Maine - Day 5

Well, the end of the vacation is upon us. We got up early Monday morning and with gear already packed the night before, we loaded up and headed south down State Route 1.

We chose to drive down State Route 1 instead of I-95 so we could see the great small towns along the coast. We visited towns such as Scarborough, Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunkport, Wells, Ogunquit, Cape Neddick, York and Kittery.

Having not eaten at the hotel, we chose to find the first small town restaurant that caught our eyes and taste buds. The Golden Rooster in Saco was that spot. The place had been there for 40 years on this small town's main street. We enjoyed an awesome breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. The service was great and friendly. In fact, when we walked in, a customer at the bar turned to us and said, "you all just take a seat where you like." They must have known we were not from around here.

After breakfast and just down the road on the town edge was a wind turbine, standing tall over the city. That was really cool to see.


We did take long enough to get gas in Wells and take a picture of Wells House of Pizza and Roast Beef, where they only take cash. What a combination!

We traveled State Route 1 all the way to the state line, crossing over into New Hampshire and then onto I-95. One of the first signs that welcomed us into the State was a State sign that read, "NH Alcohol Store, Lottery Tickets" high above the interstate, just like one of those big directional signs. Now that is classy.

We drove straight through NH and made way to Boston, home of our departing flight. Our flight did not leave until 5:45 p.m. so we had a little time in Boston.


We stopped in Cambridge and walked through some of Harvard University. The kids ran around and played in one of the expansive green spaces. We also made a quick stop into the bookstore to absorb some knowledge. Didn't work.

On our way to the airport, we drove along Memorial Drive next to the Charles River to Charlestown, home of the Bunker Hill Monument, the site of the first major conflict between British and Patriot forces in the Revolutionary War on June 17, 1775. Although we did not climb the 294 steps to the top, Lucy and Rigby did touch the monument and got a drink of water in the visitors center next door. The water was needed as it was 95 degrees outside.

After a quick visit on Bunker Hill, we headed for Boston Logan International Airport. To get there we had to go through the Ted Williams Tunnel a 1.6 mile tunnel that sits under water on the Boston Harbor floor.

Side notes on checking into the airport
1. Always have your credit card, six-digit confirmation number or skymiles number to get your boarding pass at the self-serve kiosk - it is much quicker than standing in line.
2. Never stand in line behind a bafoon who is literally checking his email while his laptop is sitting in the xray tray - ridiculous!
3. For some reason it is okay to let a flight attendant to just jump line, especially right in front of a family of four. Hey, she should have arrived early to the airport like everyone else.
4. The Wendy's in the Delta terminal has tasty Strawberry Frosties!

The flight to Cincinnati was great - kids just used crayons to color the time away. Our short stop in the Cincinnati Airport allowed for a Starbucks pit stop.

We passed around a major thunderstorm on our way to Chattanooga. The storm was on our side of the plane and you could see the top and the bottom of the clouds and the lightning show inside. It was awesome!


Rigby caught the eye of the flight attendant on our Cincy to Chatt flight. She asked him to assist with handing out the snacks. Rigby accepted the offer and started from the front of the plane and delivered snacks to each row on the plane. How many people get to do that!? He was quite excited.

We arrived home in the Noog around 11 p.m. but less about a 100 pounds; our luggage was left in Cincinnati. But we got it the next morning - delivered to us!

So that is our trip. What a grand old time. A very rewarding trip and highly recommended.

Maine - Day 4

We got going early Sunday morning and made our way to a local breakfast hangout, Becky's Diner on Hobson's Wharf. This place really brings in the people and serves up the food fast. The kids had pancakes and bacon and Stacy and Erik had Maine blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Becky's was so family friendly that they had a men's restroom, women's restroom and a toddler restroom, complete with a small toilet and sink.

After a hearty breakfast, we drove north to Wolfe's Neck State Park for some Casco Bay hiking. We hiked for a couple hours along rocky and tree-covered shoreline. Lucy hiked much of it on her own feet! Nice for daddy's empty backpack. We saw an island with nesting ospreys, guarding their young. Of course, we threw rocks in the Ochen (kid for ocean) and picked of shee shells. This was probably the best family hike we have had.

