Bonjour de la ville de quebec canada

8 Sept (Moving day - Acadia to Moose River)

     We departed the Schoodic Peninsula and said good-bye to Acadia National Park and left there with fond memories of our first trip there and talking about plans to return some day...take more time and slow down to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere it provides. Seems like when you visit these places for the first time your adrenalin drives you to go, see, and do all you can in the limited time available and you leave there somewhat tired. We vow to return!

     Now we are headed to an overnight stop in Jackman, Maine just south (17 miles) of the border crossing into Quebec Canada. It proves to be a pretty drive, now headed away from the coast, and into some pretty hilly terrain. The drive was great but the roads were not the best and then we took what looked like a short-cut on probably one of the worst paved roads ever....it was 25 miles of very bad driving conditions. Ed and Kay had taken a different route so they didn't get to enjoy the pain we did!

     Early afternoon we arrive and set up in Moose River campground and meet some of the neighbors in the campground....very friendly people. Most of the folks in that camp ground seem to be seasonal (versus overnighters, like us) who set up for the entire summer and bring in four wheelers and other ATV vehicles to ride the rural mountain roads. We talked a bit about the winters there and they said that was actually their busy season as people bring in snow mobiles then. Sounds like fun but we didn't sign up - yet.

     On the way in we had seen multiple signs warning of moose crossings on the highway so we decided to go moose hunting....with the camera set on "ready" we followed the recommended directions that they said "might" offer a moose sighting but it was not to be. We figure since we are headed to Canada there will be other opportunities to see them. The folks in the campground told us that many folks get killed each year when they hit a moose on the highway....since they are so tall, when you hit one it just takes their legs out and their huge body comes through the windshield and well, it doesn't have a happy ending for either of you. They also informed us that the eyes of a moose do not shine (like a deer or dog) as a reflection of the headlights - therefore making them harder to spot until it is often too late.

     We ease on back into the campground and enjoy a dinner before retiring for the night.

9 Sept (Moving day - Moose River to Quebec City, Canada)

     We head out in the direction of Canada and reach the border in pretty short order - this border crossing was probably the easiest we've had. Only asked several questions and didn't bother looking in any of our gear in the camper or the truck. That did not slow us down much so we are off into Quebec, the French speaking province of Canada.....road signs are now in French so everything is getting much more interesting....fun & funny at times!

     Learning French - In preparation for this trip I began watching YouTube videos on speaking French and I downloaded a translation app for the phone but I quickly learned that the phrases I worked on left me and I really know very little. In fact when I called the KOA in Quebec City to make our camping reservation the young lady answered in French and to that I replied "parlez vous anglais" - luckily she said "yes, I do speak English". That is when I confessed to her that I just used the only French phrase I could remember!! We both laughed.

     As we continue the drive into Quebec the roads are better and the countryside is really pretty....hilly terrain with beautiful (and very large) farms. We are laughing as we try to guess (in some cases) what the different road signs mean and wonder if they are important. Most are easy to translate and the most important ones come with internationally recognized pictures. We were happy to learn that our trusty GPS (google maps) understands French and translates the directions and street names for us. Getting around is not a problem so far.

     Weather - my co-pilot is tracking the predicted weather for the three days, actually three nights and two full days, we plan to visit Quebec City and day three is looking like a complete rain out. Based on that we begin planning to do/see as much as possible in the first half day (arrival day) and the next day expecting the last day to be lost to weather.

     We arrive at the campground around noon and get set up. The KOA is on the south side of the St. Lawrence river from Quebec City in a town called Levis - but not too far away in miles. After getting set up, we begin looking at the different tours offered and try to get on a guided city walking tour for that afternoon but there is none available - all booked up as the day is Sunday and heavier tourism traffic. With that, we load up in Ed's truck - him driving and me navigating and we head off into the city to explore on our own and check parking options, and hopefully book a tour or two for the next day.

     Driving in the city (especially in a pick-up truck) proves to be challenging but we manage.....and we were not the only full sized American pickup truck in town. Finding a parking spot was difficult but again we eventually found a spot and then we set out on foot exploring the city. Quebec is a very old city (1608) with a lot of history and some history that ties back to the American Revolutionary war....very interesting as I am reading a book "1776" and had just read about that connection to Quebec.  The old part of the city is a walled city high on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence river with lots of narrow (some cobblestone) streets that is much like the older European cities.....a lot of stone work and buildings with murals, etc....really beautiful with an exciting vibrant atmosphere.

