Maine and New Brunswick - July 25 to August 8

Days 1 and 2 


FINALLY MH fixed and we're ready to go. Decided on two weeks in Maine. Left early in the morning (delayed by a 45 minute thunderstorm) and enjoyed the daytime drive (cat seemed to adjust better). Fairly uneventful day. Crossed to Ogdensburg, NY and enjoyed a secondary highway with little traffic.

First sign we were in the great US of A, a “Country Store, Music Oasis, Gun City” (their sign...really). Got to a Wal Mart and stocked up.

Thought of my friend Susan a lot: her birthday was July 25 and I saw a lot of “brown eyed” susans on the road.

Next funny sign: a Taxidermy business right beside the Mooers (really) cemetery.

Quickly in to Vermont. Highway sign: “Winds-Ice-Falling Rocks-Moose” and it was raining. What more could go wrong?

Had our first night in a Wal Mart parking lot in Berlin, NH (or was it Barre-and that's pronounced “Barry”).

Up early and off. Drove through White Mountain National Forest all the way through to Freeport, Maine. Avoided the craziness of that town (maybe on return trip) and found a so-so and expensive campground. Rode the bikes and got some sleep.


By the way, these were states 11, 12, 13 and 14 for Cassie the cat. Amazing.

Day 3

Decided to try some of the “peninsulas” into the ocean. After two different routes and some bad roads and no views or, when we needed to stop, campsites available, we were very unhappy and were wondering about the decision. BUT we did see a Bald Eagle.

Decided against another peninsula and went to Camden Hills State Park. Got a site for two nights and felt way more at home.

Met a couple who had a cool kayak rack on top of a MH similar to ours, so David got the details (they were also Ontarians with a Sicards MH-hope they get better service).

Across from them, saw a guy with a cat on a leash. Nice couple from Galveston area who came here to avoid the heat, but got 100 degree temps. We are definitely State Park people.

Day 4

Good sleep and were going to ride up Mount Battie for the views. Got started and abandoned the fully uphill route in favour of a “moderate” hike to the Ocean View Point.

Well, THAT was a hike. Said 1 mile; felt like 100. Almost straight up in places to about 1300 feet. But we made it to a beautiful view (and a gorgeous young woman who had just RUN up-that's how you get abs of steel; oh well).

Two guys were walking their CAT up as well. Cassie said no thanks.

Slipped and slid back down to a well-deserved beer. David said never again, but we did the Shoreline trail (short) before dinner!

Got some good info on Acadia National Park. A good day.

Day 5

Packed up, left and got some supplies on way to Acadia. Saw another Bald Eagle on the way. Alas, no sites available so headed to Lamoine State Park nearby. Got THE last site and set up. Walked to the fishing pier (actually town of Lamoine’s Official Harbor) and saw that we are here on a Wooden Sailing Boat Regatta weekend. Loads of action and lots of people (much like our Kayak Rendezvous weekends).

Park is small and nice. We walked the one beach, talked to lots of nice people and will stay another night and ride to a beach nearby tomorrow.

Really felt like this trip was going to be a bust, but nice small things keep happening.

Day 6

A wonderful day. Chatted with Connecticut neighbour in the morning. Then headed to the harbour. Though we missed the departure of the wooden boats, we did meet “Dave”, a Lobster fisherman/Harbour Master and his daughter (she came back home four years ago and joined her Dad on the lobster boat).

Rode to the beach for lunch. It was beautiful.

We returned and went to watch the boats come in. It was very elegant. Also, these beautiful boats were mooring next to working lobster boats, and we watched a couple unload their catch of the day then saw Dave and daughter come in as well.

  


We chatted with the Camp Host and learned that the many South Dakota license plates you may see on RVs are likely for the full-timers who get a South Dakota mailing address since they’re on the road 100% of the time. Who knew?

We ended the day with the “entertainment” of the wooden boaters walking up and down to comfort station and harbour past our campsite. A great day

Day 7

We decided not to go back to Acadia but head up north to Campobello. We so enjoyed Lamoine and couldn’t face all the people expected at Bar Harbor, etc. So now, we had a plan.

In honour of Nancy and Marilyn, Texas pals, who both had food memories from Maine, we stopped in Machias for blueberry pie. Yum. One with fresh berries and real whipped cream; the other cooked and delicious.

It was a nice drive north. We had hoped to stay on Cutler Public Reserve Land (primitive sites on the ocean???) but that was a bust (walk in sites only). So we found Cobscook State Park.

We got a beautiful, quiet site though not on water. We took a bike ride and scoped great sites for future.

Day 8

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so we took a long bike ride to the day use area. It was amazing, so we decided to get the MH and return for the lunch and the afternoon. We enjoyed views and watching the tide come in. At one point, David snoozed on the rocks and woke up with water VERY close to his feet.

ANOTHER Bald Eagle.


  

That night was a really BAD thunderstorm. I must admit, I was scared, but we survived. Talked to some campers who were on great waterfront sites in tents who had a really bad night!

Day 9

Time to leave, so an early start for Campobello. Another Bald Eagle on the trip.

