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

Down East

There is a lesser know part of Acadia National Park, outside of Mount Desert Island on the Schoodic Peninsula on the main land. With the likelihood of another busy day in the park, we decided to go explore it.



It was a foggy morning, and the promise of breathtaking views of Cadillac Mountain from the peninsula fell short, but the coast line was beautiful. At low tide, we were able to wander around tide pools and what looked like miniature rolling hills of seaweed.



For lunch we drove and then hiked to the top of Schoodic Head Mountain. While eating peanut butter and Maine blueberry jam sandwiches, the fog began to lift and we had a spectacular view. From our vantage we had a great view of the Winter Harbor Lighthouse.



With the sun out and the tide coming in, we made our way to Schoodic Point where huge waves were crashing against the rocky shore. Bear and Sooke's favorite was Blueberry Hill where they got to play in the water. Sooke tried his best to catch a wave and I think he may have had one cornered for a brief moment.





Having finished the drive around the peninsula, and having the rest of the afternoon ahead of us, we set of for Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. On the way we drove through several little harbor towns and noticed that many of the houses and properties were for sale. With lobster being the only viable fishery left, it seems that these little fishing villages are struggling.

After hiking through blueberry patches at the wildlife refuge we headed back to our home away from home back on Mount Desert Island. We ended Labor Day in traditional style by grilling out hot dogs and drinking a locally brewed porter.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Schoodic Peninsula, Maine, United States

Deconstruction

Happy Labor Day!

It's Monday morning. But the high heels have once again become sneakers, my hair is in its rightful pulled back position, and I’m wearing my favorite worn out t-shirt. I enjoy the challenges in my day to day life, even the wardrobe, and have always felt that life is too short to have it any other way. But it is so nice to have the time to completely ionize and revert back to my ground state. To completely own the space, and the place and just be. It is so easy to get caught up, but it is so important to not lose perspective.





Once again we choose to refresh ourselves in a place where the mountains reach the sea. We would love to travel and explore the whole world. But we are always pulled to these places of contrast, transition and natural history. Where do you go to recharge?


- Posted by Sara using BlogPress from the iPad

Location:Blue Hill Point Cabin, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States