#93 Back On The Lobster Trail

Friday morning we were supposed to do the sunrise thing at Cadillac Mt. It didn't happen. The 3:30am alarm just annoyed us so we rolled over & went back to sleep. We've seen sunrises & we saw Cadillac Mt so we will put them together in our mind & call it done. I woke up around 9am but Mary wasn't feeling well so I let her sleep & went out to find some breakfast. I had heard about a good bagel place & I needed my bagel fix. By the time I got home Mary was up but still under the weather. I called & cancelled our lunch reservations at the Jordon Pond House. It is a restaurant that is known for their popovers as well as the view of Jordon Pond. We'll try it another time. Mary got herself cleaned up because she wasn't going to miss the carriage ride on the Rockefeller Carriage Road Bridge tour.

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The carriage ride was fun. The driver was funny as well as informative & the carriage road itself was beautiful. The road was built specifically for horses, bicycles, & pedestrians to protect the woodland experience for the enjoyment of the general public. Mary was feeling better & taking pictures like a clicking bandit. FB friends can check out the pics. After the carriage ride she felt good enough to go to the Jordan Pond House so off we go to see if we can get in without reservations. Our timing was perfect! They were cleaning up after lunch & setting up for dinner so we walked right in. We shared a lobster quiche, salad, seafood chowder, & of course popovers. It was as delicious as everyone had promised & the view was the perfect back drop. Fog was starting to roll in so we hopped on the bikes & headed home.

Saturday morning the weather was absolutely perfect so after breakfast we headed out in search of a lighthouse. The Bass Harbor Head Light is on the opposite side of the island from Bar Harbor so we figured we wouldn't have to deal with any disruptions from having the First Family in town. It was a great ride out to the lighthouse & we climbed the rocks to get that perfect picture, again seen on FB. We left the lighthouse & rode around Bass Harbor to Bernard & had lunch at Thurston's. It's a little seafood shack right on the pier overlooking the harbor. We had a crab roll that tasted like no other crab we had ever had & corn & clam chowder that could have been a meal all by itself. More pictures of the harbor that look like the idealized fishing villages seen in photos & movies. On the way home Mary got a little bit adventurous & started turning down side streets just to see where they went. I personally love doing that but she usually likes to have everything planned out in advance. We wound up in Northeast Harbor which is just another cute little town that looks like it was passed by the last 100 years.

Finally found our way home & we have to remark about how the Obamas have kept their word about not disrupting anyone else's time in Acadia. It turns out that they were at the Bass Head Light about the same time that we were. If we hadn't seen it on the Internet we wouldn't have known that our paths came close to crossing. The only inconvenience we dealt with was rubberneckers trying to see the Presidential airplane at the airport. It wasn't even the Air Force One, it was a smaller jet that from the road looked like some of the other private jets that we have seen in & out of the airport.

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Now it is time for dinner & Mary is ready for her LOBSTER! On down the road to Lunt's Lobster Pound. No, it's not a place where they keep stray lobsters. Pound just means that in addition to a regular menu you can order lobsters sized by the pound. Lobsters are cooked outside & boiled or grilled over an open fire. If you have seen the pics on FB you can see that Mary definitely enjoyed herself & is thinking about going back tomorrow! We will worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

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Tonight we get some rest because tomorrow we have to work some "gettin' ready to leave" around the lobster eatin'. So until the next blog goodnight from our home next door to the Obama family in Bar Harbor ME because...

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Home is where we park it,

Frank & Mary & Melvin "The Dear Departed Lobster"

PS Let me know how the picture works. I am trying to get more "blog" savy

#92 Whoda Thunk?

Tuesday night brought all the rain that was forecast & it was still raining Wednesday morning. Our plans were to use the truck & that seemed like an excellent idea. We went out for breakfast & then headed out to Schoodic Point. This is another part of Acadia National Park but is located about 45 minutes from the main section of the park. After some pretty rough local roads & a few tiny little towns we found Shoodic Point. The roads in the park are meticulously maintained & a pleasure to drive. Inlets, coves, a lighthouse & we had just barely entered the park. After a few more miles & numerous curves we found the "Point". The rock formations & the waves crashing on them put on a show that had us burning up the data cards. Digital photography is a wonderful thing with what seems like a limitless amount of picture storage. With spray shooting as much as 20 feet & possibly more in the air we had an amazing & always changing backdrop to our pictures. We drove back through more quaint fishing villages with plenty of photo-ops on our way home. With a quick stop at "Wally World" we finally decided to call it a day & went home to relax the rest of the evening.

