Tuesday, June 28: After a great breakfast, we said goodbye to Ales and Wanda,but not before inviting them to come visit us in Columbia. We're heading to Bar Harbor, ME, but make a brief detour to St. Andrews in New Brunswick, just north of the US border. The weather is great: sunny, mild, very little wind. St. Andrews is bigger than Blacks Harbour and Saint George combined, with several shops and many restaurants. But it's mid-morning, so we'll move on. The border crossing is uneventful. We're asked what we purchased, do we have any fruit or other produce (we give up an orange, a yellow pepper and an onion), do we have any alcoholic beverages (we have one bottle of wine), and how long have we been gone and where are we heading. The customs officer is quite friendly and we're happily back in the USA in about 10 minutes. No more Canadian money, no more Canadian taxes, no more kilometers, and no more litres. We also gain back the hour we lost a month ago when we cross from the Atlantic Time Zone (New Brunswick) to the Eastern Time Zone (Maine). Rather than drive straight to Bar Harbor, we go a little out of our way and visit the University of Maine in Orono (mostly so Rick can add to his growing collection of university t-shirts). The U of ME has approximately 12,000 students,located about 8 miles from Bangor. It's about one square mile in area. Looked like a nice enough place, but isolated. We found the bookstore and Rick got his t-shirt.

Betty, a font of tourist info Bar Harbor is about 60 miles from Orono. We find The Central House in Bar Harbor where we're staying for the next 4 nights without any trouble. Once we're moved into our room,we go out to find the Tourist Information Center and make some plans as to what to do and see. We do a little window shopping along Main Street. There are probably hundreds of restaurants in town. We pick one, ] get there early enough to take advantage of "early bird specials", and walk a little more. Rick passes by a man wearing a University of South Carolina t-shirt and greets him with "Go Gamecocks". He and his wife are from Massachusetts and their daughter just finished her freshman year in Columbia. We invite them to give us a call when they come to SC next time. Back at our room, we turn on the TV and pickup the College World Series. Our Gamecocks need one more win and they'll be National Champions for the second year in a row. The score is 3-1 in the Gamecocks favor. The game ends 5-2 and the Gamecocks are National Champs for the second year in a row!!!!!!! Go Gamecocks!!!!!

The Harbor	Dinks Taxi restaurant	4-master	Geddy's	Morning Glory Cafe

Wednesday, June 29: Too good to be true that we would have two nice warm sunny days in a row. When Rick peeks out the window and sees the street outside our Inn is fogged in, he goes back to bed. We do get up in time to have breakfast at the Morning Glory Cafe, and then jump in the car and ride around Mt. Desert Island (on which Bar Harbor is the largest town). We drive through Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor among other little towns,but get back to Bar Harbor for a (not too) late lunch. Unbeknownst to him, Rick's hat falls on the floor and he fails to notice. When we get up to leave, Rory see a hat on the floor, doesn't look at it too closely, and turns it in as "lost". We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town. Several hours later, Rick realizes he's left his hat behind. Luckily, the restaurant has it, and Rick's 25 cent hat (a whole 'nother story) is once again back in his possession. After perusing the menus of several restaurants, we settle on MamaDiMatteo's. This turns out to be an inspired choice as we will have one of the top 5 dinners of the entire trip. The food and service is top notch and we recommend it highly if you're ever visiting Bar Harbor.

Thursday, June 30: Today is forecast to be the best day of our Bar Harbor visit to see the sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. We set the alarm for 4am, so why were we surprised when it went off at 4am? Sunrise this morning is scheduled for 4:51am. It's about a 20 minute drive to the top of the mountain. There's some fog, but the higher we get, the less foggy it is. The parking lot at the summit has only about 15 cars; more will arrive until there are probably around 150 people, shivering slightly in the wind. At 1500 feet in elevation, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Atlantic coast. We (along with the other 148) will be the first people to see the sun rise today. The fog has settled over the coast below us and there's a layer of clouds above. The sun rises slowly "below" us. It's not spectacular, but it's certainly worth getting up early for. By 5:15, we've seen what we came for and shivered enough. Back to our nice warm bed to finish what an hour or so been a great night's sleep.

Breakfast this morning again at the Morning Glory Cafe: toasted bagel with cream cheese and coffee--Rick has been looking forward to this since yesterday's breakfast. Afterward, we drive back to Acadia National Park, revisit Cadillac Mountain now that it's daytime and the ground fog is gone, and take the Loop Road drive (27 miles around the park). There are numerous places to stop along the Loop to enjoy the views.