Quebec City

     European bathroom experience - while walking the city we needed a restroom break so we began looking for signs and found one. Turned out to be a co-ed bathroom, yes, men and women using the same bathroom with all the toilets privately secluded by the stalls your normally see and sharing the sinks for hand washing. Kathy was not impressed and said she could not make eye contact with any of the men in there at the same time. When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Chateu Frontenac - Old (but beautiful)  Hotel in the city

     We had obtained some city maps for walking and we walked, and walked and then walked some more - enjoying the sights but really wishing we had a guided tour to learn more about what we were seeing. So, for the next day we booked a narrated (in English) bus tour of the city for the morning and with a short break for lunch then a narrated walking tour of the old city area in the afternoon. Now the next days plans were set and we could just continue to enjoy this day - more walking and exploring with plans for a dinner in town before heading back.

Shop window - Quebec City

     While walking, we passed a restaurant in the early afternoon that advertised a "poutine" special for $10.95 and I had that on my list of things to try based on advice from the forum. Poutine is a plate of french fries, covered in gravy and some cheese curds....yes, really healthy. We decided to share the order since it was an afternoon snack for us and we didn't want to ruin our dinner. Turns out to be a good idea - it was really tasty and very filling. We later learned that the McDonalds here also sell poutine, but we haven't tried theirs yet.

City Scene - Quebec City

     Later in our walk we find (and I had read about) a ferry that runs between Levis (where we are camping) and Quebec City. I always enjoy trying to use the public transportation where/when possible and with the traffic and parking challenges this really seems like a good idea so that becomes our plan for the next day in getting to and from the city.

Ed & Kay at the Petit Champlain shopping district

     Very tired and getting hungry we begin searching for a restaurant among the many that are here and they all look and sound so good. We ended up having dinner at a French restaurant called Bistro 1640 at their outdoor sidewalk cafe seating. There was a street performer playing music close by that really made the evening and meal nice. Only challenge we encountered is as the sun went down, so did the temp and by the time we were done we were nice and cool. A nice ending to a very nice day.

Bistro 1640

10 Sept

     Two tours scheduled for the day in Quebec City so we are off to the ferry terminal to catch a ride over to the city. In spite of heavy morning work traffic we manage to make the ferry terminal, get parked and arrive in plenty of time...just as the city is waking up.

     The first tour was a narrated bus tour of the city that included some inside the old city but also went well beyond with information about the local people, government, culture, history and lifestyle. We rode through the town, some neighborhoods, some parks and were entertained by a tour guide that was pretty comical at times. The tour began at 10:30 and ended at 12:30 so we had an hour and a half to get a bite to eat before the next walking tour begins.

City Scene

     The second tour was two hours of walking and being entertained by a young man in era clothing that was also quite entertaining. He went into much more detail about the historical buildings and their significance in the history and also alot of information about the famous people of that time. We were pretty worn out when it ended and were glad that it ended at the bottom of the hill from the city (near the ferry terminal). But as tired as we were, we embarked on another short walk to a farmers market that had been pointed out to us and bought some produce to take back to camp.

Tour Guide - walking tour

     A short ferry ride and then a short drive home and we were done for another day.

11 Sept - rainy day

     We knew it was coming and we had done so much the two days prior I think deep down we were all glad it was raining as we needed the rest. We declared a rest/maintenance day. After sleeping late and lounging a bit we did laundry, filled propane, filled up with fuel, and other maintenance related things in between what was a steady light rain and not the down pour that was predicted.

     By early afternoon we were all caught up on chores and the rain was trying to lift but still a little misty/gloomy. We decided to take an easy afternoon visit to the Montmorency Falls that are here in Quebec City - not in the old part of town though. We declared we would go and see it and just take it easy....in keeping with our restful day plans. We arrived there and the park was bigger than we expected with viewing platforms near the top of the falls and the ability to walk down a staircase all the way to the bottom....many steps.

