Dumb and Dumber Go To Canada

Mark @ West Quoddy Head Light

Day 64     August 12

We were excited to be heading to Canada today, but first, we had to make sure we touched ground on the most easterly point in the contiguous United States, and that would be at West Quoddy Head, in Lubec, Maine.

West Quoddy Head

West Quoddy Head Light

West Quoddy Head Light

The Atlantic Ocean @ West Quoddy Head

Next stop…Canada!

We crossed into Canada at the very low key border checkpoint between Lubec, Maine, and Campobello Island, Canada, and made our first stop at the very beautiful Roosevelt Campobello International Park. The park is jointly owned by the USA and Canada.

We’ve arrived in the Great White North

The bridge from USA to Canada, from the Canadian side.

@ Roosevelt Campobello International Park

@ Roosevelt Campobello International Park

From Campobello Island, our plan was to take the tiny little local ferry boat over to Deer Island (1/2 hour crossing, cost $40 one way), and from there, take the bigger public ferry boat to mainland New Brunswick (about a 1 hour crossing, free) . Seemed like a good plan at the time, and it was quite fun and scenic, except for one little problem…extreme low and high tides for which this area is famous.

We’d been warned not to go on the ferry to Deer Island at low tide, so we went at high tide. The concern was the angle of the boat ramp, and the possibility of completely bottoming out in the RV. Surprise! There were extremely high tides that day, which caused the same dang problem.

The ferry boat that will take us to Deer Island

We did hit bottom, but fortunately, it looked and sounded worse than it was. We bent a metal piece under the rig, which Mark had to then remove. It would probably be expensive to fix…but not critical to our journey, so we tossed the metal piece into a drawer, and pretended it never happened.

Aaack!!! I watch in horror as the space shuttle hits bottom

Mark, checking underneath for damage. In the background, another RV owner also checking under his rig for damage after he also hits bottom.

Once on the ferry, we enjoy a peaceful ride over to Deer Island

Ferry to Deer Island

Approaching Deer Island

The next ferry ride was less eventful, with just a minor scraping bottom while loading. Piece of cake!

Deer Island

That’s us…the small dot…

Waiting in line for the ferry from Deer Island to the mainland

Approaching the mainland

And so, we had made it pretty safely over to the mainland. From there, we zipped up Rt. 114, and to Headquarters Campground in Fundy National Park. If you don’t already know this, the Bay of Fundy has some of the highest tides in the world. At this time, tides were at about 40′. So, when the tide goes out, it really goes out, leaving  you and your dogs with a gigantic beach to explore!

Mark & Dax

Bay of Fundy @ low tide

Bay of Fundy @ low tide & sunset

Trixie

The harbor at low tide

Low tide

Canada was already proving to be fun, exciting, challenging, and beautiful. And we’d only done a couple dumb things today, so, chalk it up as another great day

Were We Abducted By Space Aliens?

Low tide @ Lubec, Maine

Day 63      August 11

August 11th was a day full of crazy shit.

First of all, somehow, after doing a crap load of laundry the day before, we’d ended up with more laundry to do in the morning. Maybe it was the doggie blankets, I don’t really remember now. But really, how much laundry can you create while living in a van?

Next was the funny woman we met at our campground. She had recently purchased an Airstream Interstate, just like ours, but newer. And, just like we were a year ago, this woman was absolutely clueless about how to operate her space shuttle. She was begging us for help when she couldn’t figure out why her vehicle was beeping. Uh, how ‘bout putting on your seatbelt? Yep, that.

Next crazy thing was me talking to AT&T and finding out that our most recent bill was $575. WTF???? Put them on the list of companies I hate.

We left our campground and headed up Route 1, just a little ways, to Schoodic Point, which is separate from the rest, but still, part of Acadia National Park.

Schoodic Point

Fiona @ Schoodic Point

Schoodic Point

Snorkeling

A little help….please…..

