Maine

5/15/2022 Maine has been a bucket list goal for a while now, but of course, timing is everything. We’ve managed to time things just right and we’ve made it! Stopped at LL Bean on our drive up.

Our first stop is a Harvest Host location that has a beautiful farm and is home to numerous rare Icelandic Horses.

These blue eyes are like nothing I’ve seen before.

5/16/2022 Our first morning in Maine and the fog rolls in. LOVE IT!

The fog was collecting on these blooming flowers and it was so much better than this picture would suggest.

Grace gets some saddle time.

They have several VERY friendly barn cats!

….with very bushy tails!

….and are easily confused by small dragons!

Grace and I head out for a fun walk to the “Breakwater Lighthouse”. So named because it was built atop a breakwater rock wall and you actually walk across the rock wall to get there. Signage suggests that it’s 0.8 miles to get there, but based on this view, we could be walking off the end of the Earth! We really have no idea what’s out there.

(0.79 miles later) Oh wait, there it is!

5/17/2022 Last day here and Grace gets another ride in.

The barn cat has fallen in love with Grant and to show that love, it is kneading Grant’s legs with its claws. Grant was less than impressed with this display of affection.

The lady that is giving Grace lessons owns this horse and we were told that it’s not the most human friendly horse in the whole world, so staying away would probably be the best course of action. Well, I don’t have any pictures, but this horse and I were best friends by the time we left! I did LOVE its dedication to getting fresh grown greenery outside the fence line!

5/18/2022 Hello Acadia National Park! On the list of things you are “supposed” to do at Acadia is see the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. It’s so popular that they now require a reservation to drive up the mountain after Memorial Day…..but it’s not Memorial Day yet, so everybody out of bed, we’re going up the mountain at o’dark-o’clock!

At 4:34am, the moon is still bright and the sun is on its way!

Yep, even Bear drug his lazy butt out of bed for this!

You can’t really tell, but here’s what the faces are saying: “Okay, the sun is up, it’s freakin’ cold and we’re freakin’ tired, LET’S GO!”

Back in the park…..yes, after a nap…..and we do the all important Loop Road. Stopped at the infamous “Sand Beach” only to find a Surfer? Yep, a surfer!

Just in case you missed them.....

5/19/2022 Three of us have decided to tackle the hike to the top of “Beehive”. It starts like this….

….and you quickly encounter a sign that says stuff like “This trail follows a nearly vertical route….” And “Falls on this mountain have results in serious injury and death”, but come on, isn’t that possible with every hike?!

It is a really, REALLY great hike! This is what is looks like from below.

And here I’ve highlighted a hiker for you because they are VERY hard to spot in the picture.

You park at the Sand Beach parking lot for the hike and since we are here, checking out the beach at low tide was a must.

We head home, collect Val and Grant and head for Jordan Pond.

We found this crazy “bent” tree along the path and I asked Grace if she could go sit in it for a picture. Response? “Yeah, no problem”…….uh, sure Grace, sure.

Somebody has been a busy beaver…..HA! Pun intended!

Me thinks this tree doesn’t have much time left in the standing position.

At the opposite end of the pond from where you start is the trail head for “The Bubbles”. It’s another one of those straight-up type of trails. We decide to test Grant a little bit today and he made it pretty far, but this is when he threw in the towel. He and I stopped here while the other proceeded to the top. Not a bad view while we wait though.

Here they coming back from their “summit” and yes, it really is that steep.

The clarity of the water in Jordan Pond is quite remarkable.

Next up? The Carriage Roads. This is a 45-mile network of 16-foot-wide roads that was built by John D. Rockefeller starting in 1913 so people could enjoy the area completely free from motorized cars. Today it is used for hiking, biking and horseback riding and it is, indeed, VERY enjoyable.

Well, here we go…..it’s Lobster time. I am not a seafood eater and nor is Grace, but they say you’ve gotta do in while in Maine to REALLY experience it. We’ve done our research and asked some locals where to go and we’ve picked our place…..and now Grace thinks she’s being “Fancy”.

…..until they actually bring it out and then all fanciness goes right out the window!

Dylan is into it, but Grace and I ended up sharing a hamburger. It was delicious. I highly recommend it.

5/20/2022 Today we are going to explore the Schoodic Peninsula side of the park. This is the smaller and MUCH quieter side of Acadia that is on the east side of the Mt Desert Narrows. It’s the recommended place for doing tide pooling. We have started at a place called the “Crow’s Nest”. Not marked on the maps and almost non-existent parking, but doesn’t matter because we are the only ones around.

For geographical reference, the mountain you see in the background is Cadillac Mountain.

Grant has a knack for spotting stuff like this.

Bear has left the group for some reason.

Here’s a fun fact: The state desert of Maine is the Whoopie Pie. Guess what? It is delicious!

This is Schoodic Point and the tide pooling here is about as good as it gets.

I am tad more focused on the waves crashing against the rocks. Don’t ask why, I just am.

Sometimes you get lucky.

…..and sometimes you get wet!

This Sea Anemone was REALLY small, but REALLY neat to see.

5/21/2022 Just outside our campground is an easy walk down to a little beach area. One morning it was overcast, foggy and just a little bit cooler than usual and the slugs were out in full force. They made Grace happy.

One of the other iconic landmarks of Acadia is the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.

After that we hiked out the Wonderland Trail to this little rocky beach. The fog always adds a coolness factor to me.

Grant would so happy if we just let him throw rocks into the water forever and never made him hike another day in his life.

5/22/2022 We’ve moved further north into Maine and are staying at this quiet state park. It’s a nice change of pace from the touristy Bar Harbor stuff.

….and once again, the forest is carpeted with slugs! They are EVERYWHERE!!!

5/23/2022 Off to Saint Croix Island National Historic Park. In 1604, this was the first attempt at a year-round French colonization of the area. They made an assumption that because it was on the same latitude as France, that conditions would be similar to France. As I am sure you can imagine, things didn't go as planned.

This one is a tad “special” for us because this historic site is NOT open yet. However, I made contact with the superintendent and he told us to come on up anyway and he’d open things up for us! That’s a first!

5/24/2022 Quoddy Head State Park is home to Quoddy Head Lighthouse.

….which is, the Easternmost point on the mainland! It makes me feel special for some reason.

This tree defies logic to my small brain. I am sure there is a simple explanation here, but I’m not sure what it is.

We got Dylan a souvenir hat to mark the occasion.

This state park is also home to some pretty remarkable hiking trails.

Hard to capture in the picture, but this opening in the trees and the way the light was coming through it made me think of a doorway into the forest.

Oh boy, this tiny little squirrel was driving Bear bonkers. We were eating lunch at a picnic table and clearly this thing knew that meant food. So, it would get semi-close and then Bear would yell at it and it would run…..then it would get close and Bear would bark at it…..rinse and repeat.

5/27/2022 For the first time in quite a while we’ve turned to the south and we are spending a couple nights in Bangor Maine to take care of some laundry and shopping and stuff like that. I did not take many pictures, but I managed a few flower shots in this great little campground we were staying in.

Morning Dew collecting in a plant leaf is just not something we get back home.