Acadia

If you are visiting Maine to explore the small villages and working harbors that make Maine such a special place then I cannot think of a better place to do that than in the Down East region of coastal Maine from Belfast to Lubec. And, one of my favorite places in all of Down East is Stonington and the Stonington Harbor.

Stonington is a “must do” in my opinion but here is the catch. If you do visit then plan to be up before sunrise (yup, around 4 am) and eat breakfast at one of the places you can find that serves breakfast (the lobster fisherman will be there too), then go to the harbor and watch as the lobstermen (and women) head out to their boats in their tiny dingies. Watch as they start their engines as the sky continues to brighten - you never know what the color of the sky will be but rst assured it will be beautiful. Dress warm. Then watch as they prepare their boats and head over to one of the several fish piers to pick up their bait fish for the day. No traffic cops or traffic lights but all goes smoothly and the harbor is soon “empty” - the dingies and a few (very few) pleasure boats are all that will be left. The harbor will be quiet until late afternoon when the boats return with their catch. So, if you need extra sleep now is a good time to catch a few hours of sleep. However, be sure to plan to spend the late afternoon and evening back at the harbor - watch the boats unload and the sun set. So, eat supper early and I mean early - 2-3PM. The photo ops as the sun sets and reflects off the homes that line the harbor. It is a scene you will remember for a very long time. Don’t miss it! Remember, the lobster fleet cannot go out on Sunday.

The weather has been fantastic for a couple of weeks now. We will be getting some not so nice weather the next two days - 90s and humid - but, the weekend is going to be cooler and drier again. All of Maine is bracing for the 4th of July weekend. The price of gas (regular) is now down below $3.00 a gallon. I paid $2.87 today! The lobsters are ready! The black flies are gone. The skies are beautiful, the mountains are majestic and ready for climbing, the oceans and lakes are awaiting your canoe or kayak and the folks of Maine are ready to treat you like long lost friends. COME ON UP!!!

My topic for today’s blog is one I never enjoy talking about. However, I feel it is important and want to remind everyone to drive carefully. In recent weeks local newspapers and TV have been reporting quite a few motorcycle and automobile accidents - many resulting in deaths. And, several of the deaths have been people who are vacationing in Maine.

I think there are several factors that contribute to summertime accidents:

* people tend to drive tired
* people are not familiar with the roads
* many of the side roads do not have paved shoulders making them harder to drive on
* a lot more people are on the roads in the summer
* more people are pulling trailers (boats, campers, building materials, etc.)
* some people overload either the trailer or the towing vehicle
* many people are sightseeing so they are not as attentive to their driving
* lots of people are looking for a road, a building or driveway and slow down in unusual places
* there are more motorcycles on the road - and some people simply don’t see them
* each year there are more people riding bicycles on Maine’s highways
* there are deer, moose, fox, turkeys, and many other wild animals crossing the roads - dawn, dusk and night time are the most active periods for animals
* sudden thunder storms can reduce visibility to near zero
* a lot of construction work takes place during the spring, summer and fall resulting in slow downs and putting large constructions vehicles on the roads
* loggers are hauling trees and their trucks are quite large

This is not an all inclusive list but as you can see there are a lot of factors that increase the dangers associated with driving in the summer months. Keep that in mind and take extra precautions as you travel the roads of Maine, or any other state for that matter. Your life and the lives of friends, family members and fellow travelers are at stake.

Be patient, attentive and wear your seat belts. And, by all means do not speed - it never saves you much time and the sorrow an accident can bring is not worth it. Also, remember you may end up in jail if you are the person who causes a fatal accident - think about it, would you want to live with the knowledge that you were responsible for someone’s death?

Have a great year and take the time to be safe!

I would love to hear from folks who can reinforce this message either from personal experience or from people they know.

The Grafton Loop Trail is a new 40+ mile hiking trail located in the Grafton Notch area of Western Maine. Here you will find three of the most beautiful gorges in the State of Maine. For more information go to www.outdoors.org and search for Grafton Notch.

If you are like my family and you have a pet that you do not like to leave behind when you travel then I want you to know that Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park are very pet friendly. Maine (and Acadia) does have a leash law (max 6 foot). You are expected to control your pet at all times and the normal expectation is that you will pick up after your pet, even in the woods. However, there are so many trails to hike and coastline to enjoy exploring you will find plenty to do with your pet with you. Also, you will find good shade in many of the places you park (that are not in downtown). So you will often find a place you can leave your pet in a well ventilated car.

Admittedly, it is not that easy to find pet friendly lodging but there are some very nice places that do welcome pets. One that comes to mind is Hutchin’s Mountain View Cottages & Motel (look for them on www.acadiavacations.com).

I also want you to know there is a great place for you to use to care for your pet on those occasions when you want to do something that will be impossible to do with your pet. Acadia Woods Kennel is a family owned and operated pet care facility. It
is centrally located on 12 wooded acres in rural Town Hill, a small village of Bar Harbor.

They will lovingly watch your friend for the day or overnight if necessary. They are animal lovers and the facilities are very clean. Find them on www.acadiavacations.com. Tell Jennifer that Stan Fleming sent you.

Did you know that Acadia National Park is the only national park located in the northeast. Acadia sits on Mt. Desert Island, which is the third largest island along the east coast. Acadia National Park makes up a large portion of this island with it’s 41,000 acres.

Acadia has been for many years and continues to be one of the best places on earth for hiking and those searching for solitude. You do not have to look very hard to find yourself alone under the great mountain peaks. You will find a great number of freshwater ponds, lakes, and rushing streams alongside the mountain sides. Then you have the beautiful marshes, meadows, and dense forest cover. Granite cliffs and cobblestone beaches line the salty seas, as white tipped waves and steel blue waters highlight the rugged rocky coastline.

The first settlers date back to about 5000 years ago when the Wabenaki Indians discovered this land calling it “pemetic”, meaning “the sloping land”. Then in 1604 Samuel de Champlain landed here and called it “l’Isle des Monts-deserts: Mount Desert Island. Possession of this land passed hands from France to England, then ended up being claimed by the United States. It soon became a favorite of wealthy people who made claim to the island through there summer “cottages”.

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the eastern seaboard north of Brazil. Cadillac is also the first place the sun rises in the United States. Cadillac Mountain stretches up 1530 feet to the summit. If you are in the area a definite is a view of sunrise and/or sunset from atop Cadillac.

I know the majority of people that visit this area want a lobster dinner.  Although, believe it or not there are people that visit that do not like lobster or are not interested in giving it a try while vacationing here.  This is not hard for the natives to believe.  There are many people around, myself included that would choose a nice hamburger over a lobster any day.  Lobster is one of those things that are good a couple times a year.

With this in mind, let us cover a great place to eat that offers the best steak downeast.  Jack Russells Steakhouse and Brewery.  Located just outside of Bar Harbor offers easy access to the restaurant.  Jack Russells also offers off street parking, an important feature in the town of Bar Harbor.

On top of a great dinner, you may enjoy a tour of the brewery and taste some local brew.  This is a sure good time for those who enjoy a local brewery and a great piece of steak.  Jack Russells offers some great cuts of steak that anyone will find appetizing.