Gumby & Pokey do another photo shoot.

Schoodic Point

Man in nature

Check out the view from up here

Wheeeeeeeee!!!! We made it to Schoodic Point!!

Schoodic Point

As we were parking Fiona in what definitely seemed to be a “no parking” kind of spot, we were approached by a ranger. He wasn’t coming to tell us that we couldn’t park there, but he was coming over to talk to us about our RV, and to weasel his way into getting a tour of the inside. Seems he plans to retire in about a year, and wants to get a space shuttle just like ours!

We finally had to get on our way, said goodbye to Acadia National Park, and headed north. Just as we were leaving Schoodic Point, we saw a cow on a leash in somebody’s front yard. Yeehaw!! Must be Maine!!

It was early evening when we arrived in Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town in the USA.

Welcome to Lubec!

The sign-in board, as you enter Lubec

We walked around the tiny town, watched the sunset and marveled at the extreme low tide. Met some really nice local peeps watching the sunset, and more nice local peeps inside the local tavern.

Lubec

Low tide in Lubec

Lubec

Lubec

The main street in Lubec

Fish mural in downtown Lubec

Tiny little main street in Lubec

Cute little town with cute little storefronts.

Lubec

It was in Lubec that we thought perhaps we’d been abducted by aliens, ‘cause the time indicated on our cell phones, kept switching back and forth by an hour. And Mark’s phone and my phone weren’t in agreement about what time it was either.

Finally, we figured out (‘cause one of those nice local peeps told us) what was happening. We were literally, at the border to New Brunswick, Canada, and New Brunswick is on Atlantic Time…an hour ahead of Eastern Time. Our electronic devices were confused, as they kept jumping back and forth to the Canadian networks and picking up the Canadian time.

Low tide @ sunset. Lubec, Maine

Low tide @ sunset. Lubec, Maine

Low tide @ sunset. Lubec, Maine

August 11th was a day full of crazy shit, but it stopped short of including alien abductions. Phew.

Clean Underwear, Lobster & Ice Cream!

Bar Harbor Lobster Pound

Day 62     August 10

August 10th was a slow day. We did laundry, hung out at the pool while waiting for our laundry, sorted laundry and put laundry away. We also walked the dogs and cooked lunch. Like I said, it was a slow day.

Mark’s magical lunch concoction

Soaking in the sun while waiting for our laundry

August 10th was also a delightful day for food. We hung low and cooked up a nice lunch for ourselves at our campsite. But dinner time was another story. We walked across the street to the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound and got us a feast!

Bar Harbor Lobster Pound

Them lobsters are in there somewheres!

Lobster roll, crab cakes, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and two pieces of blueberry pie! And then for dessert (gasp!!), we walked down the street and got us a couple of ginormous ice ream cones, each with double scoops.

Too full to do anything else this evening, we relaxed around our campfire and played music. A perfect lazy day!

Our beautiful campfire

We’ve Mastered The Art of “Dumb Luck!”

Officially @ Acadia National Park

Day 61        August 9

When your day starts out at a microbrewery, that is a great day. This day was a great day! Remember, when I say, “starting out” the day, I mean noon, ‘cause that’s just about the time we’re hittin’ our stride for the day.

The day started with no set plan. We commenced our wandering about Acadia National Park and the surrounding environs. I’m still not sure, without consulting a map, when we were actually inside of, or outside of Acadia, and it didn’t really matter.

When we saw the signs for the Atlantic Brewing Company, and Mainely Meat, right next to each other, we knew it was gonna be a spectacular day! Ends up that the two businesses are right there on one property, making for a one-stop lunch stop.

Lunch time!

Lunch @ Mainely Meat & the Atlantic Brewing Company

I liked my beer so much, that I went for a little swim in it.

We had a great lunch…fantastic pulled pork, and killer baked beans, along with a couple local brews. And then we hit the brewery shop for some take-out beers with which to restock our fridge.

So many beers to choose from!

