Acadia National Park

'Blue sky, ocean, granite, spruce trees, a lighthouse - Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park are a spectacular and inviting blend of natural and human history.  Past and present are tightly woven in a complex and colorful tapestry.'

'The rhythms of the ocean are the heartbeat of Acadia.  The waves roll in, inexorably and forever; the tides keep their own time, every 12 hours and 36 minutes, forever ; ocean and granite, irresistible and immovable.'

French explorer, Samuel de Champlain, had this to say in 1604, as he gazed upon Acadia: 'The same day we passed also near an island about four or five leagues long...It is very high, notched in places, so as to appear from the sea like a range of seven or eight mountains close together.  The summits of most of them are bare of trees for they are nothing but rock...I named it Island of the Desert Mountains (Isles des Monts Deserts).'

The summer people were ultimately responsible for the creation of a park in 1916.  Today, we are all the beneficiaries of the magnificent, inspiring scenery, hiking opportunities, canoeing, and sailing.  There are 56 miles of Carriage Roads which are today used by hikers, bikers, crosscountry skiers, and horse drawn carriages.

The Park Loop Road, 20-miles long, gives motorists a spectacular view of the ponds, lakes, and protected coastal waters surrounded by spruce, fir forests and pink granite shelves of sheer cliffs, jagged rocks and fractured blocks and planes of magnificent stone.

The Bass Harbor Head Light was built in 1858 to warn of the Bass Harbor bar, a hazard for steamships.

It all started in the late 1800's, when wealthy summer people took an interest in enhancing the beauty of the island.  They began building trails to allow access to scenic spots.

Since logging and development interests threatened the integrity of the island, in 1901, Harvard prez and summer resident, Charles Eliot, helped others found The Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations.  Mrs. Charles Homans, Boston, gave The Beehive and The Bowl to the Trustees, thus Acadia National Park was born!

One of the wealthy cottagers, George Bucknam Dorr, was inspired by Homans generous gift, which spurred him into a lifelong dedication to the improvement and designation as a national park for the island.  On July 3, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Sieur de Monts a National Monument and in 1919, Congress created Lafayette National Park, later to be named Acadia in 1929.

Dorr's plan was to get other wealthy summer residents involved in the park's development.  John D. Rockefeller, Jr., starts spending his summers there in 1908.  His donation of 11,000 acres is his lasting legacy to the park.  He is probably best remembered for his awesome Carriage Roads, the Park Loop and the Cadillac Mountain Road.

We take advantage of the free bus system which picks up at bus stops throughout the park every 30 minutes and on the park road as well.  Since 1999, the system has transported over 4 million visitors, saving the environment and the limited parking spaces.

The Island Queen is a passenger ferry that transports us to Schoodic Point and the village of Winter Harbor, a 50-minute trip.  We meet Peter and Mary, restauranteurs from Dunedin, Florida, and fellow Airstreamers.  They invite us to walk with them for a couple of miles into the village of Winter Harbor.  They have just taken over the concessions at Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa, so we make plans to get together when we camp there during the Christmas Holidays!

At Peter's recommendation, we decide to have lunch of tomato bisque soup and an artichoke and goat cheese pannini with chicken at Gerrison's. Yum-oh!

Lobster buoys are everywhere!   This colorful garage caught our fancy!

The ride back to Bar Harbor is breezy, sunny and scenic.

On several afternoons, we enjoy the free WiFi at Agamont Park in downtown Bar Harbor overlooking the marina.

One evening, we have dinner at the Lighthouse Inn in Seal Harbor, a quaint little village less than four miles from our campsite.

In nearby Somesville we take in a play at the Acadia Repertory Theater, 'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily'.  Sherlock was soooo campy with his over the top intense eye movements and steel trap logic, while Oscar Wilde kept us in stitches with his quips and effeminate gestures.

We will be spending two weeks in this lovely park next visit!

Theater Monmouth, The Shakespeare Theater of Maine

As we approach Monmouth, Maine, on a thunderstormy late afternoon, we are delighted to spy an almost perfect rainbow with the most brilliant violets I have ever seen arching proudly above magnificent Cumston Hall, a beautiful building that dominates the town and the main thoroughfare.

It has been a source of interest and awe since its dedication in 1900.  Dr. Charles Cumston was the headmaster of Boston Latin High School for many years.

Upon his retirement to Monmouth, he decided to give his town a community building for town offices, a caucus hall, public library, and auditorium.  Harry Cochrane, a Mainer with a penchant for fine interior work got the nod for designing the stucture.

The results speak for themselves...This lovely ediface has just recently undergone a $2.9 million revitalization and addition.

The play for this evening is 'Room Service', a comedy of distinct and fun characters brought together in a way that allows the audience to sit back and just enjoy the action.  It is from plays, just like this one, that one can trace the roots of American television and sit-coms.  There is a hint of another wonderful genre: 'the old Broadway stories in which writers like Damon Runyon capture the intriguing life and allure of 'America's crossroads' from the post depression age right through the 1950's.'

