine stays...Part 1

From Massachusetts we traveled to Maine, staying at various towns throughout the state - even leaving it to go to Canada, then return to Maine for more town visits. One of the delightful towns we stayed in, wasn't one on the "must see" list, but one that happened to be at the right place in our route to "stop for the day". Belfast turned out to be a nice surprise. It's small town had big charm, fun bookstores (we always check those out in what ever town we happen to spend time in), very fun art, great old buildings and a pretty harbor.

A clever artist showed his creativity in making chairs out of all kinds of things and placing them throughout the town with signs saying "please be seated". I had great delight in tracking them down and having Jack sit in each one while I took his picture! Some were comfortable like the one made from a wine barrel or the one made from a large tree root, some not so much like the one made from buoys or the one made of metal and looked like a "wild woman" - but all such fun!

Belfast had other artists as well, a few photographers that each had their own style and subject matter to offer, another was a gentleman who carved people's faces out of logs. I was told that he has a new selection about every two months. The locals like to guess "who" they are and if he has selected one of them as his "model"!

Penobscot Bay, was also a beautiful spot with it's pleasure boats all tethered out in the bay. Their harbor was colorful and reminiscent of a time when it had been more commercial.

And what would Maine be without all it's various lighthouses! There were far more that we could take the time to see, but we did manage to track down a few, like the Pleasant Point Lighthouse, in Cobscook Bay, and the beautiful red & white striped one of West Quoddy Head Light, in Lubec. I even climbed along a side of the hill to get a shot of the Whitlock Mill Lighthouse, in Calais.

We spent one afternoon learning about the local Passamaquoddy Indians in the Acadia area and St Croix Island where the French tried to settle it in 1604. They weren't prepared for the severity of the North American winter. The river froze and the settlers were trapped, cut off from the mainland and fresh water, game and the wood needed to fuel their fires. It wasn't long before many died, leaving the captain eager to "return to Port Royal"! One of the Park's guides is Passamaquoddy herself, so it was very interesting when she shared various things about her tribe and the beautiful baskets they made.

A lot to see and learn about this beautiful state...






























































































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/


...on the road in New England and Canada, Marie