2007 MAINE FAMILY VACATION

August 3, 2007   Friday   Drive Columbia, Maryland to Sanford, Maine

The green 1996 Mazda 626 with 212,524 miles on it is packed. On the roof is my wooden sea kayak. Inside are Anne and my bikes, biking gear, hiking gear, kayaking gear, golf gear, clothes, some homebrewed beer, homemade wine and a cooler packed with all the remaing fruit and vegatables from the refrigerator. We pull out of the driveway at 6:25 a.m.

I want to avoid the congestion on I-95 so I head north on US-29 to I-70 east to the Baltimore Beltway I-695. Soon we are headed north on I-83 to I-81 at Harrisburg to I-84 east at Scranton. I gas up with 12.2 gallons for $36.51 in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. We continue east on I-84 to the New York Thruway I-87 north to Troy, New York. We stop at a Friendly's for a nice seafood lunch for $22.23.

We're on NY-7 east which changes to VT-9 near Bennington, Vermont. We enjoy the scenery and small towns in the 50 miles across Vermont. We pass through Brattleboro where Anne and I started our bike ride in 2004. A mile later we cross into New Hampshire on NH-9. We angle north east and pick up US-202 near Hillsborough, NH. After 115 miles of great scenery in NH we cross into Maine and 12 miles later we arrive in Sanford at 6:25 p.m. Today we drove 596.1 relaxed and scenic miles in exactly 12 hours.

We check into the Oakwood Inn and Motel room 108 for $86.67. Fortunately I had made reservations earlier in the week because several cars stopped for a room but every motel is full. The propietor is very friendly and we talk for awhile. With a couple of recommendations in hand, we walk through Sanford which is holding a festival. We choose the Back Street Grill where I had a good grilled haddock dinner with a draught Sam Adams Lager to get relaxed. Our bill came to $50.10 including tip.

August 4, 2007   Saturday   Drive Sanford, Maine to Camden, Maine

We are in no hurry this morning so we don't leave until 8:16 a.m. We follow US-202 ME-5 to Saco on the coast. Here I fill up with 11.3 gallons for $31.25. We drive a few miles north on US-1 to Scarborough where we stop at the Rock n Roll Diner for breakfast. The diner has been open for only two weeks and the service is slow but I had some delicious and plentiful blueberry pancakes. Our bill including tip was $17.82.

We continue north through Portland on I-295 to Brunswick where US-1 follows the coastline away from the interstate highway. We take ME-90 a shortcut to Rockport and then into Camden. We arrive at our big rental house on Camden harbor at 12:48 p.m. after driving 122 miles.

No one is in the house but our daughter Kara and family have been there. We walk to the Camden Deli for lunch overlooking the water for $20.14. Returning to the house no one is there so we drive 7 miles to our rental cottage named Wobegon on Lake Megunticook's Norton Pond. Norton Pond is where the movie and TV series "Payton Place" was filmed. Kara, Jason and kids Logan, Margaret and Kaitlin are there swimming, fishing, etc. Jason has been busy rigging the fishing poles, blowing up rafts and getting the boat motor running well. We unload the car and settle into the cottage for the week.

About 5:00 p.m. we return to the big house stopping on the way at the Megunticook Market with a list of food items for supper costing $19.43. When we arrive at the house son Kevin with wife Lorraine, Kelsey and Sean are there. Lorraine's sister Allyson from New York is also there. Lorraine's father Bob from Annapolis, MD arrives at 7:30. Kevin and Lorraine cook steak and vegetables for the 13 of us who are there. It is Kelsey's birthday so we have a little celbration with cake, ice cream and presents. Lorraine's brother Bob junior with wife Brooke and kids Maddelyn and Quinn arrive from Massachusetts at 9:30.

Anne, Bob senior and I return to the lake cottage for some peace, quiet and sleep. The air is cool, it is very dark and you can hear the loons calling mixed with the occasional bass call of a bullfrog. We are quickly lulled to sleep.

