We really enjoyed our time in Maine. The scenery was amazing, the campgrounds were great, and we ate lots of good food!
The gem of the trip turned out to be Boothbay Harbor. And we almost didn't go there - thank goodness that during my trip research I found it and then when the time came to pick a place, I remembered it and found a place to camp with no advance notice. Otherwise, the trip wouldn't have been the same. It had a great small town feel, great places to eat, and the lobster - delicious! We can't wait to go back there and spend more time. Heck, I'm ready to buy a condo there!
We liked Acadia, but I think it would be better in the fall when the crowds are lighter. It's a small national park, so when the people pour in, you definitely notice.
If we had it to do all over again, we'd probably have spent more time around Rockport and Marblehead and a day or two less in Old Orchard Beach. And a day in Portland would have been nice, too. I think both Jeff and I would agree that a car is a necessity when camping in New England if you want to check out places off the beaten path, like Kennebunkport, where there is no RV parking.
My memories of the trip will be the scenery and the food. The waves crashing on the rocks in Acadia, the trees on the coastline, the New England churches, and the harbor towns. And I have to say it again, the lobster! I loved getting lobster in Boothbay Harbor, fresh from the fishermen. The lobster club, the lobster roll, and steamed lobsters with corn. And the homemade ice cream in Boothbay Harbor - the Maine blueberry ice cream was divine.
I'd highly recommend the trip, and look forward to doing it again in the years to come. Now to start planning our next adventure...
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Henry's Vacation Thoughts
My favorite parts of the vacation were:
Boothbay Harbor. I liked everything there. I liked the ice cream and the boat rides although the whale watching one made me seasick. The vanilla milkshake was really good.
Acadia. I thought Thunder Hole was great and I liked our tour bus driver Dick Fox. I liked the boat tour on the catamaran.
Bayley's Campground. I liked riding banana bikes, swimming in the pool and miniature golf. I bought a football and liked playing catch in the pool with Dad.
I liked the pier at Old Orchard Beach, the Dairy Queen and the rides. I liked driving the bumper car.
It was cool to stand on the spot where Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Prescott met up during their midnight run, and where Revere was captured.
I liked eating lobster and whoopie pies. Mom let me crack the claws on the lobster.
I liked climbing the rocks at the Bar Harbor campground and looking for sea creatures in the tidepools at the Maine State Aquarium.
Boothbay Harbor. I liked everything there. I liked the ice cream and the boat rides although the whale watching one made me seasick. The vanilla milkshake was really good.
Acadia. I thought Thunder Hole was great and I liked our tour bus driver Dick Fox. I liked the boat tour on the catamaran.
Bayley's Campground. I liked riding banana bikes, swimming in the pool and miniature golf. I bought a football and liked playing catch in the pool with Dad.
I liked the pier at Old Orchard Beach, the Dairy Queen and the rides. I liked driving the bumper car.
It was cool to stand on the spot where Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Prescott met up during their midnight run, and where Revere was captured.
I liked eating lobster and whoopie pies. Mom let me crack the claws on the lobster.
I liked climbing the rocks at the Bar Harbor campground and looking for sea creatures in the tidepools at the Maine State Aquarium.
Dinner and a Movie
The good news is that the rain didn't kill our fire, and once it stopped, we added dry wood and got it roaring.
I wrapped the garlic bread in numerous layers of aluminum foil and laid it on a piece of wood that was surrounded by fire. It didn't come out perfectly baked, but it was good enough.
The spaghetti and meatballs made for a good dinner. I packed a bag of frozen Ikea meatballs in the freezer, and I have to say, they're pretty easy to work with - either doing the Swedish version or in spaghetti sauce. I'll definitely be packing those again.
We introduced the kids to the tv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with Drew Carey and other comics and they loved it. They didn't understand all of it (and neither Jeff nor I were ready to volunteer explaining what "porn" was) but they liked the adlibbing and nuttiness of it. The kids didn't ask any questions, unlike earlier in the trip when, while watching golf on ESPN, Henry asked why you should have your heart checked before having sex. (And fortunately for me, didn't ask what sex was.) I was cooking and shrugged it off - and Jeff owes me for not saying: "go ask your father." Thank you ESPN and Viagra commercials.
I brought two books along for the trip, a bargain book I picked up at Barnes and Noble and "My Life in Paris" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. I liked the Child book, and it made me want to pick up one of her cookbooks and learn how to make a proper French omelet and roast chicken. As for the aspic, terrines and certain fish dishes, I think I'll pass.
