Category: Fun

Note: Last week we posted a review of reader’s destination suggestions. Researching all of those suggestions not only was a lot of fun, it also enhanced the innate sense of wanderlust we feel right now as we plan our next journey and doing little else. So, after reading up on your suggestions, I decided to take you back to one of our favorites, and a place that was suggested often by our readers. I hope you enjoy a post from three years ago–our visit to Maine.

It was challenging to leave Cape Cod, the National Seashore, and Nantucket, but we had other stops to make on this journey, so it was time to Ease Along. The roads were leading to Maine.  Helen (adorable wife) and I had been to the Bar Harbor area and Acadia National Park about twenty years ago, where we had a wonderful time, and were eager to return.

By this time we were in the fourth week of our trip up the east coast and, up until now, we had stayed as close to the shoreline as possible. When we reached Maine, we planned to turn inland and head for the deep (and I mean deep) woods. Before we reached our destination, however, we took a couple of diversions that were noteworthy.

A large part of Easin’ Along is food. We have worked hard to find fun and exciting places to eat, then share the experience with others (I know, tough job, but…), and Bob’s Clam Hut, Kittery, ME was one of those great experiences. We discovered Bob’s while watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network during the time we were planning the trip, and made it a must-do.  I have linked to our time, and our great meal there in depth in the food section of Easin’ Along (click here) and I hope you will take the time to share this fun time with us.

After we stuffed ourselves on clams and chowder at Bob’s, we left Kittery and drove north. A short distance from Kittery, we arrived at US 1 and turned east to visit Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. We didn’t know what we would find, but had heard about the area during the Bush Presidential years and had seen pictures of the city during that time.

Arriving in Kennebunk Beach first, we followed the signs to a parking area at a public beach.  It had been a cloudy throughout the morning and during lunch at Bob’s, but when we pulled up to the beach area, the sky cleared and we suddenly found ourselves in perfect weather.  We took a beach walk to shake off the clam lunch and snapped a few pictures of the beach and some of the grand coastal homes sitting above the shoreline.  Kennebunk Beach had the feel of an affluent area with many permanent residents.  There were a few condominiums in the area, which were tastefully done and well landscaped. We wished we could stay longer, but we still had to get to our destination before dark, so we got back in the car and followed the signs to Kennebunkport and US 1.

Kennebunkport was busy.  It had more of a tourist feel to it, and there were lots of shops and restaurants along our route with lots of people going in and out of them.  Each of the establishments we saw had a neat appearance, with small, tasteful, signage and plenty of flowers and flower boxes.  Nothing flashy about this place and the shops had many benches along the street with plenty of people to fill them in no apparent hurry. Again, this town deserved a more extended look, but, regretfully, we made our goodbyes to the ocean for this trip and headed northwest. See the picture Gallery of this visit here.

Our next destination was Aurora, ME and the Great Pond Adventure Center, an installation run by the Navy, and dedicated to all things outdoors.  It is open year-round, very popular, and we were fortunate to obtain a reservation.  Booking after Labor Day helped.

We had planned to stop at The Eagles Nest in Brewer, ME to pick up Lobster Rolls for dinner (I know–another food stop), but the wait was 45 minutes, so we pressed on.  After we passed Brewer, the landscape changed significantly.  The scenery changed from commercial buildings to farmhouses, and the sand and the seashore turned into rolling hills, grassy meadows, and tall timber. Maine is gorgeous.

When we left highway 27, we still had nine miles to get to Great Pond.  We had called ahead to get suggestions for dinner in the area, but the staff member we talked to sort of laughed and said we had better do something about that long before we leave a populated area.  We stopped at what was probably the last convenience store around and picked up a frozen pizza,  a big comedown from the Lobster Rolls we had planned to enjoy. Nevertheless, we’re flexible.

The Center at Great Pond has 14 cabins, a wilderness campsite, a pond-side campground, and five yurts (don’t ask).  We were assigned one of the rustic log cabins named “Old Speck.”  This cabin had two bedrooms on the main floor, a loft with twin beds, kitchen, living room with fireplace, one bath, and a screen porch. Oh yes, it had a tin roof. We were about 30 yards off the pond, but couldn’t see it for the trees along the shore. Nevertheless, there was a trail down to the pond and our dock.  There were two things it didn’t have–TV and Wi-Fi. I have to admit, and this gave us pause.  Primarily because our beloved Tennessee Vols had a big game on ESPN the next night, and we weren’t sure we could live being “unplugged.” The cabin did have a radio, so after our pizza dinner, I found a good country music station from Bar Harbor, and we decided to read for the evening.

Helen read her book while I read the comments from the cabin guest book.  I’m glad I did. The comments went back several years, and many families shared their wonderful experiences in this cabin and on Great Pond. Some had spent holidays there and had gone ice fishing.  Many, like us, had reservations about being without their cell phones, but ALL said that, in the end, living without these distractions for a few days had indeed been a blessing.  At 9:30 I settled into a cozy bed to the sound of buzzing nighttime insects and had the best night’s sleep of the trip.

The next morning we drove about 12 miles to a general store with a small diner.  We had a lively conversation with a local couple who were there for coffee.  The gentleman we spoke with had spent thirty years in the Navy before retiring to Maine, and we shared stories about our military experiences. The lady working behind the counter also provided good conversation while she prepared enormous sandwiches for us to take back for lunch.  After picking up some postcards for the grandchildren, we drove back to Great Pond, stopping to take some pictures of the area.

