Leslie and David's Wanderings: July 2022

Saturday, July 30, 2022

29 July 2022 Return to Bar Harbor

During our last visit to Bar Harbor, we had picked up a Blueberry Scone mix that we baked up a couple of days ago. They were delicious! So, David wanted a couple more of the mixes to make in the future. Leslie had also seen a Cool as a Moose tee shirt she wanted to get. Since it was lunch time, we started out with lunch at the Cherrystone Bar and grill. Downtown was very busy with at least two cruise ships in the harbor bringing tourists. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch while people watching. Then we walked Mainstreet and found the items we were wanting to pick up. It was a warm afternoon but there was a nice cool breeze blowing up from the harbor, so we stopped at a pub with a shady spot on the sidewalk for refreshments and to people watch. We had parked the truck down the hill from Main Street by a park. When we went back to the park, we decided to explore the park which ran along the shoreline. We discovered the Balanced Rock on the beach (we honestly had not heard of it before). The large boulder is balanced on top some smaller rocks and leaning against a slab of granite. What makes this boulder special is that it is from over 40 miles away and was picked up and carried to this spot over 10,000 years ago during the last ice age! It was a great way to end our visit of Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor

Sign at Balanced Rock

The Balanced Rock

Bar Harbor

28 July 2022 Jordan Pond Trail

To round out our Acadia NP visit, we needed to do a hike. After consulting with the rangers and thinking about what level of hike we thought we could do (since we have not been hiking much this year so far), we settled on the loop trail around Jordon Pond. We arrived at the parking area around 11:45 and had to circle 2 times trying to find a parking spot. We saw one that was marked for oversized vehicles, but we were not sure if the Behemoth counted as an oversized vehicle (it sure felt like one in that tight parking lot). Leslie jumped out and checked with a couple of rangers that were writing tickets for people who had parked wrong and they guided us into a spot that a small RV was pulling out of. At 3.4 miles and only 69 feet of elevation gain (1749 calories burned), it was an easy hike to get our legs moving again. We headed counterclockwise along the northern portion of the trail which was wide and smooth. The views out over the lake were beautiful. The southern portion of the trail on the return was a bit more challenging. The first half mile was through a boulder field that had a path through it but there was still a fair amount of boulder hopping. The next mile was on a wooden boardwalk that was only 2 feet wide. There were wide spots where hikers could step off to the side to let others coming the opposite direction to pass. But of course not everyone was this nice and we had several times where we had to step off the boardwalk to let oncoming traffic to pass because they would not stop at one of the wide spots to let us pass. A bit annoying. Also, after a half hour of balancing on this boardwalk (with no railings), we started to feel a bit of vertigo. We were happy when the boardwalk ended. After completing the hike, we pulled out or bag chairs and picnic lunch and went back to the shore, found a shady spot, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. While we sat there, a gentleman approached us and asked us if we were park volunteers because he had some questions. We explained that we were not. He later came back to chat with us some more. Turns out he was from Uruguay and was on a summer visit with his grandkids to see several of the US National Parks.

Jordan Pond from the North Shore

Jordon Pond from the west end

Bridge over the creek at the west end of the lake

The boardwalk along the south shore

The bubbles from the south shore

Jordon Pond House

27 July 2022 Ellsworth

The RV Park is just outside Ellsworth Maine. When we drove through the town when heading south, we thought the small downtown looked quaint. Today we went back to explore. We first went to the Airline Brewing Company for lunch and some of their locally brewed beer. Both were delicious. We explored the rest of down town down to the Union River. There were a couple of shops where we picked up some Christmas presents, and a couple of thrift stores, but otherwise there really was not a lot to explore.

Airline Brewing Company

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

24 July 2022 Bass Harbor Light House

Seeing Quoddy Head Light House got us excited for light houses again. We headed for the Bass Harbor Light House in Acadia NP. This is a fairly famous light house and the ranger warned us not to go there for sunset because it is crazy busy. With only 14 parking spots, we could understand her comment. As it was, at midday we had to wait several minutes for a parking spot to open up. We explored the area and even climbed down onto the rocks to get that iconic photo looking up at the light house. Then we headed for the southern portion of the island to explore away from the crowds. We found a nice little park along Cape Road in Seal Harbor to enjoy our picnic lunch with beautiful views of the ocean. Following lunch we headed for the southern end of Long Pond where the ranger told us was a good place to launch our Kayaks and we wanted to scope it out beforehand. There were quite a few people there launching kayaks and paddle boards, so it is obviously a good place to launch from, but hopefully in midweek there will be fewer people.

