Our last week in Maine

This is the last week that we will be in Maine although the trailer will be here for the next couple weeks while we are in France.  We left the Rockland and Camden area on the 7th and made the drive to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  We had visited here when we did the cruise several years ago and had wanted to return to have some more time to explore. 

We have explored the park and several of its hiking trails since we have been here.  We will leave to drive back to Portland, Maine on Wednesday for a couple of days before our flight out to Paris on Friday, the 16th.  We will be in France for 2 weeks and will return on the 29th.  We are going to store the RV in Portland for the 2 weeks we will be gone and then will start the long 40+ hour drive back to Denver on Sept 30.  We are not looking forward to that!!

Here are a couple of highlights from this last week.

Can you think of a more beautiful place to relax and read a book?  This is Acadia National Park near thunder hole.

Matt on our easy hike around Jordan Pond. 

Me scrambling down the rocky face of Bubble Mountain on the way back to Jordan Pond below.

Maine - Week in Review

Well, I am hoping that this post actually goes out to everyone as it seems my last one did not.  There are times when Blogger and I really don't get along.

As you might have guessed, we came through Hurricane Irene just fine.  The rain started for us on Saturday night and continued most of Sunday.  We only ended up getting about 2 inches of rain and about 37 mph winds.  We had a couple branches hit the top of the RV, but nothing too serious (or at least we hope not as Matt hasn't been up there yet).

The weather here has been spectacular!!!  Since the hurricane moved out, it has been sunny and in the 70's all week.  We are so spoiled!!!  We spent this week exploring around the Camden and Rockland area.

On Monday we visited the town of Bath and its Maine Marine Museum.  It was a great museum and we also toured the Bath Iron Works with its huge ship bays for building destroyers for the US Navy. They were currently building the Zumwalt class of destroyers in multiple pieces to be put together to form the ship.

We were not allowed to have cameras on the tour but this is a view of what the Iron Works is.

This is a model of what the Zumwalt class is - Very different!

On Tuesday, we visited Camden Hills State Park and drove to the top of the Mt. Battie.  We were less than impressed when the park ranger told us that the drive to the top would take us up 780 feet, however, when we reached the top, we were very impressed with the views of Penobscot Bay and Camden harbor.

Camden Harbor from the top of Mt. Battie.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we visited Matt's cousin Tim and Lili out on the beautiful island of Vinal Haven.  It took us a little over an hour via ferry to reach the island from Rockland and we enjoyed relaxing on the deck of "the Shack" with its beautiful views of the ocean.  We could not have asked for better company, better weather or a more fantastic lobster dinner!

Matt, Lili & Tim enjoying the views from the deck of "the Shack"

On Friday, we sailed on the Schooner Yacht Heron from Rockport harbor over to Camden harbor.  It was the start of the Labor Day festivities so we were a part of the "parade" of windjammers that were sailing from all over into the Camden harbor.  Another beautiful day coupled with gorgeous old tall ships!!

This is the Heron that we sailed on.

Several of the windjammers at sail.

Ahhh...  this is the life!!!

Several more windjammers at sail in the parade with us.

On Saturday, we were actually able to tour on board a couple of the windjammers in Camden harbor.  Beautiful boats!!

Hurricane Irene and Updates

Hi everyone - Sorry the blog has been so silent but its been a hectic couple of weeks with Matt and I in very different parts of the US.

I spent the last three weeks in Missouri with my family and welcomed the newest member of the family, Madelyn Rose, into the family.  She was eagerly greeted by my sister, her husband, and her sister, Katelyn.  Matt has been enjoying Maine for the last couple of weeks and has spent time at Baxter State Park and Acadia.

We started watching Hurricane Irene on Sunday, and on Tuesday we decided that I needed to change my travel plans to return back to Maine from Missouri.  My original travel plans were to fly back on Saturday, however, Irene's anticipated arrival changed all that as I had to fly from DC into Portland, Maine.  I was thankfully able to fly out in a last minute flight on Tuesday and made it home after several delayed flights and a nice run through Dulles airport in DC. 

We are currently in Maine and watching all the news we can get on Hurricane Irene.  We are watching the storm track closely to see if we can stay where we are in between Rockport and Camden (North of Portland) or if we need to head inland further.  Below is a map showing our approximate location and as you can see, there are no easy places for us to go to totally escape the storm.  We are only under a tropical storm watch so our hopes are that we will be able to ride out the storm.  The RV park that we are in is very heavily treed so we will be protected from the full force of the wind.

We will keep you updated on our status as the storm draws nearer!!

Newfoundland Update & Lighthouse Photos

I wanted to take advantage of the fact that we have some WIFI while here in St. John's and give an update of our time in Newfoundland so far.  This country is absolutely beautiful, most likely, one of the most beautiful that we have ever been to.  We arrived last Saturday morning and have spent the last week exploring the Avalon peninsula which is on the east coast of the island (see prior post for map). 

I think the highest temperature we have seen is about 50 and we saw just a few hours of sun yesterday.  It has been very chilly, rainy and FOGGY...  We didn't believe it when we were told that Newfoundland is the foggiest place on earth, now we believe it!!  We have been treated to beautiful rocky coastlines and the whales are in feeding on the capelyn.  We've seen them on several days as we have been driving around the coast.

We just returned from a place at the southern tip of the peninsula called Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve where we photographed over 30,000 nesting pairs of birds.  We will have some photos posted soon of those, it was amazing.  For some more information on the reserve, click HERE.

