Until next time

It’s time to begin thinking of leaving this place we’ve been all week. I’ll tell you where the cottage is and show you more photos (if you’re not getting too tired of it all yet) when I get home.

It’s time to pack up the laptop and the things around the house because we want to get an early start tomorrow. Working on these photos is dificult because of the tiny laptop screen. The one I have at home is twice this size. I’m not too sure of the colors I’ve been posting all week, so bear with me please.

I say goodbye to all of this, until next year.

I picked this stem off a large wild blueberry bush growing along the shoreline near our cottage. I’ve had it in a champagne glass filled with water for the past several days. UPDATE: It's mountain laurel. Thanks, readers!

A painter from Surrey who travelled an hour on this nice fine morning (his words) to paint the coastline at Schoodic Head Peninsula, part of Acadia National Park. He was the happiest gentleman, too.

The library in Winter Harbor is a former chapel.

Jonathan lives.

A lobsterman outside of Winter Harbor checks his traps early Friday morning.

Skiffs tied to the floating dock at Winter Harbor.

I think I may miss this the most. I have always wanted to kayak yet never did until this week. I practiced and became adept at circling around rocks, stopping and turning quickly. And going really fast.

I love it. Except getting out. I don’t like that part.

Well, my husband’s started packing. George is outside barking at those pesky squirrels. And it’s time to shut this baby down and get moving.

I look forward to catching up with all of you when I get home. And I have a lot of catching up to do. Plus there’s a lot of comments to read . . . thanks so much for coming by and visiting today.

A hike around Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park

Our vacation to Downeast Maine continues and lest you think I am some kind of hiking queen, I’ll have you know that I most certainly am not. I am always optimistic though, and when I told my husband I wanted to hike up the Sargent Mountain after reading a comment I received, he knew I may end up biting off more than I could chew.

So instead, when today dawned rainy and then changed to just thick gray fog on the mountains, we headed for the park, stopping at Jordan Pond for a much easier hike.

Visitors have been coming to this spot for a long time and it boasts one of the nicest restaurants on the island and a must stop on a beautiful day. They have the absolute best popovers with homemade strawberry jam.

On to the hike, though . . .

There are two trails we took today: The moderate-rated Jordan Pond Shore Trail and the easy-rated Jordan Pond Nature Trail. The loop totals 4.3 miles and I will say that by the end, my feet were hurtin’.

But everything hurts, truth be told. I have done a lot of hiking and kayaking this week.

We began with the Shore Path (above).

The trail turns into a plank path which winds along the western edge of the pond.

I’ve seen lots of people on this path in the past but today we only met a few. Even very small children seem to do fine on these planks.

And George had no trouble.

The fog was beginning to become more dense as we made our way around.

The plank path ends and you emerge into a rocky section.

But honestly, it’s extremely easy to navigate over these.

There’s even a picturesque, rustic little bridge at the half-way point.

This photo looks like it could have been taken in the 1800’s.

The trail along the other side of the lake is flat and has a couple more little bridges you will pass over.

Getting close to the ending point, it begins to rain gently.

After crossing this path, it’s a quick hike down the Nature Trail and if you like, a short stroll up the hill to the restaurant where, on a beautiful day, you have a gorgeous view of the pond and The Bubbles.

All in all, an easy fun hike.

Tomorrow is our last day and I don’t even want to think of returning back to my life. And so I will not.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hiking the Beachcroft Trail, Acadia National Park

Yesterday, I got to choose the hike we took and after reading the indispensible guidebook on Acadia National Park that we bought a few years ago, I chose this one. It’s the Beachcroft Trail that leads to the top of Champlain Mountain and it begins at the parking lot on Rte. 3 by The Tarn just south of Bar Harbor. The trails in the park are rated from very easy to strenuous. Click {here} for a guide, if you so desire.

This one was rated strenuous. But I am an eternal optimist.

I chose this trail because it affords the same view as you would get if you were hiking the Precipice Trail, the most challenging trail in the park and only for the very fit who have no fear of heights. The Precipice Trail is an exposed, almost vertical ascent of 1,000 feet. It’s worse (to me, anyway) than the dreaded Beehive. My guidebook stated that, in comparison, the Beachcroft was a walk in the park.

The trail begins as a gentle climb on stone slab steps.

If you have a fear of heights, this trail probably is not for you as some of it is open.

It was the perfect day for a hike, just a tad bit chilly with beautiful blue skies. And I was totally loving this trail.

There is a multitude of exquisite stone steps that lead up the western side of the mountain and I marveled at the amount of work that had been put into creating not only this, but every trail in this park.

There were lots of wide-open views and little rest stops along the way. That’s Rte. 3 you can see there, heading south towards Seal Harbor.

