Decided to take a more northerly route up thru some of the hill country and small towns and ended up in Augusta.  It’s a lovely city with old stately homes. There was plenty of lumber money at one time in this area

Headed back south to meet with some close friends from home who have retired to Brunswick.  Barb & Chuck have built a beautiful home on lakefront property bought by their parents in the 70’s. Rode with them over to Pemaquid Point to see the lighthouse and enjoy the ocean view from the rocks.   

The following day we visited one of their friends who is building a house that’s “off the grid”.  He’s quite a scavenger and a woodworking artisan.  Lots of hard work but will be quite an accomplishment when it’s finished.  Then Barb & I went to the Musical Wonder House in Wiscasset to see an extraordinary collection of music boxes beginning in 1700’s and hear their history. The handmade workmanship that went into placing a miniscule bead on the roll so the exact tone struck on the wire prong, was amazing. Also interesting to see how the location of the music box in a room and where it’s placed would add or detract from its sound.

Began my trip up to Bar Harbor and Acadia.  Stopped off at the information center were a kind man pointed out the “don’t miss” sites and suggested  I call a couple of places from there to lock in reservations as I’ve arrived at one of the busiest times.  Found a comfy (and reasonably priced) place just outside the park. Noted a few interesting ranger tours I wanted to take so had to make some decisions.

Can’t even begin to describe the beauty of Acadia. It was a bit foggy when I arrived so began by taking the Loop Road, making notes of places I’d like to return.  The park actually covers two islands, both have beautiful winding roads that take you along the coast and thru heavily-treed forests. Drove up to Cadillac Mountain and the view of the cotton-ball fog covering each bay  island was breath-taking. 

The young ranger giving the tour on Cadillac Mountain graduated from Chicago-area Hinsdale and spent many of her summer vacations in Acadia.  She gave us a great geology lesson about the formation of the mountains and a history of the Park.  Great bulges of molten granite, which were then covered by a mile-thick glacier, carved out the landscape.  It was disputed land between the French & English for a while until the English finally settled it. Artists from the Hudson River School discovered its beauty and thru them, the rest of the country.  It became a summer escape for the moneyed folk who then recognized the value in conserving it. Slowly, donated land was acquired thru the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations and it soon became a National Monument & then a Park, the first east of the Mississippi River.

Bypassed the Precipice (just like it sounds) and settled on the Headland ranger hike along the  cliff face by the beach. The ranger was darn close to my age so figured if she could do it, so could I. We crawled over human-sized boulders to the top for a beautiful view and then scrambled back down to the beach. All along the way, she pointed out the different rock types which made up the coast. Got the expected sore thighs the following day. 

Climbed aboard the Margaret Todd schooner for another ranger tour of Frenchman’s Bay.  Felt like I was on the Sloop John B (for you Beach Boys fans) as I help hoist the sails. Had never been on a boat that large under sail and it was a strange but relaxing feeling to be moving so quietly thru the water. She pointed out a young bald eagle in the tree on one of the islands waiting for mom (or dad) to show up with lunch.  He was still waiting in the same spot when we came by again.

My final ranger walk was on one of the carriage roads to see the Rockefeller Bridges.  At one time they owned (and donated) most of the land in the park and still maintain a summer home here.  John D. Jr. was a road-building enthusiast and the construction of these roads thru the park are now great trails for walkers & bikers.  The bridges are beautiful stone-covered structures designed to take advantage of the beauty of the surroundings. 

Moved on north with the intention of seeing Campobello.  Little did I know I’d dropped in during Blueberry Festival and the motels were booked almost all the way into New Brunswick. When I began this trip, in the back of my head there was a thought I might have to spend a night in the car and this was looking like it might the time.  Stopped at a B & B in Lubec and a sweet couple made some calls around for me but no luck.  Headed north toward Calais and found a small motel in Robertsonville next to an old house turned into a restaurant.  Across the way was a county park with a long pier out into the bay where I watched bay porpoises.  Luck is still holding.