Maine trip, July 2012
Saturday, July 21
Left Lexington around 9:45 with Becky and Steve, and headed
north. We stopped for lunch in Portland at the Farmer’s Market restaurant, down
by the waterfront.
That area of Portland is lovely – full of interesting little
shops, galleries, restaurants. We even saw a fire truck set up as a touring
vehicle.
We arrived at the Pfister cabin by 6:00, without a wrong turn.
The driveway is hidden among tall pine trees. The cabin is small, but well
built; no TV, telephone, internet. But the view from the porch is gorgeous –
looking out over the bay - and is a perfect spot to relax and listen to the
waves.
Steve was there to greet us, and he showed us the trail he’s built over
the last 7 years, which connects the cabin with their year-round home. His
year-round home is beautiful, with an open plan, and just the second of his 5
current residences. Steve took us on a walk on the rocks around the bay,
harbor, passed the library, and back up to his home and the cabin. It was great
to stretch our legs after sitting all day, and see his neighborhood up close.
The five of us spent time together catching up over beers, and
then went to dinner together at the Boatyard Grill. It’s a very casual place,
where Steve sometimes plays gigs. After dinner we chatted more at the cabin,
then called it a night, after brief star gazing. The sky was a tad cloudy, but
the stars were very bright.
Sunday, July 22
The day was just beautiful (happy anniversary to us). We had
coffee in our PJs on the porch, watching the tide go out. Steve P. came by
after his morning jog, and chopped down a small pine tree that was blocking the
view.
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| Enhancing the view |
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| Steve and Steve |
Becky came down with what we think was food poisoning, and was out of
commission until mid-day the next day. So Mark, Steve, and I happily read,
lazed about, and watched the water ebb and flow.
Later in the afternoon, we went into Blue Hill, and found a
little variety store where they also made pizza to order. The shop had just
about anything you could want, and then some, from beer and wine, to a baby’s
rattle, and car fuses. We had a quiet evening and pizza and beer dinner, and
toasted our 39th anniversary with good friends. We even played a few
hands of bridge.
Steve P. stopped by on his way home from a gig at Mainely
Meat by the Atlantic Brew Co. He was surprised at how good a gig it was – a new
place, and new drummer who hadn’t ever rehearsed with them. We were sorry to
have missed the opportunity to hear him play, but we had a good evening anyway.
Monday, July 23
Another beautiful day dawned in East Blue Hill. Becky was
feeling much better, too. After breakfast, we packed up and headed for Acadia
and Bar Harbor. We found a fun restaurant in Bar Harbor – Route 66. It was jam
packed full of 50s memorabilia – every inch of walls, ceilings, surfaces covered
with items – some of which brought back old memories. The restaurant included
the stained glass windows and other parts of a church that were brought to the
site. We wandered around town a bit,
then found the Cleftstone Manor and checked in.
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| Cleftstone Manor, Bar Harbor |
The inn is an old house (built around 1880), full of
antiques, and very comfortable. We
received a warm welcome from the receptionist. After unpacking, we met
downstairs in Annie’s Place, a lovely enclosed room with windows on three
sides. At 5:30, the inn offers hors d’oeuvres, lemonade, and ice. We brought
our own wine, snacked and chatted with other guests. There was a couple from
Akron, Ohio. Another couple, Tammy and Mark from Lowell, MA, we kept running
into all week.
We had a very nice dinner at Burning Tree, which my work
colleague had recommended. It was a good meal, which we decided was a better
anniversary dinner than pizza and beer. Afterward, back at the inn, we headed
to bed.
Tuesday, July 23
We met downstairs for a nice breakfast of blueberry
pancakes. Then we set out for the ranger station in Acadia National Park. The
day was gray, so we decided to drive the Loop Road, and stop at various
lookouts and sights along the road. We purchased a book about the stops, and
Becky got a hiking book, so we were all prepared with information.
As we drove, the fog rolled in, so the views of the harbor
and islands was interesting, although we couldn’t see very far. Still, the fog
made for some interesting pictures. At Sand Beach, it was very cool and windy, and we watched
the fog roll in off the water.
