Mainely Maine

This last week-end we were Mainly in Maine - mostly visiting Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor (Ba Haba) although we stayed in Bangor. For the most part, weather was beautiful. There was a big thunderstorm on Saturday night but there was sunshine on both sides of it.

But, I get ahead of myself. On the way to Bangor, Maine we took a side trip to visit a "Pick Your Own Blueberries" farm. It was officially closed for the day - and nearly for the season, since only one variety is still bearing. Even so, we got to see blueberries on the bush, close up.

Then, we stopped to see the State Capital building in Augusta. The last time we visited it, apx 5 years ago, it was undergoing restoration and we couldn't see the interior. So as not to bore you with photos of state capitals (you see, we've also visited Concord, NH and Hartford, CT in the last couple weeks and have photos of those too), I'll only post Maine's interior dome. It's not much when compared with other domes but is still interesting.

Acadia National Park is nice but I have to say that there are many places along the CA coast just as pretty. Take Pt. Reyes, for example. It's a beautiful place. One unique thing about Acadia is the Carriage Roads, built just for non-motorized modes of transportation (i.e. horse & carriage, horses, bicyclers, and hikers). Finally, we were going to use our bicycles, purchased while still in Las Vegas from a retired bicycle enthusiast in our RV park. I hadn't gone very far (up hill I might add) when my rear axle pulled out of the frame. A helpful couple stopped and loaned Larry a pair pliers. Larry reinserted the axle and tightened the bolts. A few feet further up the hill the same thing happened. At the same time, Larry's bike was having severe brake challenges. We knew that this same hill we had just come up we'd have to go back down and it was going to be dangerous without proper brakes. So, Larry hauled my ailing bike back to the car - physically, while I meandered my way down the hill taking photos as I went of mushrooms and leaves and other things that caught my eye. I'll load a bunch of Maine photos to my online photo album. Check it out: http://travelingturtles.myphotoalbum.com/

Then, we proceeded to the nearest Wal-mart, purchased two new bikes (gave away the old ones to a teen-age boy and his Mom), went back to the park and had a very successful and enjoyable ride around a lake. It was a good size lake and quite a work-out for someone who isn't used to riding.