Rain in Maine!!

Coralie certainly brought rain with her.  We had a fairly water sogged weekend for the first 2 days of her stay - decided to explore Portland and see what we could between the showers.
Our first stop was a Walmart store - they are quite amazing!! everything you could possibly need is there and more. While I was in New York Trevor  joined us up to the Sams Club - a Walmart with a membership requirement. Sams Club sells items in bulk at incredibly discounted prices. eg a 3.5lb bag of M&M's cost $8.89. Paper towels were $14 for 16 extra large rolls. $12.00 for 12 boxes of extra large tissues. Handy in a motorhome with limited storage!!
We  had lunch on the wharf in the Old Port area - lobster rolls, clam cakes and squid. We later found icecreams at Gorgeous Gelato. This is a pretty area - brick and cobblestone streets lined with galleries, boutiques and artisans shops while fishermen unload their catch on the working waterfront.
We also visited Fort Popham, a coastal defense land battery at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Phippsburg.

On Sunday we headed up the coast. We stopped for breakfast at the Freeport Cafe, a popular place. We waited in line for a good half hour for a table - but it was worth it for the homemade pancakes, eggs and bacon!

Then into Freeport to LLBean, the home of outdoor clothing and equipment. Founded in 1912, now a global organisation with annual sales of more than $1.44 billion. It started as a one man operation and provided free shipping to anywhere in the US and Canada with no minimum purchase. That tradition has continued - all LLBean products are 'post paid'. The company headquarters in Freeport are just down the road from the original store.

The next day promised less showers and fine weather on the way. We headed out to drive the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains, New Hampshire east/west  from Lincoln to Conway. This route is one of the top 5 Fall Colour routes. It is just below highway 2 which we followed on our way East 10 days before.




What we hadn't expected were covered bridges. I think of Vermont and covered bridges - what a thrill to see and photograph these structures on our New Hampshire journey.

I will let the photos tell the story!







New Hampshire has between 25 and 30 covered bridges - we visited 4. Why the first covered bridges were built has been obscured by time. Some say that horses were more comfortable crossing an enclosed span than an open trestle; others that a bridge lasts longer if its heavy timbers are protected from the weather; monetary conditions came into play as the first covered bridges were toll bridges - not very romantic!!

The covered bridges are beautiful.  The ones we visited each had a history of restoration and conservation which we were grateful for.

Our first visitor!

Trevor's sister Coralie, came to visit us on her return trip to NZ from touring in Europe.  We moved to Portland, Maine 2 days before she arrived. I have some trepidation when setting off on secondary, scenic or coastal roads - what will the surface of the highway be like; what overhead bridges and trees will we have to contend with.  The GPS is doing a dummy spit again ...  But it is good to be on the road again.
The trees have been busy while we have been parked up at Bar Harbor; their leaf colours are more intense. It makes for colourful highways. We drive by gorgeous bays and quaint houses in the pretty towns we pass through. After passing through Bath, the traffic increased markedly. We are now on  I 295. We stopped at a Visitors Centre for advice and maps - it looked a breeze. But then we missed the off ramp and then the next ... shit and double shit.  Heading for the Maine turnpike!! Finally 'our girl' got us back on track and we followed her faithfully! We booked into Wassamski Springs campground in Scarborough just outside Portland.

The next day we hired a rental car, booked my train trip to New York to meet Coralie, did washing and ... I had a haircut. No appointment. It took 9 minutes. It cost $15.00 plus a tip - go figure!!!!

On 27 September I went to New York to meet Coralie.
Trevor stayed in Maine. He went to the Cumberland Fair.
Although similar to the Perth Show on a smaller scale there were some unusual displays - a pumpkin competition, draft horse pulling, oxen show classes to mention a few.



















The train trip to New York took about 6 and a half hours with an hour stop in Boston. I had downloaded a Lee Child onto my Kindle and the time went quickly.  The view of the Manhatten skyline in the early evening was quite something! I arrived at Penn station in New York just after 7.30pm. I had booked a hotel nearby. I expected Coralie to be waiting at the hotel, but she hadn't arrived. She didn't get to the hotel until  9.15 after flying into JFK airport on time at 4.30pm!  She was kept waiting at JFK with many other passengers - told there had been a bomb scare! A glass of red wine and small meal was just what the doctor ordered.  It was good to see her.

The next morning we woke to rain. We were catching the train back to Maine at 11.00am.  Only time for breakfast and a coffee before we made a dash in heavy rain back to Penn station. We were both soaked by the time we got to the train. A grey day with little visibility out of the windows.  Thank god for Jack Reacher!