After the kids and Jeff fell asleep, I put the "Julia and Julie" DVD in the tv and watched a movie in bed. The movie is partly based on the book, so I thought it might be fun to watch. I liked the movie and thought Meryl Streep did a great job playing Julia Child.
We agreed before going to bed that we would hit the road at 8:00 a.m., and we held pretty close to that. Jeff was up first and packed up everything on the outside and disconnected the water, electric and sewer hoses. So as not to mess up the kitchen, we picked up pancakes at the campground cafe. KOA campgrounds often have very good pancake breakfasts and the kids like to take advantage of them whenever they can.
It was an uneventful drive home. Since we were on Route 287 near my parents' house, we dropped in for a quick visit. By 10:30 a.m., we were back on the road and were home by 3:30 p.m. after hitting a little traffic the closer we got to home.
It was a nice vacation. As always, we wish we had more time, but there's always the opportunity for another trip.
I wrapped the garlic bread in numerous layers of aluminum foil and laid it on a piece of wood that was surrounded by fire. It didn't come out perfectly baked, but it was good enough.
The spaghetti and meatballs made for a good dinner. I packed a bag of frozen Ikea meatballs in the freezer, and I have to say, they're pretty easy to work with - either doing the Swedish version or in spaghetti sauce. I'll definitely be packing those again.
We introduced the kids to the tv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with Drew Carey and other comics and they loved it. They didn't understand all of it (and neither Jeff nor I were ready to volunteer explaining what "porn" was) but they liked the adlibbing and nuttiness of it. The kids didn't ask any questions, unlike earlier in the trip when, while watching golf on ESPN, Henry asked why you should have your heart checked before having sex. (And fortunately for me, didn't ask what sex was.) I was cooking and shrugged it off - and Jeff owes me for not saying: "go ask your father." Thank you ESPN and Viagra commercials.
I brought two books along for the trip, a bargain book I picked up at Barnes and Noble and "My Life in Paris" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. I liked the Child book, and it made me want to pick up one of her cookbooks and learn how to make a proper French omelet and roast chicken. As for the aspic, terrines and certain fish dishes, I think I'll pass.
After the kids and Jeff fell asleep, I put the "Julia and Julie" DVD in the tv and watched a movie in bed. The movie is partly based on the book, so I thought it might be fun to watch. I liked the movie and thought Meryl Streep did a great job playing Julia Child.
We agreed before going to bed that we would hit the road at 8:00 a.m., and we held pretty close to that. Jeff was up first and packed up everything on the outside and disconnected the water, electric and sewer hoses. So as not to mess up the kitchen, we picked up pancakes at the campground cafe. KOA campgrounds often have very good pancake breakfasts and the kids like to take advantage of them whenever they can.
It was an uneventful drive home. Since we were on Route 287 near my parents' house, we dropped in for a quick visit. By 10:30 a.m., we were back on the road and were home by 3:30 p.m. after hitting a little traffic the closer we got to home.
It was a nice vacation. As always, we wish we had more time, but there's always the opportunity for another trip.
Monday, August 16, 2010
And So It Goes
We thought the storm had blown away, and it sure was sunny on our walk to the camp store to get supplies. But just minutes after I started our campfire, the rain started. First it was a drizzle, but now it's fairly steady. Jeff and the kids are still out there, watching tv under the awning, while my fire fights to stay alive under the onslaught of rain drops. I have a feeling they'll be inside soon.I planned to cook the spaghetti and meatballs on the propane stove, but with the rain, I moved indoors. Now I'm consternated on how I will heat the garlic bread since the oven isn't too reliable and my fire is probably doomed.
Rain and Rest
We woke to a cloudy and humid morning here in Plattekill, NY. The weather reports threatened thunderstorms today, so we covered the kids favorite activities into the morning: miniature golf and pool. I skipped the pool since it was pretty chilly.
I made chicken quesadillas for lunch in the RV since it was sticky outside, and because of the rain last night and impending rain, we hadn't unpacked anything. They were a huge hit.
Jeff took the kids up to the campground cafe for snow cones while I tinkered on my computer. When they came back, they reported that the thunderstorm was indeed on its way and we should hunker down. In a few minutes, the lightning and thunder started and the wind picked up. It wasn't too bad, and we all had things to to in the RV. Jeff and Ruth watched a Star Wars movie, Henry read a book, and I played Freecell on my laptop.
It was nice to relax and just hang out.
A second storm blew through, and this one was interesting because about halfway through, the sun came out. We could see the sunlight reflecting off the tree and bush leaves while the rain fell and thunder grumbled.
