| Author | Content |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:05 AM Post #2710592
| Tides were big that week, twelve feet. This is low tide 
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:09 AM Post #2710607
| An eagle hangs out right off the back deck, waiting for the tide to change. He's been hanging out in this tree for about ten years that I know of. It's a white pine, the oldest one on the cove 
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:11 AM Post #2710616
| Some more 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:12 AM Post #2710620
| Feels like I'm right there. Beautiful photos!! Did you have fun while up there?
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:13 AM Post #2710626
| Ok, i take that back. I wish I was there!! lol |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:13 AM Post #2710627
| This 'closeup' was taken holding a digital camera up to a telescope... 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:14 AM Post #2710635
| That's a pretty good shot considering how you took it. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:16 AM Post #2710640
| Oh I had a blast, especially with the seafood! Here's an accidental closeup 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:17 AM Post #2710645
| Oh man seafood!! I'm drooling now!! That's a good shot of his feet. lol |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:18 AM Post #2710647
| Did the Whalewatch boat trip, dolphins and this Humpback whale 
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:19 AM Post #2710648
| Here's his tail flukes 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:22 AM Post #2710657
| Neat!! I have always wanted to visit Maine and see everything up there. Hopefully I will get a chance one of these days. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:26 AM Post #2710668
| That last picture, you can see some of the mountains on Mount Dessert Island, about 10 miles away. Cadillac Mountain is the biggest on the eastern seaboard, except Rio DiJaneiro.
This picture is another tour boat, the Margaret Todd. I wonder what happened to the old one, the Nathalie Todd
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:28 AM Post #2710678
| The obligatory lobster boat picture. This is Bar Harbor 
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:33 AM Post #2710700
| This contraption is a lobster car. Sometimes lobsters are stored in these floats until they're sold. 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:35 AM Post #2710712
| Ooh, love the Margaret Todd!! I love old and unique boats. If it doesn't look unique I don't like them that much. Like the lobster boat also. Is that a wooden boat in the background of the lobster boat pic? The one in between the 2 white boats. |
pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:37 AM Post #2710720
| I had to reread the last one. i thought you said that lobster boats were stored there until sold. That made no sense til read it again. lol |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:40 AM Post #2710729
| That last picture shows the bar that appears at low tide. That's why it's called Bar Harbor, not all the watering holes in town. You can drive to that island at low tide, just don't forget to move it in time!
This man fixed my chainsaw for fifteen bucks, I wish he lived closer
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:42 AM Post #2710733
| So do I!! Can't beat $15. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:43 AM Post #2710734
| Here's a sign in a friend's garden, I want one... 
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:46 AM Post #2710747
| I need that sign!! If something grows in my yard its a miracle since its just about impossible to get things growing here. Course we have bad soil too. Cornfield and gravel road ditches dirt. Not the best stuff. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 1:52 AM Post #2710768
| I don't know if that other boat's wood or not. Hinckley yachts and Morris yachts are made nearby. About the chainsaw, it hadn't run for years, and I couldn't find a Husqvarna dealer nearby home, so I brought it with me. They give out pens that say, "Bullett's Franklin Husqvarna: New, Used, and Mis-used" I guess mine is a 'mis-used' lol...
Here's a nice boat at the pier, I hope nobody spills bait on it...
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 1:59 AM Post #2710788
| Very nice, but I still like the unique ones with lots of character. I would be suprised if someone even brought bait on that boat. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 2:03 AM Post #2710817
| Yeah, it's funny, Maine is one of a few states that has an official "state soil". I think most of the state is glacial sand and gravel deposits, with whatever organic material that has accumulated since the ice ages. A lot of places there have a really nice loam, that the Mainers pronounce "loom". The glacial melt caused what is called a 'deranged' drainage pattern, and a lot of places have what is considered 'hyper-drainage', perfect for blueberries and White pines. The ice was 2 miles thick over Mount Dessert Island during the last glaciation, that's why the mountains are all smooth and roundish.
Here's an Osprey flying over the cottage
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 11, 2006 2:06 AM Post #2710828
| loam,loom, everyone pronounces it differently. Drives me nuts sometimes because I can't always figure out what they are saying.