Montmorency Falls

     The falls were really cool - very tall, in fact they say taller than Niagara Falls but not near as big (wide). There was a zip line set up that would let you ride (or zip) across the gorge right near the falls...it looked really cool/fun/scary and Kay and I had just about talked ourselves into trying it and wouldn't you know it they closed for the day....maybe next time.

Lady ziplining - no, not Kay

     As we looked at the staircase and contemplated climbing to the bottom we all agreed that the day was intended to be restful so we decided to take the cable car ride back up from the bottom. This was a good choice.

Stairs down - cable car back up!

Acadia National Park - Schoodic Peninsula

Wednesday 5 September

     Moving day today but an early start for me as I want to get out to a place identified as boulder beach to try some sun rise photography. I had scouted the place the day before on the park loop road and read about it in the book the young man from France had given me back in Portland. Except for the mosquitoes who were much tougher than me the morning was fun. (these two photos are still from Mount Desert Island)

Boulder Beach Sunrise

Boulder Beach Morning

     Back at camp and finishing up the packing and prepping for movement. Today we leave the Blackwoods campground and head over to the Schoodic Peninsula, which is also a part of the Acadia National Park....we will be there for three nights so two full days of touring.

     We have to go through Ellsworth again on the way so we take advantage of the good cell/internet coverage there and join many other campers in the Walmart parking lot.....not to mention we needed to kill some time because it was not very far and too early to check in. I began doing online bill paying maintenance, etc....while Kathy makes a run into the store for a  few supplies. When Kathy came back with the groceries she brought a couple, Lynn and Roger, with her that were also parked close by in a Casita who were looking at our camper and wanted to see it. We spent the next hour or so talking with them and showing the camper....another really nice couple. They live in Maine in the summer and Florida in the winter and shared some tips with us on Schoodic and a Night Sky Festival they were having in the park.

     We moved on into the campground, Schoodic Woods, and could not be happier with the location, facilities and the set up here. To our surprise we have water and electricity available on the site - always nice. When we checked in we got details about this area from the ranger and all the maps and other info we needed. We also inquired about the Night Sky event that Roger and Lynn mentioned and they had a guest speaker presenting on the Schoodic Peninsula that night so a plan was hatched.

     The peninsula is not really very big so Kathy and I did a little recon after setting up to find the location for the speaker at the Schoodic Institute auditorium. The speaker (Frederick "Rick" Hauck) was a decorated Navy Veteran and Pilot (100 combat missions in Vietnam) who also co-piloted one space shuttle mission and commanded two others, including the first one after the Challenger disaster. (A real hero) The title of his talk was "How to become a rocket scientist in one hour" so we were all ears and interested. His talk proved to be a little disappointing to us in the first half but when he talked more about his personal experience and the Q&A part it was good. In the end a nice way to spend the evening and the price was right.

Thursday 6 September

     When we checked in the ranger mentioned a great bike ride on Schoodic Peninsula that many people enjoy so that became our plan of the day for Thursday. The ride is an 8 mile ride that is relatively flat (with some not too steep hills)....partly paved along the water front loop road and partly gravel carriage roads back across the peninsula to the campground.

     When we woke up it was very windy and looking like bad weather was going to set in....Kathy and I headed for the coast (in the truck) to see what a little rougher water looked like on the shore.
There was a healthy wind and heavy fog that made the scene pretty nice to see and the wind was stronger than the mosquitoes which was a bonus.

Schoodic Point - wind and fog

Island in the Fog

     We called Ed and Kay and told them that we wanted to delay (or consider cancelling) the bike ride because of weather but after about an hour or so, the fog started to lift and the sun began to shine and the bike ride was back on the schedule.

     After breakfast we packed a lunch and hopped on the bikes for the ride....a beautiful ride along the rocky coast on a two lane (one way) so there was plenty of room for the light traffic to pass without them getting too close or us worrying about it. The road runs along the shore with many spots to pull off. We rode to the Schoodic Point where we enjoyed our lunch on the rock's edge overlooking the water...how nice is that?

     After lunch and resting we head on for the second half of the ride. It was paved for a bit and pretty flat but turning on the carriage trail we begin two miles of lightly sloping (uphill) run on gravel....and dark clouds rolling in and bringing rain showers. We had a good workout getting back to the campground but a very great ride/view.

