I was a bit worried about our autumn in New England get away. We were going to visit a friend of Hubby's in Maine but he canceled just a couple weeks before our visit. Then the second leg of our trip, Denver to Chicago, didn't go well. The plane had cargo hatch problems and another plane had to be flown in from Los Angeles. After four hours of waiting we boarded the new plane but as we were about to take off the plane had to go return to the terminal because its weight in the cargo hold was not distributed correctly. Crazily, when we returned to the terminal the only process necessary was the passengers in rows 16-19 were asked to move to other seats (I guess they couldn't get out of their seats while on the tarmac) We thankfully had an uneventful flight but when arriving at Chicago we were unable to leave the plane because the jet bridge was unable to attach to the plane. While waiting for this delay to be remedied the stewardess began her usual request on the intercom for a positive review of the flight. She was met with uproarious laughter and quickly got off the intercom! We spent the night in Chicago with a wad of food coupons and were back at the airport first thing in the morning. By 11:00 we had arrived in Bangor, Maine, and were headed for the seashore!
It was a lovely autumn day, sunny, cool and breezy. The tourists were out but the locals were definitely gearing down for the winter. I wondered just how busy they were in the the throws of the summer! For that reason we drove through the Bar Harbor tourist trap and into the depths of Acadia National Park. Our mission, lighthouses! It was beautiful and the shores were rugged. In the mid 1800's families from New York began to summer in this area, they were known as "summercators". The Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, Astors, Vanderbilts, and Pulitzers soon began to built big beautiful homes. Many are still there today, some restored as inns and some falling into ruins.
The roads are two lanes with 55 mph speed limits. A little hard to get used to after our years of driving freeways at 80 mph. On the Maine and Vermont maps things look hours away but we soon realized the legends were much different than our Montana map and happily were MUCH closer together.
Soon it was on to Booth Bay where we spent a couple of nights. Although Booth Bay is also a tourist town it was much quieter and very enjoyable. The hotel manage suggested a family owned restaurant where Hubby ate lobster and I had a great bowl of lobster and corn chowder.
The next day we hopped onto a boat and visited Monhegan Island. The seas were a bit rough but worth the ride.
This island is about 350 acres with a small village, a school, and about
ten miles of trails. It became protected in 1954 in the hopes of
protecting the area and its simple way of life. Artists have been living
on the island for over 100 years.
We saw hundreds and hundreds of Monarchs and were surprised when the locals told us there had been thousands on the islands just days before.
Our last day in Maine was spent in the car, looking for covered bridges and making our way northwest into New Hampshire and Vermont. As we gained altitude the foliage became more and more stunning.
And after a long day of driving filled with adventure Lake Champlain greeted us with the most spectacular sunset!
It was a lovely autumn day, sunny, cool and breezy. The tourists were out but the locals were definitely gearing down for the winter. I wondered just how busy they were in the the throws of the summer! For that reason we drove through the Bar Harbor tourist trap and into the depths of Acadia National Park. Our mission, lighthouses! It was beautiful and the shores were rugged. In the mid 1800's families from New York began to summer in this area, they were known as "summercators". The Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, Astors, Vanderbilts, and Pulitzers soon began to built big beautiful homes. Many are still there today, some restored as inns and some falling into ruins.
The roads are two lanes with 55 mph speed limits. A little hard to get used to after our years of driving freeways at 80 mph. On the Maine and Vermont maps things look hours away but we soon realized the legends were much different than our Montana map and happily were MUCH closer together.
Soon it was on to Booth Bay where we spent a couple of nights. Although Booth Bay is also a tourist town it was much quieter and very enjoyable. The hotel manage suggested a family owned restaurant where Hubby ate lobster and I had a great bowl of lobster and corn chowder.
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