Bass Harbor Light House

Bass Harbor Light House from the rocks below

Our picnic view

23 July 2022 Furthest East

In our travels, we have found ourselves in interesting geographic locations. During our honeymoon in Hawaii, we stumbled upon the southernmost point in the 50 states. In Alaska, we drove to Homer and found ourselves at the western most point in the 50 states that you could drive to. While in Washington State, we found ourselves at the northwestern most point in the lower 48 states. These experiences led us to add hitting some of these unique geographic locations to our must visit list. In California, we got as close to the western most point in the lower 48 states, which also happens to be the south western most point in the lower 48 states, as we could, but since it is on Vandenburg Air Force Base, we could not reach the actual locations. While in Key West, we went to the southernmost point in the 48 states. While in southern Florida, we got as close to the southeastern most point as we could (it’s on private land). So, naturally, we headed for the eastern most point in the continental US while on our east coast tour. That happens to be Quoddy Point Maine, where the Quoddy Head Light House is located. We headed up US1 from our campsite. US1 passes through several little coastal towns which we found more scenic than our drive south on US1. We stopped in Milibrook, at the Chipman’s Warf, to have lunch. We both had a delicious lobster roll that was so fresh and light, we almost wanted to get another. They also sold fresh sea food straight off the boat (Lobster, crab, cod, haddock, salmon, mussels, clams, etc). We made a mental note to stop on the way back to pick up some fresh fish for dinner. As we drove through many of the small towns, we noticed that there were several popup flea markets. We decided we would visit those on our way back. We arrived at Quoddy Point state park around 1:30. We were surprised that there were a fair number of people at this obscure and out of the way location. This is not a location you would stumble across. The light house was very picturesque and there is even a marker for this being the easternmost point. Just across the channel is Roosevelt Island in Canada. On the way out we stopped at the gift store and bought some Christmas gifts for friends and family. We headed back to the Wanderer and arrived at Chipman Warf just as they were locking the door to the store. But they were nice and opened up just for us. We stocked up on some fresh clams, salmon, haddock, cod and also some of their prepared fish chowder, clam chowder and smoked salmon dish. We are eating sea food for the next week!! Yum!

Chipman's Warm

Quoddy Head Light House

Quoddy Head Light House and marked for Easternmost Point of the USA

Quoddy Head Light House

American and Coast Guard flags

Quoddy Head Light House and the original bell used during fog

Marker for Easternmost point of the USA

Monday, July 25, 2022

22 July 2022 Cadillac Mountain

In 2020, the NPS instituted a reservation system for the drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the park at 1480ft. In our previous visit to the park we had driven to the top, so we knew what to expect. We made reservations earlier in the month and had a 1:30 entry time. We decided to combine it with a picnic lunch. We planned to eat our picnic lunch along the Ocean Drive portion of the scenic loop where the exposed granite runs down into the ocean. But missed a turn and we ended up driving around trying to find an alternative and ended up at Eagle Lake. We walked down one of the carriage roads to the lake and found ourselves a spot to sit and eat our lunch in the shade. After a relaxing picnic lunch, we headed up to the entrance to Cadillac Mountain. We were a little worried that we might get turned away because of the size of the Behemoth, but when we pulled up to the entrance station, the ranger was more interested in the fulltime RV lifestyle than the size of our ride. At the top, we were lucky to find an easy parking sport for the Behemoth. The weather was clear and we could see for long distances. We spent about 45 minutes on the top enjoying the views and taking many pictures. Following Cadillac Mountain, we went back to the main visitor center and consulted with the rangers about good hikes and places to go Kayaking. We are excited to get out for some hikes and to get on the water again. On the way back to the Wanderer, we stopped at the Bar Harbor Winery along Hwy3. There we did a wine tasting and made Maine the 10th state we have tasted wine in. The wines at this vineyard are made from grape juice imported from all over the world. We found three wines we particularly enjoyed and purchased some bottles to take home with us. After returning to the Wanderer, a man approached David and started asking about our New Horizon Fifth Wheel. They had just put down a deposit for one (with a November 23 delivery!) and wanted to get with us to ask about our experiences. Then while Leslie was out walking Etta, the neighbor came over had a bunch of questions. Our home continues to draw admirers even after 5 years on the road.

Picnic view at Eagle Lake

View from top of Cadillac Mountain #1

View from top of Cadillac Mountain #2

View from top of Cadillac Mountain #3

21 July 2022 Schoodic Peninsula

While researching Acadia NP, we came across several reviews that recommended going to the Schoodic Peninsula, the only part of Acadia NP that is one the mainland (The rest of the park is on islands). In addition, David’s eye doctor had recommended going to a restaurant called The Pickled Wrinkle in Birch Harbor. So we headed over to the Pickled Wrinkle and had a wonderful lunch. We then headed down to the Schoodic Peninsula. As we headed into the park, clouds were moving in and a fog settled onto the sea. We followed the one way loop road around the peninsula stopping at the pull outs. We took the gravel road to the top of Schoodic Head but the clouds and fog blocked the view. We finally made it to Schoodic Point and we walked around the granite and lava rocks of the point while watching the waves crash against them. The temperatures were cool and with the slight wind with the sounds of the waves breaking against the granite, it could not have been better. We decided that this is what Maine is supposed to be like. We then headed along the north shore of the peninsula toward the Schoodic Institute. As we drove along, Leslie sited a seal so we pulled into the next pull out to look for it. But it was gone. But we saw a sign about not picking up any of the rock on the shore because they had been deposited by glaciers thousands of years ago. We were surprised when a particularly large wave came in and we could hear the rocks rolling on the beach. That was a cool surprise. Then it was back to the Wanderer for dinner.