Bike Team

     On the bike ride back at a rest stop we met another Maine retiree who Ed declares might talk more than I do...but we had a good conversation with him that went from Moxie to football. He and many others in the New Englanders all want to talk about the New England Patriots but we keep telling them that football in the Southeast is not NFL it is the SEC. We had fun talking with him.

     We had already scouted a place to buy some live lobster for dinner and employed Chef Culpepper to do the honors again. Ed started the water (takes a long time to boil a large pot of water on a Coleman stove) while Kathy and I ran to the local IGA for some fixins (and beer) and then to the LobStore (yes, that's right) to select our fresh lobster and deliver them to the cook who was waiting. Another successful meal at the campsite!

Toasting another great day

Dinner in hand

Chef at work

Lobstah - it's what's for dinner

After dinner, we (Kathy & I) went to Schoodic Point again (Ed and Kay resting from the bike ride) to watch the sun set and just relax in a pretty and peaceful place. All was well until the wind died down and the mosquitoes returned and chased us out of there.

Schoodic Point - early evening

Schoodic Point Sunset

Friday 7 September

     You may have noticed that we have not mentioned much about Bar Harbor even though at the last campground we were not far from the village. We did venture into Bar Harbor one evening to get a couple things from the grocery store but it (the town) was so crowded that we decided that we should wait until well after the holiday week-end and hope for less of a crowd. So we decided to take a ferry from Winter Harbor (near Schoodic Woods campground) on our last day here and spend a day at Bar Harbor. We caught the 10:00 ferry that takes about an hour and had a reservation to return on the 3:30 ferry.

Miss Lizzie - water taxy arriving

Departing Winter Harbor

     Arriving Bar Harbor there was a cruise ship in port (Holland America) so we expected the worst but as it turns out, not too bad - especially the farther you walked from the dock landing area. We walked the town and looked in way more shops than I needed to on our way out of the congestion to a nice sidewalk cafe for lunch. This was going to be the second day since arriving that we did not eat lobster....but still had some good seafood.

After lunch and more walking and looking we stop by the ice cream store on the way back to the ferry for a cool ride back across to Winter harbor.

Bar Harbor

Schooner sailing near Bar Harbor

Island Home on the Way to Bar Harbor

This is the last of the Acadia/Bar Harbor experience for this time. We are now departing for a small town called Moose River near the Canadian border and headed into Quebec for the next week to ten days. Next post may come some time after re-entering the USA depending on cell & internet service.

Acadia National Park (part two) - Mount Desert Island

Monday 3 September

     This was a maintenance day for us - we drove from the park into Ellsworth where we found a nice large (and clean) laundromat to do our laundry, well Kathy did that while I worked on the blog and downloaded pictures. We don't have any phone or internet service in the Blackwoods campground located in the National Park. After laundry Kathy spotted an LL Bean outlet store that she wanted to visit - those $10 coupons we "earned" in Freeport costs us here.

     On to the super Walmart for some groceries and then back to camp.....but not before stopping at the Trenton Bridge Lobster pound just to have a look and check out their prices since many on the blogs/forums recommended it. Checking prices there confirmed that we had indeed made a great deal for the ones we bought and cooked ourselves....so we won't need to get any there.

     While we were doing our chores Ed and Kay had a day of hiking along the coast from a trail that started in the campground. They packed a lunch and enjoyed a meal on the rocks overlooking the ocean. That is a popular activity, beautiful scene, cool breeze and not crowded (as opposed to some of the picnic areas).

     Speaking of food - we decided to do a chicken pot pie for dinner and before I started it, I declared it would be a "culinary experiment" because cooking with the cast iron Dutch oven and charcoal outside is not an exact science. The cooking took longer than expected and drew attention from other campers passing by - "are you baking bread, one person asked" - and in the end we had a dinner later than expected but it was pretty tasty. The long cooking time allows for many campsite conversations and in this case a nice build up to what I will call the Moxie experiment!

     I mentioned earlier about the local Maine drink called Moxie and the fact that a couple folks on the forum suggested that we hadn't done Maine properly without trying it. I went into at least a few stores looking for it and got funny reactions from local store clerks but alas, I found a two liter bottle (smallest they had) and put it on ice. Since I had a lot of it - I decided that Ed and Kay also needed to participate in this so, while the chicken pot pie was cooking we tried it. I poured small amounts into some glasses - carbonated, dark color and in the end it didn't taste "as bad" as most of the locals let on but it left you with a bitter after taste in your mouth. It had an initial taste of something like root beer. Now I am hoping we didn't damage the environment by pouring out most of the two liters on the ground.