Now, thanks to you I'm craving blueberries. You had to mention that huh? lol |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 2:16 AM Post #2710857
| Yeah, the food is awesome...clams, mussels, scallops, lobster, haddock, cod, shrimp... There's even a peach orchard some clever person started. LOTS of potato fields up north, they grow seed potatos for other farmers.
One more picture, on the way back into Bar Harbor
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 11, 2006 2:27 AM Post #2710969
| I just realized I've been mis-spelling Mt. Desert... it's pronounced like cake and ice cream dessert, but spelled like the hot, dry sand desert. I guess it was deserted when it was 'discovered' |
fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
September 14, 2006 1:55 AM Post #2720844
| That's pronouned "Bah Hahba" isn't it? I'm sooooooo jealous! DH and I enjoyed our two visits to Maine and hope to go back some day. Loved Monhegan Island. Took one of the best naps I've ever had on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I'd taken a Dramamin (sp?) for the boat ride over and about the time we disembarked and began hiking, I became very sleeeeeepy. DH was busy photographing a bird so I, swaddled in many layers of clothing, stretched out on the rocks that were beginning to grow warm from the morning's sun. It was like being in a caccoon! I slept off the affects of the medication - blissfully. DH said that was a very expensive nap!
We enjoyed a display of Wyeth paintings and toured the site of N.C.'s painting "Christina's World". We each photographed the other posed exactly like Christina with the house in the background. One evening we visited with a widowed gentleman while waiting for a table in a restaurant. He was having his dinner of scallops at the bar and insisted we taste them. When we told him we had enjoyed the Wyeth exhibit, he told us he had once owned N.C.'s original painting of Indians that was an illustration in "The Last of the Mohicans". Unfortunately, he had to sell it to pay taxes, etc. after his wife died. We really enjoyed each other's company and exchanged addresses - have exchanged Christmas cards since. We learned he was the retired Headmaster of a very respected east coast prep school. Such a gentleman. We looked forward to his Christmas cards which always had his photograph on the front in his hunting gear, playing crochet, etc. They eventually were signed by someone other than our friend, but they did continue. I hope we get one this year.
Another vivid memory is of driving down a narrow road running alongside the Bath shipyards. It was a rainy, gray afternoon with lots of fog. We happened to drive by at shift change and there were several workers crossing the street to the little grocery where they bought hot steaming cups of coffee. They carried old fashioned metal lunch boxes shaped like a loaf of bread. I had the most surreal feeling - like we were driving right through a photograph out of National Geographic. Or a movie set. It just didn't look real.
Can you tell I really like it there? Where is your cottage? Do you spend summers there? Are you ever there in winter season? I do not think we would enjoy that time of year.
Debra
This message was edited Sep 13, 2006 9:12 PM |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 14, 2006 2:29 AM Post #2720902
| HaHa, there were a lot of seasickness/dramamine victims on the whale watch boat trip, now that you mention it...that cottage is a rental in a town called Sorrento, in Hancock County. I go for Labor Day and after, because it's cheaper, fewer tourists, and no mosquitos. I lived nearby for about 10 years, I miss it everyday!
Winter is a lot more fun than most people realize...ice fishing, skiing, and snowmobiling are popular. I love that Wyeth museum in Rockland...there's one around here, too, in Brandywine.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
September 15, 2006 4:01 PM Post #2726364
| Claypa, your pictures are wonderful!! I really want to go on the whale watching trip next time we go. It's always been either too early in the season or too late, or we had too many other things going on... We took the mail boat from MDI (Mt Desert Island) to some of the little islands nearby last time, and that was a lot of fun.
My husband's grandparents built a cabin on MDI 50+ years ago and Charles and his siblings still own it. It is gorgeous up there! Thanks for posting the pictures. :-) |
fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
September 15, 2006 10:57 PM Post #2727503
| Marylyn - a cabin on Mt. Desert Island? is that just heaven? |
Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
September 16, 2006 1:09 AM Post #2727864
| It is ABSOLUTELY heaven - or as close to it as you can get down here. The cabin has no insulation, so it's not very pleasant in the winter. They close it between late October and mid-May - actually, the whole road that the cabin is on is full of only summer cabins, so the road never gets plowed; they just re-grade it every spring. My brother-in-law and his wife did winter there one year. They had to park their car at the end of the road (we know the people who live on the corner, so it worked out well) and snowshoe up the road to the cabin - about a mile away. Not my idea of fun, but they survived and remember it fondly. :-)
We honeymooned there in the middle of May seven years ago, and it was still a bit nippy, but that just made a great excuse to light the fireplace in the evenings. :-) Last year we were there in June and the deerflies were out. They are no fun whatsoever. :-P We were there in October a few years ago, and it was just breathtaking...