We left the park for Bath, just north of Portland. Bath is home to the Maine Maritime Museum. This place had very professional and informative exhibits filled with art and artifacts. There were contemporary, interactive areas for all ages, an historic shipyard with five of the original 19th century buildings and a life-size sculptural representation of the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built, The Wyoming, built in 1909 at a length of 329 feet!

Bath Iron Works, just down the river, has built more than 240 ships for the U.S. Navy. It built more than a quarter of the destroyers for WWII, 82 of them, totaling more than the entire Japanese Empire. This is history we never realized!

After an hour or so touring the grounds, as well as a now warm 80 degrees, we went to take a quick lunch at a local chain restaurant, Amato's. We chowed down on cheese pizza, an Italian sub and steak and cheese on foccacia and then hurried back to Portland to take our final trip!

We got back to Portland at 5:30 p.m. and boarded the Casco Bay Ferry for a sunset cruise through the bay. It was a nice 80 degrees on the shore, but as we got toward the Atlantic Ocean, it was a windy 50 degrees at least! We made stops at various islands dropping off and picking up locals and visitors. That was such a neat way to look at local life.

Between stops, we made a rare sighting, as one of the locals on the ferry told us. We saw two seals swimming along catching fish. Rigby and Lucy were so excited!

Making our way back to Portland, we saw a couple old U.S. forts that had been built for the Civil War, but were never used. It was interesting that Portland helped preserve them. They are only accessible by private boats- no commercial or park tours are given.

We had a great 2.5 hour ferry ride and saw a great sunset over the city. What a great way to end our last full day in Maine. So now we are packing and getting ready for tomorrow when we will drive down state route 1 to Boston to catch a plane to Chattanooga!

Maine - Day 3

We awoke at 6:30 a.m., got dressed and had breakfast in the hotel dining area. From there, we prepared for a 170 mile drive north to Mt. Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park, Maine's only national park. What a day!

We had to take some stops along the way, of course. First, gas was still under $4, at $3.99. We took a quick stop in Augusta to see the State Capitol Building. The grounds around the building were quite scenic. Next, we stopped in Waterville at Colby College, birthplace of Sigma Kappa, Stacy's sorority.

Driving past Bangor and no Stephen King in sight, we left interstate and onto State Route 3 to our destination, Acadia!

We made it on to Mt. Desert Island, which has 108 square miles, so it is quite large. Oh, but wait, we had to stop in Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the "Down East" region of Maine. It looked like there was something for everyone. There are tree-lined streets with restaurants and shops, a great main street park, a town pier, whale watching, kayaking and so on. Even the ocean liner Queen Mary visits there.

We walked Main Street for a brief while and had lunch at Rupununi. We had Maine lobster and clams.

It was finally on to Acadia National Park. Now in Bar Harbor it was sunny and 65. When we got to the Atlantic Ocean side of the island, it was 55, windy and foggy. What a difference! The main attraction for most is the 20+ mile one-way loop through the park, taking us to the most sought after points.

Upon entering the National Park we were welcomed by the famous Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll into. At the end of this inlet is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water can spout as high as 40 feet, but the tide was out and we saw only small splashes and gurgles. Still the scenery and rock formations were awesome, even in the dense fog.

Next was Otter Point, It was simply breathtaking. The Point comes after the ocean cliffs. The surf crashing against the huge boulders was awesome, and we did not get to see it at its fullest. Since the tide was out we did get to explore the massive granite boulders. The family climbed and sat on the boulders and listen to the ocean speak to us.

Later, Stacy, Rigby and Lucy took a little nap in a parking lot while Erik took a quick 3/4 mile hike to Bubble Rock. Going up the steep gap between South Bubble and North Bubble (rounded mountains), the trail gave me a short route to Bubble Rock, which is perched high above the Park Loop Road on the summit of the South Bubble. The fog enveloped me as I made it to the top, some 700 feet above sea level.

