Mt. Washington

We started on our way home today. Along the way we became momentarily distracted and started driving towards New Hampshire. Towards Mt. Washington specifically. You may have heard about this peak, high in the white mountains, or seen the obligatory bumper sticker on a car on the road in front of you saying "this car climbed Mt.Wasington" and wondered what that was all about. Mt. Washington isn't that tall by rocky mountain standards, but it doesn't know that. It does have the unique distinction of having its own micro climate or several actually, with extreme weather fluctuations. So, at the summit there is an extensive weather station which still holds the record for highest wind gust measured on the earths surface. The record stands at 231mph and was set in 1934.






The other thing Mt. Washington is famous for is the (very steep, windy, narrow, dirt) auto road that allows visitors to experience the summit themselves.
Which is what we did. How could we resist?
The drive started out pleasant enough, but soon the trees started to look as if the wind shaped them...




...and then the trees became more like horizontal shrubs...




and then the trees stopped altogether.



The landscape became something exotic and alien as the evidence of extreme weather left everything rocky, barren, and windswept. Once at the summit we found the second geological marker of the trip. It was an amazing view and I highly recommend it.









Once we were down the mountain, there was just enough light left to take a drive into the North Woods for a chance to see a moose. Among some spectacular scenery we saw her, munching on the side of the road. Our second ever moose sighting! We decided that this was a place we must return to.




Tomorrow we head home...for real.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Gorham, NH

Last looks

Today is our last day here. We have checked all of our must sees off the list and are just enjoying being in this place. We took a drive to some of our favorite spots. It was a little breezy today, and the waves were massive completely covering the rocky shore in some places. As the waves retreated, the rocks hosted waterfalls that looked like a million tiny Niagaras. The sun was out and warm, and we found comfortable rocks that became recliners as we sat and watched. It doesn't get better than this.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Mount Desert Island

Down East Discounts

In reading up about Maine for our trip, we discovered that it is home to two chains of stores, Reny's and Mardens, which feature discount and salvaged merchandise. Nearby Ellsworth is home to both, as well as a factory store for Maine's more famous, but less discount L.L. Bean. We took a short drive this evening to check them out.

The L.L. Bean store was nice, we bought some clothes, but overall it was just a larger version of what you would find in any outlet mall. Our next stop was Reny's this store was very cool. The inside was no frills, but packed with name brands at a discount prices: clothes, home goods, some food. Finally we ended up at a repurposed WalMart where Mardens is located. They specialize in salvaged goods. Like Reny's there are plenty of name brands at really great prices, but Mardens has such a breadth of items and a lot of the stuff is so random. There are clothes, a large hardware section (reminded me of Harbor Freight but with named brands), furniture, craft supplies (Sara bought some yarn at a great price), carpet, hardwood floors, appliances and fixtures, and lots more.

I really wonder why these chains have remained a Maine-only fixture, I'm sure they would do good business almost anywhere . . .


-- Post From Shawn's iPhone

Location:Ellsworth, ME

Hidden Summit

At 1,530 feet above sea level, Acadia's Cadillac Mountain is not an extremely high peak compared to others we have visited, but it is the highest point along the U.S. East Coast. A road leads to the top, so most of Acadia's two million annual visitors make the trip and walk around the "summit area" that the National Park Service has setup on top of this mountain.




Like so many before us, we milled around the summit loop trail and marveled at the views. Unlike most of our fellow visitors this is not the first mountain we have been to the top of. So we were very suspicious when we couldn't locate the metal benchmark which is the hallmark of mountain summits and most other points of geodetic interest in the U.S. We also noticed a second summit several hundred yards away that seemed just a bit higher than where we were standing. So we set off to investigate . . .

We found a discretely marked "South Ridge Trail" that headed off in this general direction and followed it up grade. Once near the top we noticed several potential high points, one of which had a pointer benchmark indicating the direction to a small rocky outcropping a few yards away. On top of this rock we found what we had been searching for. Of the hundred plus people wandering around the area at the time, we were the only ones who truly stood atop Cadillac Mountain.




Why would the National Park Service perpetrate this deception on the public? First they never actually point out any one spot in their "summit area" as the actual summit. They just let people wander around the area and come to their own conclusions. There are also a myriad of signs indicating that the hundreds of millions of annual human foot falls are a major source of erosion on the top of the mountain. Add to this to the fact that an easily accessible and publicized summit benchmark is a target for souvenir hunters, and I suspect the Park Service is just balancing its commitment between public access and protection of our natural resources.


-- Post From Shawn's iPhone

Location:High atop Cadillac Mountain , ME

Popovers and Blueberry Tea

This morning we woke to a traditional Maine fog, complete with fog horns, which Sooke always felt obligated to respond to. We chose today to go have lunch at the Jordan Pond House, a lodge like restaurant on the banks of Jordan Pond. Shawn had their famous lobster stew, and I had the most delectable tomato basil bisque. But the real reason everyone gathers there is for the popovers.



If you aren't familiar with popovers they are the perfect combination of flower, eggs, and milk, baked into fluffy hollow rolls. At Jordan Pond House they are served one at a time, so that they are always served warm, and with homemade strawberry jam. Yummy!

After we licked our fingers, we took a walk on the nature trail along Jordan Pond.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park, Maine

Fun in the rain . . . By Sooke

Today was fun! When we woke up this morning it was already raining. I like rain a lot because it makes me wet. I don’t think Bear likes rain very much; it makes him grumpy.




We took another ride around the island today. We went to two towns called Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor. I was bored, but Mom and Dad seemed to think the big old houses were pretty cool.

Next we drove a beach and had a picnic in the car because it was raining. After lunch, we all went out in the rain and hiked down a long trail to a big beach full of rocks. I had lots of fun chasing waves and jumping around on the rocks. I wanted Daddy to have extra fun, so I made sure to pull him across all the really slippery ones. One time Daddy slid really far and landed on his butt. I think he had fun.




Bear had fun too, even though it was raining. He likes to eat all the little crunchy things on the beach. Mommy and Daddy say he likes mussels and clams. He is really good at digging them up and breaking them open. I like to eat the green stuff called kelp.

When we were done, we were tired, but we still had to hike back to the car. When we got there Bear and I were really tired. We also went to see a lighthouse, but Bear and I decided to stay in the car and sleep.


We were really glad when we got home. Daddy made a fire so we could warm up and we all napped for the rest of the afternoon.

Breakfast and Dinner

I woke up to the smell of coffee and eggs. Shawn was making breakfast. :-)



It was raining off and on so when we went into the park today, I left my sunglasses at the cabin. Of course that meant that the sun soon came out and it was a beautiful day. We took the loop drive today, which is the most popular in the park. The Labor Day crowds were gone and we were able to see the sites like thunder hole and otter point with little traffic on the roads and the hiking trails.





We took the boys swimming at the Bar Harbor beach and they had a great time. They were tired out, so we took them back to the cabin, and Shawn and I went to dinner in town. We sat next to an entertaining couple from Virginia. They arrived just as we got our food, and immediately consulted with us on our culinary choices. They considered the selections, all of them, several times. They did eventually order, but were still debating the various menu options when we paid the bill and left. Bar Harbor reminded us of Jackson Hole Wyoming, as we wandered around the shops, and ate ice cream in the village square. The night in town was nice, but I was missing the boys and was just as happy to see them, as they were to see us, when we got home.


-- Post From Sara's iPhone