Our adventure begins

I can honestly admit that after arriving home from vacation, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. I’ve got so much to accomplish within the next couple of weeks, and today I actually had to make a list of it all. I’m still going through all the mail in my inbox and have so many photos to share with you but no idea of where to begin. So I decided to just start at the beginning.

It’s a very good place to start.

(name that tune)

In a few posts from now, you’ll probably be crying uncle for all the Maine pics, but here we go.





I took off work last Friday so that we could leave a day early. Our plan was to get up to Maine and stay somewhere along the southern coast. Then Saturday, we would take a leisurely drive along the Coastal Highway, since we couldn’t get into the rental until mid-afternoon. We planned on visiting the park and some other places.

I get bored sometimes on the road, so I pick up the camera. This is the New York City skyline at dawn last Friday.





We left the house at 3:30, solely to avoid traffic on the Jersey Turnpike and the dreaded George Washington Bridge, which we crossed at dawn. There was a single car ahead of us in the toll line.

Mission accomplished.

We were beginning to get tired after getting into Maine and began looking for a hotel room shortly after 1 pm. Unfortunately, every place we stopped either did not accept pets or was completely booked. I got on the phone and made some calls, finding out from another motel that there was one along the road that might have openings, AND they accepted pets.





When we pulled up, we nearly kept going because the place had the look of a dive written all over it. But we were so tired of driving at that point, having slept so little the night before that we took the room after having a look.




The Pioneer Motel had seen better days but our room was clean and the bed seemed comfortable when we sat on it. Actually, the king-sized bed was the biggest surprise and now has the distinction of being one of the most comfortable in any hotel/motel room/rental cottage that I’ve slept in. The sheets were actually wonderful. The motel, just north of Wiscasset along Rte. 1, never filled up that night and we watched from our porch as cars pulled in, took one look and left.

Early the next morning, we hit the road north.

My husband’s idea of early and mine are not the same, but it’s easier to just go with the flow sometimes. We were on the road at 5:30.

Are you really surprised?






All in all, it was a pleasant ride and the little towns along the coast are lovely. I believe this may be Belfast.





I know we’re getting close when we can see the bridge at Bucksport.





It was a perfectly beautiful summer day and the radio played a forgotten song.

(name that tune)





And then, we were heading up Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park. I shot this from the car window - that’s Eagle Lake.





We were on the top of the mountain by 8:30 am. That’s the town of Bar Harbor in the photo above and you can really see the golf course well.

I brought the video camera along with us on vacation, and took this 30 second clip. The drive looks like it’s happening faster than it actually is, but we were only doing about 20 mph.

.

Sorry if that made you nervous.





We had the most delicious coffee at the camp store on the top of the mountain and my husband bought himself a new cap. He also bought George two stuffed toys – one a Peregrine Falcon (not a Paraguay Falcon) and the other a Snowy Owl.

George’s old Scary Bird lost its voice a while ago.





Afterward, we headed down to Bar Harbor and parked at Geddy’s next to our car’s twin from Maine. The color of our car is ‘sunset orange pearl’, only available in 2003-2005 I believe; the orange color was changed after that.

My husband wanted me to get a photo for posterity’s sake.

Speaking of photos, one of my husband’s pastimes is visiting camera cams from places we’ve been. His favorite is the one at Geddy’s on Bar Harbor where you actually get to move the camera.





The camera is there on that pink building, just at the left edge of it. Here, let me circle it for you.





Check it out, if you like.

Geddy’s Harbor Cam

Our adventure continues tomorrow. Until then . . .