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Tag: Travel

Lighthouse Score Sheet

Posted on June 30, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Lighthouse Score Sheet
Travel

Early Sunday morning we missed breakfast at the inn, but our host had set aside coffee and scones to go for us. We loaded up the rental and made the trek from Belfast through August and Lewiston to Portland. Rental returned, flights boarded, we made the trek home without incident and found both cats and … Read More “Lighthouse Score Sheet” »

Acadia in the Fog

Posted on June 29, 2009 By Tom 1 Comment on Acadia in the Fog
Travel

Otter Point

Wednesday, June 24

The weather continued to be rotten. It was alternately cloudy, foggy, or rainy and sometimes all three. We were really glad to have our new rain gear from L. L. Bean. It had been a worthwhile stop.

The breakfasts continue to be fantastic at the inn. This morning was another three-course meal, culminating in a wonderful fritatta.

Despite the foul weather, we decided to head up to Acadia National Park. We figured that mid-week would be less crowded than the weekend, so now was the time.

We headed north out of Belfast on US 1, retracing the route we had take Monday. Once again, I had to resist the urge to stop and photograph every one of the Victorian mansions we passed. Of particular interest to me was the traditional Maine farm house. This usually consisted of a small wood frame cottage, usually with Victorian Gothic trim, and a huge cedar-sided barn that would be attached to the house via a passageway. I guess the farmers wanted a way to get to their barns without having to trudge through winter weather. In many of these the barn had now been converted to living space or garages, so the actual square footage of the house had been greatly increased.

US 1 from Bucksport to Ellsworth was fairly non-descript. Ellsworth itself was a quaint town, with a lovely riverfront area. However, the town was much larger than others we had encountered. The town was somewhat extended even further, by virtue of it being near a National Park. The route from Ellsworth to Bar Harbor was lined with motels and the types of distractions that come with such parks – campgrounds, miniature golf places, etc., etc.

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Belfast Photo Walk

Posted on June 28, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Belfast Photo Walk
Photography, Travel

Belfast, Maine

Wednesday, June 24

This morning I got up very early to do a photo walk around the little town of Belfast. It was still misty outside, but that seems to be typical for this area. I figured I could still get some good shots of the historic buildings and waterfront area. I had a general goal, but wasn’t sure if i would have the time or energy to get to everything.

My first stop was the village green. This large open area has great views of the entire Belfast Bay. There are a few walking paths and benches, and looks like a great place to just hang out and watch ships pass.

From the green I walked on down to the waterfront. It’s typical of most of the small Maine waterfront towns. There are a fair number of recreational boats, but many more lobster boats. Lobster floats can be seen throughout the bay. I had wondered aloud to Laura, “At what point do lobster floats cease to be scenic?” There were also a couple of restaurants and pubs along the waterfront that we may have to explore further.

Morning Ships
BoardedColorful Oil Co

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The Rain in Maine Falls Plainly on the Insane

Posted on June 23, 2009 By Tom 4 Comments on The Rain in Maine Falls Plainly on the Insane
Travel

Pumpkin Island Lighthouse

Having gorged ourselves on a gourmet breakfast, we packed up cameras and maps and set off in search of coastline and lighthouses. There was just one small hitch – the wind was howling and it was dumping rain. We may have lost our minds to be going out in weather like this, but hanging around the B&B surrounded by creepy Gothic decor would have been just as bad.

We started our trek with a turn through the town of Belfast. We had only explored on foot last night. It looks as if there is lots to see and do, including a footbridge across the Penobscot, and a higher walkway along the US 1 bridge. We may have to spend more time exploring this area.

The rain kept kept a steady pace as we headed north on US 1 through Searsport. I wanted to stop and photograph all the interesting old farm houses and churches. If we had done that we would have never made it out of town. There’s just much more interesting architecture here.