Now the sun is out, and we're getting ready to walk up to the camp store to pick up some firewood for a campfire tonight. Dinner will be a salad, spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread, and roasted marshmallows for dessert.
I made chicken quesadillas for lunch in the RV since it was sticky outside, and because of the rain last night and impending rain, we hadn't unpacked anything. They were a huge hit.
Jeff took the kids up to the campground cafe for snow cones while I tinkered on my computer. When they came back, they reported that the thunderstorm was indeed on its way and we should hunker down. In a few minutes, the lightning and thunder started and the wind picked up. It wasn't too bad, and we all had things to to in the RV. Jeff and Ruth watched a Star Wars movie, Henry read a book, and I played Freecell on my laptop.
It was nice to relax and just hang out.
A second storm blew through, and this one was interesting because about halfway through, the sun came out. We could see the sunlight reflecting off the tree and bush leaves while the rain fell and thunder grumbled.
Now the sun is out, and we're getting ready to walk up to the camp store to pick up some firewood for a campfire tonight. Dinner will be a salad, spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread, and roasted marshmallows for dessert.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
From Minutemen to a New York State of Mind
We're in rainy Plattekill, NY. Where's Plattekill, you might ask. It's just north of Newburgh, NY, in the Hudson River Valley just a few miles from I-87.
We left Old Orchard Beach this morning, and headed to Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord, Massachusetts. Henry asked to go visit the place where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired, and I'm always up for visiting a spot important in American history.
The park covers the township of Concord over to Lexington. Following the address the park gave on its website, we started our tour at the North Bridge, where the first British troops were killed by the colonists. There is a Minuteman statue that was erected to note the spot where shots were fired, and a man in a British solider costume stands near the graves of the fallen British soldiers. The Park Service has rebuilt the bridge the British walked over to look as it might have in April 1775.
Wed then drove the route the local militias and the British "regulars" walked and fought as they headed east, back toward Boston. We learned while watching a great educational presentation at the main Minuteman NHP Visitor Center that while Lexington and Concord was where the fighting started, the worst of the fighting happened along the Bay Road as the soldiers and militiamen headed east.
We also visited the spot where Paul Revere was captured. He was eventually released, but the British kept his horse. Henry wanted to touch the spot where Revere was, and posed for a picture.
Henry earned his Junior Ranger badge at the park, adding to his growing badge collection.
Here's a slideshow of some of the pictures from our visit:
It was getting late, so we went back to the RV to head to our final destination for the day, the KOA campground near Newburgh, New York. The campground has a pool, miniature golf and a jumping pillow (think moon bounce with no roof or walls), so we knew the kids would enjoy it. Jeff needs to get some work done, so he'll be happy with the wifi connection. I'm hoping to go visit one of the local farmers markets - the campground newsletter says there's two big ones near here.
Since it was raining and outdoor cooking was out of the question, I cooked up some ground turkey with chili seasoning and we had tacos. I had made a blueberry crisp with blueberries we picked up in Maine, but we had trouble with the RV oven - the pilot light kept going out. The crisp wasn't so crispy, although the blueberries cooked through and got juicy. Almost there...
We left Old Orchard Beach this morning, and headed to Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord, Massachusetts. Henry asked to go visit the place where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired, and I'm always up for visiting a spot important in American history.
The park covers the township of Concord over to Lexington. Following the address the park gave on its website, we started our tour at the North Bridge, where the first British troops were killed by the colonists. There is a Minuteman statue that was erected to note the spot where shots were fired, and a man in a British solider costume stands near the graves of the fallen British soldiers. The Park Service has rebuilt the bridge the British walked over to look as it might have in April 1775.
Wed then drove the route the local militias and the British "regulars" walked and fought as they headed east, back toward Boston. We learned while watching a great educational presentation at the main Minuteman NHP Visitor Center that while Lexington and Concord was where the fighting started, the worst of the fighting happened along the Bay Road as the soldiers and militiamen headed east.
We also visited the spot where Paul Revere was captured. He was eventually released, but the British kept his horse. Henry wanted to touch the spot where Revere was, and posed for a picture.
Henry earned his Junior Ranger badge at the park, adding to his growing badge collection.
Here's a slideshow of some of the pictures from our visit:
It was getting late, so we went back to the RV to head to our final destination for the day, the KOA campground near Newburgh, New York. The campground has a pool, miniature golf and a jumping pillow (think moon bounce with no roof or walls), so we knew the kids would enjoy it. Jeff needs to get some work done, so he'll be happy with the wifi connection. I'm hoping to go visit one of the local farmers markets - the campground newsletter says there's two big ones near here.