Fully fueled, our next stop was Beech Mountain, where we picked one of several hiking trails, and just went for it…no map, no info, no clue…as usual. We happened to pick a fairly steep and extremely rocky path to the top. I was worried about the dogs being able to keep up, when, clearly, I should have been worried about me keeping up!

Starting our Beech Mountain hike.

Following the boys up Beech Mountain

After dragging all four of our butts to the top, we were richly rewarded with the most awesome of views!

@ the top of Beech Mountain

With our little bendable friends @ the top of Beech Mountain

@ the top of Beech Mountain

@ the water tower @ top of Beech Mountain

We soaked in the beauty, rested in the shade for a while, rehydrated, and then took a different way back down. This worked out great, as the path wasn’t as rocky or as steep, plus, we got to see completely different views. We certainly picked a fabulous hike!

The view on the way back down Beech Mountain

The view on the way back down Beech Mountain

The view on the way back down Beech Mountain

Enough hiking for one day. We hopped back in the Space Shuttle, and headed in some such direction as seemed interesting at the time. Not really sure how we picked our route. We ended up at Bass Harbor, in the town of Bernard. Bass Harbor seemed to be one big lobster fishing harbor. I’ve never seen so many lobster pots in my life!!

Bass Harbor

Bass Harbor

Bass Harbor

As luck would have it, Bass Harbor also had a lighthouse, the Bass Harbor Head Light. Somehow, all of our “winging it” had totally paid off today!

Bass Harbor Head Light

Bass Harbor Head Light

We completed the day by making another trip up Cadillac Mountain to view the sunset. This time we had no rain and no hail…just pure sun, turning into darkness.

Me, looking pretty dang serious, working on an Instagram @ Cadillac Mountain.

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain

Watching the sunset on Cadillac Mountain. It’s a spectator sport!

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain

Portrait of Dax @ sunset on Cadillac Mountain

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain

Fiona. Waiting to go down the mountain after watching the spectacular sunset on Cadillac Mountain.

And later that evening, the appropriate beer for the appropriate daily activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cannibalism & Bad Hair Days

Thunder Hole. Acadia National Park, Maine

Day 60    August 8

I tried to get a haircut today. It didn’t quite happen.

In the morning, we drove into Bar Harbor to look around. I spotted a trendy looking hair boutique downtown, and, as luck would have it, they could squeeze me in at noon. I was very excited to get my rat’s nest worked on!

Bar Harbor, Maine. Great sky!

At noon, I showed up as directed. But after a very lengthy conversation with the stylist about what miracle she’d be doing for me, she no longer had time to perform said miracle. Apparently, if you’re gonna talk and look at pictures for 45 minutes, you should do it prior to your hour-long appointment.

I left my appointment looking exactly like I did when I walked into my appointment.

And, back to Acadia we went to immerse ourselves in nature.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Thunder Hole

Thunder Hole

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine

Eager to get some exercise, we hopped on our bikes and headed out on one of the beautiful carriage roads in the park.

@ one of the carriage roads

Away we go. Doin’ the carriage roads.

Wait for me!

We rode for quite a while, but when we decided we should head back, we couldn’t figure out exactly how to get back.

We shoulda paid attention to the signs!

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!

ugh…uphill

We took a couple of wrong turns, and had to double back on the trail a couple of times, before finding the branch of the road that we’d come in on.

We agreed that we were very unprepared hikers and bikers, and there was a pretty good chance that, if we had kids, we’d get lost somewhere and have to eat our kids to survive.

End of the day. Back at our campground.

Hail-A-Palooza….We Got Hailed Upon Once Again

Jordan Pond. Acadia National Park, Maine

Day 59    August 7

This was our first day in Acadia National Park! My first thought was to take the free public bus into the park. My second thought was to just drive in so that we’d have the doggies with us all day.

Trixie in the space shuttle. How could you possibly leave this critter all day?