We went over the bridge to Herring Cove Provincial Park, and it was as remembered! We picked site 78, no electricity or water but on the ocean (we had stayed on this site the first time we were there.


  

We spoke with a couple from North Bay (he’s Texan, she’s Swiss, and they met on Lake Simcoe) and walked a bit on the beach.

Other neighbours were a couple who I thought were Polish then Russian (my people!).

After lunch, the sun came out and we enjoyed more beautiful views at this perfect place. THIS was what I was craving (along with blueberry pie!). Note the low tide (top) and high tide (bottom) on this fabulous beach:


   

Day 10

Forgot what a great rock hounding beach this was. So many beautiful rocks to add to my growing collection.

Since it was a nice day again, we decided to go for a bike ride. First stop was Welsh Wharf where the mackerel were jumping literally out of the water. I say mackerel with such assurance because the salmon farmer we asked gave us a great lesson in line fishing, scallop fishing, salmon farming, girls from Lubec and boys from Campobello, and life in a small, but very beautiful town.


  

Next stop was on the beach at the Deer Island ferry wharf since I remembered it for its beach glass. I wasn’t disappointed. I got a Ziploc full of glass and pottery shards.

On we rode to up to North Road Harbour and watched a young man catching a whole lot of mackerel (and one herring while we were there). His Dad was an island fisherman and his Mom lived in East Machias. He was there for the summer and was earning some money ($35 from the grocery store for 10 pounds of cleaned and filleted fish). He pointed out his Dad, who we also met.

It was a long and hilly ride but full of adventures.

Day 11

Time for another ride. We headed up the east side of the island, but got stopped by a really bad road. Along with some drizzle, we cut the biking short.

As usual, the sun came out later in the day. Sat on my bench on the beach and our Polish/Russian neighbours joined me. They were from Toronto and were, in fact, from Ukraine. They live in Long Branch and she attends the same church, Saint Demetrius, that my Aunty Dora goes to.

Too funny. In the evening, on the beach, we spoke with some people, including a young woman (with the cutest dog) who, after we were telling our story about the day before, was the sister of our mackerel fishing friend (thus daughter of the Dad AND a relative of the salmon farmer; yikes!).

It was a quiet day and it’s amazing how days fly when you’re not DOING very much, other than enjoying your surroundings and the people you meet. Ahhh….

Oh yeah, another Bald Eagle today!

Day 12

A beautiful, sunny morning. Just right for David’s proposed bike ride to Lubec. Really?

Yep, really and it was amazing. It was a hilly ride, but no need to walk (Gigi, are you reading this?). Fun to go through US Customs (waiting in line behind a bunch of cars; showing passports, etc.). The Border guy even gave us a map of Lubec.

We rode around and met a North Carolina family on the beach (well, actually mud flats since it was VERY low tide). They made some recommendations for lunch AND for must-see places in Southern Utah, likely our next destination.


  


Interesting Canadian/American border halfway down a rocky point. Lunch was yummy fish and chips on deck overlooking harbour (and harbour seals). 


  

Once back in Canada, we stopped at the Mulholland Point Lighthouse and watched the seals frolic some more. Interesting “tickle” (Newfoundland word http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/azindex/pages/5024.html for the ripples formed when tide going out meets tide coming in).


  

Got back and chatted with a cute couple from NB camping for the first time since they were teens. Very sweet.

A great day.

Day 13

Alas, we decided to leave today. It was a beautiful, sunny morning so I enjoyed a few last minutes on the bench on the beach).

Not much to see on our LONG drive across Maine.

Got to Moose Creek State Park in the mountains in New Hampshire late in the day and had to BEG for a spot in their “emergency” location. It was, in fact, an excellent, though buggy, location. Good place to stay in the future.

Day 14

Despite showers and fog, decided to drive through the mountains. We’d done this many years ago, and some things were familiar.

Like the Hassidic Jew we saw strolling in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. My research since says that this town is known for summer vacationers from the Hassidic community: http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/020927/findingside1.html

Also familiar were the egrets I happened to see in a swamp near Burlington, Vermont; familiar from our Texas trip but sort of out-of–place (to me, anyway) here. But they’re known!

Decided to drive on, so we tried the Highway 2 route through the Grand Isles of Vermont. Stayed at the Grand Isles State Park. Was happy to find a great site (100) and even had a fire (proof in the pictures). Another nice place to stay enroute East.

Day 15

Other than a long drive (and just barely avoiding a long delay on 401 after an accident because we got there just as police were arriving; lots of crushed metal, but didn’t look like anyone was hurt), an uneventful day.

It was nice to get home (and the freezer was fine!). Happy that the cat had another chance to travel (maybe more in the future? Who knows? As long as she’s okay, she’s going with us wherever!).

It was a good trip though we were disappointed with the first half or so in Maine. Thankfully we remembered, and enjoyed, Herring Cove Provincial Park on Campobello.

Now, where are we going next? WHEN are we going?

Here's the Maine and New Brunswick photo album: https://picasaweb.google.com/113390676240612869195/MaineCampobello?authkey=Gv1sRgCOXF7KXqxaKJYA&feat=email