East Coast Trip (Part one)

     


Since it's been a while since we updated this blog I thought I'd memorialize our recent trip to Maine and Atlantic Canada for posterity.

Concord, MA

After collecting our rental car at Boston Logan we headed north for a couple of days to check out the Revolutionary war sites in Lexington and Concord. Traffic, as usual, was murder getting out of Boston but we toughed it out and drove to our little Inn without too much drama. 
 

First stop was the old bridge at Concord - only a short walk from the place we were staying. I had been here about 15 years ago and remembered what an evocative place all of Minuteman National Park was...especially this bridge where it all started on the morning of April 19, 1775. Just behind the obelisk on the left is the burial cairn for one of the British soldiers who died in the exchange of gunfire that started the American Revolution. Actually, the story goes that although he was initially wounded, he wasn't finished off until a colonial militiaman tomahawked him as the Redcoats retreated.

Spent most of the next two days wandering around the NP, and hiked along a good portion of "Battle Road" between Concord and Lexington.

Stopped by the Buckman Tavern in Lexington, where the colonial militia waited for the Brits to arrive after being warned of their approach by Paul Revere the night before. Local legend has it that during the tense face-off that ensued once the Redcoats showed up, the first shot was actually fired from the doorway you can see on the right. The British position was where the Minuteman Statue now stands. 

After thoroughly enjoying ourselves tramping around the historic sites, it was time to head up the coast towards Maine. Along the way I should mention that we stopped in Freeport - home of LL Bean. Appeared that Bean was the only employer in town (and for miles around). The company has several retail stores selling all of their outdoor clothing and equipment - open all day every day of the year, ie 24/7 x 365. We wandered around for a few hours but didn't buy anything (as far as I know).





Acadia National Park

This was one of places I always wanted to visit, and our week here didn't disappoint...with beautiful Indian Summer weather for the duration of our stay near the village of Southwest Harbor, on the "quiet side" of Mt. Desert Island and about 30 minutes from the NP.

As usual we walked our legs off exploring the trails in the park, all of which were absolutely gorgeous. The Autumn colors hadn't yet taken hold but the area was still a beautiful sight to see. Here we are about half way along the Bubble Mountain hike.


 Drove over to Bar Harbor on the other side of the island just to check it out, but got out of there as quickly as we could once we realized that it was a "boat day" - guess the town is now a cruise ship stop for the Leaf Peepers, and the day trippers were really clobbering the little town. Guess the shop owners must appreciate the business, but for us it was a real turnoff seeing the wall-to-wall wave of humanity crowding the village.

We'd much rather go off on our own and find some off the beaten path little hikes that we can enjoy in relative peace and quiet, like this one just up the street from out vacation rental. 

After exploring every nook, cranny, and trailhead within 50 miles of the NP we pointed the car north and headed into Canada...the Province of New Brunswick being our first stop. 


 

Meandered up along the coast and crossed the border at Campobello - the Roosevelt family summer retreat for many years. It's now a National Peace Park jointly administered by both the US and Canadian governments... and is extremely well done. FDR came here with his family for many years...every summer right up until he became President, and then periodically after that. It was here that he contracted the polio that would cripple him for the rest of his life.


Spent one night in the city of Saint John, then hopped the ferry across the Bay of Fundy to the town of Digby in Nova Scotia. After exploring the southern part of the peninsula we headed over to Halifax for a couple of days...which is where our luck ran out regarding the weather. Turned cold and rainy for the time we were there and so wasn't exactly the pleasant interlude I had hoped for. Still, it was only a couple of days and, just as the forecast improved, we headed north out of town towards the Cape Breton peninsula.

     ...to be continued...