I'm ready to go back!!! :-D
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pepper23
KC Metro area, MO (Zone 6a)
September 16, 2006 1:14 AM Post #2727874
| You need a new hammock! lol |
Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
September 16, 2006 1:58 AM Post #2727987
| Yep! LOLOL |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 16, 2006 2:31 AM Post #2728084
| Hi Marylyn, Debra, and pepper, thanks for looking at my pictures! One of these days I'd like to try photographing the meteor shower in August. I had my telescope up there, and I had to try to get better pictures of the eagle. The whales are hard, they only appear for a few seconds usually. A few of them stick around until October...
Marylyn, you're not kidding about the bugs, June and July can be maddening. The islands don't get 'em as bad though, if you can believe that.
A nice thing about those ponds in the winter is they freeze up thick enough to drive on sometimes, and you can take short cuts, or go X country skiing, or ice-fishing, and probably not see anybody all day...
A friend's liscence plate sums it up nicely... oooooo, that reminds me, she gave a bunch of some lemon scented yellow daylilies, I don't know what the heck they are, they look huge
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fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
September 16, 2006 1:16 PM Post #2728941
| Great plate, claypa! Someone's creative.
Marylyn, that photo belongs on a postcard. Judging by the well worn earth, this spot must be a favorite! We've only been to Maine in October so that's all we know - and love it. We were mostly outdoors and wore longjohns and several layers of clothes along with hat, gloves,etc. Then started peeling them off by late morning, enjoy a crisp cool day, and light a fire as the temps drop at night.
claypa and Marylyn - these are the things we have done/seen. If we were to return some day, what would you suggest we do that we haven't already? Stayed in Camden both times and took day trips from there. Have seen Monhegan Island, several lighthouses (can't remember names without pulling out our files - one was in a GM ad), Wyeth galleries in Rockland, outlet shopping in Rockport, Arcadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Bath museum, and eating lots of lobster rolls, steamed lobster, lobster paella, and anything else with lobster in it. Yum!
Debra |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 16, 2006 4:33 PM Post #2729400
| Some people say Mt. Katahdin is the prettiest mountain on earth, in Baxter state park. It's challenging hiking. It took me 5 hours going up, and three to come down. Have you tried kayaking int the ocean? Canoeing is great,too, especially if you like fishing. I know a guy who caught a 24 pound lake trout, it wasn't even the record.
F.D. Roosevelt's summer home Campobello is a nice day trip, just over into Canada. Fort Knox near Bucksport is fun. The third week of september, there's the Common Ground Fair, sponsored by MOFGA, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the nation's first organic farming organization. Great food and amazing crafts- all kinds of wool and yarn, woodwork, pottery, a great place to do Christmas shopping for people you REALLY like...bring plenty of money. I think it's in Union, Me. They have their own fairgrounds now.
Some of the best skiers in the world train in Maine. Sugarloaf and Sunday River are ski resorts, if you're into that. You can snowmobile from lodge to lodge, if you want, there's hundreds of miles of trails.
I like hiking, fishing, clamming, birdwatching, boating, camping, especially on uninhabited islands. There's more than 1200 islands, some them aren't even named.
U.S. highway 2 is really pretty, and takes you through the White Mountains into New Hampshire. Lots of small towns where you might find a b and b, or a small motel.
One thing I almost forgot, GARDENS. Do NOT miss the garden Beatrix Farrand designed for Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. It is open to the public occasionally, usually some weekends in summer and early fall, sparse parking, but there's nothing like it. When I used to live there, a woman who grew up nearby used to sneak us in, and we had the whole place to ourself.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0723/p14s02-liga.html |
fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
September 16, 2006 6:03 PM Post #2729646
| claypa - Thanks for the links to the gardens. That's a great suggestion. They look beautiful. I really enjoyed the carriage trails in Arcadia Park. The leaves were gorgeous while we were there.
