Acadia and rain

We headed to Acadia National Park this morning despite the threat of rain.  Unfortunately, the threat turned to hard rain and wind.  Therefore, we didn't get to see much of Acadia up close. 

We didn't get very many photos of Acadia.

The rain didn't stop Carol from checking out a garden beside the nature center at Acadia though.

When we got back to Fred and Nancy's cabin the power was out so we went up to the big house since it had a generator.  The power came back on though so we didn't get to spend the night at Shore Oaks.

The next morning before we left to head home we took a few more photos of the beach area in front of Fred and Nancy's cabin.

 Shore Oaks and Boat House

Fred and Nancy's cabin

On the Road Again

We headed north from the coast to catch Highway 2, which we planned on taking through part of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  We had to stop for this garage sale.  It looked good.

We hoped to catch some color on this trip but due to a warm fall and lack of rain the color was a little later this year than usual.

We spent the first night in Bethel, Maine where I got this shot of a beautiful sunset.

The second day we spent driving through New Hampshire and Vermont.  In Vermont we found some 

interesting stops including - Cabot Creamery in Cabot Vermont and the Vermont Capital Building where we took a guided tour.

The third day we spent on some scenic routes in Pennsylvania.  Again it was rainy so it didn't lend itself to photos.
The fourth day we spent driving through a very small portion of West Virginia.  It was the state we spent the least amount of time in but made our biggest purchases.  Carol found the Fiesta Ware (dinner ware) outlet and we ended up buying a new place setting of Fiesta Ware in a red color.  We also took a scenic route through Ohio and we ended up getting Don and Linda Haddock's a couple of hours late that evening.  I blame it on spending a couple of hours in the Fiesta outlet though.
Today, our fifth day on the road we headed for home. We finally made it back home this afternoon around 3:00.
It was a great trip thanks to a lot of good people who helped us along the way, including Phil and Jane (Carol's brother and his wife), Don and Linda Haddock who provided room and board on both the outbound and return trip.and Fred and Nancy Stine who provided input in what to see along the Maine coast.

Maine

We left Freeport after having a great cinnamon roll for breakfast.  It was huge and delicious.

Now that is a cinnamon roll.

We headed up the Maine coast toward Boothbay where we wanted to visit the Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens.  It was worth the stop.  It was great.  We really enjoyed the flowers and the art work that was available.  It is a very well maintained garden and very large and a most enjoyable place to visit.

Here are a few shots from the botanical gardens.

We left the garden and headed to Brooksville Maine where some members (Fred and Nancy Stine) of the travel club live.  We plan to stay with them for a few nights and explore the central Maine coastal region.

Here are some photos of their cabin and the Eggemongonin Reach where they live.

Unfortunately it was very foggy this morning and the photos didn't turn out too well.

This morning we went down south and explored some islands and towns around Brooksville.  One of the towns is named Stonington.  It is a fishing town that depends heavily on lobsters for livelihood. Here are some photos from there.

Here are a couple of photos of a unique boat we saw in Stonington.  It runs on water or land.

Fred and Nancy told us about a nature preserve near Stonington so we headed to that next and enjoyed a 2 mile hike.  The fog started to clear so we actually got a few photos that were a little better.

 

From here we went to a place called Nervous Nellies.  It is a kind of a tourist trap, but it was fascinating.  This husband and wife team have have a display of things made from junk.  It was really unique and quite immaginative.  We enjoyed touring the place enough that we actually bought some jams from them, which is their main source of income.  This guy takes junk to a whole new level.

We returned to the Stine's for a lobster dinner this evening.

More coming.  We're heading to Acadia National Park tomorrow.