I love a good road trip

My husband and I (and of course, George) are going to be taking a week’s vacation in Maine. In fact, as you’re reading this, we’re probably still en route.

We’ve rented a cottage on the coast within driving distance of our beloved Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

Right now, this is probably what George is up to:

We have been so looking forward to this trip and I’ve worked hard this school year. There’s so much to be done before leaving on a long journey too, isn’t there?

Last August, we rented this {cottage} on Deer Isle through Seaside Rentals. We had booked a small place that slept four and was billed as secluded. It was also on the edge of a 98-acre trail which, when I enquired, was told that dogs were permitted on the trail but had to be leashed. The trail was a huge plus. The house came with access to a sand beach, high speed internet access and a small fenced yard.

Perfect!

I wasn’t given the directions until final payment was received, so as soon as we got them, which was just a day before we were to leave (we booked late), we checked google satellite maps and saw a huge structure directly next to the cottage, just through those trees you see on the left. I was really surprised. I called the agency and left a message as well as e-mailing them, but no response.

Needless to say, when we arrived, we were really disappointed to find that our ‘secluded cottage’ was actually just rental income for the castle that was built directly in front of it.

I couldn’t find any photos in my files of the castle. You’ll just have to believe me, please. It was huge. This is no fish tale.

But hey, it really wasn’t all that bad. Because hey, we were in Maine!

The cottage had this nice little deck. But we were a bit chagrined with the slanted way in which the place was depicted.

I mean, the owners’ giant house was right there!

Ok. I’m not complaining. But the internet didn’t work either.

But hey, who wants to spend their vacation sitting in front of a computer anyway? Not me!

This was the beach that came with the house. We knew that it wasn’t private and were told via e-mail that a couple of houses were out there and they used it sometimes, too.

 

This is the view from the road we took to get to the beach, which was just a 5-minute hike from our cottage. In reality, the beach was a favorite kayak launching site, complete with a small parking lot.

But that was all okay, because hey, we were in Maine. And we love it there. Besides, we found another way in to the beach, and could sit on the rocks and observe all the comings and goings, which were really quite interesting.

Oh, and of course, the 98-acre trail that was adjacent to the property forbade dogs. It was a new rule and just in time for our arrival.

There were so many good things about the island though, which made our vacation a good one. One was the drive out to the main road. As we would come out of the wooded area where the cottage was located, we were treated with the view you see above. This was taken from the carport area of another rental.

 

And a short drive down the road, followed by a quick jaunt down a sand trail afforded us the view above. This is the little beach along Sand Road on Deer Isle.

 

And every night, there would be the wonderful sunsets. I would definitely stay on Deer Isle again. It’s always risky when you rent a vacation home, and sometimes it can be disappointing. Hopefully, however, the plusses of the area in which you’re vacationing will outweigh your living quarters. And when the digs are great . . . well, that’s just icing on the cake.

I am hoping that the digs are great where we’re going. But if they aren’t, it will be okay. Because hey ~ we’ll be in Maine.

Until I post again, my friends . . .

Don’t know when I’ll be back on, so this may be my last post for several days.