Kayaking in the ocean sounds like fun. We almost tried it in the San Diego Bay once - the sea otters swim right up to the kayaks. I'm not sure I can stay in the position required to kayak very long. Maybe a canoe would work. This sounds pathetic - I'm not even 50 years old yet - but I have a lot of arthritis in my spine and joints with degenerative disc disease. It makes a difference in the activities I choose these days. No long hikes and no carrying heavy gear. Don't you have to fold your body like a pretzel to sit in a kayak? I think it would be great to sit that low in the water and be that close to whatever swims by. This just reminded me of a kayak tour we had planned several years ago in a Florida Keys state park. There was supposed to be lots of birds and key deer. As it turned out, we were there 2 days after a hurricane and the park didn't reopen before we left. We debated whether to cancel, but our hotel was in the mid-keys and still open. We couldn't get into Key West for a day or so, but it was amazing how quickly it was opened up for tourist - even amid massive damage. I had forgotten how many "near kayakying" experiences we've had!
Debra |
daylilymaine
Southern, ME
October 16, 2006 11:05 PM Post #2823164
| Hello from Kennebunk, Maine!! Was taking a little time away from the Daylily Forum and thought I would check the Vacations and Travel Forum when I came across your thread. My plan was to find ideas for a family vacation but it looks like the best place is in our own back yard. We took our teenaged kids to Bar Harbor for an extended weekend this past summer, and had a wonderful time! My husband is a small plane pilot so he and our son flew from Biddeford to Bar Harbor airport where my daughter and I met them with the car. The weather was beautiful, food was awsome. We took a ride around the island and stopped at the Acadia National Forest Information Center. Along the way home my daughter and I took Rt. 1 most of the way back through the little towns, stopped in a few shops along the way. I love living in Maine, haven't really wanted to venture out anywhere else for vacation in quite a while, very content to stay home and enjoy Downeast. Stop in for coffee when you come up. Our state motto is: Maine The Way Life Should Be :)
Marilyn
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Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
October 17, 2006 2:00 AM Post #2823686
| Ohhh, that Rt. 1 is dangerous!! A few years ago we drove to Mt. Desert Island from Philadelphia (with a few stops.. my husband had to be in Atlantic City to repair a machine for his job and then we continued on our vacation from there...) and we took Rt. 1 up Maine's coast. There are oodles of shops and we wanted to stop at ALL of them!! |
fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
October 17, 2006 12:10 PM Post #2824487
| daylilymaine -
I'm so curious. Where do you even CONSIDER going on a family vacation when you LIVE in Kennebunk?!!!
Debra |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
October 17, 2006 2:32 PM Post #2824869
| Downeast!
Actually, there's a whole colony of Mainers in Ft.Meyers FL, snowbirds,I guess...I had a friend who wanted to change the sign at the state line from,"The Way Life Should Be", to "The Way Life Used to Be" The state motto is really "Dirigo", latin for "I Direct", or "I Lead", from the days of "As goes Maine, so goes the Nation", when Maine was truly America's moral compass
This message was edited Oct 17, 2006 3:54 PM |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD (Zone 7a)
February 8, 2007 11:30 AM Post #3168759
| Claypa: Thanks for directing me to this thread! We are planning at trip to Bar Harbor in August, and are delighted to hear any and all suggestions! Restaurants, things to do, things not to do, you name it, we are open! (We being me, my husband, my 13 and 15 year old daughters, and my 94-year-old father-in-law, who is in great health. And our 2 cockapoos who are joining us.) |
plantmover
Hampton Roads, VA (Zone 7b)
August 23, 2008 5:49 PM Post #5457324
| This is a lovely and interesting thread and makes me want to have an extended visit to Maine! DH and I are taking our mothers to New England in October, and I'm working on the itinerary. Never having been to New England, I'm a bit stressed determining what to/not to see, so thought I'd check DG for some guidance. Initially, we thought time would only allow us to go as far as Portland, but this thread is making me really question that. Bar Harbor looks and sounds breathtaking!
happy_macomb, how was your recent visit? I, too, am looking for Quoting:Restaurants, things to do, things not to do, you name it, we are open!
Any help would be appreciated!
