We saw the sun on the morning of Sunday, July 15, 2012, before almost anyone in America. Well, we would have if we hadn’t slept through it. Bob and I were in Lubec, Maine – which is credited as being the easternmost town in the contiguous United States. But aside from the sunrise, we had already seen everything there was to see here. But there was more to see just a little further east. Of course to go further east meant that we would have to leave American soil, and since we had our passports handy, that’s just what we did. But we started with a bit of breakfast continental style, mine being especially full of blueberry (a muffin and yogurt), and then a little bit after 8am, we checked out and headed into Canada.
I guess this would be the Easternmost motel in the United States
This was actually my first time in Canada since I had been a baby not yet a year old when my family crossed into the country from Michigan where we were vacationing in 1972. So when Bob and I crossed the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, I made my triumphant return after more than 40 years. Our GPS gave us a false start in getting to our destination so we went slightly deeper into the country (actually just an island that is part of New Brunswick located in the Passamaquoddy Bay). Our destination had American overtones, so it really didn’t feel like much of an out-of-country adventure. It was the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, aka the cottage home where Franklin Roosevelt and his family paid many visits during his lifetime. You can read the full details of this home and our visit here.
The triumphant return to Canada
Roosevelt’s Campbello ‘cottage’
We spent just a little over an hour checking out the cottage and grounds, and then we trekked back over the bridge into the United States. And we kept going until we hit lobster. This came about an hour and 45 minutes later when we happened upon a little ramshackle restaurant in Sullivan, Maine called Tracey’s Seafood. I ordered the Taste of Maine special which included a lobster, a bowl of clam chowder, and a slice of Maine blueberry pie. The thing that attracted us was the steam coming out of a big broiler in front of the restaurant. Bob and I got to pick out our lobsters – which were alive – and our cute waitress Maria let us hold them and get pictures with them before they were marched off for their execution and our bellies. The food was all great, but I avoided the tomalley (the green stuff inside the lobster that acts as its liver and pancreas), even though many northerners consider it a delicacy.
Bob and I select our lunch, like real hunters do (actually Bob didn’t really get a lobster; he stuck with some fried fish and stuff)
Our waitress Maria was quite the sport
Bob and I are ready to dine our fine seafood selections
This guy was boiled to perfection – but I wasn’t going for his green stuff
Bob and I left the restaurant at about 12:45 and kept moving westward and then south (as it was impossible to drive as the crow flies over Frenchman Bay) until we arrived at Acadia National Park around 2:20pm. This visit was part of my relatively new initiative to visit the National Parks of the United States. By count, this would be my 6th National Park since I started purposefully visiting them. (But one might count previous visits to the Smoky Mountains and a childhood visit to Mammoth Cave as well).
A nice scenic view of Fisherman’s Bay during a brief stop before we entered Acadia
Another fine National Park under my belt
I found this majestic fellow on top of a car in the Acadia parking lot
We stopped at the visitor center to pick up a map and get some recommendations for what to see in the short amount of time that we had. We were there for just under two hours and in that time we drove around and checked out Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Cadillac Mountain. There were plenty of people visiting the beach, but I didn’t see anyone swimming as the temperature of the water seldom rises above 55 degrees. Thunder Hole was not far away and is so named because the water of the Atlantic Ocean regularly crashes into an inlet and a naturally formed cavern just below the surface of the water. This was my favorite place to hang out, as I got to do some minor rock climbing, while Bob took photos of me from afar.
The cool Atlantic waves hit my feet at Sand Beach
Some of the scenery at Sand Beach
Down in Thunder Hole
Taking a breather on the edge of one of the crags
Some of my rock climbing at Thunder Hole, which is below me on the left of the photo
It felt nice up here
Our last stop was Cadillac Mountain, which took us to the highest point on the entire Mount Desert Island on which Acadia is located. It’s a three and a half mile drive to the summit of the mountain, and the panoramic views made it worthwhile. After scouting out an official Acadia National Park sign, we rolled out of there at about 4:15.
On Cadillac Mountain
Kings of the mountain
A more official sign – the kind I ‘need’
We continued westward for almost two and a half hours before we made our stop of the evening at a Quality Inn & Suites in Augusta, Maine. This was as far as we could go, as we had to visit the State Capitol building the next morning. There weren’t a lot of good eateries in the area, so we just picked the first thing we could find that was open and that happened to be a Friendly’s. It seemed unassuming enough, but I have never witnessed so much chaos in a restaurant as we did here. Apparently they got swarmed at the last minute and didn’t have anywhere near enough help.
Fortunately for us, we didn’t have any place else to be, so we just sort of kicked back at the bar and watched with glee as everyone on the staff went mad and the lady manager struggled to cope with this turn of events. My Buffalo Bleu Chicken Sandwich was acceptable and I enjoyed a nice Reese peanut butter cup Friend-Z. I gave our waitress Kalina a pretty good tip since she kept a nice and friendly disposition through it all. But it was almost 9pm when we got out – approximately 90 minutes after we arrived. Bob and I headed back to our hotel and called it a night. We’d be wrapping up Maine and moving on the next day.
With our unfrazzled waitress Kalina
The New England trip will continue…
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