Friday, August 6, 1999

We left late (surprising no one except, perhaps, Lisa). We left the office around 11:10 and headed north up route 11. The drive was almost uneventful – it took Jason less than 3 hours to be told by New York’s finest to slow down. An expensive first day. We drove into the evening, stopping in White River Junction, Vermont for the night. Naturally we picked a town holding a wedding so rooms were scarce, but we got tucked in for the evening.

  If anyone's curious, this is what backroad Vermont looks like.

Saturday, August 7, 1999

Got on the road on time today (surprising Jason) at around 10. We decided that we would forgo the direct route and take the scenic drive through White Mountain National Forest. It added a couple of hours, but it was gorgeous. As expected, it was some of the most beautiful scenery in America. We finally got into Maine and made our way down east to Bar Harbor. Just getting to Mount Desert Island is a breathtaking experience. We drove directly to our Bed & Breakfast (Lisa’s a whiz with a map) and checked into The Briarfield Inn. The proprietors were very friendly and helpful. We then made our way into town (walked a block) and found a crowd of people eating and shopping. We were happy enough to do both. Parkside restaurant was our choice. Lisa had her first lobster and Jason went for Lobster Newburgh. Both were delicious. We also started to pick up some nick-knacks. We discovered Cool As A Moose, which is an incredibly neat store with all sorts of stuff. It seemed appropriate because a tell-tale sign that you're not in Ohio anymore are the "Moose Crossing" signs.  After stopping for a couple of drinks at the Thirsty Whale, it was time to turn in.

  Did I mention the moose crossing signs?

Some views from the scenic route...

       This is where we stopped for lunch.

In the White Mountains is Mount Washington, the highest peak on the eastern seaboard.   

Sunday, August 8, 1999

We got up just in time for breakfast, which is served from 8-10. Apparently, 9:30 was a popular time to show up, as half the Inn showed up. Our host/chef prepared stuffed blueberry french toast. It was delicious. It’s blueberry season here in America's blueberry capital, and they were fresh. Sausage, fresh fruit and freshly squeezed orange juice filled out the menu. We were happy campers. During breakfast, it started to rain. Although as typical vacationers we were a bit disappointed, the locals let us know that they were desperate for the rain, so we walked downtown in the rain. Some more shopping tired us out, so after a pizza from Rosalie’s, we went back to the room for a nap – must be on vacation! We woke up and headed back into town for dinner. After some drinks and lobster chowder at Bubba’s, we went shopping to work our appetites back up. This we did with ease, so it was back to dinner, this time at Rupununi’s with Lisa having another lobster and Jason having assorted seafood. Again, the fare was wonderful. As the temperature plummeted, we found a sweatshirt for Lisa then headed back for the evening. We lounged around the room watching bad TV until we turned in.

Monday, August 09, 1999

Up for breakfast again. We were at the same time, but everyone else spaced it out, so we were seated right away for our blueberry pancakes. The fresh squeezed orange juice was again a big hit with our resident connoisseur. Today we drove across to the quiet side of the island (to see the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse among other things) and then did the driving loop through Acadia National Park. Lunch for Monday was a box lunch from The Cottage Street Deli & Bakery across the street. A fresh tuna sandwich and a lobster roll went very well with the local scenery. We got lots of pictures of real Maine beaches (mostly rocks, no sand). We came back in time for dinner at Galyn’s. Fresh seafood and crab cakes were wonderful. Then we made for Bubba’s where Lonnie (the resident bartender) was happy to flip the TV to Monday Night Football for the return of the Cleveland Browns! We befriended two couples at the bar from New Hampshire which made the evening fly (either that or the Grateful Deads, Bushwacker, or Crooked Road’s from Lonnie!). The Browns won, but it was a bit of a late night, which was bad because of what Lisa had planned for Tuesday.

Some pictures from our drive... 

We had very few directives from home when we left: Have Fun!; Don't think about work; BRING PICTURES OF LIGHTHOUSES!  So...  

We also visited Thunder Hole, a natural phenomena where hollowed out rock claps like thunder as the tide comes in. We were there at low tide, but there were some excellent photo opportunities. 
Thunder Hole:   At the top of the hole is a rather large boulder, which Lisa climbed (pictures from that are coming!) but up there this is what she found.

Well, that's all the pictures for now. Check back in a bit (you can check the timeline to see where I'm at updating the page)!