The doggie plan won. Having the dogs with us gives us much more flexibility as to how long we can stay out and about. We can take them on hikes with us, feed them dinner on time, and accommodate their needs should the weather change drastically during the day.

Mark threatened to buy this for me at the Acadia NP gift shop

The park was busy all day, and we did have a couple issues with parking. As in, we couldn’t park at a couple of places. We could have, had the inconsiderate folks driving cars, not taken the RV’s Only parking spots. WTF is with that?

We had a spectacular day in Acadia. Of course, it wouldn’t have been quite as interesting without some weird weather. Late in the afternoon, we found ourselves in another downpour, followed by a brief hail storm. I can’t even remember now, whether this was the 2nd or 3rd time this summer that we’d been hailed upon.

Northeast Harbor

Northeast Harbor

Northeast Harbor

When the short-lived storm cleared up, we went to the restaurant at Jordan Pond for some of their famous popovers. Turns out that popovers weren’t anything like we thought they’d be, but they were delicious things!

Jordan Pond

Relaxing at Jordan Pond

Jordan Pond

Popovers, jam, and tea

The timing was right, and after having popovers, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunset. Unbelievable….it had started storming out again, and we were met with a deluge of rain and lightening and thunder. We waited it out, comfortably, in the Space Shuttle. And when the storm finally did subside, we had a look around at the glorious views.

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

@ the top of Cadillac Mountain

By time we returned to the campground, the rain had completely stopped, and we took the dogs out for one last walk before bed time. And we bought some blueberries. Huh?

So, yes, there was a family with two kids, camping in the space across from us. The kids had been out picking wild blueberries, and had set up a blueberry stand. They were selling the berries for one cent per berry, and so we stopped and bought 25 cents worth.

The boy counted out the berries one by one, and we ate them one by one. This food handling probably wouldn’t pass a health department inspection, but, we took a chance anyways. We did draw the line when he tried to pass one off on us that we clearly had seen him drop on the ground.

Apparently we were the kids’ only customer that evening. That’s us…doing our part to help the economy!

Dogs, A Lobster Shack, and A Brewery!! Woohooo!!

Dax, hanging out @ Marshall Wharf Brewing Company. Belfast, Maine

Day 58   August 6    Part 1

On our way north we couldn’t help but notice how so many of the houses had such beautiful garages and barns. Often they were nicer than the houses themselves. I wondered if they were all man-caves.

Made a short stop in Lincolnville to load up on caffeine at Green Tea Coffee. They roast their own coffee, and their selection of loose teas rivaled any big city tea shop I’ve ever seen. And, they had two very cute doggies hanging out inside the shop.

Green Tea Coffee

Coffee shop mascot

Hyped on caffeine, we continued north, and accidentally stumbled upon Camden State Park, and Mt Battie. Except for that it was a bit foggy, we were treated to some pretty freakin’ nice views. Dax and Trixie liked it up there, and were nice enough to pose for a bunch of portraits.

Observation tower @ Mt Battie

The view of Mark taking in the View from Mt Battie

View from Mt Battie

View from Mt Battie

Trixie looking quite regal @ Mt Battie

Dax, looking quite regal @ Mt Battie

Mark & Dax @ Mt Battie

Mark & Dax @ Mt Battie

And then, onward, to Belfast we went. Belfast was a cool little city-town. It was hip enough that I thought maybe I could find a decent hairstylist to cut my hair. My two month-old hair cut was starting to look scraggly.

Belfast

Belfast

Belfast

Well, hairstylist shopping was a bust, but what we did find was a little lobster shack, and a brewery. First stop was the food truck. Lobster rolls. I’d had better, but they were decent, and hit the spot.

Lobster shack

Waiting for our lobster rolls

Second stop, was the brewery. Marshall Wharf Brewing Company. We’d intended to take a great big walk around the waterfront area, but one of the first things we saw was the brewery, and that’s as far as we got.