The Moxie Experiment

Tuesday 4 September

     Another full day of sightseeing in store as we head out to explore the park loop road. It is a 27 mile drive along the coast with many stops for attractions, trails and a beautiful ocean scenic drive that exposes the many different types of shoreline here. First stop was the Jordan Pond where there is a gift shop, restaurant with outdoor seating and best of all a nice hiking trail around the pond. One long section of the trail has a wooden plank boardwalk maintained by volunteers trying to curtail the erosion that is taking place. The hike was great - offering beautiful views of the clear water and the surrounding hillside and it took us a couple hours of easy hiking to complete.

Jordan Pond - from the trail

Cute Biker Hiker Chicks

Jordan Pond House Restaurant

     Next stop on the loop road was Cadillac Mountain where the elevation is about 1500 +/- feet and as we drove up we decided we were glad to be driving as Kathy and I had talked about hiking it from the campground. It only looks like a 3-1/2 mile hike each way (on the map) and 1500 feet elevation doesn't "sound" too bad. The views up there were nice only hindered somewhat by a hazy noon time sky. After our Jordan Pond hike we began looking for a shady spot to enjoy our picnic lunch but ended up eating on Cadillac Mountain where the nice cool breezes mitigated the heat. It's amazing how 79 degrees can seem hot after a night of 62 degrees. Overall loving the weather!

Cadillac Mountain view of Bar Harbor

     We continued on around the loop road making more stops at different overlooks and short trails to the waters edge for a look. Nice scenery. With all the different shoreline landscapes (mostly rocks) there is even an area of sandy beach in one cove that is named (you guessed it) Sand Beach. Unique looking spot with very rocky coastline on either side a little cove beach area that has sand. There were quite a few people there sunbathing and relaxing but few were in the water - and then not for long. Ed took his shoes off and eased into the water and said the water was very cold.

Scenic View on Loop Drive

Sand Beach

     Back at camp and prepping for departure I noticed another Oliver trailer in the campground just a few sites away. There are not a lot of Olivers on the road (compared to most other campers) so it is exciting to see another and rarely in the same campground. I noticed these folks had Tennessee plates so since we speak the same language <southern smile> I felt obliged to visit. We met the nicest couple, Jeff and Donna Horton, from Kingsport Tennessee and spent a good bit of the evening talking with them and really enjoyed their company....exchanged contact info and hopefully our paths will cross again.

     Heading for the Schoodic Peninsula in the morning!

Atlanta to Acadia National Park in Maine

Sunday - 26 Aug

     Left home early (0545) Sunday morning with a target goal of 610 miles to Woodstock, Virginia. That is alot of miles to pull a camper in one day but we want to get in the New England area as soon as possible to begin touring and relaxing. As scheduled, we pulled into Woodstock around 6:00 PM and found a Cracker Barrel for dinner and discussed our plans over dinner. In the end we decided since there was still some daylight we should continue driving until dark at least then we would find a place to park for the night. We ended up making it to Harrisburg, Pa - very tired and over 730 miles on the road. In fact that day we traveled through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania! We found another Cracker Barrel to park for the night with plans of enjoying breakfast there before leaving in the morning. We checked with the manager who was very nice about it and even stopped by the camper to say good night after closing the store.

     The route we took was I-85 to Charlotte, then I-77 to Virginia where we picked up I-81 the rest of the way. The scenery (although interstate travel) was great - Shenandoah Valley in Va and the Pennsylvania countryside were especially nice. The trip was pretty uneventful except for the poor road conditions in Pennsylvania...and they had the highest prices of diesel fuel also - go figure. There is a tremendous amount of heavy truck traffic using that highway.

Monday - 27 Aug

     Because we made so many miles on Sunday we were left with only 540 +/- to Kennebunkport, our first stop in Maine. We were not sure when we left if we'd get there on Monday evening or sometime Tuesday but with 540 miles we set our sights on it for Monday and took off after breakfast at Cracker Barrel. The roads did not improve but the scenery remained pretty good as we made our way into New York where we began to encounter toll roads - I asked the toll booth attendant if we could expect improved conditions now that we were paying!!...she just laughed.