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happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD (Zone 7a)
August 24, 2008 2:23 AM Post #5459370
| To be honest, plantmover, we found Bar Harbor to be a tad touristy, and the restaurants not-so-great -- plain lobster is wonderful, but most of the other options were overpriced and not inspired. Admittedly, our standards may be tough -- we're all foodies. The best thing we did (aside from eating a lot of lobster) was to go on a boat tour geared for children but that we all liked a lot -- http://www.divered.com/. We had some nice bike rides and hikes. And oh yes, there is a huge factory outlet very nearby. I'd check http://www.tripadvisor.com -- it is a terrific source. (We had a bad experience with the house we rented, which undoubtedly colored our experience.) |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:24 AM Post #5459643
| Yes Acadia Natonal Park gets two million visitors a year, so Bar Harbor can definitely be called touristy. I lived seven miles away for years and seldom went there during summer. But the entire area is beautiful. I go in the fall, few tourists and no mosquitoes.
In this pic you can see the lights of Bar Harbor, from the quiet side of the bay
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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rcn48
Lexington, VA (Zone 6a)
August 24, 2008 10:20 AM Post #5460207
| claypa, I can't believe I missed this thread! Love the photos and especially the license plate, always loved those Chickadee plates :) It's been almost ten years since I moved to VA, but like you I still miss Maine. All these photos bring back memories. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Sorrento the lovely little town that as you enter you cross the bridge that always has the railings planted with beautiful flowers? I used to love that drive :)
Happy, sorry to hear that your Maine vacation wasn't an enjoyable one :( Yes, Bar Harbor IS "touristy". We basically stayed away from there from Memorial Day through Labor Day! After Labor Day the town clears out and the best part was always the after Labor Day sales the downtown shops had :) When we were in high school, the tradition for skipping school was always a trip to Bar Harbor...those were the days! LOL
plantmover, if you do make it as far north as Bar Harbor - the link that claypa posted above for Asticou and Thuya Gardens is a must. The gardens at Asticou are unbelievable in the spring with the blooming Azaleas, but still pleasant and peaceful year round. Thuya Gardens as well - a really beautiful place to just relax :) And if you're traveling the Park Loop Road you could always plan to have lunch at Jordan Pond House...not a 'cheap' lunch but a beautiful setting http://www.acadiamagic.com/jordan-pond.html.
Camden is another "touristy" town but quaint, probably best known as the town where Peyton Place was filmed. http://www.camdenme.org/ Vesper Hill Children's Chapel was always a favorite destination while in the area (actually in the neighboring town of Rockport) http://www.villagesoup.com/weddings/story.cfm?storyid=53456. A short drive from town and a peaceful, serene setting with lovely gardens. My favorite part of the drive was seeing the Belted Galloway cows at Aldermere Farm :) http://www.aldermere.org/about/index.html If you want to see "where the mountains meet the sea", you could take a drive up Mount Battie, where "poet Edna St. Vincent Millay sat to gaze at the islands in the bay and gain inspiration" http://maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/bedrock/sites/jul01.h...
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is an absolute must! About an hour north of Portland in Boothbay. http://www.mainegardens.org/ The original plan for these gardens was just developing and funds were being raised when I left Maine and I've never had an opportunity to visit - yet! Seems like all my visits to Maine in the past few years have been during the winter months but as soon as I can get back there during the summer I HAVE to go - have heard wonderful comments from friends who have visited.
If you plan to travel through New Hampshire - a drive up Mt. Washington is one you won't soon forget! http://www.mountwashington.org/
I can't wait until I can retire and can spend some time in Maine during the "pleasant" months - I'm getting homesick :( |
plantmover
Hampton Roads, VA (Zone 7b)
August 24, 2008 12:08 PM Post #5460356
| I just knew DGers would come through - thank you all so much!
Happy, I hope y'all were able to make some wonderful memories despite the not-so-good stuff. We're looking at a lighthouse cruise around Cape Ann out of Gloucester, MA. It seems a 'gentler' experience than whale watching (although whales sound way more exciting!).
We plan to travel through the Mt Washington area on our way from VT to MA. The cog train would be such a thrill for my mom, but not if it's a bumpy, jarring ride. I've inquired via email but haven't heard anything yet. I'll see if trip advisor has anything on it.
rcn, you gave us the hook up - WOW! I want to visit every single one of those places...cows too! :) I can 'hear' the fondness in your words and how you miss it. I understand; we've lived a couple places (retired military) that will always be very near and dear to my heart.