The final stop of our brief tour of Acadia was Cadillac Mountain. Even after being sheared off by the glaciers many, many years ago, it remains the highest point along the North Atlantic Seaboard at 1,532 feet above sea level. It usually provides spectacular panoramic views of the island and ocean, however, today a heavy fog took over. Driving to the top, we could barely see the road in front of us. What a unique experience. The wind was biting and cold. Erik hiked the perimeter of the summit. One cool fact is that Cadillac is the first place to view sunrise in the United States during the winter months.

Upon leaving the park, and all too soon, we decided to stop in Bangor for dinner and a quick tour. We stopped in the town square area, where a concert and festival were going on. It was neat to see so many locals out on a Saturday night enjoying music, beer and the 65 degree weather. We ate just across the street at Thai Siam, getting our fix of some tasty Asian food.

We drove back to Portland under a beautiful starry sky, once again thankul that Maine does not allow billboards - no distracting lights!! We stopped on a ramp at one point for a pit stop. Looking up to the sky, we saw the most brilliant view of the Big Dipper we have ever seen. The stars just popped out of the sky. What a sight!

We got back to Portland just after 11 p.m. For the day, we traveled 414 miles and were gone for 15 hours.

What a day. (pictures on GrayStation.com coming soon)

Maine - Day 2

Day 2 started off with what a lot of Portland folks like to do in the morning, go to Dunkin Donuts!. We polished off a half dozen of sprinkle and icing covered cake donut goodness. It is not hard to find one of these as there are 22 in a 10 mile radius of Portland and 38 within 20 miles. Yes, we checked the location guide.

The day was chilly and drizzley so we opted to stay indoors for most part of the day. We made a quick stop to the local Target to buy some diapers, wipes and other needed items.

We drove downtown and visited the Children's Museum of Maine. This place was great - four floors of interactive fun.



One of the cool centerpiece exhibits is the camera obscura, a room-size "camera" on the top floor. We gathered around a large white table in a dark room, where we saw projected images from outside that included buildings, cars driving on streets and seagulls flapping by. Rigby controled the camera obscura, which sat on top of the building. Lucy and Rigby loved the water play area in L.L. Bear Cove, the treehouse and lumber yard, supermarket checkout counter and firetruck and firehouse pole that Rigby slid down over and over. We retreated to the bottom floor for Rigby, Lucy and friends' puppet show and dress-up play. Rigby served as a dragon, pirate, wolf and vampire in a purple robe.

After more than two hours, we made way to the harbor and had mid-afternoon lunch at Gilbert's Chowderhouse. The local Shipyard Summer brew was tasty on draft. Stacy and Erik had seafood chowder and clam cakes, while the kids had kid food.

The day dried up a little and we went to the Portland Head Light, an 80-feet tall lighthouse located in Cape Elizabeth. It was constructed in 1787 at the directive of George Washington, and was completed on January 10, 1791. It has been called the "Most photographed lighthouse in North America."



The wind was biting cold coming off the ocean and Mommy and Lucy did not make it long outside. Erik and Rigby took off down a cliff-side path looking to get closer to the large ocean rocks.

Rigby and Erik found a sandy embankment and literally slid down to what Rigby called, "the tumbly rocks." After slipping on some slick rocks, we made it to the water's edge to see waves crashing against the rocks. We got some good rock tossing in and then climbed back up the cliff side to the trail. Rigby wanted to go down in the first place, but later said, "I was not sure we were going to make it back up!"



Upon reuniting with Mommy and Lucy, we went in to the Fort Williams Park area and found the old Goddard Mansion, built in the 1850s. The mansion was bought by the federal government in 1900 and was used by enlisted married men and their families. The mansion is nothing more than rock walls now and is off limits to visitors. There are no floors or roof.

Fort Williams was used during WWI and WWII and the entire fort area was closed by the government in 1962. The town of Cape Elizabeth bought the area in 1964 to help preserve it.

Behind the mansion and toward the cliff edges was the remains of Battery Keyes, built in 1906 and once housed two 3-inch mine defense guns to protect the mines that were laid down during war time. You could still see the footings for the guns as well as the old searchlight foundation. There were two large magazine chambers below that had heavy graffiti inside. It was sad to see a lot of vandalism had taken place on what was left.