Score!!!

@ Marshall Wharf Brewing Company

@ Marshall Wharf Brewing Company

Dax, hanging out @ Marshall Wharf Brewing Company

Dax, hanging out @ Marshall Wharf Brewing Company

Life was sweet….hanging out on the patio of the brewery, sipping beers, talking to people. All of a sudden, the wind picked up and the sky started getting dark. Uh-oh!! We chugged our beers, and high-tailed it back to the Space Shuttle!!

It started sprinkling on us when we were about a block away from Fiona. And then we heard thunder. And I swear, 15 seconds after we all climbed inside Fiona, the skies just opened up and it poured rain.

It was too dastardly to drive, so we just sat there for 20 minutes, until the storm subsided just as quickly as it had come on. With just a lite drizzle coming down, we continued our drive to Bar Harbor, where we checked into our campground for the night.

On the way to Bar Harbor

Tucked in @ Bar Harbor Campground

@ Bar Harbor Campground

Eating With Chopsticks While Driving….Is it Legal????

There we are. The blue dot. Ugh. Amazing lack of good internet capabilities. Looks like we’re in outer space, at night.

Day 57 August 5

Trixie and Dax were due for a couple of their routine shots, and we wanted to get those taken care of before we went back into Canada. We’d called the Freeport Veterinary Clinic the day before, explained our travel situation, and got an appointment for this morning.

This turned out to be a really nice clinic, with a great vet and staff. Trixie and Dax seemed to enjoy meeting these new people and getting some special attention. And now, no worries about going back to Canada!

Awesome peeps helping pets!

Our only worry now, was the crazy driver next to us as we drove out of town. This was a first on my “Can’t believe I saw a person doing such and such while driving” list. OK, this guy was driving while eating, with chopsticks, from a Chinese food take-out container. Scary at first, and then total excitement and wonderment about how the heck he could do that while driving! Talent comes in many forms!

We were headed towards Rockland, where we were hoping to have dinner at a restaurant called Primo. This was another recommendation from Gary and Jane. We were super disappointed to find out that Primo is closed on Tuesdays. Bummer, but then, look at the money we probably saved by not being able to eat out. Silver linings come in many forms!

Once in Rockland, we stopped to visit the Farnsworth Museum of Art to see the Wyeth exhibits, and the other artsy stuff. Nice museum.

Rockland

Getting some culture @ the Farnsworth Museum of Art

Getting some culture @ the Farnsworth Museum of Art

The RV Park we ended up at for the night was interesting. Nice location and woodsy setting, with a killer coastline view from one of the walking paths. They also had a gigantic movie screen with huge booming speakers, set up in a field near our campsite.

Cute cottages for rent at the RV park.

Coastline view from the RV park.

At around 5:00 pm, they had a movie playing, with the sound turned up to about 12. Even Spinal Tap’s amps only went up to 11. This was freakin’ loud. Annoying things come in many forms!

At least the movie was over by 7:00 pm, and we had a good night’s sleep after all.

Fun in Maine!! Lighthouses and Ice Cream!

Nubble Light House, looking very moody in the fog!

Day 56    August 4     part 1

Today we’d be leaving Kittery Point, Maine, and continuing our journey north.

After breakfast, Gary and Jane gave us a bunch of travel and campground suggestions for Maine, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island….places they had enjoyed on their travels in their Airstream….info that proved quite handy in the coming weeks.

I know that I mentioned the hospitality that our friends had shown us, but really, words can’t tell you how amazing they both were to us. And I hope that we can someday return the favor. In these short days, they had truly become friends!

The hospitality of their neighbors was also outstanding. From their neighbor that lent us the kayaks the day before, to their next door neighbor, Polly, who stopped by this morning to give us a bounty of blueberries and snap peas from her garden, Kittery Point was obviously a very special place.

We could have easily just hung out here indefinitely, but we knew we had to get back on the road. Of course, before we left, we had to take a few more photos with the very fun welcome sign that had greeted us a couple days ago. And then, off we went.