August 5, 2007   Sunday   Rockland Lobster Festival 10K Run and Lake House

Got up early and drove to the town house to pick up Kevin, Lorraine and Bob junior. I drove to Rockland for the Lobster 10K Run. We paid $18 and received a T-shirt for the 60th Annual Lobster Festival. At 8:00 a.m. we all ran and finished well. We had a blueberry pancake breakfast $5 each. Our families showed up and the kids went on several rides. I had to ride whirling ride with grandkids Kelsey and Sean. We had lobster rolls $10 for lunch before returning to the lake house.

The ten adults and eight kids spent the day swimming, kayaking, motor boating, fishing and playing kids games in the yard. Kara and Jason cooked a Mexican supper for everyone. A fire was built in the fireplace and smoors were enjoyed by the kids and some adults. The kids and grandkids left and peace returned with loons lulling us to sleep.

August 6, 2007   Monday   Hike Mt Battie and Mt Megunticok

I got up early and ran about 5 miles. I met Kevin at the trailhead on ME-53 near the east end of Lake Megunticook. He left his car and I drove us to the trailhead in Camden. We climbed steeply up rocky Mt Battie. We talked to two ladies, one from Camden, and took pictures for each other. The views of Camden harbor and the islands are spectacular. After descending a little we started the long climb up the much higher Mt Megunticook. We are mostly in the woods but we had many great views from atop the sheer granite cliff face. We can see the ocean, the harbor, town, lake and ski bowl. The blueberries are not very good this year because of the drought but we manage to find a few decent patches and eat our fill. After 7.3 miles and a lot of climbing we descend to Kevin's car.

It starts to rain as Anne and I walk to town for lunch. We step into a restaurant to find Bob senior and Bob junior with his family already seated. We join them for a nice lunch as the rain picks up. it is a rainy day so we return to the lake house for a shoer, some reading and a nap.

We return to the town house for supper. Bob and Brooke prepare a fantastic seafood (salmon, mussels, scallops and shrimp) pasta and salad for supper. Mark and Dianne Pearl with kids Alexandra and Matt arrive from St Louis for supper. Alexandra and Matt both have Fanconi Anemia like Sean and both have had bone marrow transplants. Matt is still recovering and was able to walk for only a few days before coming to Maine.

August 7, 2007   Tuesday   Monhegan Island and the Fairy Houses

We are all up early and shuttle down to Port Clyde in four cars. We have reservations on the 10:30 ferry to Monhegan Island about an hours voyage at $30 per adult. Monhegan Island has about 500 residents many of which are artists. One wrote a children's book about building fairy housees for the numerous resident fairys to live in.

We started hiking around the island. We turned on a certain trail that passes through a heavily wooded area that is known for it's fairy houses. Sure enough there were houses everywhere. We stopped for a picnic lunch the kids started building houses. Brooke had purchased 2 varied colored small glass fish per child. These fish caused a lot of excitement when the first one was discovered in a kid built house. A building frenzy was set off.

We emerged from the woods onto the top of the highest shoreline cliffs in New England. We walked along these cliffs before turning back across the island to town. We visited the interesting lighthouse museum and the local store for ice cream etc. We returned on the 4:30 ferry and reconvened at the lake house.

Tonight is lobster night and the Pearls joined us on the deck next to the water for a very pleasant evening. The loons started early so everyone got to hear them.

August 8, 2007   Wednesday   Rain Day

I got up at 6:00 and ran 5 miles in a very light sprinkle. It turned dark and rained heavily most of the day canceling today's activities. We gathered in the town house for grilled salmon and vegies all very good.

