Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg was part of the reason we decided to take this route back down the east coast. It was interesting but I was a little disappointed. Maybe it was because we visited when it wasn’t peak tourist season, but some of the shops and taverns were closed or only open very limited hours. Plus, everything was really expensive and some of the “characters” were less than enthusiastic. On the positive side, it was a nice day to walk around the town. We did meet a lot of nice, and informative people. We were able to hear “George Washington” make a speech and answer questions from the people in the crowd. This is the Govenor's mansion and one of the coaches seen on the streets.


I bought a little printed and hand-bound booklet called "Every man his own doctor or The poor planter's physician". It tells about common illness and ailments and how to treat them in the home. The woman in the apothecary shop said this was basically your health care because the doctor was very expensive. It is an interesting read. Some of the cures have good basic principles but there are a lot of cures that involve bleeding the patient. Scary.

Jamestown Settlement

This afternoon Mike and I went to the Jamestown Settlement, which is outside of Williamsburg, VA. In 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, a group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony. It must have been “Girl Scout Day” because they were EVERYWHERE! I wasn’t expecting too much from this exhibit but it turned out to be awesome. The museum was huge with lots of good information about the time period. It showed the time period from different perspectives, for example, what was going on in the new colony, with the Indians, and in England and all of Europe. This photo is part of the living history exhibit.

The Williamsburg Scottish Festival was being held across the street. By the time we made our way over there, it was later in the afternoon so we got in free. Yeah! The bagpipes were still playing (a group called Warpipe) so we bought a beer and found a seat. They were really good.

On a side note, we drove the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on the way from Maryland to Virginia. It is truly an engineering marvel. I had seen a special on the making of it on TV at some point in the past. It's awesome. As we drove into the second tunnel, a huge cargo ship was passing over it. Here's the Link

Assateague Island National Seashore

Mike and I made a short stop over on the Maryland coast. Two nights to be exact. While we were there, we drove out to Assateague Island National Seashore. A main attraction at this park are the wild ponies. They are slightly smaller than regular horses. The "wild" horses on Assateague are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society.


Here's a photo of the marsh area.

We also walked on the Ocean City boardwalk and had some Maryland Blue Crab.

Philadelphia, PA

Mike and I made a day trip into Philadelphia to visit the National Historical Park. We stopped to see the Liberty Bell...


and Independence Hall.

In Independence hall, George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Also, the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787. This is the room where it all took place:

George Washington actually sat in the chair in the front of the room. It's one of the only originals furnishings. The rest were burned by the British during the occupation.

We also saw Congress hall, which served as the meeting place of the U. S. Congress from 1790 - 1800. In 1800, the capital moved to Washington, DC. We were able to visit some other historical sites but these were the highlights. Lastly, we finished the day off with a Philly cheesesteak and headed back to the RV.

Atlantic City

Mike and I spent some time in Atlantic City on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was fun. We went to casinos. We went to bars. We tasted tequila. Sorry no photos available ;) As far as gambling goes, I think I broke even.

Two days of driving

Over the last two days, Mike drove us from Bar Harbor, Maine to Atlantic City, NJ. It took us about six hours each day and Mike drove it all. We were able to bypass the major metropolitan areas with a series of interstates and toll roads. We tried to travel between rush hours so traffic wasn't too bad. I wish we could have seen the New York City skyline but the closer you get, the worse the traffic. I guess NYC will have to be a vacation for another day.

Beech Mountain trail

Mike and I hiked the Acadia Mountain Trail on Friday. From the top, I hear you can get a great view of Somes Sound. When we set out from the motorhome, it was sunny. By the time we made it to the top, a fog had rolled in, which obstructed almost all of our view. Oh well...it was fun anyway.

Last weekend, when we were out at night in downtown Bar Harbor, it seemed like ice cream shops were on every corner. Tonight, we went looking for a really good cone. By the time we got down there, everything was closed! Then we found one shop that was open and it had unique, homemade flavors. It was awesome! They advertised lobster ice cream but I wasn't adventurous enough to try it. I think it was vanilla with cooked, buttered lobster chunks. Maybe tomorrow...

Saturday it rained again. We went to a matinee of Superbad at the Criterion Theatre.

Sunday, it was back to hiking. Yeah! I love hiking in Acadia National Park. It's beautiful. The weather has been nice and cool. Plus, you don't have to worry about being attacked by bears or mountain lions and there are no poisonous snakes! We hiked up to the only fire tower on Mt. Desert island via the Beech Mountain trail.

The Precipice Trail

5 am rolled around pretty early this morning. We bundled up (it was cold) and drove to the top of Cadillac mountain to see the first sunrise in the United States. It was a clear morning and the sunrise was outstanding!

The Precipice Trail is the most challenging and well known hiking trail in Acadia National Park. It is known for an exposed and almost vertical 1,000 foot climb up the east face of Champlain Mountain. The hiking trail has many rungs and ladders along the trail's length, which are basically iron rungs secured into the side of the granite. This trail is only recommended for physically fit and experienced hikers who have no fear of heights. We, of course, met none of these qualifications and so decided to make the precipice trail our first "hike" in Acadia National Park.

This is part of the trail. See the flat granite face to the right? We came down these steps. Notice the blue mark/trail marker?


This is an easy ladder. The ones near the top were more of a shear cliff face. At that point, I didn't want to stop to pose for a photo and the camara wasn't easily accessible.

Later, we went to the Criterion Theatre for a movie. The Criterion is an old theatre that has been in continuous use since the 1930's. They used to have vaudeville shows there too. Now they have live music events and movies.

Acadia National Park

Today we drove the 27 mile park loop road. This was our second time around the loop but the first time with the sun shining. It was a very different experience. Our first stop was Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll into. At the end of this inlet, down low, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar! Hence the name: Thunder Hole.

