Sep 30, 2018 - Portland

We took a trolley tour of Portland and that’s the best way to see it. We got into the downtown that is filled with shops in historic buildings. It’s very busy as there were 2 cruise ships, the Cat ferry for Yarmouth was loading cars and people everywhere. It was Sunday so we were advised on street parking meters were free. First we saw signs on back streets for $15 all day parking and thought that was high. As we drove around we found a lot next to the trolley stop - it’s $7 an hour or $35 a day. Decided to look again for the $15 parking...

Sep 29, 2018 - Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport and Kennebunk are really neat and busy. We drove into town and found cars everywhere and didn’t see any lots - drove into a lot for a restaurant were told where to look for free all day street parking. Great. Then took a trolley tour of the area that went by old hotels and the Bush estate, we learned about the history of the area too. Good narrated tour that gave us our bearings. Went by President Bush’s estate, a Franciscan Monastery, a spouting rock, old hotels such as Nonantum Resort, Colony Hotel, Gooch’s Beach, Mother’s...

Sep 29, 2018 - A Thousand Miles from Nowhere

My friend Cathy joined me for the trip from Cleveland to Maine. She had never seen Niagara Falls, and since it was a quick detour for us, we decided to take a side path on our route. I picked her up at midnight from the airport and we headed out. By 3:00 a.m., I was getting tired and started looking for a place to pull over and sleep for a few hours in Gypsy. Literally, every travel center or rest stop was maxed out with truckers. So, we journeyed onward. By 4:00 a.m., we were nearing the Canadian border. I looked up a travel center, and...

Sep 28, 2018 - L L Bean

I went to a local legend and got Holy Donuts this morning - the are made with Maine potato flour and come in special flavors such as Chocolate Sea Salt and Maple Bacon. They are large and good. We had a long drive yesterday so took a shorter trip up to Freeport to see the LL Bean headquarters. There are multiple stores - a home store, a flagship store that resembles Bass Pro, a hunting and fishing store, a canoe and water sports store and outdoor activity center. A very busy place but no actual factory to tour. They also have factory...

Sep 27, 2018 - Autumn leaves

Border no problem, leaves changing, 2 windy nights, pull in slides, birds for the cats We went through the border with no problem. The guy did come aboard and opened the refrigerator to be sure we didn’t have any contraband citrus, etc. That was a new experience but he didn’t look anywhere else and was pleasant. The leaves are starting to change in the mountains and as we drove from St. Andrews to Old Orchard Beach it was very pretty. We are in the first part of the campground and do have all 3 Dish satellite stations but the WIFI is very...

Sep 21, 2018 - Bar Harbor, ME to Bethel, Me

September 21, 2018 We had a very efficient early morning. On one of our walks in Bar Harbor we found Everyday Joe which had a very nice laundromat with many German machines, a Shell gas station and an excellent diner with very fresh, inexpensive food. Our wash was done in 24 minutes! (just enough time for us to finish our breakfast sandwiches and coffee.). Drying was done in less than 30 minutes. I want a Huebsch washer and dryer!! Grocery shopped and on the road by 10:00. As we pulled into Bar Harbor on Wednesday the dreaded check engine...

Sep 20, 2018 - Bar Harbor, ME

Awoke to sunshine in the 50’s. Discovered our inverter won’t work so turned on the generator to make coffee. The park has very nice inter-island bus service sponsored by L.L.Bean. Is very handy and free. Rather than drive yourself, you could probably take a series of buses to see the whole park, Bar Harbor and nearby Trenton. It was a 20-minute ride into Bar Harbor. We arrived about 10:00. A Crystal cruise also had anchored. Lovely day to walk the streets and the shore path which hugs the water with views of stately old mansions. Many T...

Sep 19, 2018 - Campobello Island, NB to Bar Harbor, Me

September 19, 2018 Escaped much rain last night and just a slight mist as we head to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. In 2013 we drove Hwy 9 south but this time we took Hwy 1 which reminds us of Alaskan roads. Very bumpy and lots of construction. We also gained an hour when we moved from the Atlantic to Eastern time zone. Arrived in Bar Harbor around 11:30, did some grocery shopping and had lunch at Jordan’s Blueberry Diner which looked to have been around for years. Very fast services and good, plentiful food. Bob had a scallop and...

Sep 6, 2018 - L.L. Bean in Freeport

Rain was forecasted for today. It made it a good day to go to Freeport to visit the flagship store of L.L. Bean. Freeport is a shopping village. Parking was free, and walking was easy. We spent most of our time at the L.L. Bean Outlet store. We did visit the main campus which is huge. The main store is open 24/7/365! “Each year, more than three million people visit L.L. Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, Maine, helping fuel the company’s $1.6 billion in annual sales. And it all started with a man who was tired of wet feet.” This a great...

Sep 5, 2018 - More Lighthouses

The first order of business was to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Neither of us can remember when we last had the opportunity to eat there, but it's been a LONG time. Today was filed with WOW moments! The lighthouses were nice, BUT the seascapes were the hit of the show. We marvel at the rock formations. The coastal rocks here are very different from those at Acadia. Today, it appeared that we were walking amongst a fallen petrified forest. Our first stop: "Two Lights State Park is a popular point of destination for Maine residents and...

Sep 4, 2018 - A Day Trip to Lighthouses and Kennebunkport

We traveled south on Highway 1 going through Biddeford, Kennebunk, Wells, and Ogunquit. All of them could be day trips in and of themselves. Kennebunk and Ogunquit were especially crowded. We only did a drive through. Parking was at a premium with prices ranging from $10 - $20. The homes were worthy of magazine cover. Our destination was York Harbor to view the Nubble Lighthouse. Imagine our dismay as we arrived at one of the most photographed lights in Maine to find it wrapped in green netting!! Nonetheless, we were able to appreciate the...

Sep 3, 2018 - Travel to Saco, Maine

Today was a travel day as we moved south to Saco, Maine. We chose to travel north to Bangor to then travel south on I95. Traveling on a state route would have been a more direct route, but we thought it would be slower in the long run. It took about 1.5 hours to reach Bangor and another 30 minutes before we were actually traveling south. We arrived at our destination around 3:30. The campground is in a rural area. The property has horses, chickens, goats, sheep, llama, and ducks. There is a large section of seasonal campers. Our site is...