Wednesday we woke up to beautiful weather & plans to ride the bikes all day. With 4 more days here we figured that we could take our time to see the rest of the sights on our list. WRONG!! The morning radio report surprised us with the news that we were going to have company. It turns out that the Obama family has decided to join us in Bar Harbor for the weekend. With some of the roads & sections of the park being closed at various times it looked like we were down to 2 days, Thursday & Friday, to see what we wanted to see. Oh well, it's a good thing our plans are written in "jello".

So it was on to Cadillac Mountain. At 1500 feet it isn't the tallest mountain but it is the one place on the east coast that you can see the sun rise before anyone else in the US. That is planned for tomorrow morning. After that we drove the park loop again but without the fog of our first day. Pictures of some of the things we saw before, but this time in the sunshine, & pics of things we couldn't see because of the fog. Check out the pics on Mary's FB but it's not the same as being there. I don't know what it is but we just can't seem to get enough of the water. The power of the waves is mesmerising & the number of pictures is indicative of that.

On the way home we became aware that our breakfast was gone so we go into Bar Harbor before the First Family madness for something to eat. With all the lobster on the menu what does Mary pick? A hamburger!!! Has she finally had enough lobster? Nope, just has a hankering for a big greasy burger & is saving it for the "lobster pound" tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, with plans for sunrise on Cadillac Mt we need to get to bed early. 3:30am rolls around early so I sign off early from our home in Bar Harbor because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#91 Welcome To Bah Hahbah (Huh?)

It was an easy 130 miles plus 20 miles of off roading through construction that would give a Jeep fits. Of course Mary was driving & she accused me of planning the whole thing. We arrived at our campground & got settled in. Since it was early we decided to take the bikes & check out the Bar Harbor area & get our pass for Acadia National Park. The pass is good for the whole week so we figured we would get it now to get it out of the way. Brochures gathered & advice garnered we headed home for dinner & an evening of planning for the next week.

Tuesday started off foggy but Acadia was on the schedule so we hit the road. We thought the fog might not let us see Acadia well but we were wrong. Yes we couldn't see some of the park but what we could see was given a mystical aura. The rocky shore line shrouded in fog gave us some awesome photo ops ( check out Mary on FB). Waves crashing on the rocks one after another was mesmerizing. Climbing over the rocks like kids we took picture after picture. The rock formations size was mind boggling.

The only thing I can say is Disney just can't compete with Mother Nature. We have seen some amazing things in our travels. In New York we have seen the Empire State Building & Niagara Falls, in St. Louis we have seen the Arch & the Mississippi, we have seen the monuments of Washington DC & we have seen the Grand Canyon & were impressed by them all. Impressed yes but also in awe when it comes to the creations of Mother Nature. Man did not imagine, design, or create these gifts, man can only claim to have found what already existed.

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain so we will take the truck & do some errands. Maybe get some laundry done, make a few phone calls, & just take care of things that need taking care of. We feel that we have an amazing life but it is still life & that includes all the everyday chores we all have. We look forward to more of Acadia & Bar Harbor from our home in Bar Harbor Maine because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#90 Maine Part 2

Saturday & Sunday the rain rolled in. Since we leave Saco ME for parts north it seemed like a good time to relax & take our time getting ready for the next leg of our adventure. I was rudely awakened Saturday with "hurry up, it's not raining!". So with sleep still in my eyes & no coffee(how uncivilized!?) we loaded the motorcycles. It's no fun loading them when it is raining & the weekend forecast wasn't bike friendly so it was a good idea. It just didn't seem so at the time, but as usual Mary was right. After breakfast, catching up on the Internet, & walking the dog we both looked at each other & said"Nap Time!".