Read More “The Rain in Maine Falls Plainly on the Insane” »

More on the Jeweled Turret

Posted on June 22, 2009 By Tom No Comments on More on the Jeweled Turret
Travel

I had briefly described the Jeweled Turret Inn yesterday. We had a bit more time to poke around this morning, and to sample their fantastic breakfast. The house was built in 1898 by James S. Harriman.  The current owners purchased the house in 1986 and restored it, opening it as a B&B.  The inn consists … Read More “More on the Jeweled Turret” »

From Greenville to Belfast

Posted on June 21, 2009 By Tom 1 Comment on From Greenville to Belfast
Travel

Penobscot Bay at Belfast

Even if today hadn’t been the summer solstice, it was still going to be a long one. We got up, packed our last-minute gear, said goodbye to the cats, heat, and humidity of Greenville, and headed for the cooler climes of Belfast, Maine.

The first leg of our flight was from Greenville to Philadelphia, and apart from being a bit bumpy, was uneventful and relatively quick. The second leg was a bit more exciting. While landing, our flight attendant stated that this was the third time she had landed with one blown out tire, and the smoothness of the landing (or lack thereof) reflected that.

Then there was the matter of our luggage. TSA had apparently seen fit to disassemble my brand-new tripod, which was in my checked baggage, but hadn’t bother to put it back together. For awhile I was worried that they had broken it. Eventually, though, we made it to Portland, got our rental car, and headed up the coast of Maine.

The weather was much cooler, and rainy. Since conditions weren’t great for coastal sightseeing, we decided to drop by Freeport and the home of L. L. Bean. The place was a zoo, with people from all over dropping to pay homage to the quintessential purveyors of monogrammed yuppiedom. We were not immune. We purchased two very nice windbreaker/rain slickers, and I got a great straw hat. We were now set for Maine weather.

L. L. Bean interiorL. L. Bean in Freeport

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Getting More from Your Auto GPS

Posted on April 17, 2009 By Tom 2 Comments on Getting More from Your Auto GPS
Gear, Geocaching and Maps

I figured it was time for a round-up.  I’ve been talking a lot about doing various things with a GPS, but haven’t gone into much detail.  Chances are that you got a GPS for your car because you feel like you’re directionally challenged, or you just the convenience of plugging in an address and getting directions.  That’s about the extent of what most people do, but there is so much more.

Thought it might be time to talk about automobile GPSs in general, and how they can really benefit a serious rambler like myself.  The one I use is a Garmin Nuvi 205, but most of what I’ll cover here should work with just about any unit.  If you’re into geocaching, you’ll already be familiar with most of these concepts.

Read More “Getting More from Your Auto GPS” »

Island Time

Posted on January 21, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Island Time
Photography, Travel

Sunrise Sailing

Things are more relaxed. Nothing is rushed. Everyone has a good time and things get done when they get done. That’s Island Time.

Even so, I was up at the crack of dawn, literally. Even on Island Time some habits are hard to break. However, I did have a purpose. I wanted to try some time-lapse videography with my little Nikon S50. The only problem was that I didn’t have a good tripod with me. My solution was to drag the floor lamp out onto the balcony and strap my little mini-pod to it with a Velcro strap. It looked weird…

Read More “Island Time” »

Bahamas – Day 3

Posted on January 21, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Bahamas – Day 3
Travel

As previously noted, most of the day was spent watching inauguration festivities. However, we did get out an do other things. I woke up early to watch the sunrise. As I was standing out on the balcony with my camera I looked out over the other balconies to see others out with their cameras. The … Read More “Bahamas – Day 3” »

Lazy Day at Lucaya

Posted on January 19, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Lazy Day at Lucaya
Travel

What did we do today? Not much. And that was just perfect. After a nice breakfast we headed across the street to the Port Lucaya Market. This shopping area has a split personality. The middle section has restaurants and high-end shops with duty-free jewelry, etc. On either side of the shopping area is the straw … Read More “Lazy Day at Lucaya” »

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