     A combination of very poor roads and my not properly securing the bikes produced a problem on a rough spot of New York highway not long after crossing the Hudson River - one of the bikes (you guessed it, Kathy's) came loose from the rack and had fallen over and was dragging the ground behind us as we quickly learned from frantic passengers passing cars. I stopped right away but not before some damage to the rear bike tire and some to the handle bar/brake area. I am in big trouble now!

     After hitching the injured bike back up (and feeling embarrassed) we headed back into what was becoming terrible traffic with MANY long delays including one for a very long time in Hartford, Connecticut for an accident that we believe had to have some fatalities. The shorter drive on Monday turned out to be the hardest and most stressful of the two - we kept telling ourselves we can rest, slow down and relax when we get there.

     Weather - we have been watching the weather in Maine (while we sweated in Georgia) for the last six weeks and the highs were in the low 70's with lows ranging from 55 to 65 degrees....we could hardly wait to get there and experience that for the remainder of the summer and into the fall! Well, as we drive across Pennsylvania my google engineer & chief navigator and weather lady (Kathy...busy girl) gets a weather alert for Kennebunkport indicating record high temps for the two days we are going to be there....temps in the mid 90's with high humidity. At least it is only scheduled to last two days then back to more of what we are looking for! Hope they don't blame us for bringing that from Atlanta!

     One other travel observation that we found to be hilarious (maybe because we were so tired at that point) was as we entered New Hampshire on I-95 there was immediately a sign (similar to National Parks or points of interest) for the New Hampshire Liquor Store and Lottery outlet - it even had it's own special exit off the highway.

     We made it on in and set up camp in a small town near Kennebunkport called Arundel - campground is Hemlock Pines. Arriving late and hungry we did not have many options for dinner but the campground host recommended a food truck a short distance away and we had our first (of what I expect to be many) tastes of lobster....we each had a lobster roll and they were pretty good.

Kennebunkport Harbor

     The campground is nice but a little pricey for our liking but we were determined to stay put for three nights and get some rest along with a little touring of the area. We plan to tour the south east coast of Maine as we work our way towards Acadia scheduled for arrival on Saturday 1 Sept where we will meet up with Ed and Kay.

Tuesday - 28 Aug
   
     After a restful night and sleeping as long as we wanted we relaxed for the morning and I did some internet research to find a bicycle shop that might help me get back in Kathy's good graces about the bike. Turns out there is one in Portland that sounded reasonable and we had Portland (and the Portland Head Lighthouse) on our list of things to see and do so off we went. The town is pretty cool and the folks in that bike shop were really nice and fixed us up. We learned alot more about Portland and especially the local biking opportunities while there so we want to return before we are done with this area, time permitting.

     Leaving the bike shop we head over to Fort Williams and the Portland Head Lighthouse - my plan is that this is a scouting expedition for best angles when returning during better lighting conditions to try to photograph the lighthouse as we were there in the bright sun of early afternoon. We did take some shots while there in case the return was not possible. It is a really beautiful scene there.

Portland Head Lighthouse

     Research on the forums prior to this trip we were advised (more than once) that we need to experience a whoopie pie and a moxie while in Maine. The whoopie pies were being sold at a food truck near the lighthouse so we got that one checked off the list. It was like a little debbie cake on sterroids - pretty big, but it was good - however you wouldn't want to try it without a drink of some kind. The moxie is a different story - that is supposedly a drink that is a product of Maine but they were not selling them on the food truck. I looked for one in the grocery store and although the stock boy said they sell them I was unable to locate on yet....more to come on that experiment.

     After we leave the lighthouse it is time for a late lunch at a place recommended by the folks at the bike shop - it is a restaurant not far from Fort Williams called the Lobster Shack and the seating area is outside on some rocks overlooking the ocean - a really cool place for lunch and you guessed it, yes we had lobster again!

     We stayed near the coast on the way back enjoying the seaside towns and scenery they offer and we came back into this area at Kennebunkport. After getting our bearings straight we took a drive along Ocean Ave where we were able to see the Bush (President) compound....a really beautiful place and all of the homes in that area are beautiful with spectacular views of a rocky coast.

