Bah Ha-Bah, ME - my favorite thus far

The beautiful Penobscot Narrows Bridge is a long, cable-style bridge that spans the Penobscot River. It was majestic and powerful, yet beautiful and it led us towards our campground, Mt. Dessert Narrows, which was located right on the coast of Bar Harbor. It was a short three-night stay that we wished could have been a whole week.

The Penobscot River

As the sun set, a golden hue glinted off the trees making them appear as if autumn had begun early.

So much prettier in person; a deep orange-red sunset.

We drove into Bar Harbor for the day and took a 1/2 hour trolley tour around the quaint town. Our driver's name was, Jim Galvine, and interestingly, he was a snow bird like us, but on a much grander scale. Jim owned a home and had spent many years in Bar Harbor, which afforded us his personal and historical knowledge of the area and he also owned  a winter home in Key West, FL. Since we were two of just four on the bus we chatted about Key West since we will be traveling there with friends for a week in March next year. He gave me his business card and told us to call him so we could get together for a glass of beer at his favorite bar in Key West. I'm keeping that card in a safe place so I can take him up on that offer. I am sure our paths will cross again, because he drives a trolley tour bus also while wintering in the Keys. What a pleasant twist of fate, or as Charlie would say, "What are the chances?"

The Trenton Bridge Lobster Shack for dinner! Yes, for your doubters, George ate here.

So quaint and so immaculate. George was definitely "out of his box" eating in another shack.

I ate "Larry," #34. George had a Lobster Roll - it could have been parts of any lobster, even  Gerry, #13.

We headed out to Acadia National Park the next day and I found out that I was old enough to purchase a Lifetime National Park Membership. It was an exciting thing...until I thought about it a bit more.

The park was beautiful and even on a cloudy day the vistas were endless and breathtaking. I snapped so many photos, but after uploading them, I realized once more, that a photo does no justice to the "in-person" experience.

At Acadia National Park - always another tourist happy to snap a photo for you.

Each photo, whether taken facing north, south, east or west, gave you a different view. We were only able to do a little bit of hiking at this State Park. My long, steep hiking days are over, however, what we DID get to do afforded us an experience to remember. Acadia, the northern-most National Park is a pristine piece of America jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean and worth the visit. I would return here in the future to once more enjoy the taste of the famous popovers that are served at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant. I missed out on their "specialty," Popovers and Prosecco" on the patio.

Our trip to Oregon in 2016 and now Bar Harbor in 2019 has earned Lucy the rights to brag that her tail has been far west to view the Pacific and as far northeast into Maine to the Atlantic. She's hit some major milestones (and Veterinarian Hospitals) in her RV career. She is the quintessential RV cat. 

Our last beautiful sunset on a walk after dinner.

I'll finish up Maine in my next blog. It will probably mention "lobster."



Deep thought for the day:  It doesn't matter if we drive east, west, north or south...when the day comes to an end, we three are happy to be in the place we happily call "home." ~ vc

Saco/North Stonington/Freeport ~ Maine

Yay, Maine and another sticker to the map! We arrived on Monday, August 19, 2019, along with friends, Carole and Serge. We plan to visit a few different cities while here.

The first stop was North Stonington, ME and at another well-kept KOA. We experienced on and off rain during our four day stay here, but we managed to have a wonderful time and squeezed in many sights, sounds and tastes in between raindrops.

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Our site for the next few days.

Our first evening found us throwing together a meal of fresh caught, market boiled, whole lobsters served up with Carole's homemade rice dish along with my fresh corn on the cob and homemade coleslaw. It was a messy, but delicious meal fit for a king.

Dinner at our site.

I even made (dry) strawberry shortcakes for dessert. :(

I was hot and sweaty and happy to be able to put my hair up.  It's getting longer!
Not perfectly coiffed, but it kept me cool and the hair our of my face (and the butter).

The next day we experienced on and off heavy rain so we enjoyed a lazy morning and decided to take a ride to L.L. Bean's Flagship store after lunch. It turned out to actually be four different buildings divided into "specialties." Besides the flagship store, there was L.L. Bean Home,  L.L. Bean Bike, Boat and Ski, and L.L. Bean Hunting and Fishing.  A whole day could be spent there and you would never be able to see the entire inventory. George was like a kid in a candy store. The only way I was able to get him out was to bribe him with an ice cream cone!

Carole and Serge posing in front of the LL Bean Boot...

and then the corny photo of us.

The rainy day came to an end at one of the roadside lobster shacks where we got delicious boiled lobster dinners The place looked like a true "shack," but they served up a terrific and affordable dinner.

Too wet and damp to enjoy an outdoor table, but they were very clean and each had a name.  

Process was decades old, but you don't change what's not broke.

"LOBSTER ROLL!"

Nos amis - "our friends," Carole and Serge

Some of these guy's buddies were our dinner.

The only time I'm happy to hear that someone has crabs!

We have spent a lot of our time eating our way through the New England States. Between the Vermont Cheddar, Maine's "Lobstah", Chili, "Chow-da" and Wild Blueberry Pie, I will need to seriously get back on the "diet wagon," but that's such an uncomfortable ride. I may wait until we return to NY.

Next stop, Bar Harbor, ME, more lobstah, Acadia National Park and another sticker for my National Park Passport Book! 

Deep thought for the day:   “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.”  ~ Erma Bombeck

Crater Lake National Park

I booked our stay at Diamond Lake RV Park due to the fact that it was close to the north entrance of Crater Lake and along our eastward bound route towards Colorado.

There were several other places to stay in the vicinity, but I don't know if I would have recommended one over an other. We checked in and found ourselves deep in the Umpqua Forest without internet, WiFi or any cell service. We actually had to drive 75 miles to reach the closest Walmart in order to stock up on a few necessities - like bread and cat food. The only gas station in the area was charging $4.00 a gallon so George put in a search into our GPS and found the next closest gas station to be 56 miles away.

There is a lot to do in this area, but we didn't have enough time to get to it all. In addition to the waterfall hikes and exploring Crater Lake, there is forest hiking, boating, hunting and fishing.

Little Miss parked in site B-6

Seeing Crater Lake National Park was worth the inconvenience of being out of touch with the world. We enjoyed the awe-inspiring views so much that I snapped about 100 photos to help reignite the feeling I felt on first setting eyes upon the great blue lake back in 1972.

Some quick history of Crater Lake: A huge explosion from a volcano, roughly the same size as Mt. Saint Helena and Mt. Shasta, erupted so violently over 7,000 years ago it caused a tremendous crater to form when the sides of the mountain fell in on itself. Over the next few thousand years and climate changes, snow fell and melted along the rim to eventually fill the hole with crystal-clear water. Crater Lake boasts the cleanest water in the world because it is totally sourced from snow melt and rain. The pureness of the water creates that magnificent shade of blue - the bluest of blue you will ever see. 

Rim Drive, the road that encircles the lake, is a 33-mile scenic byway that boasts spectacular views in every direction. Wizard Island is actually the exposed portion of the cinder cone that erupted out of the volcano and landed back down into the crater many years before it filled with water.

Crater Lake's "other" island is called "Phantom Ship," and although it resembles a small sailboat. it's actually as tall as a 16-story building. It's made of erosion-resistant lava and is the oldest exposed rock within the lake.

Recent history, only weeks old, are evident in the two following photos, which depict the damage done by the recent fires that ravaged almost 21,000 acres. Drought conditions fueled the largest fire at the park in recorded history. The fire-risk level was constantly at "extreme" due to the lack of rain.

Remnants - of the once green fir trees.

Although sad, it is wonderful to know that nature will allow this area to rise again, recover and turn green once more.

The breath-taking first glimpse of the lake.

You can't fully comprehend the "blueness" unless you see it in person.

Wizard Island, one of the highlights of Rim Drive.

"Phantom Ship" is just a small dot in the lake, but such a photo op.

There is not enough I can say about the beauty in and around Crater Lake. It is something to behold, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to witness its wonder, not once, but twice. When I planned our itinerary for this trip, I knew one of the stopovers would be here - so I could share it all with George. 

Deep thought for the day:  What lies within the mind, also lies within the soul. The strong emotions elicited by "awe" are mind-blowing and soulful. ~ vc

Why Wyoming, Montana and Idaho...

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Why Wyoming? Well, we needed to drive through Wyoming (a huge state) in order to make our way west across I-90 towards the Pacific. We spent only one night there, at Peter D's RV Park in Sheridan, and coincidentally, friends of ours have been stuck in that very same town with a fuel pump that quit on their motor home last week. They departed from Croton Point Park soon after we did and their family of six and two dogs have been just a few hundred miles behind us, until last Tuesday...

While passing through most of Wyoming, I remember thinking that I would never want to break down here, because all we had observed were miles and miles of hay fields and farms.

As ever-resilient RV'ers, our friends have decided to tent camp in Rapid City, SD until the necessary parts and installation can be completed (projected to be at least another week). Their decision to push on is a true display of optimism and determination. They have decided to make the best out of the worst of circumstances. Our best wishes for beautiful memories and smooth travels to the Garay Family!

 

Here is a photo of Little Miss parked in Peter D's.  This place was a welcome site at the end of a long travel day - a clean campground, pull thru site, full hook-ups and very nice owners. They had a cute main office and store set up with local pottery and hand-crafted items.

There were no amenities, but what they had was all we needed.

I got a kick out of the fact that they asked you to "wipe your feet" before entering the restrooms.

The main office and store stocked with lovely hand-made crafts and pottery.

Montana's Welcome Sign

Since leaving Michigan, the view out of our window turned golden. We saw miles and miles of hay fields, corn, wide-open prairie land and cow herds. There were lots of mountains that were a sandy color, making all of my photos seem pale. 

Lyrics to the song, America The Beautiful, kept going in and out of my head. "Amber waves of grain," "purple mountain's majesty" and "above the fruited plain." I didn't see any fruit in those plains, but boy, did we see wheat! "Holy Cream of Wheat, Batman!"  There were hundreds of miles of wheat, prairie, protected land and nature preserves.

Yellowstone River in Montana

Breakfast by the side of the Little Bighorn River in Montana.

Totally enjoying the view - even more than my coffee!

One of our last stops in Montana was a quick drive-through of Bozeman. If you are familiar with the sit-com, Big Bang Theory, you would understand how I associate the character of Sheldon Cooper with George. In one of the episodes, Sheldon's apartment is robbed and he decided to move to Bozeman, MT, because his research revealed that Bozeman, according to their Chamber of Commerce, was the "Most Livable Place to Live" in the US. Turns out, once he gets off the bus in Bozeman, someone steals his suitcase. Great episode (CLICK TO SEE A CLIP).

Anyway, when I saw our route took us through the infamous town, we had to stop and snap a photo of George with the "Welcome to Bozeman" sign. We were so glad we detoured through the town, because it tured out to be a sweet, little, hopping place. We caught it on a Saturday, during its Annual Sweet Pea Festival. I fell in love with the "Old Amercana" feel of the town and could actually see myself living there.  A funny observation, for only a drive through, but everyone seemed infectiously happy and fun-loving. Another town I did get to snap a few photos of was Ennis, MT. These small towns sure do bring you back in time to a better way of living. No big box stores anywhere to be seen.

Busy Main Street near the Ennis Cafe

The Trading Post and Theater

Ennis Pharmacy has a soda fountain and restaurant!

Willie's Distillery - didn't stop.....no place for us to park.

Idaho was quite interesting. We actually parked for four days in Idaho Falls and did very little except rest, food shop and catch up with laundry and paperwork. Idaho seemed to be a lovely state in which to live. It had been recently voted the top place for First Responders to live, based upon salary, job security and satisfaction. 

The town, although I didn't get any photos of it, was similar to the towns of Bozman and Ennis in Montana. All reminiscent of old town Peekskill, or any 1950'ish city, where Main Street was the bustling center of activity. The busy stores that lined the main street were located in original, restored 19th century buildings. Some of the stores I observed were a bridal shop, several restaurants and pubs, a pharmacy, antique stores, clothing stores (like Genung's), banks, a candy store and an ice cream parlor. We ate dinner at Snakebite Restaurant and enjoyed every "bite...." Only disappointment was similar to our not getting any cheese in Wisconsin - we didn't get any Idaho Potatoes in Idaho.

After leaving our respite at Snake River RV Park, we stopped along the route to visit Craters of the Moon National Park. While we didn't have the time or stamina to do any hiking (temps hovering just below 100 degrees), we did get to watch a video explaining about the volcanic eruptions that have hit the area over the last several hundred-thousands of years, learned about lava tubes and strolled around the Visitor's Center. The lava beds looked just like broken bits of brownie. It was a striking contrast to see after driving through so many miles of golden prairie land. I didn't consider it to be "moon-like" at all, just barren and chocolatey-looking. 

A wooden piece of art replicating the shape of a lava tube, which are empty spaces created by the hot, bubbling lava flows. You could actually hike down the hills and explore inside some of these tubes.

 

Pieces of (brownie) lava.

The journey continues westward. We crossed the border into Oregon on August 12th and have spent  one night in the town of LaGrande and one night in Fairview, which is close to Portland and right along the magnificent Columbia River, both of which will be covered in the next entry. 

Deep thought for the day:  

 "Life handed him a lemon,
As Life sometimes will do.
His friends looked on in pity,
Assuming he was through.
They came upon him later,
Reclining in the shade
In calm contentment, drinking
A glass of lemonade."

"The Optimist," published in The Rotarian,1940 and dedicated to the Garay family.