Maine-ly Maine

This is mainly about Maine, which is where we were for the past 10 days, less two for travel. And the first time we saw the state name as part of a business title was when we left the interstate and entered the local roads. “Maine-ly Used Cars” greeted us.

At first I thought it was cute. We soon discovered it was endemic in the Pine Tree State. It was Maine-ly this and Maine-ly that and we even had lunch at Maine-ly Delights, a well-recommended local lobster joint in Bass Harbor. Of course on Mt. Desert Island all you have are local lobster joints.

By the way, did you know that Mt. Desert is pronounced de-zert' rather than dez'-ert. Something to do with the Frenchman who discovered it and named it.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time exploring Acadia National Park by land and sea and, of course, car. We were astounded by the number of people hiking and biking, paddling and waddling over, around and through the many trails of this magnificent park of lakes and shorelines and mountains and streams and camp grounds.

We drove to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak on the eastern seacoast. If you get there for sunrise you’ll be the first to see the sun hit the continental U.S. We opted for Noon.

Some other highlights:

• The 7 a.m. Rooster. Somewhere near our rented house a neighbor sold fresh eggs. And her rooster woke us up every morning about 7. After a while, I actually listened for him each day.
• A horse-drawn carriage ride through part of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. estate. He donated most of his land to create the park.
• A boat ride out of Northeast Harbor to Little Cranberry Island and then into Somes Sound, said to be the only true Fjord in the lower 48. However, our Park Ranger guide insisted it was only a Fjard, a somewhat lesser breed of waterway. Still pretty impressive.
• Lunch on the lawn at the Jordan Pond House justly famous for its popovers.
• Our weather was pretty good compared to the heat wave that hit the NY Metro area while we were away. The hottest day we had was Friday, July 22, but we sat on the beach at Echo Lake and a warm breeze made it bearable. By the way don't let those manly Mainers tell you you don't need air conditioning in the summer. You do.

Before we left, I wrote about the benefits of traveling by car in the sense there were no restrictions on what you could take with you. I did not mention the potential hazards of traffic tie-ups. We had three, one going and two coming home. But in each instance my trusty PGS (Phyllis Guiding System) got us around them and saved countless hours of frustration.

Her system is simple. She sits with a map in her lap and keeps track of our progress all the way to and fro. When we see a snag she is ready with an alternate route.

My GPS never left the glove compartment.

Good to be home.