We noticed a sign
for a concert for Flash in the Pans steel band on Thursday night at the
Northeast Harbor Marina, and decided to plan to go to that concert.
On the way out of Northeast Harbor, Becky spotted a sign for
Thuya Gardens, which a friend had told her about. We created a parking space in
the little lot, and walked up the landscaped path to the gardens. The gardens
were designed by a Boston architect in the late 1800s. The gardens are just
beautiful, and 2 women spend 40 hours a week maintaining the flower beds. There
are 6 other people who do the grounds maintenance, also.
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| Walkway to Thuya Gardens |
We went to Mainely Meat next to Atlantic Brewing Company for
dinner. Sadly, we missed the last tour of the brewery. Becky and I had bbq
chicken, Mark had steak, and Steve had a sampler with a bit of everything. It
was good, and the Bar Harbor local brew was very good. It was the same place
Steve Pfister had his gig on Sunday night. It’s a very casual spot with outdoor
seating at picnic tables.
When we got back, we played bridge for a while
downstairs. Mark just wasn’t having any luck with hands. Finally Linda decided
to swap hands after cards were dealt, and it turned out that was the best hand
all night! The next hand Mark had opening bid, finally, we played that last
hand, then quit for the night.
Wednesday, July 25
Wednesday was a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot, perfectly
clear sky. We decided we’d better make the best of the perfect weather. After
another good breakfast of waffles with raspberries at the inn,
we headed for
Cadillac Mountain. We drove to the summit, then took what we thought was a
trail. Turned out it wasn’t, but we climbed out the rocks and were rewarded
with great views into the distance.
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| View from top of Cadillac Mountain |
Our next stop was Jordan Pond. We took the 3.2 mile walk
around the pond, which was pretty easy walking, despite the description as
moderate in the hiking guide.
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| At Jordan Pond |
We started around the eastern shore; along the
western shore, it was less windy, and there were a number of trees that had
been gnawed by beavers.
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| Getting a closer look at beaver activity |
We also saw about 4 large beaver lodges.
The western edge of the pond had a half-mile of wooden log bridge over the marsh. Even
though that was supposed to be the more difficult walk, it was easier.
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| Bubbles at Jordan Pond |
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Beaver dam
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| Walkway on western side of pond |
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| Becky near the beaver dam |
We had lunch at the restaurant at famous Jordan Pond. The
popovers were so good that we ordered a second round.After refueling, we
headed back on the trail and drove to Southwest Harbor. Three of us took a
little nap in the car – luckily Mark stayed awake, since he was the driver! We
found a spot with a short walk down to the rocky shore, where we poked around
for a bit (Wonderland trail).
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| Checking for life in the water |
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| Shoreline |
We met a couple from Bedford, MA. They were
regular visitors to Acadia, and we asked what were the best spots to visit. We
were hitting the high spots, so that was good to know.
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| View from Bass Harbor Lighthouse |
Next stop was the Bass Harbor Lighthouse, established in
1858, the first lighthouse in the area.
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| Bass Harbor Lighthouse |
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| At the lighthouse |
Then we went into the little town, where we found a spot to sit overlooking the harbor at the Seafood Ketch, and wet our whistles with some summer ale.
It was back to the inn to rest a bit before our dinner
at Mache Bistro. There are just seven tables, and it’s French cuisine; the
décor feels like a French bistro. The meal was the best I’ve had in a
restaurant in some time – just fantastic. I had the duck confit, Mark had a
steak special, Steve had the bouillabaisse, and Becky had hangar steak. Our
appetizers were also superb. We decided that the meal and wine were so
outstanding, we ordered desert. Mark and I shared the Meyer lemon tart with
pecan ginger crust – yum! Steve ordered a whiskey, and we also had coffee. We
decided this was worthy of our anniversary dinner.
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| Steve and Becky, Mache Bistro |
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| Linda and Mark, Mache Bistro |
We were all pretty tired, and tucked in when we got back to
the inn.