Bush Compound

Wednesday - 29 Aug

     With Kathy's bike put back together and both of us anxious for some exercise we decide to take a ride on a nearby trail called the Eastern Trail. It is a really cool trail for riding bikes or hiking that we took for about a 10 mile ride - mostly flat. You can read about it here https://www.easterntrail.org/ One interesting part of it actually crossed over I-95 on a pedestrian bridge. It was a good work out for us and a great way to start this day.

     The afternoon we went to Kittery Maine which is about 20 miles south of the campground to just have a look around and do lunch. We used trip advisor to identify a lunch spot called "When Pigs Fly" that was a pizzeria on one side and a bakery on the other.....we were not crazy about the pizza we ordered but agreed that we have a huge weakness for bakeries....we left there with a loaf of apple cinnamon bread that is delicious.

     On the return to the area we decided to go back to Kennebunkport and park and do a walking tour of the town. It was a nice walk around and we ended the day with an ice cream.....big mistake. I saw one labeled "spicy rocky road" - I thought this was odd and I asked and was told that it had a pepper flavor added to it. What they didn't tell me was just how much pepper - WOW! and maybe the worst part of it, Kathy followed my lead - not a good idea. A couple of bites of ice cream and she is talking about finding some tums. Worst part is the lady offered us a sample and we declined - not a good idea.

Thursday - 30 August

     Today was moving day...we left Kennebunkport and headed to about 20-25 miles north of Portland to a county campground called Winslow Memorial Park...still in the direction of Acadia. We are two nights here and the campground is pretty nice - no hook ups at all but he weather is turning cooler finally so no problem. After getting set up we made our way into Freeport to have a look around and do some shopping at the mother ship of LL Bean, what an operation they have here - quite nice. They even have a little concert venue there and this Saturday (we will be gone) the band is "The Fray"....all for free.

     We left the Freeport area and headed back to camp thinking we would grab some dinner and head back into Portland so I could attempt to photograph the lighthouse with better light conditions but time got away from us AND there was actually a live band performing (also for free) in the campground. They were called The Lazzo Family Band and were actually quite good. They played a mix of bluegrass sounding tunes and country and their harmonica player was really good. After they were done it was time to head back and get ready for some rest and do it all over again tomorrow.

Lazzo Family Band

Friday - 31 August

     I had read on forums (and trip advisor) about an outing to Cabbage Island for a New England style clam bake that sounded like a fun thing to do. The tour left from a port city north of where we were staying called Boothbay Harbor and we wanted to visit that area anyhow so we signed up for the trip. Leaving the campground early enough to take the scenic route there we headed up for the hour and fifteen minute drive....stopping for a doughnut breakfast along the way. We didn't have the exact address to put into our GPS but all of these coastal villages are small and we knew that the boat departed from pier six so as we got close we just put pier six into the GPS. Unknowing to us, it took us to a peninsula (not the village we were looking for) and we discovered we were lost - at least not where we needed to be but this was one beautiful place with a nice road running along a beautiful rocky coast. Only problem we were running late for catching our boat and didn't get to hang around long.

Boothbay Harbor

     We did make the boat on time in Boothbay Harbor and boarded for a one hour narrated boat ride to Cabbage Island where a lobster feast awaited us. As we left the harbor on the port side (left) of the boat (which is where we happened to be sitting) a huge hump back whale blew and surfaced - really cool. The captain who has been doing this for years declared that he had NEVER seen a whale in the harbor so that was a treat. We made it to the island (pretty small) where we were greeted by our hosts and checked out the cooking operation and the lay of the land there.

On the fantail of the Bennie Alice (boat)

     A late lunch/early dinner was served and was delicious - it included two lobster each, a dozen clams (steamers), baked potato, corn on the cobb, an onion, an egg, and topped it off with a huge slice of blueberry cake. I embarrassingly declared to one of the attendants that I had never eaten a whole Maine lobster before and would like to have some tips on navigating the process - without embarrassing me in front of others (you can guess how that ended) and now I am an expert! The meal, the weather, the boat ride and the company were all fantastic!

Preparing the feast

Meal fit for a king!

