2023 Maine Trip
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Hiking Stowe Pinnacle trail with Janelle and Penny
We had a very curvy, frequent-road-changes, scenic drive to Stowe, Vermont today. We arrived in Thompson Park which has a walking trail through it and access to a creek, and, most importantly, shade for Usain. Tony used the afternoon to work and stay with the cats while Janelle, a former JHS colleague and friend who…
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Exploring Stowe and Morrisville, VT
Iowa is too young to have the United States history you see back east, though our Native American history is very old. Stowe was founded in 1794 and we found a Revolutionary War gravesite from a New Hampshire Regiment soldier in the town cemetery. The gravestones here are very thin and most are rectangular or…
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We’re in Maine!!!
We continued with the scenic drives through Vermont, New Hampshire, and into Maine. The roads are two-lane, tree-lined and go through villages and towns. We drive for 10 miles or so, then turn onto another road as maps has us weave our way to Maine. No complaints – it’s beautiful country. Observed while driving: a…
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Acadia, the Atlantic Ocean, and First Lobster Roll
Seawall is our first destination; we are camping here for two nights. The clean bathrooms have flush toilets but no showers. There are pay showers about a half-mile up the road at a little store. We wash up just fine in the back of the van. It’s called Seawall because of the piled up “wall”…
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First Official Acadia Hike
We moved Usain to the Seawall Picnic parking area this morning because it is out of the trees for Dishy to connect so Tony can work and it is by the ocean for me to putter around. The tide is out this morning, so I can see the snails and barnacles in little tide pools.…
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Wonderland Hike & New Campsite
We did not expect to have to run the A/C in Maine, but it has been in the upper 80s every day so far. To keep the cats comfortable, we have to run the A/C, especially if we are not in the shade. Like any vehicle, the van gets hot really quickly in the sun…
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Beech Cliff and Canada Cliffs Trails with Island Explorer Bus
Taking the bus requires timing, but we didn’t have to worry about parking Usain. We also have to rely on a printed bus schedule and paper maps as cell service is very unreliable here. We packed backpacks and set out from our campground with a bus stop right there at 10:40. We switched to a…
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Beech Mountain Trail and Echo Lake Beach
We parked at the Echo Lake Beach parking lot and headed out on the Canada Cliffs trail, picked up the Valley Trail to get to South Ridge Beech Mountain Trail. We could see the Fire Tower from our cliffs hike yesterday, and could now climb to the lower observation deck. The upper deck and building…
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Four seconds red; one second dark
We set out before sunset—not that it mattered on this cloudy evening—for the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. There is a small parking lot, and no street parking allowed. Cars line up and wait for someone to leave the parking lot. Bass Harbor Campground is very close by, so we walked to avoid the parking issue. We…
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Go for a Stroll and get a Lobster Roll
Today was cleaning and moving day. Before leaving the west side of Mt. Desert Island, we did one last hike just up the road between Seawall and Bass Harbor at Ship Harbor. This is a short hike, a little over a mile, but it gives access to tide pools and is a walk in the…