ON TO MAINE

As I write this we are in Halifax, Nova Scotia where we have Internet. Not a good connection, but better than the last week where we had very limited access to WIFI and no phone service. So, I'm a little behind on the blog. I'll try to catch up, but even though we have WIFI it's pretty slow and it takes time to upload photos.

We headed south from Quebec City into Maine. We had a line in front of us at the border crossing, four cars something never experienced traveling from Mexico.  We stayed in an RV park just outside of Bangor, a good place to do laundry and re-supply. We also managed to get in a little sightseeing. We took a drive out to the coast, avoiding Bar Harbor as we have been there before. Not really knowing what we would come across we just picked some of the lesser traveled roads to see where they would lead.

We stopped in the town of Bucksport and noticed the spectacular looking bridge that crosses the Penobscot Narrows. Called the Penobscot Narrows Bridge (go figure) it is a modern suspension bridge with a observation deck at the top of one of it's towers. For a small fee you get to ride a very fast elevator to the top and look down upon the bridge.

After taking in the view we continued our drive to the small coastal town of Castine. Castine is the home to the Maine Maritime Academy, where young men and women learn the ways of the sea. Their training ship the State of Maine is docked at the wharf.

Cathie loves lobster, I could take it or leave it. Lobster here in Maine is plentiful, but in a restaurant it's not really a bargain. But from the local store it's around $7.50 a pound. With the average lobster weighing 1.5 pounds, we figured it was the way to go. So we stopped at a small grocery store we spied along the way and Cathie was introduced to Larry the Lobster. Now Larry had to be kept alive until such time as it was time for his demise, so the proprietor put him on top of some ice in our cooler and covered him with wet newspaper for the journey back to the kitchen.

I, being the cook in the family was given the task of cooking Larry. That's because Cathie wants nothing to do with dropping Larry in a pot of boiling water and hearing him scream.

Now Cathie devoured Larry with a gusto rarely seen. Cathie was happy and if she's happy, I'm happy. Larry on the other hand, I'm not so sure. Just before taking his last dive, I thought I heard him say, "What the....."

We moved on from to Bangor, continuing to the easternmost part of Maine. We found a very nice campsite at  Cobscook State Park and had a campsite right on the waterfront. The tides in these parts raise and fall up on an average of 24 feet, which is pretty impressive.  I had some photos of camp, but somehow I deleted them and they now reside somewhere between my camera and the computer.

 SUNRISE IN CAMP

The next day we took the short trip over to Campobello Island, which is in Canada. Campobello's claim to fame is that it was Franklin Roosevelt's summer home from the time he was a child. Now the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, it is managed by both Canada and the United States and is a really a beautiful place.  There is no charge to visit the park and the cottage.  We were given a tour of the grounds and told of the history of Campobello and it's development as a resort for the rich.  We were allow to look around inside both the Roosevelt Cottage and one other.  There were docents stationed through both houses to answer questions. A great tour.

SOME SCENES FROM AROUND THE ISLAND

The red "cottage" was where the Roosevelt's spent their summer. With 15 bedroom, it was some cottage. There are other summer home on the island, several of which are in the park and open for tours and events. The Roosevelt Cottage was built by FDR's father and handed down to him after both his parents had died. After FDR died, Eleanor sold the house, but was allowed stay there when she wanted for the rest of her life.

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