More Maine and Joining Our Tour...Lessons Learned

*National Parks are such a treasure and Arcadia Park is no exception. Grand beauty and vistas and nice surprises like Thunder Hold where the crashing wave into the hole delivers all the thrill of sound and water spray. Why is getting wet so much fun? It is always a surprise when it happens and yet we go there because we know it will happen. But like the axe man jumping out of the closet in a movie (we know he will yet we jump) the water crashes into the hole and we are still surprised when the water leaps out of the hole and spays us.

*Cadillac Mountain tip puts the world at your feet, beautiful views of sea and islands just like on the postcards.

*Fantasy RV Tours: Meeting up with 24 other RVs to start a new type of adventure with a “caravan tour” begins the process of forming community with rules and common goals:
+Rule: No Bad Days
+Rule:It is your vacation so personalize with side trips as you want
+Rule:Be at the assigned campground or let the Wagon Master know your other plans.
+Goal: Travel safe
+Goal: Share experiences and create memories.

*Group whole lobster dinner with others on the tour always makes for fun times as those who have never seen a whole lobster on their plate are a bit taken back by it “staring” at them. But soon enough those who know show those who do not know and the crackers are fast at work. There are of course those that just cannot, so they have alternative meal. I like those that have the alternative meal because it means their lobster is available…thank you Charlotte.

*A trip mascot (a stuffed lobster) was presented to the group and each couple was to host it for a day and enter into a diary the experiences of the mascot. We jumped on being first (let’s just get it out of the way). It was named Claude or Clawed depending on if you wanted him to be French Canadian or a Maine Rapper…we went with French Canadian.

*WE GET A DOG…ok so it is a black wooden lab dog sitting nicely  with a cute bandana around his neck we have named Band short for Bandana, but hey most everyone in our group has a dog or two or three and are out walking them, or making plans to have them walked if needed because we have several days with full day bus tours. We have a nice dog that needs no walking and funny as it is as when those other dogs are out walking they stop and look at Band and some have even barked at him. So far none have “marked” him. Then one morning we notice someone has put a leash on him? A nice like bike red bike wire with lobster clamps on either end and put around Band and the picnic table…well after all there are lease rules in the RV park, never did find out who did this nice touch.

Bar Harbor, Maine is a busy tourist town with shops, restaurants and the usual issue of too many cars and not enough parking. To solve this their is a nice lot outside town with a shuttle bus every 15 minutes to the downtown area. While so many wonderful small towns are fun to visit and offer nice ambiance they all have the small streets with too many cars and no parking syndrome. At least Bar Harbor is trying to find solutions.

More lessons later, off to eat more lobster…travel safe as school kids are now on the road.

Thunder Hole

Welcome dinner with tour group

Claude is on the road

Summer Fun on the Road Heading to Maine

Living in a Rectangle has many lessons the first being when you don’t write you might get behind and then it is a month later. But there has been lessons…

*Remember lessons of the past and plan your route back to Penn State to have ice cream at the Berkey Creamery. Yep just as good as two years ago.
*When driving down the road to Maine and one learns the roads can be very bumpy, very bumpy and that is when things can fall down…like the shade on the drivers side as one is going 60 miles and hour. Oh my it is a shock when a very heavy double shade comes down, the good news it fell straight down rested nicely and we continued down the road.
*Getting the shade back up was a fun game of how many toothpicks can you shove up a hole to create “new wood” that a screw can go into and hold up a shade?  Answer, not enough, so one goes to plan B…New hole, put in a sheetrock anchor into hole and a heavier screw. Ahhh, problem solved.
*Going into Thomas Point Beach campground in Brunswick, Maine and we see Band Camp signs everywhere for Band Camp Registration, Parking etc and we think how fun to see the high school band camp students but then one realizes it is not high school, it is a music festival for alternative rock. One must then adjust the expectation of what the music will be….it was however very good.
*We had a delightful camping site at Thomas Point Beach……. It was a rocky start with our neighbors. We pulled in and went to the electrical pole. Two 30amp plugs, so I picked one and put in the electrical upon which I hear this booming voice yell “That is not your plug, that is my plug.” and rushing at a fast pace was a man most intent in making sure I heard him so he said it a couple of more times. I stood silently until he stopped and I said, OK. This was a not what he expected and he began to explain how he camped here in the same spot  every year forever and he grew up in the area and last year only one of the plugs worked and on and on. I said OK as David looked on. David called the office upon which the man (Mike) began to talk about how he had known the owners forever and the new person in the office would not know anything and etc etc. Bottom line is the manager came over and explained all the electrical worked as they had done all the repairs from last year, so all was good. Mike came around to being pleasant and a good neighbor.
*Sounds of camping. Squirrels in the trees, Woodpeckers getting food, Leaves making music in the breeze and SILENCE, just silent. Peaceful
*We made it to Bar Harbor, Maine to meet up with our Fantasy Tour group in good time and then had our first Lobster Roll. Yes, as good as anyone can imagine. I love Lobster Rolls  Can one ever have a enough lobster?
*A local farmers market gave us the most tastefully fresh Romaine, so no worry from all the mayhem over the Romaine we were hearing on the news. It was sweet, crisp, and totally delightful.
*Sleeping with no AC widows open with fresh clean air makes leaving Texas not so bad.
*I like when Main Street is spelled Maine Street…so cute

Penn State Ice Cream is Perfection

Get your funk on

More lessons to come