Trevor was waiting at the train station.  He had booked a restaurant for dinner and then home to the RV.

And now we are 3!!

Still in Bar Harbor.


Another area we explored while Downeast was the Schoodic Peninsula, a wilder more rugged coastline. We had a lovely sunny day to drive the scenic byway, passing through quaint villages and enjoying the preserved rural character. Schoodic Point is accessed by a one way road which ends at a rocky headland with views over the islands of Frenchman Bay and  the Atlantic. We saw seals bobbing about in the water probably onto a good feed.

We stopped  in Birch Harbor for lunch at the Peninsular Pub. Football was on the TV screen and the conversation turned to Aussie football. They loved Trevor's joke about  "... how big is your willy ..."

We stayed an extra day in Bar Harbor. On Monday 24 September we went into Ellsworth to have some documents witnessed by a Notary Public. They related to the registration of the RV which is still in process.

I succumbed to the 'festival/thanksgiving' spirit and bought a 'mum'. It lives in the hand basin in the bathroom when we are travelling but otherwise sits on the dashboard in the big front window of the bus.It is bright yellow.

Timberland Acres RV Park

3 Weeks Later!!

A lot has been happening since I last  'posted'  3 weeks ago. Trevor's sister, Coralie visited us for 10 days and has now returned home; Fall colours have peaked in a number of the places we have visited; the weather is getting cooler and we have had rain!
I left the blog in Vermont ... St Johnsbury to be exact. On 20 September we travelled about 230 miles in 3 States on Highway 2 - setting off  on a cold misty morning of 0C.  It felt very cold. We were unable to use the heater (or so we thought) as only had a 30amp hookup. I had 2 pairs of socks on and a beanie. I walked for 1/2 an hour which helped to warm things up.

We crossed the border from Vermont into New Hampshire at Lancaster,then drove 35-40 miles across New Hampshire to the border into Maine.
We stopped for a coffee in Gorham, NH.  A few miles further on,
the Appalachian Trail crosses Hwy 2 on its way to Mt Katahdin in Maine - of great interest to us as we have hiked about 600 miles of the AT in North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.


We didn't know it but we would return to New Hampshire to drive the highways south of Hwy 2. But even now the leaf colours are changing quite dramatically and the drive was beautiful.
We upset the GPS by staying on Hwy 2, (definitely not an Interstate) and travelling through small towns. In the end we had to turn her off as she went on and on ...
After crossing into Maine we had a  slow drive due to road works. We stopped at the Pumpkin Patch RV park in Bangor. How could we resist!  Thanks to Eoin Cameron of 720 ABC Perth.

The Pumpkin Patch RV park was recommended by neighbours at the Moose Rive Campground and it was a great spot. A lot of RV's. The gardens were decorated for Thanksgiving and Halloween. I am still not sure how these 2 calendar events come together, but for the last several weeks we have seen so many garden displays and decorated yards highlighting the colours of harvest and halloween. The centre of the displays include large pots of chrysanthemums and pumpkins large and small, decorated and plain.


We did all our washing and then dined out at the Park's restaurant. A cold night, clear and starlit.
The next morning we headed for the coast and Bar Harbor in the Acadia National Park. Again we parked up at an RV park recommended by people we had met along the way; Timberland Acres RV park.

I have to show you our latest purchase for the RV - a rack for the septic hose. It looks so tidy and creates the necessary 'fall'! I had seen them on other motor homes and just had to get one. Doesn't it look great?







We stayed in Bar Harbor for 4 days and hired a car to properly explore. It was beautiful; great to be so near to the ocean.
This part of Maine is called Downeast Maine. It lies between Pendoscot Bay to the west and the Canadian border to the east. The irregular coast line provides grand scenic views.
The sea was one of the main reasons for settlement of the region. The economies of some towns are strongly tied to fishing and related activities.
The ocean Downeast is dotted with numerous islands, from barely visible to Mt Desert Island. Bar Harbor is on Mt Desert Island.
The Island was discovered by Samuel de Champlain in 1604 and was
part of L'Acadie which included the coasts of what is now Eastern Maine, New Brunswick and Novia Scotia.

 Bar Harbor is an idyllic port village. It is a stopping off place for numerous cruise ships.  There was one in port each day we were there including the Queen Mary!

 

 
















And then there are the lobsters!  We had lobster for lunch on the jetty at Bar Harbor.  We bought 2 lobster and had them cooked for a fairly messy dinner. But they were delicious although we both agree that they don't compare to our marron.