Gary, Jane, the pups, Fiona, nd the awesome sign that G&J had made for us.

Mark, the pups, Fiona, and the awesome sign that Gary and Jane had made for us

Up the coast of Maine, we meandered, stopping for ice-cream, and stopping to take photos along the way.

A little town in Maine

Nubble Light House, looking very moody in the fog!

 

Once again, time for ice cream!

We only made it a short distance, and stopped for the night at Recompence Shore Campground, a campground that Gary and Jane had recommended.

@ Recompence Shore Campground

@ Recompence Shore Campground

@ Recompence Shore Campground

Dinner this night was a pretty fabulous meal. We had fresh lettuce and squash from Jane’s garden, and leftover lobster from our lobster feast. We were living like Kings and Queens!

The Dogs Run Free. The Lobster Get Murdered. Where’s The Justice?

The Space Shuttle, docked in Gary & Jane’s yard.

Day 55    August 3

Maine hospitality is really something, at least, Gary & Jane’s hospitality was! They made us and the dogs feel completely at home, and did their best to make sure we had a fun time! And we did have a fun time. We seemed to all share the same twisted sense of humor, and that made for lots and lots of laughs!

After breakfast, all six of us headed over to nearby Fort Foster. Gary and Mark rode their bikes over there, while Jane and I, and Trixie and Dax, drove over. The tide was low, and we all rode, walked, and ran all over the beach. It was a fabulous morning! Trixie and Dax were ecstatic to have total freedom to be dogs (lots of running and digging).

Entrance to Fort Foster

Low tide. Fort Foster

Gary & Mark on their bikes, escorted by Jane

Dax, on the loose on the beach at Fort Foster

Beautiful beach @ Fort Foster

Mark, Jane, and the pups.

Our afternoon was filled with lobster shopping, lobster killing, and lobster feasting. In all fairness, our new friends didn’t partake of the lobster….Mark and I were the only lobster murderers, and we were very happy lobster murderers. Delicious!

Shopping for lunch.

Gumby & Pokey….risk-takers. Checking out our soon-to-be lunch.

Jane, the brave lobster wrangler.

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy little critter!

Lunch is served!

I was exhausted, and looking forward to a nap, however, Jane had other plans for us. We were going kayaking, which ended up being magnificent! The coastline was beautiful. And when it started to sprinkle rain on us, it just made it that much more sublime and peaceful. It was quite magical.

And then I finally got my nap.

After my nap, we would once again feast on another wonderful Jane-made meal of pasta and mussels. Jane was an awesome cook!

We were having such a great time with Gary and Jane, that it would be hard to leave our new friends in the morning.

Welcome To The Great State of Maine!

Our first visit to Maine!

Day 54   August 2      part 2

We were supposed to be in Kittery Point, Maine at about 6:00 pm today. We were going to stay with (in the driveway of) some friends that we’d never met before.

I frequently participate in the on line discussions at airforums.com. This is a discussion board for Airstream owners, and others obsessed with Airstream trailers and motorhomes. I had posted something about us going cross country to go to the Newport Folk Festival, and that we’d then be heading up to Maine.

Gary and Jane, Airstream owners in Kittery Point, Maine, saw my post and, for some reason, decided it’d be safe to invite Mark and me to stay at their place if/when we drove through their neck of the woods. And Mark and I decided it’d be safe to take them up on their invite.

And that is how it came to be that we had to be in Kittery Point, Maine at 6:00 pm today, to have dinner with a couple of people we’d never met!

From the minute we drove up to Gary and Jane’s house, we knew this was gonna be a great time! We were greeted by the most awesome handmade welcome sign, and by two of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet!

Well, what do we have here?! A custom made welcome sign, made especially to welcome us to Kittery, Maine!!

Mark, with our new friends, Gary and Jane. A warm welcome, and a toast!