New England Trip

Today’s drive from New Brunswick to Bar Harbor, Maine was supposed to be a short, easy one of about150 miles. We decided to take Coastal US 1 south along the coast, thinking it would be more scenic than the inland route on Hwy 9. Wrong decision. It seems that both the US government and the state of Maine have abandoned Coastal US 1. The road was narrow and in very bad shape, with a crumbling shoulder, and one section of about a mile that was completely unpaved. If the route was scenic, we missed most of the view, concentrating on the potholes and the risk of running off the road. It took us about 6 hours in all. We have learned to stop counting on US highways to be reliably good ones.

To make the drive even more challenging, the wind was howling the whole way, and for the first time we felt the motorhome really shudder in some of the gusts. We passed several large motor homes going the opposite direction, and they really looked ungainly, swaying from side to side in the wind as they lurched down the bumpy road. We must have looked like that too. When we got close enough to Bar Harbor to see the ocean, it was frothy with white caps from the wind.

We found the campground on Mt. Desert Island with no trouble, and got settled in around 5:00 p.m. Our site is in a wooded area, with good shade. We have wireless Internet and cable TV service here, so we will be able to catch up with the rest of the world after a week out of touch.

We drove to Bar Harbor for dinner at the Chart Room Restaurant, and had very good food while enjoying a great view of the harbor. After dinner, we drove down the coast, through downtown Bar Harbor, and on around Cadillac Mountain around the point of Mt. Desert Island before returning to the campsite. Acadia National Park occupies much of the land on Mt. Desert Island, and we will start exploring it tomorrow.

Rain is forecast here, and the TV weather map indicated that there might have been rain in Hartwell today. NOAA reported only 0.13 inch in Anderson, but we’re hoping Reed Creek got a good soaking.

Margaret was thrilled to learn by email from Judy Peebles that Libby, the dog at Liberty Hill that a neighbor was trying to rescue, was adopted on Saturday by a wonderful family. That is great news, and really confirms how valuable the Humane Society can be as a support for people in the community who care about animals. Thank you to all who helped make this happen for Libby.