Then it got a little dicey. This was the first section of really rugged terrain. Not good if you have knees like mine but I did it anyway because hey (I’m in Maine). And if you’re worried about George climbing over this ~ he was amazing. He just scampered up. As did my husband. Damnit.

At one point, I was breathing heavy, my fingers holding for dear life in the crevice of a rock only to look up and see an elderly woman gently coming down. She could see I was having just a little trouble but assured me that this was the steepest part of the trail and not to worry, I was almost there.

I was later to find out, through another couple we met a the top who had spoken with her, that she’d lived on the island all of her life and had hiked every single trail in the park except this one, which she decided to do that morning. Interesting.

After the harrowing climb up the boulders, there was a section of this where we followed the cairns (the piles of stones used as markers to lead the way). It was a little steep but better than those boulders.

And at the top was our reward ~ a spectacular view. That’s the Schoodic Peninsula in front of us. We stayed at the top for a nice long time, laying on the rocks in the sunshine. George took a little siesta, too.

The hike down was surprisingly easy, although I ripped my hiking pants sliding down some rocks. A trip to Bar Harbor to pick up some sandwiches came next and we drove to a scenic location to eat our picnic lunch.

All in all, the Beachcroft is a great trail. Today we’re taking it easy. Took a small hike over on the Schoodic Peninsula, a much lesser-used portion of Acadia National Park. We hiked both the Schoodic Head Trail and the Anvil Trail and then came home and went kayaking.

Love. Love. Love it here.

Your friend,

It all started with a walk in the clouds

The sun comes up early in Maine, where we’re staying for a week on the coast. Today we were out the door by 7:30, headed for Cadillac Mountain. We knew it would be in the clouds but we still just wanted to be there.

That’s another mountain you can see through those clouds. It may be Champlain Mountain.

“Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.”

I like mine with some half & half but I found this inspiring. We bought a cup to share at the little store on top of Cadillac Mountain, where (and this is unprecedented for us) we were the only car in the parking lot. And they let George into the little store. George was fascinated with the stuffed bird display, and I kept pressing the loon for him as he wagged his tail.

I had to get a photo because we’ve never been the only car in the entire parking lot. There’s ALWAYS someone.

We ended up hiking the Great Head Trail and then driving around the Loop Road where we stopped to get a photo of the view and saw this seagull hanging out.

He let me get this close to him without flying off.

After stopping at Colonel’s in North East Harbor for some lobster rolls, we had a picnic at a pullover stop on Sargent’s Drive, a lovely road that runs along the east side of Somes Sound.

When we got home, I took the kayak out and paddled around the little cove here. It was so quiet, with the sound of the oars and the birds in the sky. Later, I heard the distinctive sounds of another bird who we’ve been seeing quite frequently here.

This beautiful pilated woodpecker was feasting on ants that are living in the damp wood left along the edge of the coast by a storm.

George waiting for me at the top of the staircase that leads to the beach.

I love lobster. Mine had barnacles.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

A Sunday in Maine

I’m writing this from the vacation cottage where my husband and I are spending a week on the coast of Maine. We stuck close to the house today, going kayaking in the morning and then taking a walk and exploring the area around the house and the shoreline.

There’s a small selection of books here and we spent some time sitting in the deck chairs reading. I’m reading Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie, by Rebecca Charles and Deborah DiClementi. It’s full of some wonderful recipes and a great family history.

We sighted fog southeast of us and watched as it slowly made its way to the house, chilling the air. My husband started a fire in the big stone fireplace in the living room. It’s spring here and the yard is full of buttercups and dandelions.

This week, I’ll be taking landscape photographs . . .

. . . and macro shots.

And of course, you’ll hear all about George’s adventures.

I’ll tell you a little about the house . . .

. . . and about this book I found here.

Ok. I didn’t really find the book here, I created it using Photoshop; but I think it’s pretty funny. I’m sure my husband’s family will think I’ve gone off the deep end.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

I love it here

It’s Saturday night and I’m writing this from the vacation cottage that my husband and I are renting for the week on the coat of Maine.

All my fears about this place were unfounded and I’m happy to report that this is the best place we’ve stayed so far.

This was taken just before sunset from the beach. The place we rented is waterfront.

This was later on, while sitting out on the porch amidst the mosquitoes. I had on my favorite repellant which kept them at bay.

I’m enjoying a glass of wine while sitting on the porch and I can hear the loons calling in the distance. The ocean air is full of the scent of pine trees with a little wild beach rose thrown in for good measure.

I love to travel and driving twelve hours is well worth the effort when you end up in a place like this. It really seemed like no time until we were here.

Do you see those two floats in the photo above? I’d forgotten they were there and it was dark. They’re old lobster pot buoys that my husband found today. They were wrapped around some driftwood on the beach.

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for rain, but I could care less because hey, we’re in Maine. You knew I’d say that, didn’t you?!

Until next time,

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.