Several years ago, when we first began talking about New England, the final destination was PE Island, Canada. We now realize that this is not the trip to go that far. So, DH and I decided we're planning another trip to take in Maine and that end of Canada...possibly next year for our 25th anniversary. After reading this thread, we want to spend more than one day in Maine! We're also thinking late Aug/early Sept may be better weather wise.
I appreciate everyone's input...thanks for starting this thread, claypa!
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happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD (Zone 7a)
August 24, 2008 12:23 PM Post #5460384
| RCN: I wish I had read your post before our trip!!! Next time . . .. |
plantmover
Hampton Roads, VA (Zone 7b)
August 24, 2008 1:02 PM Post #5460457
| Just checked TripAdvisor on the cog train; we're gonna pass. So glad you recommended that link, happy. Definitely need to check the reviews on all the other potential attractions. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:10 PM Post #5460892
| rcn48, I believe you're thinking of the Sullivan "Singing Bridge" (US 1), which was replaced about ten years ago with a new bridge that doesn't sing. Sullivan is the next town over from Sorrento, lots of old granite quarries mostly filled with water now. I worked at one of them for years, working the old quarry tailings into steps and blocks and birdbaths.
I'll try to check out the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, I hadn't heard of that place until now.
plantmover, I can't comment on the cog railroad, I hiked Mt. Washington, a couple times. I always laugh when I see the car bumper stickers, "this car climbed Mt. Washington". Big deal, I carried a forty pound pack and kept going to Maine! LOL
more eye candy:
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:34 PM Post #5460988
| This is part of the Schoodic peninsula section of Acadia NP, much fewer tourists than the island 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:40 PM Post #5461002
| Another view 
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:44 PM Post #5461015
| Petit Manan light. I used to tend urchin divers out there, at dawn in the middle of winter. Cold, but I got to stay in the nice warm boat !
This message was edited Aug 24, 2008 11:44 AM
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
August 24, 2008 3:53 PM Post #5461051
| A pic of Mt. Desert from my canoe. Yes, they say I'm nuts. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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fleursdefouquet
Ferndale, AR (Zone 7b)
August 24, 2008 3:54 PM Post #5461054
| Has anyone mentioned Monhegan Island? Nice for a day hike and quaint.
Debra |
MistyMeadows
Payneville, KY (Zone 7a)
August 25, 2008 12:25 PM Post #5464605
| Plantmover, Be sure to check the Massachusetts websites. It is one beautiful state full of history, as well as Connecticut and Rhode Island. I am born and raised in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and about the time you go, it should be in it's peak of beauty.
Check out Greylock Mountain (highest mountain where there is an overlook and you can see 7 states). My father used to love to go there and when he was wheelchair bound and I'd go home to visit, I'd bring him to Greylock Mt. Stockbridge, MA is another beautiful quaint town. Norman Rockwell's museum is there and I do believe your mothers would really enjoy that and the quaintness of the town. You've got the Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA.
All I can say is that a trip through New England needs more than a few days. And if you come back around and get a chance, go to VT and get some of the best cheese you'll ever have :)
Kathy |
plantmover
Hampton Roads, VA (Zone 7b)
August 25, 2008 3:38 PM Post #5465382
| Kathy, you must have wonderful and precious memories of those beautiful mountains. Your posting was perfect timing...
Since the cog train wasn't for us and Maine was a stretch, I started rerouting our path from Burlington, planning to go through some of the very places you mentioned! I so want to visit N. Rockwell's museum, and Sturbridge sounds like the perfect destination after we leave Cape Ann. Knowing that we can't see it all, I want to really enjoy the bit that we do experience. Thanks so much!
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MistyMeadows
Payneville, KY (Zone 7a)
August 25, 2008 4:40 PM Post #5465640
| Try this site: http://www.berkshires.org/
In Pittsfield, MA, where I was born...is Herman Melville's house. He wrote Moby Dick (the house is on Holmes Road and easy to get to). I was living in Pittsfield when I left to KY, but my mother lives in Hinsdale and my DH mother lives in Becket. My brother lives in North Adams and my other brother and sister live in Hinsdale.
Hancock Shaker Village (Shakertown) is right outside the Pittsfield limit on Rte 20 as if you were heading to NY State. That is a great place to go and I took my mother there and she loved it. So much history. If you should go there, there is a round stone barn; my stepfather (deceased) restored it.