View to Bar Harbor	Panorama from Cadillac Mtn.	Islands in Frenchman's Bay	Sand Beach	Thunder Hole

We have an early dinner tonight, having eaten breakfast late and skipped lunch. On our walk back to our room, we stop to meet several dogs and their owners. We are attracted by a very well-groomed briard. We know the breed because one of our neighbors has had two. The owners of "Norman the Briard" are a family of four who are taking a year off to tour the US. Chris and Karen and their young children (ages 6 and 9) will be traveling the US for the next year towing their 38' fifth-wheel. What makes this even more interesting is that Norman is famous. He is the spokes-dog for the National Dog Food Company, has his own website and facebook page. Karen has trained him to ride a scooter (among other tricks) and he has appeared on numerous TV shows including David Letterman (stupid pet tricks), CNN, and many local news programs. As they explore the US, National Pet Food contacts them to appear on TV in whatever locality they happen to be. Today marks the 49th day of our trip and the end of the 7th week.

Friday, July 1: Today is a day to just kick back and relax. We've seen the things we came to see and done the things we came to do. It's one of the nicest days of our trip so far and Rick wears shorts for just the fifth time in 50 days. After breakfast we take a walk down to the harbor asnd then to a church that is having a "yard sale" (one of Rory's favorite things). After this one she sees a sign for another one several blocks away. When Rick was here in 1992 he stayed at a B&B. In planning this trip he was unable to recall its name as he would have liked to stay there again. On our way back into town the other day we passed "The White Columns B&B" and recognized it immediately. He wondered whether it was still owned by the same woman. An inquiry at the Information Center confirmed that it was. So while Rory went off in search of her yard sale, Rick walked to the B&B in search of Anne Bahr. He was greeted by her husband (she was not married in 1992) Bob who told him that Anne was at their other property "Cleftstone Manor". White Columns is even nicer than he remembered it and we certainly would have stayed there had Rick been able to recall the name. So we got in the car and drove there. Sure enough, we found Anne, and, although she didn't remember Rick (wouldn't have expected her to after 19 years), he was able to remind her that he visited the week of her high school reunion in Portland. We spent a half hour catching up. She and Bob married in 1995 and bought Cleftstone several years later. We hope they may come visit us if they're ever in SC.

Back at our Inn, we relax on the front porch and strike up a conversation with Kevin and Shirley from Rochester, NH. They are natives of Maine and have been coming to The Central House for 19 years. Dinner tonight is back at Mama DiMatteo's and if anything, it's even better than Wednesday. We'll be leaving Bar Harbor in the morning and heading for Boothbay Harbor for the next week.

Saturday, July 2: Another beautiful day. Rick is up early and goes
Camden harbor
Live lobsters to Morning Glory for breakfast, while Rory sleeps in. We're packed up, car loaded, and on the road just after 10am. It's only 125 miles to East Boothbay and we take the slow road (US 1), stopping at a flea market and in Camden on the way. Rick was in Camden 19 years ago and is curious to see if the schooner Louis R. French (on which he took a one-week cruise back then) is in port. It isn't, sailing on a Sunday to Sunday schedule, it won't be back until tomorrow. The boat is no longer owned by the fellow who owned it in 1992, so Rick feels no screaming need to come back tomorrow.

We find the Yesmentes' home and our apartment without any problem. Eleanor
Boothbay panorama
Boothbay Harbor greets us and gives us the rundown on where everything is and how things work. She provides a good map of Boothbay Harbor and points out where the grocery store and Information Center are located. After a stop at the latter, we drive into town, find a free parking spot right in the middle of things and start exploring. Rick hasn't eaten since breakfast and Rory not at all. An early dinner is in order. There are so many places to choose from and we pick
Our apartment
is at left The Boathouse Bistro. This turns out to be an exceptional choice--we sit on the third level outside overlooking the harbor. The menu is extensive, lots of good choices, and the food is great. We'll probably come back another night and try something different. Our two free hours of parking are just about up. A stop at the grocery store on the way back to the apartment completes our day. We've unloaded EVERYTHING from the car and will consolidate and repack at the end of our week here.

Sunday, July 3:
Pier 1 Pub
Playmates Sunday is cloudy, but mild. No desire to do anything or go anywhere over 4th of July weekend. We take the free trolley into Boothbay Harbor on Sunday. The Pier 1 Pub's exterior is a replica of Fenway Park in Boston. While Rick is soaking up the nostalgia, a great dane and a pub decide it's time to play. The sight of these two dogs, draws a crowd of perhaps 30, many of whom are busy photographing the action. We decide a dinner in might be fun, so we get some fresh swordfish and scallops, some corn on the cob, and some cream cheese brownies. The nice thing about an apartment is that we can do things like this at a fraction of what it would cost at a restaurant.