We drove past Otter Cliff, Otter Point, around the park, and up Cadillac Mountain. Next we drove to the southwest side of Mt. Desert Island and the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. It was a sunny day, the air was cool and crisp. The view from the lighthouse was great and you could hear the buoy bells gently clanging out in the water. I think the head of the coastguard in the area and his family get to live in this lighthouse. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, if you can get past all the tourists walking just outside your windows. (The larger section of house is behind the light tower.)


The last stop of the day was the wonderland trail. This flat, easy little trail took us out to some tide pools, which we timed rather well, and explored at low tide. We sat out on some large granite rocks for a while, listening to the birds and waves, soaking up the late afternoon sun. Perfect.

Fog and Rain

For the last three days it has been foggy and raining. The weather map showed the jet stream flowing right up over us. So we haven't been doing too much. Sunday afternoon we went to the Atlantic Brewing Company, a local brewery, took a tour and had a taste of the goods.

Monday, we drove around Acadia, despite the rain. We visited the area around the Sieur de Monts Spring. The Sieur de Monts Spring area is the heart of the park. Facilities include the Nature Center, the Abbe Museum, and Wild Gardens of Acadia. We also stopped at Jordan Pond House and had some of the famous popovers.

Tuesday, we visited a local winery. We left with some apple wine and a Gewurztraminer (a white). It was still raining and we weren't in the mood to go back to the RV, so we went to a local pub, the Thirsty Whale, for a late afternoon snack.

Bar Harbor, Maine

This morning we went took a nature cruise on the Sea Princess. We went on the 10am cruise that included a Ranger from Acadia National Park as a narrator/tour guide. The tour included a boat ride by the Bear Island lighthouse.


Next we headed to Little Cranberry Island and saw some harbor seals on the way. On Little Cranberry, we visited the NPS Isleford Historical Museum. The last part of the boat ride took us on a cruise in the Somes Sound Fjord. We saw a bald eagle.

Later in the evening we went to a movie at the Reel Pizza Cinerama, a local theatre where you can eat gourmet pizza and drink a beer while watching the movie. The movie was OK, but the pizza was really good. After the movie, we went to see some live music. We met some really nice people from the local area. As the night went on (read: drinking) I was overcome with the gift of gab. I think I talked the poor womans ear off! It was a fun night and I'm really looking forward to the rest of our time here in Bar Harbor!

Lobsta dinner

We drove up route 1 to Bar Harbor, Maine today. Upon checking in at the campground, we found out there is a "lobster guy" who sets up a table and cooks fresh lobsters at the campground on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. He also roasts corn on the cop and will deliver your order to your campsite. We got a campfire going, ordered our lobster, and sat at the picnic table to eat. It was a really nice evening.

Camden Hills State Park

Today we went to the state park just outside of Camden. Camden Hills State Park signature location is the scenic vista high atop Mt. Battie where sweeping views of Camden, Penobscot Bay, and surrounding islands await. On a clear day, visitors can see Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park. We went to the top of Mt. Battie and the views were indeed spectacular. That's Camden down there, although it may not show up as well on the blog photo.

The lower half of the park includes some of the shoreline and a pleasant little trail along the shore.

Later, I sought out and ate a lobster roll. Yum!

Mid-coast Maine

Driving was on the agenda for today. We drove down the coast a little ways, stopping in and out of harbors and picturesque view points. Here are the "oreo" cows.
Sorry I can't remember what they are actually called but I think they are rare.

Next, we stopped and walked 7/8 mile out to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.


The website: Rockland Lighthouse
Here is a view of our path from the lighthouse.

And then, of course, we had seafood on the waterfront. This was our view!

Maine!

We made it to Maine! finally! We drove into Camden, Maine, which is a very quaint little town, and found our campground. Then, after getting some advice on places to eat, went down to the harbor. It was early evening and my goal was a lobster dinner overlooking the water. No problem there. Restaurants are abundant and they all advertise lobster. I have had lobster in the past but this was my first time tackling the whole lobster. I didn't want to look too dumb so I decided not to wear the plastic bib. Then I got lobster goo on my shirt and looked dumb anyway. Oh well. We had a decent dinner and walked around the downtown for a while. Tomorrow we will go site seeing in the area.

Franconia Notch, NH

This day we drove over to Franconia Notch State Park, a state park in New Hampshire. Specifically, we went to the Flume Gorge. Franconia Notch State Park is located in the heart of the popular White Mountain National Forest. A notch is actually a gap in the mountains formed by river and glacial erosive forces. The Flume itself is a mini-canyon 800 feet long. This state park is BUSY! Park staff were actually directing people to people to jump the curb and park on the grassy areas and along side the road. It was a nice walk and the gorge was pretty. Notice the walkway built on the side of the gorge.

Later in the afternoon, we went back to the Mount Washington hotel and the veranda. This time we brought the binoculars. It was very relaxing.

Mount Washington, NH

Mount Washington is the highest mountain in the Northeast US. It has the reputation as having the world's worst weather. We took the auto road up to the top. Other ways to reach the top are cog railroad and hiking. It was in the low 60's at the base. Here's the current weather conditions at the observatory when we arrived at the summit:

Temp: 37F, Wind chill:24F, Wind gusts in the 40mph range.
Mount Washington has the unofficial highest ever recorded wind speed, measured in 1934.


Here's the building where it was measured. Notice the chains anchoring it to the ground?

Mike at the summit.


Here is the Mount Washington Hotel. The veranda on the back side of the hotel is a great place to view the mountains while sitting in a rocker and sipping a martini. Mount Washington has over 300 days of fog. We were very lucky to view it on a relatively clear couple of days.