We are now headed to an area on the next peninsula over called Bonavista to photograph my favorite bird, the Puffin.  We had a permit to visit an island here but have not been able to land on it due to rough seas, so we will try again in a few weeks.

Here is a photo that Matt took last year in Alaska when we visited Alaska of the horned puffin.  The Atlantic puffin that we will be photographing is similar to this little guy.

Horned Puffin - Seward, Alaska

I also wanted to share some lighthouse photos that we have been working on while traveling through Maine and Nova Scotia over the past month.  These photos are all Matt's but I'll hopefully have some ready to post soon.  Just for you Mom!!!

A short ferry ride takes you from the main islands of Hatteras, North Carolina, to the sleepy island and town of Ocracoke.  This brick  lighthouse is the oldest operating light on the outer banks and serves as a beacon for all those returning to the harbor.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers many opportunities for beautiful sites.  The Cape Hatteras Light is only one of the many lighthouses that protect shipping along the outer banks of North Carolina.  This lighthouse is one of the tallest in the world measuring in at over 200 feet in height.  It resides in its new home since 2000 and provides a wonderful look into the past for all lighthouse enthusiasts. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Cape Elizabeth is the home of the Portland Head Light.  One of the most picturesque lighthouses on the Maine shores.  This beautiful lighthouse and keeper's home showcase the very essence of why lighthouses are needed along the rocky coastline.  At sunset, the lighthouse and coastline are bathed in a warm pink glow.  Look closely and you will see another lighthouse off in the distance. Portland, Maine.

Black & White rendition of Portland Head Light - Portland, Maine.

Nubble Light towers above the rocky coastline at Cape Neddick, near York, Maine.  While the lighthouse only stands 41 feet high, its light is over 88 feet from the sea due to its precarious perch on the rocky island.  Can you imagine transporting both yourself and all your goods in a small hand tram high above the rocky shores?

Nubble Light towers above the rocky coastline at Cape Neddick, near York, Maine.  While the lighthouse only stands 41 feet high, its light is over 88 feet from the sea due to its precarious perch on the rocky island.  The rocky island gives us some hint of what a harsh life that the lighthouse keepers must have faced before the light was electrified in 1938.

Cape Neddick Light Station, or more commonly known as Nubble Light is a beautiful place to visit on a warm summer's evening.  It's rocky perch near York Beach, Maine, shows just why lighthouses are so important to shipping near the coast.  It was dedicated in 1879 and still shines brightly today.

While the waters of the Atlantic ocean were calm on our visit to Cape Neddick Light, the rocky coastliine makes it easy to see why these beautiful structures are so needed along the Maine coastline.  The natural beauty is spectacular, but its easy to see why a lighthouse keeper's life was often lonely.

Located inside Casco Bay, the Portland Breakwater light helps to guide ships into the Portland harbor.  This small "bug light" helps guide Coast Guard ships through the rocky coastlines of Maine.

Connected to land by a narrow wooden walkway, the Marshall Point Light Station provides guidance to boats entering Port Clyde harbor.  This vantage point from the light keepers cottage shows the rocky point on which the light sits.  This light station was built in 1857 and has even been featured in the movie, Forrest Gump.

Located on the scenic Lighthouse Trail in Nova Scotia, Peggy's Point Lighthouse is a favorite tourist attraction for those visiting Halifax.  Although only built in 1914, this lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Canada.  Here we witnessed a rare but spectacular sunset

The red light of Peggy's Point Lighthouse guides sailors into St. Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia.  This small town of a little over 40 is one of the most popular tourist attractions near Halifax.  Sunsets over the Atlantic ocean make this a popular place to visit.

The octagonal shape of Peggy's Cove's lighthouse is one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world.  Photographed by many each year, the setting sun provides a glorious backdrop to highlight the unique rocky coastline of Nova Scotia.

The rocky point of the picturesque Peggy's Cove is home to the Peggy's Point Lighthouse.  Although it can be very busy with the loads of tour buses that come from nearby Halifax, this light is definitely worth a stop for visitors to Nova Scotia.  Planning on enjoying a sunset, be sure to bring your jacket as the chilly Atlantic waters make the point a windy place.

A clear blue day in Nova Scotia is rare, but provides a beautiful backdrop for the scenic lighthouse in Peggy's Cove.  It is easy to see why this lighthouse is needed to help guide sailors around the rocky entrance to St Margaret's Bay near Halifax.

Portland, Maine after 10 states and $94 in tolls

We made it safely into Portland, Maine around noon today.  It was an exhausting 16 1/2 hour drive up the east coast from the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It is pretty amazing that in 2 days, we have driven through 10 of our 50 states (North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, & Maine).  Matt was so impressed that he drove 7 states yesterday!!!  These small states are not quite like we are used to in the Western US.

It was a pretty exhausting trip complete with lots of 4 lane state highways with Matt's favorite, stoplights.  Nothing like going from 55 to 0 for a stoplight towing a 12,000 pound trailer.  Once we reached Dover, Delaware, the toll roads and interstates began.  Now, the driving was easier until we had to drive through New York City via the George Washington Bridge and the Bronx Expressway (I95).  We would pay $94 in tolls to drive the 485 miles between Dover, DE and Portland, ME.  Wow, this has to be our most expensive driving day ever.

We are settled in here for the next week for me to study for the GMAT that I have scheduled next Saturday.  After that, we will most likely spend a couple more days here so that I can explore a bit.  We will then start our trek further north into Nova Scotia and New Foundland where we will spend the bulk of the summer.