Berkshire County is such a beautiful place to visit; I hope you do get there.
Blessings,
Kathy
And the mountains. Just take a ride up Rte 8 into Pownal, VT (just over the Williamstown, MA border). There you will see mountains, incredible mountains!!! |
plantmover
Hampton Roads, VA (Zone 7b)
August 29, 2008 9:40 PM Post #5484295
| Thanks for the link, Kathy...what a lovely area to go home to! We've got our route mapped out and are very much looking forward to our visit. We just need the leaves to stay on the trees till then! Initial reports are hinting at a potentially early fall. http://www.yankeefoliage.com/blog/color_report_1. |
stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 3:36 AM Post #5566557
| Thanks, Claypa. Your photos and narrative are great.
One of the really fun things that I did at Cadillac Island was to take a glider flight over the archipelago. This was awesome! A pilot with jeep showed up at my hotel and took us to the launch site. We got into the Glider. He got into the plane after connecting our glider by chain to the plane. He gave us instructions on how to steer and land the glider. Up we went and when at the right altitude, he released us!!!!! We caught thermal after thermal and air sailed everywhere. At the alloted time, 2 hours, I think, we looked for a place to land. He was following us and landed with us. He reconnected our glider to his plane and towed us back to Cadillac Island and then returned us by Jeep to the Hotel. What an experience!!!!
The next day we chartered a sailboat and had a magnificent & somewhat terrifying sail. This was also the first week of Sept. when the price of everything DROPS bigtime.
For anyone considerig a trip to PEI, Acadia is a great stopping spot for a 2 day layover. Next stop should be the Bay of Fundy for a great walk on the ocean floor and Kayacking.
Follow that to Trillio, Nova Scotia to board a raft to ride the Tidal Bore to Moncton, NB.
On the drive home, go as close as possible to the coast line of St. John for the sheer beauty of one panoramic view after another. On reentering Maine, from the St.John coast line, Watch out for Moose! |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 3:59 AM Post #5566611
| Another trip, more pics!
I paddled from here to there (in the pic, not PA. to ME.!). There was a dolphin in the bay, but I didn't dare bring the camera in the boat.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 4:10 AM Post #5566646
| Stormyla, I seldom got to go to Canada... always somewhere to go.
Here's a white spruce Picea glauca. There are lots of garden cultivars and selections - sometimes you can see different forms in the wild; prostrate, pendulous, etc. Deer won't eat it!
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 4:17 AM Post #5566664
| This horrible creature will eat everything from electrical wire to mourning doves.
edit: I should have said that they will gnaw on elctrical wiring, not necessarily consume it. And they will kill a dove at a bird feeder, but I don't think they would actually eat it, either
This message was edited Sep 22, 2008 4:09 PM
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ViburnumValley
Scott County, KY (Zone 5b)
September 18, 2008 4:19 AM Post #5566668
| Is there anything to do in Pottstown, PA, around the 1st of October? |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 4:24 AM Post #5566678
| Typical forest scenario - spruce (black, white, and red), white pines, balsam firs, hemlock, red maples and oaks here and there. Mosses, ferns, and all kinds of Ericaceae 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 4:29 AM Post #5566689
| Wow, Claypa, Those photos are just gorgeous. I can't begin to imagine how much you must miss it there. |
stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 4:40 AM Post #5566712
| Viburnum, There's always lots of fun things going on in SE Pa. What a wonderful time to visit. I'll look and post some ideas for you. It would help to know what your interests are.
One newer thing here that's not to be missed, if you have any interest at all, is our new National Museam of the Civil War in Harrisburg. It's about 1 1/2 hours SW of Pottstown.. Good stop for the way in or way out. It is very comprehensive and you can even look up in their computers any ancestors who might have served on either side. |
ViburnumValley
Scott County, KY (Zone 5b)
September 18, 2008 4:42 AM Post #5566716
| I have a passing interest in woody plants... |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 5:33 AM Post #5566776
| I had heard that, too. Well Viburnum, it's too late for the program about 18th. century funeral customs at the Pottgrove Manor - there is the Pottstown municipal airport community festival Sept. 27th. The rest of the year they fly over my house - I should buck for a ride sometime. But there will be something to do here then.
Between MacAfee and 3 gigabytes of new pics on the 'puter, this thing is slow as mud.