After a few hours of good sleep Mary decided to join in the parks activities. They were "tye-dying" t-shirts. It was mostly kids but since Mary is young at heart she fit right in & was a help to some of the little ones that had never heard of or done tye-dying. Flash backs from the 70's of beer, t-shirts, more beer, dye, & more beer, all followed be an unexplained tye-dye tattoo that lasted weeks kept me out of the fun. I was the self designated photographer documenting the event. Mary on the other hand had a blast & came away with a on of a kind memento( see pics on FB).

Sunday we dumped our tanks, scrubbed some of the bugs off the front of the rig, & did some laundry all in preparation of our Monday departure. We don't have to be on the road super early so we may partake of the park's Pancake Breakfast at the Merry Moose. Reasonable prices & we don't have to cook. Our next destination is Bar Harbor ME, just 150 miles down the road. It should be an easy drive & we will be there for a week. There are a number of things we want to see & do one of which is to see puffins. They are a strange looking little bird & Mary thinks they are cute. I guess when she calls me cute she means that I am a strange looking bird. Oh well, she loves me & I can't figure out why.

So this is our last good night from Saco ME but there will be more good nights from our home as we travel down the road because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

PS Happy B-Days to Al & Bob, & Happy Anniversary to Kim & Joe

#89 Shopping & Lighthouses

Wednesday we got up & Mary didn't feel like riding the bikes so it seemed like a good day to shop. There is really no good day to shop for me & I'm sure a lot of you guys will agree, just not in front of the wife. Well on to the outlet mall in Freeport ME. It is supposed to look like a little New England village but looks more like a Disney rendition. It had the usual outlet mall stores plus several tourist dollar black holes. You know the ones with the same t-shirts, key chains, mugs, post cards, magnets, ashtrays, shot glasses, etc as every other tourist trap. If you are from Pinellas County think John's Pass in Maine. We bought NOTHING of substance, some post cards & a t-shirt & it was time to leave. On the way out of Freeport I spotted a bakery called The Flying Pig. Anyone who knows Mary knows she has a thing about pigs and if you know me I have a thing about bakeries so it was a must stop. It was all home made breads, cakes, & cookies. I was in heaven! I bought a loaf of garlic sourdough bread & we each picked out a cookie. Yes, one cookie each. They were the size of dinner plates & sinfully good.

Shopping must be tiring because Mary fell asleep shortly after the truck started moving. A half hour later I woke her & asked if she wanted to see a 1700 lb moose. She perked up when she realized we were at Len Libby's Candy Store, home to Lenny the 1700lb chocolate moose. Check Mary's photos on FB. We had to buy some chocolates but did restrain ourselves & only spent about $10. That was enough for me to call it a day.

Thursday we spent the whole day on the bikes. We started at Camp Ellis Beach & rode the water front north. Past all the beach homes & beach communities, we saw Old Orchard Beach Pier & it's amusement park & we arrived at Cape Elizabeth. The lighthouse there is privately owned & not operating. The owners keep it painted but that's about it. Kind of a let down so off we go to find the Portland Head Lighthouse. There was a sign for Two Lights Lighthouse but we were led to understand that there was a fee. We don't want to go in the lighthouse or any attached museums, we just want to get close enough to see them & take a couple of pictures so we went on. After a wrong turn here, some construction there, we finally find Portland Head Light. The sea fog was a bit thick & Mary was upset that she wouldn't get any good pictures but if you see her pics on FB the fog gave the picture character & insight as to the reason for lighthouses. We stopped at the smallest Post Office we had been to yet. The Cape Elizabeth Station had maybe 20 PO boxes & barely enough room for Mary & me to fit inside. I also think the clerk might have been appointed the job by Ben Franklin himself.

Friday we didn't want to do anything, so we didn't! Breakfast at noon, the morning dog walk at 2pm, & got ready for dinner at 5pm. We need a Chinese food fix & had heard about a really good place in Scarborough. It did not disappoint. We did a little grocery shopping & called it a day. Mary posts on FB & I blog & it is then good night from our home in Saco ME because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#88Maine? Lobster?? Uh Oh!!!