We enjoy the play immensely!  The hotel manager, Mr. Gribble's quirky expressions and tic are hilarious!  Mr. Englund is so reminiscent of Curly of the Three Stooges, that I fairly sit on the edge of my seat waiting for the familiar 'woop-woop-woop' and head rub!

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Kennebec River Rail Trail

'The 6.5 mile Kennebec River Rail Trail welcomes locals and visitors alike for walking, running, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, and dog walking. The trail parallels the existing rail bed along the Kennebec River, and stretches from Augusta Maine's Waterfront Park, through the towns of Hallowell and Farmingdale, to its conclusion in the city of Gardiner, Maine.'

We are so excited to find this lovely bike trail which runs along the Kennebec River!  Riding on designated bike lanes on streets and highways is NOT my cup of tea, so I am fairly giddy with joy when we discover the Kennebec River Rail Trail!

Mike gets busy offloading the trikes, while I sidle over to the Subway to purchase sandwiches for a picnic lunch when we get to Augusta.  There's a beautiful park just below the State House where we plan to have lunch.

The day is gorgeous, sunny and crisply cool.  We get several thumbs-ups as well as 'Cool, Awesome, and Nice trikes' from the youngsters we encounter...and from a few oldsters!  'Are they comfortable to ride?' is always a common inquiry.  My answer is usually something like 'Yeah, all you need is a beer and a remote!'

We trike a total of fourteen miles round-trip and are quite proud of our 60-something's endurance!  We're gonna' sleep good tonight!

A1 Sauce,...er Diner

'In 1946, Worcester Diner #790 arrived by truck and was installed at 3 Bridge Street in Gardiner, Maine. Under the name of Heald's Diner, it served employees of Gardiner's mills and factories with an emphasis on ample portions served quickly. The diner is still at 3 Bridge Street, still a marvel of efficiency and art moderne design, still a local gathering place, still serving the same warm, flaky biscuits. But under the ownership of Mike Giberson and Neil Anderson since 1988, the little A1 Diner (as it is now known) draws customers (and restaurant reviews) from far and wide with its wonderfully eclectic menu (you can order Bouillabaisse or meatloaf), its emphasis on fresh, local food, and its upscale deli and specialty food store next door, A1 To Go. This is a small business success story, filled with characters from either side of the counter, packed with recipes and kitchen notes, enjoyable down to the last bite.'

After spending the morning at the Gardiner Public Library catching up on e-mails, FB, and our blog, we take a leisurely stroll along Water Street's brick sidewalks through a light mist to the A1 Diner, perched precariously over the Kennebec River. It rests on gigantic steel girders just above the level of the great flood of 1986!

Upon entering, we feel right at home because the interior is polished aluminum with the same curves we have grown to love about the Silver Chalet.

We are expecting a menu consisting of blue plate specials and greasy spoon offerings, and are pleasantly surprised to peruse an extensive menu with quality choices like Gazpacho, Crying Woman Chicken Curry, White Chicken Chile, Shrimp Skewers with Mango Chutney, and Fish Tacos.

The regulars tell us that this is a favorite restaurant for the locals for breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch.

The A1 Diner serves comfort food, international cuisine, delicious desserts (we shared the Blueberry Slump ala mode) and outstanding selections of beer and wine (A Really Good Pinot Grigio gets our nod of approval...catchy name, eh!)

If you are in need of a rest from your drive to a vacation spot... Acadia, Bar Harbor, Sugarloaf, Belgrade Lakes...the classic A1 Diner, the most famous restaurant in the State of Maine, is a fine choice!

 You won't be disappointed!

After having lunch there for two days IN A ROW, we are delighted to run into one of the owners, Mike Giberson, as we take a few exterior shots!

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Concord, NH is a short drive from Lake Winnipesukee, so we decide to spend an afternoon there after visiting the UPS store to ship a few items to the grandkids. The clerks unanimously tell us that the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on the campus of the New Hampshire Institute of Technology is the hottest ticket in town.

'The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is an air and space science center located in Concord, New Hampshire on the NHTI campus, named after Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, and Alan Shepard, the first American in space. The Discovery Center focuses on providing the latest in astronomy, engineering, Earth and space sciences, while also honoring the memories of Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard, who were both New Hampshire citizens.
The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center offers a full-sized replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket, interactive exhibits in astronomy and Earth and space sciences, a planetarium theater (the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, which was built long before the Discovery Center), a rooftop observatory, an expanded science store, and the Countdown Café.'

The planetarium show on black holes is fascinating and informative, although way above my pay-grade! Hope there's not going to be a quiz!The exhibits are user-friendly, hands-on and interactive.

My kind of place! I crash the LEM and the Space Shuttle on every attempt, except on the Novice levels! Joy sticks are not a joy to me...guess coordination helps!

Telescopes are set up for visitors to observe sunspots and solar flares. Amazing! The tiny specks of pepper that are the sunspots are the size of Earth! Wow!

Pretending that we were Extra Terrestrials visiting the museum was the most fun for me, and Mike, too, I think!

   Would you look at the BIG brain on Mike!

As a former teacher, I am always happy to see that there are so many learning opportunities out there for kids! Especially Big Kids like Mike and me!