Back at Great Pond, we had time to do some laundry at the Lodge in the large commercial washer and dryer that is there for the guests.  We then took our sandwiches out to the dock at “Old Speck.”  The weather was perfect, and the pond was very still.  We both looked forward to the afternoon because we had scheduled a ride on the Great Pond in a pontoon boat.

At 1:00 we boarded a pontoon boat with about six other couples and Lance, our guide, for a one hour trip around Great Pond, a beautiful natural pond which covers approximately 300 acres.  The couples were all from a military background, and most were retired.  We sat next to a couple from Maine who were celebrating a birthday by spending the weekend in a Yurt.  They were a lot of fun.  Lance, a young staffer from North Carolina, was very knowledgeable about the pond and gave us a grand tour and seemed very eager to answer our questions.  Lance’s fondness for Great Pond was very apparent. Except for one small fishing boat and a young bald eagle, we pretty much had Great Pond to ourselves.  When we arrived back at the Lodge, I don’t think I could have been more relaxed…Wow!

That evening we returned to the Lodge where there was satellite television so we could watch a portion of the football game until 7:00 pm when the Lodge closed.  At 7:00 we retreated to the front porch and picked up the game on our MacBook via WatchESPN and the Wi-Fi from inside the Lodge.  The front porch looked out over the pond and the setting sun. The view was spectacular. Tennessee lost the game, but it didn’t matter…this picturesque setting was enough.

We’ve had some excellent experiences on our trip, but this stop was my favorite.

The next morning we took a quick walk then loaded up for our drive across New Hampshire and Vermont, going along the road less traveled, hoping for a peek at the turning leaves. The trip was lovely, but the tree leaves weren’t quite ready for us — more about that in another post.

We did make a stop in Brewer for Lobster Rolls from Eagles Nest.  We’re a determined bunch for sure! Now…we can return to the road and continue Easin’ Along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you read our post about Solomon’s Island, you knew we were impressed, and we knew it was one place that would be hard to top on our journey up the East Coast.  Well, Havre de Grace, MD came very close.

As is our usual practice, we checked into the Army’s Swans Creek Inn at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, and immediately asked the desk clerk where to eat.  He said he always recommends the Tidewater Grill in Havre de Grace…took us about eight minutes to get there after dropping our bags in our very spacious room.

Havre de Grace is a charming town at the northernmost point of the Chesapeake Bay where the Bay meets the Susquehanna River.  This convergence led the town to become an important mercantile center in the early to mid 1800’s, and by the 1830’s, coal, lumber, grain, and other merchandise left the town by rail and carriage, in addition to the many ships that came there to pick up cargo.

We found the Tidewater Grill very quickly (thanks to a very overworked GPS) and were seated outside on the deck overlooking the Bay.  Helen ordered Crab Bites–small crab cakes and a spinach salad.  I went for the Cream of Crab soup and, for the entree, I chose Linguini topped with clams in a white wine and garlic sauce.

Helen said her crab bites were a little too “bready” and gave them a “B”.  She gave the salad a “B+” primarily because of the balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but the spinach was fresh so all was well.

The Linguini was excellent…plenty of fresh clams, and the white wine/garlic sauce was WONDERFUL!  The portions were generous, but that didn’t keep me from eating every bite. This dish got a solid “A”.  The crab soup was good and thick with a lot of flavor, but you had to look hard to find some crab.  I gave it a “B” for that reason.

The setting was as wonderful as the Linguini.  The harbor had a lot of boats about and, although the restaurant was busy, it was not loud (pet peeve), but had a lively mix of couples and families having a grand time in great weather under a setting sun.

We made the short trip back to Aberdeen, but resolved to return the next day and do some exploring.

Havre de Grace was viciously attacked by the British in the War of 1812 and a large portion was burned.  Nevertheless, a good sampling of the early architecture remained and was later supplemented by the homes of the wealthy merchants who prospered in the period after the war. A number of those old homes are now used as inns, museums, and offices.  They gave the town a delightful quaintness.

We parked near the half mile Promenade on the western edge of the town and started our tour at the Concord Point Lighthouse, the northernmost lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay, and one of the oldest lighthouses in continuous use.

In the same park with the lighthouse was a replica of the “Star Spangled Banner”, the 15 star, 15 stripe American flag that was flying on the morning of September 14, 1814, after American forces defeated the British at nearby Fort McHenry.  This flag inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem.

We continued our walk along the wooden  walkway toward a small Marina at the end.  The Promenade extended over the water of the Bay and gave us a grand view of the boats coming in and out of Havre de Grace harbor.

We passed the National Decoy Museum and went in out of curiosity.  It looked interesting, but we decided to save that adventure for another day as our time was short.  The museum did appear to be well done and displayed many beautifully carved wooden duck decoys.

At the end of the Promenade was the Promenade Grill where we stopped for lunch.  This small grill was covered in an earlier post about food.  Please check it out if you  are a crab cake lover…like Helen.

We walked back along the Promenade to our car, then drove a few short blocks into the center of town to browse the shops.  Not being as attentive as I should have been, I made a left turn after spotting an interesting antique store, parked, then got out of the car only to be greeted by a female police officer…my left turn was a big “no-no”.  She asked for my license and registration, explained what I had done, then, with a smile, said she would check out my information, and unless I was on a “Wanted List” somewhere, she would probably just issue me a warning.  I held my breath, but checked out OK…whew!.  She was very nice and a credit to her profession.

We checked out a few of the antique shops, but kept our wallets intact, then walked the few short blocks of the center of town.  Quaint, charming, neat, clean, and aging gracefully is how I would describe Havre de Grace.  We left grateful for the time spent there. We’re Easin’ Along and very happy about that!