After our fort adventures, we went to a sandy beach area and got wet and gritty from throwing rocks and and building sand mounds. The water was very cold!!

We got back to the hotel and all got in the hot tub to warm up.

As a nightcap, we left the hotel room in pajamas for some night-time ice cream. We did not settle on a chain operation, so we let google.com show us something local. Just 5 miles from us was a Red's Dairy Freeze, a Portland tradition since 1952. There were two walk-up windows and I do not think I've seen faster service of ice cream. Since it was about 55 degrees outside most people sat in their cars after getting their soft serve or milkshakes. Mommy had a banana milkshake, Lucy had vanilla dish of soft serve, Rigby had peppermint dish of soft serve and Daddy had chocolate. What a great treat!

So now it is early to bed so we can arise early for a Northern adventure up the coast.

Maine - Day 1

Our first day in Portland, Maine started just before lunchtime. We woke mid-morning and made our way to the Old Port section of Portland. The entire day had overcast skies and a brisk 60 degrees. It was odd to see people wearing jackets in June.

We parked next to Casco Bay and went to lunch at Flatbreads, a completely organic pizza place. It was quite good seeing that Rigby and Lucy ate a small pepperoni flatbread and Erik and Stacy finished off a whole sausage, onion, mushroom and sundried tomato, which had no tomato sauce.

After lunch, we began our walking tour of the Old Port. We found a great toy store, Treehouse Toys, and the kids loved it! We left with a three-headed red dragon puppet that Rigby played with all day long (and still is at the time this is being written, 11:45 p.m.). We checked out a well-known gallery, Abacus, and actually bought a Christmas gift or two.

After a couple hours walking the cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks and visiting and passing by shop after shop, we chose to venture out of Portland and drove 60 miles north to Boothbay Harbor. We drove through small towns (Bath, Wiscasset) along State Route 1. One thing we noticed and loved was that there were no billboards!! We could enjoy nothing but great scenery.



Boothbay was a very quaint little seaside town. There were dozens of lobster boats in the harbor, as well as kayakers strolling along. It was what you think of when you think of Maine. It was great walking through the curvey streets and boardwalks of the harbor.



After leaving Boothbay heading back south, we found Fort Edgecomb, a U.S. installment from the early 1800s. It was used as a prisoner of war camp during the War of 1812. It was never used after the Civil War.

The tummies growled for food and we visited Gritty McDuffs Pub in Freeport, just north of Portland. We enjoyed some tasty local seafood and pub fare, as well as brewed-on-site beer. The Black Fly Stout was chocolatey, coffee-type, black as night brew. Tasty! Lucy and Rigby enjoyed pink lemonade, which had Lucy declare that Erik was having black lemonade. After dinner we went into the "Brewtique" and purchased some Gritty gear.

Of course, Freeport is known for L.L. Bean. It was 10 p.m. but no fear, the L.L. Bean store is open 24 hours, 365 days. What a mecca that was. We walked through most of the place and only purchased a pink and purple jacket for Lucy - a small victory for our wallet!

So Day 1 has ended. Baths have been taken. And now the Lakers Celtics game one is coming to an end.

Harvey Korman

A comedic genius passed away last Thursday.

Harvey Korman, who became famous for his role on The Carol Burnett Show, passed at age 81. He performed in more than 1,000 skits in 10 years on the show.

One of the more memorable skits between Korman and his best friend of 45 years, Tim Conway, was one he had nary a line in, but his face and mannerisms trying to hide his laughter is pure classic.

In the skit, The Dentist, Tim Conway plays a dentist on his first day and Korman the willing patient in the chair. The story goes that Conway changed his lines and direction about 15 seconds into the skit in order to catch Korman off guard.



Korman was also famous for starring in Blazing Saddles and as the Great Gazoo on The Flintstones.

Comedic mastermind Mel Brooks said Thursday, "A world without Harvey Korman — it's a more serious world. It was very dangerous for me to work with him because if our eyes met we'd crash to floor in comic ecstasy. It was comedy heaven to make Harvey Korman laugh."

There will never be another second banana like Harvey Korman. RIP.

Now a Pledge to Hedley Lamar . . . .