Monday, July 4: Monday is sunny & warm until late afternoon. The plan for today was to go out on Pete's boat and watch the fireworks. It's a perfect day (until about 4 o'clock when the temperature drops and the fog rolls in. Rick has taken a walk along the wooded road that winds around Little River. First he stops to photograph an old church that has been restored to a private home and is painted white with purple trim. Later he comes across the Millenium Gallery of the Unruly Elf , whimsical creations in wood, stone, and other natural materials. The lodge and the house next door look like something out of an enchanted forest. Next we drive out to Ocean Point and take the loop drive. Sunsets are supposed to be spectacular from here, but it's too early and almost totally fogged in. Rick remembers we'd passed a restaurant advertising twin lobster dinners for $19.95, so that will be dinner tonight. The fog has not only cancelled our boat ride, but also the fireworks. The latter have been rescheduled for tomorrow night.

Converted church	Funny sign.	Lodge at Millenium Gallery	"Mushroom" house	Afternoon fog

Tuesday, July 5:
Captain Pete
The Eleanor Yes Pete predicted the weather would be good today and he was right, so at noon time we headed for the dock and a day out on the Eleanor Yes with Pete and Eleanor. It's gorgeous and the E-Y is a wonderful boat, about 37 feet long with a single Deere inboard engine. We ease out of Little River Cove and out into the Atlantic. The water is relatively calm, just minor swells and Rick is fortified by the dramamine tablet he took at 10:00. We motor by Squirrel Island and round the point at Damiscove Island and into Damiscove Bay. Here we are dropped off to explore the island. There are many trails, mostly beaten down high grass, and well-marked. We follow the Pond Trail and a portion of the Tower Trail. The former leads us past a small museum and ultimately to the opposite shore where there's some surf activity against the rocky coast. After about half an hour, we return to the dock where Pete & Eleanor pick us up.

Former Coast Guard Station	"The Facilities"	Museum	Seagull skeleton	Rocky coast

One of many
lighthouses

Open bridge

We ate at Lobsterman's Wharf again--they had a nice hamburger special and we weren't all that hungry. Besides, it's only 5 minutes from the apartment. While we were eating a bunch of folks came in off a boat. There were 9 or 10 of them and they sat at two tables (6 at one and 4 at the other). They all got their drinks and then all 6 at the one table went to the restroom. While they were gone, the old guy who acts as the greeter, thinking they had left, cleared their table and sat someone else there. The 4 people at the other table realized what had happened and told the people that the table was taken. We were quite amused by this, when at another table, where the server had apparently neglected to leave silverware, a young boy, who was having spaghetti with marinara sauce, told his father that he really didn't need a fork. He got one before he could attack his pasta with his fingers! Cheap entertainment, for sure.

A little before 7pm, we drove to the dock to meet Pete and two other couples who were coming along for the fireworks display. Eleanor stayed home--she likes to turn in early. The water was so still--like glass--and smooth. Rick didn't bother to take another dramamine pill. We enjoyed meeting Pete's friends and quickly felt we had known them for a long time. When we reached Boothbay Harbor, Pete docked the boat and we went in search of the ice cream we didn't have this afternoon. Then we maneuvered the boat out into the harbor, tied up to a mooring buoy, and waited for the fireworks show to begin. Around 9pm, a couple of competing displays went off. At 9:15 the show started--a really good show that lasted about 20 minutes. Watching fireworks from aboard a boat was new for us and great fun. We had an unobstructed view of the barge from which the fireworks were shot off, not to mention the display itself. Pete navigated safely back to the dock at Little River Cove.

Wednesday, July 6: Today we'll spend most of the day shopping in Freeport. When he goes out to see how warm it is, Rick finds a note on the picnic table from Eleanor to let us know that Pete has contacted his friend and that we are welcome to as many of the birch logs as we'd like. Pete wants to know how long to cut them and will bring them back while we're in Freeport. Talk about hospitality!! Pete and Eleanor have gone out of their way to make
L.L. Bean flagship store our stay a memorable one. Among other things, Freeport is the home of the L.L. Bean Company. There are actually four stores in Freeport, but the flagship store is the most often visited and stays open 24 hours a day. We do some shopping, have lunch at a take out/eat in fish place, then do some more shopping. Rick finds some shirts he's been looking for more than a year at L.L. Bean. On our way back to Boothbay, we stop at a Mickey D's for a restroom break and a cold coke. Who should we find sitting there having an ice cream sundae, but Eleanor!! She has been shopping in Wiscasset and is on the way to pick up her grandson, Troy, who is going to mow their lawn. She asks if we want to follow her and see the horse her daughter and son-in-law own. (Her daughter is Sarah, who drove the trolley over the weekend.) How could we refuse? So we follow her, feed the horse, and return to the apartment. When we get there, Pete calls down from his office to check out the back of his pickup truck. He's brought back the birch logs, nicely cut to specification! Rory decides to keep all but a couple, carefully wraps them in paper bags and then plastic bags, and loads them in the car. They'll stay there until we get home in a couple of weeks.