Thursday, July 26
We woke to a gray day, and a bit cool. Over our blueberry
French toast, we decided to walk across the sand bar to Bar Island
- the timing was perfect. So we drove
into Bar Harbor and found the perfect parking spot – no meter and right at the
end of the harbor. We found the walk to the sandbar, and strolled across to the
island. The short trail led to the summit, and it was quite a busy path - the
second busiest next to Cadillac Mountain summit area. The view from the top of
Bar Harbor was nice, but hardly compared to what we saw the previous day.
We
followed the trail down, and ran into Tammy and Mark at the bottom. Tammy
showed us pictures on her iPad of starfish along the rocky edge of the ebbing
water. We set out along the edge and found the crab, some red starfish, and a
few tiny crabs. Mark threw the largest beached red starfish back into the
water, but it landed top-side down. We didn’t watch long enough to see if it
flipped itself over.
We headed to the ticket office to try to book a cruise to
Baker’s Island for Friday morning, but there were just 2 seats left. We were
all feeling draggy and slow for some reason. Maybe it was the humid, gray, day.
We meandered in and out of some shops and galleries. Becky was hunting for a
few gifts to take home. We pushed Mark and Steve to their shopping limit, then
broke for lunch at Cherrystone’s. We sat at a table under a large awning in
case of rain, and people-watched while we ate lunch.
The four of us went downstairs for hors d’oeurve time for a
bit. None of us was hungry, so we decided we’d just find something to eat after
the concert instead of buying subs to eat at the concert. Anne, the owner of
Cleftstone Manor, told us the amazing story of the fire of October 1947 that
destroyed one-third of the island. A fired started in the dump, and the
firefighters thought they had extinguished it. But the fire traveled
underground, burning the peat as it went, and surfaced three days later. The whole
strip of summer homes on Eden Street where we are staying were destroyed, with
the exception of Cleftstone Manor. The story is that some boys across the
street from the Manor knew the woman who lived there, and doused the home and
grounds with water, so the fire went around the home. The owner of Cleftstone
Manor later bought land surrounding the home, built motels, and flourished in
the rebuilding of Mount Desert Island.
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| Audience of all ages |
We set out for Northeast Harbor Marina to hear Flash in the
Pans steel drum band. It was a little drizzly, but we hoped for the best. We
found the marina without problem, due to Steve’s excellent map reading, and
posted signs.
It was such fun!!
The band set up under a canopy in the field, and the band members were all
ages. There were possibly 30 musicians of local people, with varying degrees of
musicianship. But the sound was wonderful, and on beat, and everyone enjoyed
what they were doing.
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| Flash in the Pan steel drums |
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| Band drmmers |
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| Perfect picnic - in the drizzle |
The audience was composed of many families, teenagers,
couples of every age. It took a few songs and a few brave souls, but soon a
large portion of the audience was dancing to the music. People had a fantastic
time, and it was a true community activity. We watched the whole concert,
including an encore, and Becky purchased a hot pink T-shirt. By the time the
concert was over, we were ready for a light bite. At the edge of the field,
there was a restaurant attached to a motel, and I suggested we check it out. We
had a good pizza and beer dinner, and good conversation. We were so glad that
Steve Pfister recommended the band!
Then back to the Manor, and a good night’s sleep for all of
us. Not sure what the weather tomorrow will bring for our last day on the
island.
Friday, July 27
The day was gray and still, and it rained during the night,
so everything was damp. We enjoyed another good breakfast today (roasted red
pepper quiche), and found out the cute young waitress was from Bulgaria, and
here for 4 months.
We decided to drive around the west side of the island, and
explore that area. We meandered along the roads at the coast line, then
followed a gravel and dirt trail off-road to Long Pond. We drove as far as we
could, and then walked for a short while down to the shore of Long Pond. It was
still gray, and the far side of the pond had clouds of fog hanging in the air.