August 9, 2007   Thursday   Bike to Camden, Golf and Uncle John Sails In

I left the lake cottage on my Titanium Litespeed touring bike circling around the north end of Norton Pond and down the western shore across from the lake cottage. On the outskirts of Camden I turned right and stopped at Distant Journeys to say hello. I talked to the lady I met years ago. Distant Journeys has arranged a self guided tours of Switzerland's Bernese Oberland and France's Provence. I biked to the town house. Kevin, Lorraine, Kelsey, Sean and I biked to Rockport to see the black Galloway cows with a white stripe around their middle known as Oreo cows to the kids. Anne and I walked to the Village Restaurant overlooking the harbor for clam chowder, a chicken salad wrap and ice tea for $32.48 including tip. We walked around the corner to Cappy's Bakery for two large raspberry almond custard tarts for $10.61 which we ate on a nearby park bench beside the water.

At 2:00 Kevin, Sean and I drove to the Goose River Golf Club for nine holes of golf for $28. Kevin and I weren't very impressive but Sean hit some tremendous shots and scored well for an 8 year old.

Back at the lake house for the all American cookout we are waiting for the arrival of Uncle John. Allyson's husband John has been sailing their 36 foot sailboat Hideaway with Michael and Alex from their yacht club from New York to Camden for their club's regatta starting this weekend. They had to seek shelter from the storms in Booth Bay. Allyson drove her father Bob senior and Jason down to Booth Bay this morning so they could sail into Camden with Uncle John. They arrived safely in good spirits and we enjoyed our cookout on the deck by the water. We built a fire in the fireplace for more smoors.

August 10, 2007   Friday   Uncle John Takes Family Sailing as Grandpa Kayaks to Rockport

I checked the weather on TV and it was calm with winds reaching 5-10 mph in the afternoon. Perfect! I drove to the boat ramp near the town house in Camden with my kayak. I paddled out of Camden Harbor south along the rocky coast. The house are fantastic each one better than the last one. I came to one on a rocky point that was the ultimate. Around the corner in a small cove was a mermaid perched on a rock similar to the one in Copenhagen, Denmark. I paddled into the narrow inlet with steep sides for almost a mile to Rockport. It isn't much of a harbor but very nice. Returning I went outside the island at the mouth of the harbor for views of the lighthouse on it. Soon near the mermaid I was hailed by Uncle John's sailboat loaded with grandkids. Back at Camden I went outside the island at the harbor mouth to photograph another lighthouse. I paddled over 9 miles. After an Italian sub and chips for lunch, Kevin, Bob junior, Jason and I took the kids to the top of Mt Battie for blueberry picking. The kids did quite well until a large black snake made us move but that did not deter the picking or enthusiasm.

Bob senior left this morning for the airport. Kevin and Lorraine will leave for Camp Sunshine after supper. Supper is leftovers since we have so much. We have a little party of cake and presents for Logan as his birthday is coming up in a few days.

August 11, 2007   Saturday   Drive Camden, Maine to Columbia, Maryland

Anne and I are up early to pack up and close the lake cottage. I drive from the cottage at 6:36 a.m. Our route takes us down ME-52 to Camden and US-1 to ME-90 to US-1 to Brunswick and I-295 to Portland. Back on US-1 we stop for 9.5 gallons of gas for $27.25 in Scarborough, ME. Almost next door we stop at the Rock n Roll Diner for breakfast at $28.79.

We continue on US-1 to ME-111 to US-202 into New Hampshire to NH-9 to I-91 in Brattleboro, Vermont which we follow south into Massachusetts. We stop in Greenfield, MA for lunch in Friendly's for $28.79 including tip.

We follow I-9 south into Connecticut before heading west on I-84 in Hatford. We cross New York into Pennsylvania stopping in Milford for 11.2 gallons of gas at $32.51.

At Scranton we head south on I-81 to I-83 at Harrisburg and on to Shrewsbury. We stop for 7.0 gallons of gas for $19.25 and then across the road to Cracker Barrel for supper. I have my standard chicken and dumplings, tea and berry cobbler with ice cream. Our tab including tip came to $26.52.

We press on south into Maryland and the Baltimore Beltway I-695 to I-70 west to US-29 south to home in Columbia at 10:30 p.m. I drove 739.3 miles in 15 hours 54 minutes.