After the "grease feast" at lunch, neither of us is really hungry. We think pizza might be good. On the way we decide to drive to Ocean Point and spec out where we might park to watch the sunset later this evening. Right at the perfect spot, who do we see parked there? Of course, it's Pete & Eleanor. We are going to have to stop meeting this way. We ask where a good pizza place might be, and they recommend House of Pizza in the Meadow Mall, not far from the apartment on the road into Boothbay Harbor. The restaurant is owned by a Greek family. When our food comes, Rick says "epharisto" (which means "thank you" in Greek) to Yanoula who appears to be the owner. Her face lights up, she's so pleased that we know "a little" Greek. She wants to know if we've ever been there, which of course, we have. She's from a little town on the mainland part of Greece just across the new (Rio) bridge from the Peloponnese. We crossed that bridge in 2007 and actually drove through her home town. This makes her even happier and Rick shows her a photo of the bridge from our website. We top it all off with "avrio", which means "good-bye" in Greek.

We had planned to go back to Ocean Point for the sunset, but when we leave the pizza place, it's gotten quite dark. A storm is rolling in. We drive out to Ocean Point anyway on the chance that the skies are cleared there. No luck; and when it starts raining, we drive back to the apartment for the night.

Thursday, July 7: Our original plan was to go to Kennebunkport. Instead we decided to do the laundry which has piled up since PEI. We had
New Harbor panorama lunch at House of Pizza which is right next door to the laundromat. We got a big greeting from Yanoula and ordered sandwiches. While we were eating, she brought us a plate of stuffed grape leaves--Rory had mentioned last night that they were some of her favorite Greek foods. We really enjoyed our meals here and said "avrio" as we headed out the door to get the car washed. Back at the apartment, Rory gave Rick a haircut. The weather has been sunny and warm all day, so we are going to drive to New Harbor and go on a puffin viewing boat excursion with the Hardy Boat Tours. This turns out much better than our ill- fated trip in Cape Breton, First of all, the whole thing lasts 1 1/2 hours
Puffin in flight
Mated pair rather than 2 3/4 which means less time on the water for Rick. (Remember, he doesn't do boats well.) Second, the cost is only $24 (US) per person (about half what it was in Cape Breton). Third, there is an Audobon Society naturalist aboard to explain what we're likely to see and a bit of history of the Puffin Project which has resulted in a robust puffin population on Big Egg Rock (where we're heading). The seas are calm and as we approach the island, we see a puffin in the water and another fly past off the bow. We see several more puffins and a bonus: a small seal peeks out of the water. Rick spots it, but it doesn't stay up long enough to get its picture taken. On the other hand, with the only two pictures he takes, Rick captures three puffins!! Our trip is
Ocean Point panorama
Ocean Point sunset deemed a great success. The Hardy Boat Tour is well-done and the boat itself is first rate and clean. Rory even buys a "Puffin Project" hat!! We're back at the dock at 7pm and we have just enough time to drive back to Ocean Point for the sunset. Although not spectacular, the sunset provides some good golden and pink colors. Dinner tonight will be whatever's in the fridge. We do stop at Hannaford's for some fresh bread. Day 56 (which is also the end of week 8) of our trip turns out very productive and most satisfactory.

Friday, July 8: Well, finally a bad day. We decided to go to Kennebunkport. What a mistake!! The town is supposed to be a tourist attraction. Not sure what kind of tourists they're trying to attract. There is almost no place to park. The few lots charge anywhere from $3-5 per hour. The streets are clogged with cars looking for places to park. When we finally did find a spot with a 1 hour limit (not even enough time to have lunch), we went to the Tourist Information Office to complain. They are well aware of the situation, so much so that they had a pre-printed questionaire to fill out about the parking situation. Rick did a nice job "trashing" the place as a tourist attraction. Every other town we've visited has provided for ample parking. Our only recourse was to leave as quickly as possible without spending a single cent there. In case we haven't been clear enough: DO NOT BOTHER TO GO TO KENNEBUNKPORT. (You won't have a "Bush sighting" either.)

We had dinner tonight at the same place we ate on Saturday, and returned to our apartment to get organized for our drive to New Hampshire tomorrow. We have thouroughly enjoyed our time in Maine (despite the above) and our hosts, Pete and Eleanor could not have been nicer.