Brookline is in our rear view mirrors & it was 6am. Just like I planned or at least hoped. We made Chichester before 7:30 & had time for breakfast. No one wanted to cook & there was a Dunkin' Donuts down the block. D&D, how can you go wrong? It was just far enough for the dog's morning walk. By the time we were done Camping World was opening & they took our rig in. We had reservations for that evening in Maine but our "jello" had us staying at Camping World overnight if need be. The service guys gave us good news & bad news. The good was that the satellite was fixed & that the slide was fine except for a couple of loose bolts. The bad news was some water damage that I knew about had reached the point that it need looking into. We will make plans for that when we stay in FL this winter.When all was said & done we were on the road by 3pm & the "jello" was not needed.

Well we are now in Maine & you know what that means...LOBSTER!!!!! Lobster & lighthouses seems to be the theme of this jaunt through New England so off we were. We started in Kittery & worked our way north. Some how we missed what ever we were looking for in Kittery & wound up in York. It worked out just fine since this is the home of Nubble Light. We drove past York Beach. The beaches here look nothing like the beaches we've seen from Long Island's south shore to Florida. It's mostly rocks & what sand there is is much darker. Nubble Light was pretty neat. Being on an island separated from the mainland by only a couple of hundred feet it was connected by a small cable car for supplies. Think clothes line & a big bucket. People had to still go by boat.

Driving & touristing is hard work so we had worked up an appetite. What should we have? Maine? LOBSTER! On a recommendation we stopped at the Maine Diner on Rt 1 in Wells. Mary is the lobster lover, I can take it or leave it. I chose to take & I chose wisely. I won't bore you(or tease you) with the details but if you are ever in this area stop in. You won't be disappointed & thank you Laura.

Bellys full we continued our search for lighthouses. Next stop Kennebunkport. A quaint little town with the stigma of being the home of George H Bush. Just beyond in Cape Porpoise we found Goat Island Lighthouse. With a moderate zoom lens we got some great pictures from the rocks. There was an even better view from the pier. I was looking at the boats moored in Porpoise Cove & Mary was watching them unload lobsters from a boat into a refrigerated truck. I kept a good eye on Mary. We didn't need any truck hijackings on this trip. Back into Kennebunkport for some pictures & postcards & it was time to head home. Foxy was waiting & doesn't like her dinner to be late.

We are still full from our late lunch so after unloading the bikes, walking the dog, & blogging I am calling it a night. So I will lay my head down thinking about tomorrow's adventures & Mary will lay hers down dreaming of lobster & this will be in our home in Saco ME because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#87 A Big Bang In Small Town America

Happy 4th of July! We are in Brookline NH for one more night & what a night it is. When we made our travel plans we made sure that we were off the road for the holiday. Checking in early gets us out of the holiday traffic & we avoid the rush of holiday campers. What we didn't know was that this RV park has their own 4th of July celebration which includes a pork roast/pot luck dinner & fireworks. We couldn't miss the patriotic celebration so with folding chairs on our backs & Mary's mac-n-cheese in hand we went. The food was delicious, the company was pleasant, & our hosts delightful. After dinner we walked the dog, turned the radio up so she wouldn't hear the fireworks, & returned for the show. Now this is just a small RV park, no more than 50 sites, so we didn't expect too much. Were we wrong! 30 minutes of continuous professional style pyrotechnics set to patriotic music had everyone entertained & impressed. Field & Stream RV Park is proud of their Annual 4th of July Pork Roast & Fireworks & justifiably so. We highly recommend anyone camping in this area around the "4th" seriously consider this the place to stay.


After the show was over we went back to our rig & were serenaded for the next hour or so by the fireworks displays put on by the local municipalities, parks, clubs, & individuals. These are not pyromaniacs, these are patriotic citizens celebrating America the way they know best, the small town American way. It shouldn't be any other way & I was happy & proud to be asked to be part of it. It has quieted down now & the dog is calming down. She handles it OK but still doesn't like it.


Tomorrow we leave Brookline & are headed to Maine, but first we are making a stop in Chichester NH. The issues we were having with our satellite are being addressed & the slide noises are going to get checked out. We plan on being there when they open their doors so we can get in & out & still have time to make our next stop in Maine. If not then we will just have to be a day late. There's that "plans written in jello" thing again. It just means you have to go with the flow. So we will try to get to bed early & get up early. Hopefully we can be on the road by 6am. If we get there as early as I hope we will have breakfast in the parking lot while we wait for the RV shop to open.

So this is our last good night from Brookline but not the last from our home because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary