On our way to Provincetown, MA

We are staying in Sandwich, which is on the northern entrance part of the Cape in a campground that probably has 10 other campers, at best.  All others are seasonal, so you feel you are camping within a community.  It has two beaches of Peters Pond and lots and lots of areas to walk. We left this morning on our way to Provincetown, MA, also known as Ptown.  If you have ever been to Key West, you can probably imagine Ptown except that people share the same roads that the cars drive on and everything is a bit more flamboyant.  It is also a bit larger than Key West and has the absolute best dog park ever.  No grass, no dirt and/or mud, just small pebbles so dogs are not filthy when they are done playing. We took a pedicab to tour the area as our truck is far too large for the narrow, crowded roads.

Provincetown is where the Pilgrims first landed and from there they sailed to Plymouth. To commemorate this, a monument was erected and stands tall right in the middle of town.

We had lunch at Bubala’s by the Sea and sat by the road, as that is where dogs are allowed.  Great place, fantastic view of our favorite sport, people watching.  We were certainly kept entertained.

Lunch at Bubala’s by the Bay

 

 

 

We meet some friends tomorrow from Boston and who knows what we will do.  We will keep you posted.

We did not see the Bush’s but Kennebunkport was gorgeous!

We arrived in Wells, ME and set up in a campground whose sites are selected on a first come, first served basis.  This is the first campground like this and if you have a big unit, it’s rather interesting as the roads are narrow and the turns are really tight.  While you are driving around looking for a site, so are others.  If you are fortunate to find the site you can fit in, you are probably on the wrong side of the road so you have to go around and drive in the other way so you can pull in.  In the meantime, you are unaware that someone else selected that very prime site and by the time you drive around, someone else has just pulled in.  Ughh!  Anyway, we found a site and once settled we opted to ride around to get our bearings.  Kennebunkport is a beautiful coastal town and the downtown area is just adorable.  Unfortunately, we had arrived around low tide, but you can imagine how pretty it must be around high tide.

Many buildings have cupolas or weathervanes, all different sizes and shapes.

The shops are located upstairs, downstairs, in alleyways, uphill and downhill.  Creating a map must be very challenging.

So these are the directionals used.  I found it rather cute. But no sightings of any Bush’s.

We continued our tour of the area and came across Cape Porpoise and decided to stop and have some lunch at a restaurant called The Ramp.  Sitting there we recalled a conversation we had with a couple from Ponte Vedra, Florida who were having lunch at the table next to ours at the Bar Harbor Inn.  They suggested we go to the Ramp.  I understand why.

Today was rainy and foggy and we decided to drive around the area anyway.  We were driving around Kennebunkport and without knowing it, we drove right by a beautiful piece of property on the water, of course and came across the marker for the summer home of President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and if you look beyond it, there is the home.  You know it because it has the U.S. Flag and below it Texas’ flag. It really is an awesome feeling to be able to see the property of a former president.  It was so worth going out in this yucky weather.  

The guardhouse

We then continued our journey to Ogunquit with the intention of walking the famous Marginal Mile which ends in Perkins Cove. As we were approaching Ogunguit it started raining with a vengeance so we opted to have lunch at Maine’s Diner, which is famous for being listed in Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood.  John ordered a Haddock sandwich and I, a crabcake sandwich, both of which were absolutely delicious.  

Yeah! It stopped raining and off to walk the mile we went.

 

Perkins Cove is at the end of the Marginal Mile

Tomorrow we go to Cape Cod.  

Our last night in Bar Harbor – Leaving for Wells in the morning

Today is our last day in Bar Harbor and John wanted to take me to the Bar Harbor Inn for drinks at the Terrace Grill.  The view from the grill is spectacular.  The Margaret Todd set off for a nice sail. The day was beautiful day and Jackson stayed behind guarding the unit. 

I was introduced to a delicious drink – Blueberry vodka, lemonade and a tiny bit of blueberry syrup.  I’m hooked and it’s healthy, well, at least it’s better than beer.  You see, the way I look at it Vodka has no calories, blueberries are my fruit for the day and the lemonade should cover my citrus/vitamin C requirement. I think that is a good start…don’t you?

Off to Wells we go!!

View of Mount Dessert Island via Cessna and Hike on Jordan Pond

John’s been bugging me about taking a bi-plane or a glider ride or even a Cessna for a ride around the island.  The thought was intriguing but I was not sold.  I don’t like small planes and all of those choices sounded pretty dismal and not too exiting to me. Fortunately for me, the weather was not cooperating so I could put it off.  Well, today was another absolutely amazing day. Last night the temperatures dropped to the mid 40’s and by early morning it was in the 50’s.  I walked Jackson and honestly it did not feel that cold.  Is something wrong with me? I even had to remove my jacket as I felt warm.  When we returned from the walk, John was ready to go.  Go where? Out for a drive, maybe find a place that we could take Jackson for a long, long, walk.  During the drive, he says, it really is a beautiful day for a plane ride.  I had to agree, if we were going to go on a plane ride, which ultimately he would wear me down and we would go, this should be the day to do it, as there was not a cloud in the sky.  We signed up for a Cessna flight and even Jackson got to go.  It was beautiful to see the island from the air. You could see the rugged coastlines, the various homes, inlets, villages and different lighthouses sprinkled around the area.  I was queasy for a good portion of the ride. Apparently Jackson was a little nervous too because he peeked out the window and then would lay down on the seat.  If he could speak he probably would tell us, how come the birds are below me and my paws don’t touch the ground?  Mom, Dad what are you doing to me? 

When we landed he rushed out and peed for a long, long time. We probably scared the pee out of him.  Poor dog, bad parents.

We had delicious haddock sandwiches and took Jackson for a hike around Jordan Pond.  This was a lovely 3 mile hike which took about 1 1/2 hours. It starts out as a smooth trail, and then it gets a little rocky, then very rocky and then the wooden trail begins.

Jackson found a loon and was determined to get the poor thing.  He literally got off the trail and climbed on to some rocks.  Thank goodness John had him on a leash.

Jordan Pond Home.  This is where the famous popovers are served with tea on the lawn overlooking the pond.

Upon our return to the campground, we saw the most interesting thing.  I swear I will never call John excessive again. Until the next time, that is….

Now THAT is a big boy!!!! 

Finally, we are in Bar Harbor, Maine

We finally arrived at Mount Desert Island, Maine and are staying in a campground on the water, which is right before the bridge that connects the mainland to the island. There are so many lobster pounds around here that the smell just permeates the air.  Between the lobsters and the smell of the ocean, I’m having trouble concentrating.  The first few days we were here, it rained very hard and then it drizzled and then it rained like a monsoon, non-stop for hours and hours. At night, it felt like we would need a boat in the morning.  As you know, regardless of the weather, Jackson must do what he has to do, so off we went for a walk wearing our foul weather gear.  We opted to go for a walk up to the corner lobster pound and pick up some lobstah for dinner.  It was only drizzling on our way to the pound but by the time we had ordered our meal, it turned into a downpour. Jackson had never been in a downpour before.  Usually he goes around pulling us so he can smell his surroundings, but this time, he quickly got under the ordering counter and wouldn’t move until it was time for us to leave. Poor mutt.  I think he was traumatized.  Nothing that a warm bath can’t take care of. 

We were getting cabin fever so we opted to go for a drive around the island.  We arrived in Bar Harbor and it was very foggy.  Bar Harbor is a small town with many activities.  The stores are really cute and quaint.

We then continued our drive to Southwest Harbor and ate lunch at yet another highly recommended lobster pound. This one was on the water, yet off the beat and path and the ambiance was wonderful.

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day.  John and I met very long time friends, Dave and Vivian Kendall, who were on a Royal Caribbean cruise and Bar Harbor happened to be one of their ports of call.  By coincidence, their arrival and our stay coincided, so we connected and took a tour around the park loop of Acadia National Park.  When we arrived at the park’s entrance ready to pay the $20.00 admission fee, the ranger asked John’s age.  When John told him he was 62, he was given the deal of his life.  For $10.00 he now has a lifetime pass to “all” the National Parks.  I guess it does pays to be old.

We visited Thunder Hole, the Otter Cliffs, Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest elevation in Maine.

Thunder Hole in low tide   

Mennonites enjoying the view

Otter Cliffs

Jordan Pond

View from Cadillac Mountain – highest elevation in Maine

The Schooner is the Margaret Todd and she is 151 foot long.

When we returned to Bar Harbor, Vivian and I walked around the shops while the boys sat at the corner pub enjoying some cold beer.  We caught up to them and while having something to drink, lo and behold who do I see, a huge group of Mennonites coming our way.  They all had name tags.  I had yet one of my moments and saw an older guy who had a full white beard, just like Santa Claus, and I called out to him, “Hello there Amos”.  Poor Amos, his facial expression was priceless. He looked like he was just about to have a fit.  Of course he didn’t know me, but he could not understand why I would greet him, as usually nobody ever talks to them. So he walked toward me with that puzzled look on his face and I asked where he was from.  He answered in short one word answers that he was from Pennsylvania.  I told him probably from Lancaster?  Again, he looked surprised. I asked him from where exactly and he said Intercourse.  I told him about us staying in New Holland at Spring Gulch.  There you go.  We hit it off and had a great conversation from then on.  That means the conversations consisted of sentences not just single word answers. Amos had a friend who was walking with him, his name was Ephraim.  Ephraim told me that his wife cleaned the bathrooms at Spring Gulch.  I told him that we had gone to the Green Dragon, which if you remember is the great big flea market that they don’t really advertise and which takes place only on Fridays.  By then some ladies/wives had joined the group. I then told them that they made the absolute best ice cream, Lapps.  Well wouldn’t you know that one of the ladies was a cousin of the people who owned Lapps. So the conversation continued and progressed to how many children Amos has.  He has 2 and 1/2 dozen children.  I swear I’m not making it up. So he asked me and I told him that we have tv’s and that I only have 3.  To which they all laughed and started to break up the conversation as they had to leave, as did our friends, Dave and Vivian, who were getting ready to board the tender which would take them back to the cruiseship. 

The tales will continue….

Portland and Bangor, Maine

John had yet another conference.  This time in Portland, Maine.  We really didn’t know what to do with the unit even though the hotel reservation agent told us that we could park it in their employee parking lot.  We opted at the last minute to leave the unit in the campground in Bangor. When we arrived at the hotel, we were so glad we didn’t take the unit with us.  The roads were narrow and we never did figure out where the employees’ parking lot was.  All I know is that because our truck is tall, we could not even park it on the regular underground parking lot so we had to go park it in the parking overflow, which was about a block away.  If by chance that was the employee parking lot, which it probably was because we never saw another one nearby, we would have never been able to get it in, let alone get it out.  The lady who told us we could park it in the lot, underestimated the size of this big boy.

During his conference, the hosts sponsored a dinner of lots and lots and lots and lots of lobstah, amongst mussels, clams, corn, etc.  No one was limited to just one AND THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.  We had soft shell lobsters and they are wonderful as you do not need need any cracking tools.

We enjoyed the Portland area.  I loved the various marinas. Like everywhere else, some are small, small larger. Some dock large, really expensive yachts and nearby dock working boats.  This gives you a much different feeling when walking around the docks.  There is so much to see. The architecture is unique, the buildings mostly brownstones. Some side streets are cobblestone and I even had the pleasure of sighting a beautiful antique car. Can anyone guess what it is?  I came across a chain link fence with all kinds of locks connected to it. The fence is called the Fences of Love. Each lock is dedicated to someone.

We left Jackson in a kennel which had excellent reviews in Bangor. The little stinker had a great time and even got a great report card.  We had never received a report card from a kennel before.  If it were left up to us, he would never receive such a great report card as he constantly steals our camping chairs and claims them as his. He also steals our places on the sofa and loungers and we either have to move or squeeze in with him, because he just won’t move. Oh well… as you all know by now, our unit was purchased for the comfort and convenience of our dog.

We leave for Bar Harbor in the morning and can’t wait. Everyone we have talked to has given it great reviews and claim that it’s the prettiest place they’ve been to in Maine.