Here are some hobblebushes, Viburnum lantanoides ( syn. V. alnifolium). I had Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants with me, and I kept reading about plants he has seen in Maine too, same county, I believe. What a great help that book is.
This message was edited Sep 22, 2008 4:04 PM
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stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 2:36 PM Post #5567768
| Viburnum, Valley Forge National Park has all sorts of ongoing activities in October. Take a car ride through the park and then walk some of the trails to see beautiful forests. It's about 20 minutes SW of Pottstown.
The Jenkins Arboretum is about 30 minutes SW of Pottstown. A wonderful old estate in the heart of Phila.'s Main Line.
Saturday the 4th is Chester County day. 30 Homes and gardens will be on the tour. they will span areas up to 35 miles s of Pottstown. Lots of mature trees to be seen on these old properties.
Montgomery County's Green Lane Park is about 20 minutes E of Pottstown. Beautiful Forests and Deep Creek there is well stocked. This is in the Perkiomen Valley.
Brandywine River Museam near Chadds Ford houses the Wyeth art Collection. The grounds are beautiful. There's a great winery and an antique mall nearby. Just down the road from it is the Brandywine National Battlefield which gorgeous woods. It's about 35 minutes S of Pottstown.
Chadds Ford is about 15 minutes E of Kennett Square. You've probably been to Longwood, but if you haven't been to the other Dupont estates, Winterthur and the deNemours Mansion, you're really missing a treat. Winterthur has an open trolley car ride through the naturalized woodland gardens.
There are beautiful woods with hugh glacial boulder deposits all throughout the Perkiomenville area. If your visit has you here on a Monday, the Perkiomenville sale and auction is a source of great treasures where lots of antique dealers do their buying.
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ViburnumValley
Scott County, KY (Zone 5b)
September 18, 2008 4:00 PM Post #5568128
| Thanks, stormyla. Can you swing me a little more time off to cover some of those sites?
Oh, and make it a sunny 65º week while I'm up there, with 10% humidity... |
stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 18, 2008 5:45 PM Post #5568488
| Got it covered, Viburnum!!! |
crissyr
Malvern, AR (Zone 7b)
September 22, 2008 7:45 PM Post #5585733
| Thanks for the pictures Claypa. Makes me want to go. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 4:53 AM Post #5587918
| I hope you get the opportunity some time, it is beautiful.
The Bald Eagle still watches the bay from an old white pine behind the cottage.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 4:57 AM Post #5587927
| Gone fishin'! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 5:14 AM Post #5587947
| Here are two Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae ( roughly translated, "big winged New Englander"). These are individuals known to researchers as Flyer (male) and Siphon, a female. Flyers pectoral fins are fifteen feet long. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 5:17 AM Post #5587951
| Siphon's tail fins 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 5:22 AM Post #5587956
| Another shot of Siphon 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 5:29 AM Post #5587963
| Okay, back on terra firma. See if you can guess what kind of maple this is: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 23, 2008 5:38 AM Post #5587969
| If you guessed red, go to the head of the class! There was almost 8 inches of rain the night before, courtesy of tropical storm Hanna. Most places, the water drained right away, due to the glacial sand and gravel soils left by the glaciers. Blueberries love the hyper-drainage, and I love blueberries. This highbush blueberry was growing next to a lake. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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rcn48
Lexington, VA (Zone 6a)
September 23, 2008 8:56 AM Post #5588029
| claypa, you're killing me with more Maine photos! Ahhh...the memories :) It was driving me nuts trying to remember where that bridge was that I mentioned above. I knew it wasn't Sullivan and did a quick search this morning - Somesville not Sorrento!
VV, any chance you're traveling through Lexington on your trip north? You might just find something to trigger your lust for woody plants :) http://www.boxerwood.com/ 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b)
September 26, 2008 3:15 AM Post #5600556
| Good ol' Somesville, always postcard picturesque... there's a beautiful old church there that I heard was designed by Christopher Wren but I could never find out if it was true or not. Maybe it was based on an English church he designed.
This is the view north from Cadillac, elev. 1528 ft. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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stormyla
Norristown, PA (Zone 6b)
September 26, 2008 4:14 AM Post #5600727
| Gosh, Claypa, I had forgotten how beautiful it is there. Thanks!! |
