On Monday, we headed north toward Bar Harbor , a quaint little resort town on the northern coast. I have a friend who spends a lot of time in Maine and had given me several tips on things to do and places to stay. He said to definitely take the coast highway to Bar Harbor rather than the interstate. Turns out that is about the only way you can get there short of taking the Interstate up to Bangkor and coming back down.
Now calling it the “coast highway” is a bit of a misnomer. Because of the towns and trees you don’t really see the water that much. The ocean there is not like it is anywhere else. For one thing, the shore is very rocky. There are very few sandy beaches like you see in Florida and California and along the gulf coast. It’s very rugged and rural with a real feel of isolation. Which is one thing that makes it so nice. I rented a convertible and while it was cool in the mornings, it was just warm enough the rest of the day to keep the top down. It was nice just driving along in a peaceful and quiet setting without seeing beach after beach crammed with people and umbrellas.
The only time we encountered any traffic was going to dinner on Bailey’s Island . The traffic coming the other direction was backed up. We found out later that the Blue Angels were at a nearly Naval Air Station.
Bar Harbor is a resort town, but not nearly as trendy and touristy as Kennebunkport . My friend has a connection at a resort hotel and got us a really good deal on a room. We had a beautiful view of the ocean from the balcony.
The entrance to the Acadia National Park was just ten minutes from the hotel so we took a drive through there. Cadillac Mountain in the park is where you can first see the sunrise on the North American continent. We intended to drive up for that Wednesday morning, so we drove up Tuesday during the day so I could make sure I could find it. Well, I’ll tell you – after driving 4,500 feet up the side of a mountain, I decided I was NOT going to do that in the dark. I don’t know what I was thinking – I’ve driven enough in Colorado to know that I don’t like driving in the mountains!!!
We took cruise through the Bay of Maine and saw several lighthouses. And thousands and thousands of colored buoys marking the lobster traps. That was quite a sight!!! And interesting statistic I read was that last year 52 MILLION pounds of lobster was taken out of the Bay of Maine . That is just beyond fathomable!!!
Also saw several homes of the rich and famous, such as Martha Stewart and Dooney of Dooney and Burke. At the neat thing is that the lighthouses are all automated now and people live in them.
On the way back south we stopped at Boothbay Harbor which is just a very quaint little harbor – we sat on the dock of the bay eating lunch and watching a lobster boat come in and unload its catch.
All throughout the drive we had seen motels and many of them were cabins. Very reminiscent of the 50s style motels that still dot Route 66. My sister had read about one in Freeport called the Maine Idyll Court and we had already decided to stay there our last night. Now I have to say I was a little bit leery – I mean there was no security, the lady in the office went home at 10:30, there was no phone. It was in the WOODS for gosh sakes!!!! IF I were a deranged ax murderer, it’s just the kind of place I would pick to slaughter two helpless girls. But, all was well. In fact, it was quite enjoyable – the cabin was rustic, clean, and comfortable. And the price was certainly right. I would do it again – but only with someone – not when I’m traveling alone. In fact, it’s really a great deal if you are going to be in one place for several days. The cabins have porches with rockers and most of them had outdoor grills.
All the while we were driving and seeing these motels and cabins, I couldn’t help but think of PSYCHO and the Bates Motel. And what did we see in one place? The BAIT’S MOTEL – I’m not kidding!!!!
And for those of you who have asked – I did some checking and there is no CRAB APPLE COVE (from MASH) and no CABOT COVE (from MURDER SHE WROTE). There is, however, a Penobscot River (that was the name of Hot Lips’ husband in MASH). Somebody connected with that show must have been from Maine .
Oh, and I saw a house for sale in Boothbay. It was big and right on the water so I thought it must be very pricey. I picked up the flyer and was surprised. It is 4,500 square feet, 6 bedrooms, two of which are part of a mother-in-law suite. Asking price was only $895,000. Now that is still WAY beyond my budget, but a lot less than what I thought it would be.
I really do like New England . If I can ever afford to give up CPAing, I think I’d like to own a little inn there in the summer and fall and then in the winter live in Tulsa and run a little bookstore. Maybe when (if) I retire…….
Oh, and another interesting thing about Maine . And don’t anybody write me back and call me any names or say anything ugly to me for what I’m about to say. You all know I am not a racist and don’t give a flip about politics. I am only stating facts here. We did not see one single foreigner – no Mexican, Hispanic, Middle Easterner, Vietnamese, nothing. And we only saw maybe 5 or 6 blacks. And most of those were Jamaicans who worked at the resort. They work there during the summer and go home during the winter. Many of the hotels, shops, restaurants are closed during the winter.
Well, it was a wonderful trip. Someplace I’ve been trying to get to for several years and can’t wait to go back. It’s also just a short ferry trip to Nova Scotia – I’ve always wanted to go there for some salmon fishing.
Everyone have a good week. I have no more travel plans for the rest of the year except for running up to Oklahoma on weekends. Well, maybe a quick weekend in New York if it comes up on Netsavers!!!
In February, though, I am going back to Italy for two weeks.
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