We love Maine!

We arrived in Maine on September 25th and our first stop was a little campground near Freeport called Blueberry Pond. We arrived to the aroma of cooking ham, potatoes and cabbage and were promptly invited to enjoy a "New England boiled dinner". Bill, the owner of the campground provides special meals for the entire campground once a month during the summer season and we happened to arrive in time for the last one. The meal itself was boiled ham, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and cabbage all seasoned and boiled in one pot. It was a potluck and other campers provided desserts and delicious cornbread. This was our introduction to Maine hospitality.

Freeport is best known for being the home of LL Bean as well as several other outlet stores. We buy a lot from LL Bean so the opportunity to shop and not pay shipping was too good to pass up. The stores operation is housed in several buildings and with the exception of the outlet store, all are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The employees were exceptional in their knowledge of the products and their customer service. This visit put a large dent in our budget.

While in Freeport, we drove out to a coastal area called Bailey Island. It is one of the beautiful areas listed in a book we got from Julie, titled "The Most Scenic Drives in America". It certainly lived up to it's reputation. One outstanding feature was a cribstone bridge made of massive granite blocks arranged in a honeycomb pattern with gaps that allow the tides to rush through without causing damage. It was built in the 1920s and is the only bridge of it's kind left. It was the cutest little fishing village and what you would imagine a New England fishing village might be.

Bailey Island, Maine

The fishing fleet is in port

Pete was told by several friends that he must try fresh Maine lobster. We stopped at a local waterfront restaurant called Cook's Lobster House. Pete was the only one of us enthusiastic enough to order the lobster and he loved it! He named the lobster 'Bob' prior to consuming, which made our friend Bob, a little nervous.

Bob

Pete and Bob

Our last day in Maine was spent in the Acadia National Park area. It is the only National Park in New England. The coastline there looked more like our Pacific coastline with the rocks and larger waves. The coastline is protected by numerous islands. There are five lighthouses in the park but only one is accessible by car. The rest of them are on the islands. We drove the 27 mile park loop that offered stunning views of the shoreline and beautiful coves. We went to the top of Cadillac Mountain which has a 360 degree view of the islands. There was an incredible amount of wind and fog at the top and we weren't able to see as much as we would have liked. We stopped in Bar Harbor on our way back to camp and had our last bowl of New England Clam Chowder on the Atlantic coast. We take with us good memories of people and sights in this special place.

Acadia National Park

The top of Cadillac Mountain. Not a good hair day!

Cool Sailing ship in Bar Harbor, Maine

Pete on the pier in Bar Harbor, waiting for his clam chowder

From here, we head to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We have been watching the Foliage Reports and the colors should be reaching their peak very soon. We are hoping to be there when they do. Cheers!

Maine fall colors, just beginning

"Leaf peepers"