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| Long Pond |
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| Eerie branch |
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Next we stopped in Tremont, a small fishing village. We
watched them unload lobsters in plastic bins. A crane brought the bins up from
the boat to the pier, and put them into a truck that had a conveyer belt inside
(I think). When the boat unloaded, an equivalent number of empty bins were
lowered to the boat, along with 2 bins full of herring to use as bait. A lot of
lobsters were unloaded in just the short time we watched.
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| Empty traps stacked on the dock |
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| Herring - food for lobsters |
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| Empty crates |
More winding along the coast took us to Southwest Harbor,
where Becky got some delicious raspberries at a small farmer’s market. We got
sandwiches and drinks to go, and had a picnic lunch outside in the sunshine on
curved stone benches in a little park by a war memorial.
We needed to walk off lunch, and sought out the Flying
Mountain trail. It was a little over a mile walk, through the woods and down to
the shore of a pond. We set off up a steep hill (as usual); the beginning was
deceptively easy though steep, up steps built into the hill. The next part of
the 0.3 mile climb to the top was rocky, and a bit slick from last night’s
rain. But we made it to the top for the “spectacular” views – nice but not that
nice. After a breather, we headed down the trail – still rocky but down hill at
least. We followed the trail to the shore, but then the trail disappeared – no
more blue dots. So back up the hill we trudged until we spotted our blue
marker. Becky re-read the description in the hiking book, and this time Linda
took the lead. We found the trail that lead back to the fire road this time –
just passed the slope to the rocky beach.
By this time we were all ready to call it a day, and we
drove back through Somesville to Bar Harbor. We treated ourselves to ice cream
sugar cones at a place with handmade ice cream – yummy!! Steve and Becky had
coffee heath bar, Mark had ginger, and Linda slurped black raspberry chip.
Linda decided she wanted to go back to the store next the
Route 66 restaurant and check out a necklace in the window. Alas, they only had
the necklace in green, so no sale.
Back to the inn to rest, shower, and regroup. Then off for
dinner at Fathoms.
We had a table
in a quiet corner of the restaurant. The food was excellent, and very pretty to
look at. The flavor combinations were creative and unusual. The atmosphere was
more casual than Mache Bistro, but the service was as good, and our meals just
as delicious. Becky had the Vespah cocktail in honor of Josh’s winning a Vesper
in the Galliano cocktail contest, and I had the Raspberry Cooler. We had a very
nice red wine from Italy that Steve recommended, too. An excellent last
vacation dinner was had.
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| Steve and Becky, Fathom - Vespah cocktail |
Saturday, July 28
Day dawned bright and sunny, and seemed like it would be a
hot day. After praline waffles for breakfast, we packed up, and headed home. We
had a pit stop at a gas station that had no gas, and a little variety store
with an odd assortment of items, including Boone’s Farm wine! Next stop was
Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth, NH, for a late lunch with beer, of course.
(Municipal parking is 75 cents an hour, and the restaurant stamped the ticket,
so parking was free – good deal!)
We arrived in Lexington around 3:45, and exchanged pictures
with Becky and Steve. During our vacation we drove more than 21 hours, and went
845 miles, and had a great relaxing vacation with good friends.
Time to plan our next trip together. ;)
Steve was there to greet us, and he showed us the trail he’s built over
the last 7 years, which connects the cabin with their year-round home. His
year-round home is beautiful, with an open plan, and just the second of his 5
current residences. Steve took us on a walk on the rocks around the bay,
harbor, passed the library, and back up to his home and the cabin. It was great
to stretch our legs after sitting all day, and see his neighborhood up close.
We
followed the trail down, and ran into Tammy and Mark at the bottom. Tammy
showed us pictures on her iPad of starfish along the rocky edge of the ebbing
water. We set out along the edge and found the crab, some red starfish, and a
few tiny crabs. Mark threw the largest beached red starfish back into the
water, but it landed top-side down. We didn’t watch long enough to see if it
flipped itself over.
After lunch we made our way back to the car, and managed to
find a few gift items. Then we drove to Parkman Mountain, and walked the
Carriage trail to 2 stone bridges.
