Loon Hollow Cottages Orrington

We headed south as we crossed the US Border and it felt great to be headed toward our last stop. Maine is a beautiful State with a lot of trees, rivers and lakes. It is truly wonderful to see all the parts of the Country but Maine is one of the more beautiful. The wind was a serious issue though. We had cross-winds (the ones that were so great in Canada) hitting us and pushing us ...

The Westy has decided it needs attention and rest, so we are heading to Montreal. Ben at Ben's Place will give it his best care and attention.
The drive through Maine and New Hampshire is again, giving us a new sense of the vastness of America and an appreciation for it's beauty.

... place exceeds all superlatives and yet virtually none are cast in their direction. We had some great drinks in the bar -- I had a blueberry martini made with a blueberry vodka that is distilled near Freeport. Local blueberry vodka and a small hand full of blueberries...why wouldn't that be a great drink?!

We had a salad and then we both had a divine grilled cod served with a blueberry and chipotle chile ...

... out their economy and take advantage of the growing interest among travelers in coastal Maine. It really was like being inside of a postcard. We lounged over a couple of lattes and then wandered around the town a bit.

We decided to take a cruise on the Penobscot Bay...through the archipelago that was a one time haunt to some of the most notorious pirates of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The boat that we went out on is actually the mail boat that ...

... as I expected it would be. You could make a movie in this place, it looks like such a quintessential New England village. The Blue Hill Farm is a very comfortable place and the innkeepers (twins, a brother and sister) are very nice. This place is so quiet that I'm going to go into shock when I have to return to civilization. But until then, we're going to get completely unwound and do some Olympic relaxing!

Stephne & Kevin

Cont'd At dinner we played Are you smarter than a fifth grader? It turns out Table 2 is smarter. Congratulations go to Courtney, Krislyn, Lee, Spencer, Dane, Mr. Hashimoto, Mr. Inouye, Mrs. Kodama, Mr. Murata, and Tony Sunamoto. We also gave out awards and certificates. There were some interesting winners. The ride back was long and boring. Continued ...

... speed limit. I didn't go this fast through the wide open plains, and this involved weaving across 3 lanes to pick my way through the cars. Nuts, but fun! I stopped in New Haven, Conn. to visit the birthplace of the hamburger (okay, I know it may seem like I have a hamburger addiction, but when in Rome...if I could find the birthplace of smoothies I'd go there too) - Louis' Lunch. Legend says that in 1900 Louis ...

... I never want to end up doing something like this for the rest of my life. I really don't like falling into a routine and everyday being basically the same as the one before. So I quit on Friday, and had the weekend to pack and say some goodbyes. Last night the Hickeys had some people over for some beers around a bonfire for my friend Jay's 20th birthday/ my going away gig. Nice way to say goodbye. It's only for 5 weeks, so ...

arrrived in Bangor at 335pm after leaving Prescott Valley at 100am so are very tired had a connection in Detroit, we went for a early supper at a texas road house and will travel to Bar harbor for a 3 night stay. Plan to tour acadia national park tommorrow, so will retire for the night as it was a very long day

... of rain. I have three 2-man tents and plenty of tarps that I will bring. Our living room and lounge is a small breadth of clear land on the rim of a granite cliff overlooking the water below. From our rocky perch we have stunning views of the lake and of the brilliant yellow-green leafs of poplar ...