Arriving Cabbage Island

     When we left Boothbay Harbor we were torn on moving farther north to a lighthouse called Pemaquid or heading back south (in the direction of our campsite) to give the Portland Head Light another look, this time in the late afternoon light. We decided to go south and we were there until sunset taking photos and trying different approaches for getting that perfect shot...I have a lot to learn. While out on the rocks setting up for the photos a young man from France who was here on vacation set up near me and we talked a good bit while shooting. He had just come from Acadia and we were headed there. As we left he gave me a book he had purchased about photo tips for the Acadia park - super nice gesture & a very nice young man!

Portland Head at Sunset

     After the photos it was late but we were still not hungry after such a big and late lunch - Kathy declared that she needed to correct the bad ice cream experience from a few days ago and a blizzard from Dairy Queen was what she thought it would take to do it :-) A good way to end what was a very nice day.

Saturday 1 September

     Moving day again - this time we are headed to Acadia National Park. We decide to avoid the highways and take the coastal road up there and look at more of the interesting small villages/towns along the way. We stopped along the way for a nice tomato sandwich lunch and as it turns out, this day is the first since we arrived in Maine that we will not eat any lobster.

     Other than the nice weather and scenery the only other significant thing we saw on the way was a poor fella on the opposite side of the road from us in a newer model pickup truck that was on fire - seemed to me like something in the bed of the truck had caught fire and was now engulfing the entire truck. It was a real bad scene but he seemed to be out of the truck and help was on the way.

     As we get to within 20 miles of Acadia I told Kathy that a camper I see ahead is Ed and Kay but since they were coming from an entirely different direction I thought the chances were slim that it was actually them....as we got closer it was them and we ended up pulling into the park together....excited to see each other! We gathered with them for dinner and Ed grilled up some really good chicken while we made plans for exploring the next day.

Where we drink coffee in the morning now :-)

Sunday 2 September

     We fixed a big breakfast of coffee, pancakes and bacon to enjoy with Ed and Kay before we struck out for the day. We decided to stay away from Bar Harbor and the park loop road which we expected to be the busiest - park is crowded because of the holiday week-end. Instead we headed over to North Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Bass Harbor while enjoying a stop at Echo Lake and two or three hikes along the way. We hiked to Valley Cove and Wonderland Point which were nice and we also did a drive through the Seawall Campground just to have a look.

Lunch stop at Southwest Harbor

Bass Harbor Maine

     We did lunch at Southwest Harbor on the water and I opted for some fried haddock but Kathy can't get enough lobster....I didn't get it this time because we had discussed buying some live ones to bring back to the campground to cook ourselves. (Ed said he knew how). After lunch we toured some more and just before heading back we started to look for some lobster to buy and we found a guy who had something on the back of a truck but turns out it was oysters - but he said a lobster guy was coming soon to trade with him and we could probably get some from him. He did and we did - four nice fresh off the boat lobsters for $25 and they were delicious the way Ed fixed them!

Here is the basic plan

We have reservations in Acadia National Park in Maine beginning on 1 September for about 7 days. The first few days are in the Blackwoods campground and the last few days are in the Schoodic Woods campground.

We plan to leave Griffin, Ga on Sunday the 26th of August and make two hard days of driving so we can be in the Maine area by the third day when we plan to slow down and enjoy the area and be in reasonable position to reach Acadia on time.

We expect to visit Kennebunkport, Portland, Freeport (LL Bean), and the Booth Bay area prior to Acadia although we have no reservations for the first part - just gonna play it by ear.

In Acadia we will meet up with our friends, Ed & Kay Culpepper (our Alaska traveling partners) who have been gone for several days already moving in the northeasterly direction.

After Acadia the four of us will visit Quebec, Quebec City, and the Gaspe Peninsula before returning to the US estimated mid to late middle September. Soon after returning Ed and Kay will begin making their way back in a southerly direction and Kathy and I will spend additional time in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York before heading back south.....either following the fall foliage or running from cold weather.

There is a thought for potentially driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from north to south on our way back home but that is dependent on time and weather conditions.

We will be making the trip in our Oliver Travel Trailer that we purchased earlier this year. We really like/enjoy the new camper!

If any of you reading the blog have ideas/suggestions for things to see and do in the areas we plan to visit, please comment.