Since it was raining and outdoor cooking was out of the question, I cooked up some ground turkey with chili seasoning and we had tacos. I had made a blueberry crisp with blueberries we picked up in Maine, but we had trouble with the RV oven - the pilot light kept going out. The crisp wasn't so crispy, although the blueberries cooked through and got juicy. Almost there...
OOB: Beach, Arcade, Rides and Food
Old Orchard Beach is a smaller version of Point Pleasant, NJ or Ocean City, Maryland. It's quieter too, which I liked.Instead of a boardwalk, Old Orchard Beach has a long pier that juts out into the ocean. I heard the trolley driver say that it used to be much longer, but part of it got washed away during a storm and they just left it as it was. The Pier has some games, souvenir shops and places to eat. We at at the end of the pier the first day we went - it was okay, but not great. Henry's steak sandwich was very good. Ruth and I split a sa
mpler plate with onion rings, chicken fingers, chicken wings, fries and mozzarella sticks, and Jeff had a burger. I also took the opportunity to have a glass of Shipyard's Summer Ale - very good.We took the campground trolley down to Old Orchard Beach (hereon called OOB) three times during our stay. We only went on the beach once - in addition to the water being ice cold, it was absolutely packed. The kids were more interested in the arcade, food and rides, so that helped not only keep the visits to a reasonable length, but also reduced the issue of getting the sand out and putting on dry clothes to walk around afterward.
No matter what state you're in, if there's a beach, you will find walk-up windows with pizza, steak sandwiches, hand cut fries, real lemonade, fudge and ice cream. OOB did not disappoint, and even added one of my favorite treats from my hometown church carnival: fried
dough. Imagine pizza dough stretched out into a circle and then tossed in hot oil. It comes out crispy and chewy, and is topped with powdered sugar. Here in Maine, their twist on it is as soon as they pull it out of the oil, they brush it with butter and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar and cinnamon. It sounded delicious, but I went with powdered sugar only. I had to share it with Henry because his eyes bulged out of his head when he saw it.One other thing we saw at OOB was advertisements for "poutine," but we didn't try that. French fries and cheese curds covered in brown gravy - not my cup of tea. It's a favorite of the Canadians, and they can have it.
The second day, Ruth and I sampled pizza at Rocco's Pizza, which we both thought was delicious. Henry gave it a third thumbs up. We violated the "try local" mantra for ice cream, and visited Dairy Queen a few times.
I also found a small candy store next door and the owners asked me to sample their new recipe for Sea Salt Fudge that they were trying to finalize. They were inspired by the salted caramel craze currently underway. Earlier recipes had been to salty, but I thought the one I tried was fabulous, and they agreed. It's not quite a chocolate covered pretzel, but it was delicious. I might have to make some at home when we get back.
They also recommended their s'more, which was a two graham crackers filled with marshmallow cream, dipped in wonderful chocolate. I picked up two and we all loved them.
On our last visit to OOB, Ruth wanted to try Bill's Pizza, whose claim to fame was being in operation since 1949. My friend Jay from Portland had recommended it. Jeff took her to get a slice and he got one too. Jeff proclaimed it the best pizza he's ever eaten. Ruth loved it too. Well, with a comment like that, Henry and I had to give it a try. Henry liked it alot, but I didn't love it. I thought Rocco's Pizza was better, and Manville Pizza is still my all time favorite.
Well, that's enough about food.
The kids enjoyed the arcade, where we played some skeeball, basketball, and then finally a game where you aim your quarter in a chute and try to land it on a strip of tickets with varying values from 25 to 125. It turned out to a be a great way to accumulate tickets. In total, we ended up with about 2200 points.
The rides at OOB are the standard boardwalk/fair type. The kids asked to ride the bumper cars, which they had never done before, and they LOVED it. I drove Ruth the first time and we cruised around and slammed into Henry a few times. Another day, she rode with Henry and they had a ball. They also liked a rollercoaster-like ride they call the Dragon, and the tall, wavy slide that you go down on a sack. Lastly, Ruth wanted to ride the carousel, one of her favorites.
Due to communications error between Jeff and I (I assumed that when I gave them to him that he would put them in his wallet, but he didn't), we left the arcade tickets in the RV on our last day, so if anyone is headed to OOB in the future, let us know and you can have our tickets.
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