Oct 29, 2019 - Cape Cod, Newport and Portsmouth

It had stopped raining when we left Barnstable. We drove down to Sandy Neck Beach to see the beach. It was hidden behind sand dunes. We climbed and saw a small sandy beach. But with a cold wind blowing we didn't linger. We went on on 6A winding through sleepy little towns and villages, each with its own character. Houses...cottages...were on the large size. Most were white frame...wooden...houses. There were little restaurants and gift shops increased in number as we approached Cape Cod National Seashore Park. We stopped at Salt Pond...

Sep 9, 2019 - Hurricane Dorian sends us back to the States

Hurricane Dorian put a bit of a damper on our trip. The hurricane came pretty close to us but by Florida standards it wasn't bad at all. I would guess we had winds in the 50 to 60 mph range, but I had us tucked in a nice safe place. Nova Scotia on the other hand is not at all prepared for this kind of weather. They had practically no property damage, but the power grid is a mess. They have power lines down everywhere with no prediction of when power will be restored in many areas. As we were driving out, we noticed that they don't do any...

Sep 5, 2019 - Kennebunkport, Maine

Had to clean up the pantry, as we had a petro pack orange juice container spring a leak. Rubbed through from all the bouncing around. Hadn't noticed the leak, but had been wondering why we had so many fruit flys in the pantry. Quite a mess!! Wound up cleaning and organizing the pantry and the fridge. Turns out there was also water in the krisper in the fridge as a drainage pipe was plugged and the defrost water overflowed. Made a salad and cooked a pot of green bean soup. Had lunch at the rv. After lunch drove south down the coast to...

Sep 4, 2019 - Old Orchard, Maine

Left Bar Harbor around 9:00. Headed south down Hwy 1 and drove through Rockland and Portland to Old Orchard. It was a nice scenic drive along the coast of Maine. Got to Wagon Wheel Resort, Old Orchard Beach around 1:30. Had been looking for a place to stop for lunch but did not find a good place to stop, so we set up at the rv park and had a sandwich in the rv. After lunch we headed to the pier in Old Orchard. It had been cloudy all day and the forecast was for thunder showers in the late afternoon. We had just gotten to the pier when we...

Sep 1, 2019 - Bar Harbor, Maine

Sept. 1, 2019 - Crossed the border into Maine, by 9:00. No one ahead of us when we got to the border, so thought we'd be done in no time. Unfortunately got tagged for a random agricultural inspection. No issues but we wound up spending 1/2 hour at the border, while they took their time and check out the rv. Even made us open the slides. I think they were having a slow day!!! Stopped at Houlton, Maine at the renowned Marden's store!!! Was dissappointed, had heard so much about it and found it was really only a giant liquidation store. They...

Aug 18, 2019 - Wild Hogs in Maine

The other reason we settled in Bethel Maine for a month was because that was the location of our annual motorcycle group ride with our friends – the Wild Hogs. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will recall that the core group of Wild Hogs started back in 2012 with a trip to Italy where we rode motorcycles through Tuscany for a week. Every year since then we have met in some part of the US or Canada for a reunion ride. Each year a different couple is in charge of planning the rides and making the arrangements for...

Aug 9, 2019 - Portland Maine

Got to downtown Portland about 9. Parking rates are ridiculous! Pulled into a lot right beside the ticket booth for the trolley tour I wanted to take. Went to the kiosk to get a ticket and it said $8 an hour or $45 for 12 hours. Left that lot and went to another one a couple of blocks away. This one had a gate and indicated $7 an hour. I wanted to back out but there was already another car behind me so I went in. This one didn’t indicate a max so I thought I could end up owing $56 or $63 since I planned to be there all day. Walked the...

Aug 8, 2019 - On the Road to Portland

Checked out about 8:30 and hit the road. The fastest route to Portland would have been to go back up to Bangor and catch I-95 but I decided to take US route 1 which comes down right along the coast but adds about 45 minutes to the trip according to Google Maps. The plan also included a stop in Freeport at the L L Bean flagship store. Rained most of the way down the coast but cleared up a bit north of Freeport, eventually became sunny shortly before I arrived in Freeport about 12:30. Freeport appears to be a shopping destination. In addition...

Aug 7, 2019 - Biking the Carriage Roads

Set the alarm for 7:30 but hit the snooze once for extra 9 minutes. Stopped at the Log Cabin Restaurant for breakfast since it had been a few days since I’d had a real breakfast. It took longer than I anticipated, so it was approaching 10 before I got to the Jordan Pond parking lot and things were filling up fast but I snagged a spot on the first go around. First up today was hiking the Jordan Pond Path which makes a 3.2 mile loop around the lake. I walked counter clockwise. The trail along the east side of the lake is a very easy, flat...

Aug 6, 2019 - Hiking Galore!

Got a fairly early start this morning. I was at the Hull’s Cove Visitor’s Center at 8 when they opened. Picked up a couple of items then headed out to the parking lot to catch the bus to Bar Harbor’s Village Green. Walked down to the Bar Island Land Bridge. It is just as advertised…you can walk across to Bar Island. I have pictures from the same spot from last evening and again this morning. On Bar Island there is a trail you can hike to the highest peak on the island but it is about a mile, so 2 round trip. I would have had about an hour,...

Aug 5, 2019 - Arriving at Acadia National Park

Got a jump on things today. Original plan was to just get here early afternoon and drive the Park Loop Road. But yesterday realized I could probably make the 2:00 bus tour that was on the itinerary for 10 tomorrow. Worked out well, stopped at my hotel which was on the way in towards Bar Harbor, checked in, and jump on one of the free buses, getting into town around one. After buying my ticket had some lunch and was back getting on the bus at a quarter of 2. Tour was 2½ hours and had 3 stops. Cadillac Mountain, Sieur de Monts Nature Center,...

Aug 5, 2019 - Repaired

There was a mistake involving the Elliott house in Scotsburn. Most of you could probably care less but a few previous Elliott's and Hill's should get the undated information that one prior Elliott provided. The woman mentioned in the previous blog entry does not live in the Elliott house, she lives in the house next door. Both Ross and Marge were certain the woman said she lived in the Elliott house but it seems both of them did not hear her correct. However, the prior Elliott did confirm the woman's culinary skills were lacking. The...