The Pickled Wrinkle

Entrance Sign to Shoodic Point

Shoreline of Schoodic Peninsula

Schoodic Point #1

Schoodic Point #2

20 July 2022 US1 South

While trying to find a source for Etta’s insulin in this area, Leslie finally found a vet in Bucksport that would sell us the prescription. Since the vet was just off US1 headed south from Ellsworth, we decided to make it a day and take US1 south to visit some of the quaint sea side towns. Out first stop was the vet in Bucksport to pick up the insulin and put it on ice. From Ellsworth to Bucksport, US1 is far inland from the coast and was not very scenic. After the vet, we continued south on US1 through the small ports of Belfast, Ducktrap, Camden, Rockland, and Bath before jumping back on I-95 back to Bangor. We were disappointed that US1 was so far inland from the coast that it really was not very scenic. We stopped in Belfast and had lunch at a little pub but it did not have views of the port. It turned into a very long day.

Monday, July 18, 2022

17 July 2022 Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor

We have been to Acadia NP once before when we drove up from Portland for a day. But we did not have a passport book then. That short visit made us want to come back for a longer stay. We drove into the park today and stopped at the visitor center to get our passport stamp, park mug, and post cards before driving the scenic loop through the park with a side trip to Seal Harbor. The park was packed with people, as we expected being a high season weekend, so we just drove through to get the lay of the park and enjoy some of the scenery. We then headed into Bar Harbor. The town was very busy as well, but we enjoyed walking the waterfront and some of the shops on Mainstreet. We stopped in a waterfront bar for a drink, a crab/lobster cake and to enjoy the sea breeze. We also stopped at the Atlantic Brewing company to taste their beers as well. We will be back to Bar Harbor many times before we leave! On the way back to the Wanderer, we stopped at the Bar Harbor Lobster Bake. We split a Noreastern Feast plate which included a 1.2 pound lobster and a pound of steamed clams. Our favorites! So in one day we hit our top 3 reasons for being here!

Acadia Entrance Sign

Frenchman Cove and Bar Harbor

Eggdrop Lighthouse

Seal Point

Rocky Coastline

Bar Harbor Main Stree

Lobster and Clam dinner

16 July 2022 Shelburne NH to Trenton ME

We stayed on US 2 through Maine until we picked up I-95 to Bangor and then US 1A to the Timberland Acres RV Park ($56 per night with GSC). Although this drive was only 183 miles, it took 6 hours because of all the small towns we had to slow down to go through. But the roads were is pretty good shape, wide, very few overhanging trees to worry about and traffic non-existent. The scenery was pretty when you could see beyond the trees. There were no big climbs, so no worries about the truck overheating even though the temperatures were in the mid 80s. Our pull through site is very long with plenty of yard for Etta. We have one site for the first two weeks and then have to move to another site for the second two weeks. We have plenty on our list of things to do here.

Timberland Acres site

14-15 July 2022 Mount Washington and the White Mountains

It rained most of the first day we were in New Hampshire so we caught up on chores. Our neighbors from Texas suggested we take the tour bus up to the top of Mount Washington rather than driving it ourselves. Since we would be able to see more as passengers than driving, we decided to follow their advice and made reservations ($103 for the two of us). The weather cleared out overnight and we had a beautiful clear day for our tour. We found out that it was a very good decision since they would not have lets us go up the road with the Behemoth because it is too wide. The road to the top of Mt. Washington was built between 1851 and 1862. The two way road was very narrow and there are no guard rails with some very steep drop offs. No worse than the Going to the Sun Road, but definitely narrower in places. Originally, they would take tourists up the mountain in covered wagons. The journey would take 8-9 hours round trip. Mount Washington is the highest point on the East Coast at 6288 feet and is part of the Presidential Mountain Range (we also saw Mount Jefferson). In addition to the road up to the top, there is a Cog Railroad and 4 hiking trails that get you there as well. There were a lot of hikers at the top. The weather was quite pleasant with the temperatures in the 40s with a light wind. One of the buildings at the top is held down with massive chains since the weather at the top can be quite brutal. The highest wind ever measure at a manned weather station was measures here at 231mph. The other buildings at the top were built into the mountain out of rock and concrete. The weather observatory is manned continuously year-round. From the top we could see for several hundred miles and could even make out the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon. We were surprised to also see a couple of gliders taking advantage of the updrafts from the mountain to gain altitude. After wandering around for an hour, we met back up with our guide, Randy, for the trip down. At the bottom, we stopped for fuel and then the Big Day brewing company for a light dinner and some great beer. We also took the time to make reservations for Cadillac Mountain and Jordan House in Acadia NP.