Baa Habaa and area

Wednesday Oct 20 saw us take a drive up Cadillac Mountain, which is part of the Acadia National Park. This 1530 ft high mountain gives you a great view for 360* of the ocean. There was a cruise ship in from Germany and you could really appreciate how high up you were looking down on it. We also did a drive through of Bar Harbor. Because of the number of people off the ship, we decided a return visit Thursday would be better for getting around. Today ( Thursday) had us take both of the circle routes around the Bar Harbor area. This whole area including Bar Harbor are in the Acadia National Park. There is normally a $20.00 fee that covers 7 days of visit, but because it's off season, that did not apply. Most of these two drives keep very you close to the ocean, so it was quite pleasant even with the overcast sky. We made it back to Bar Harbor in time for lunch ( imagine that) at ate at Stewman's on The Warf, where Sue had Scallops and I just had a Lobster Roll.....both were great. Tomorrow it is expected Portland will be the destination for likely 3 nights.

Turning the corner.....South

Well, here we are...Tuesday already. We did in fact, spend two days in Bethel ME. Saturday was the arrival and "setup" day. Sunday, after Sue's return from church, we took a drive in the country, visiting a covered bridge from 1876 ( no longer in use for traffic ) and drove up the near by ski hills. Monday it was time to leave yet again, heading for Bangor ME. The Hwy 2 which stretches from Vermont to Bangor Maine is a fantastic road for scenery ( Model A kinda road). We will be sorry to see the end of this byway. Today, Tuesday took us on a day trip into Bangor where we took a tour of the Galen Cole Maine Transportation Museum. This place is a private endeavor featuring various modes of transportation that has been either manufactured or used in Maine. Over 200 pieces of equipment are in this 1 acre building covering everything from sleighs to diesel locomotives. Tomorrow we pack up and head to Bar Harbor ( Baa Habaa) for a two night stay.

Rain delay

Yup, yesterday was an unscheduled extra day in Stowe 'cause it POURED. As can be seen, Brandy had the right idea. There was talk of Smuggler's Notch not being open because of the threat of snow, but that didn't happen, however, Lake Placid received 2". We had a great breakfast at the Gables in Stowe yesterday ( we felt we needed that ). Today (Sat) had us on the road driving through New Hampshire and into Maine on some fantastic roads....lots of scenery and gentle hills. It is however, very windy and cool. It'll likely be a two nighter here in Bethel Maine.

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Stowe

The day today was spent in and around Stowe VT. It certainly is a great time of year to tour these roads!!! We went up to see the Trapp Family Lodge, which we'd seen in the past but it sure is nice to see. The top picture is of the road going through Smuggler's Notch. The one side of the mountain is so much more rugged than the other. Last time here, it was winter and the pass was closed. The middle pic is of the main lodge as is the bottom one. While we were early or late (lunch/breakfast) we did eat at the brewery/deli part way down the hill. The scenery was fantastic ( so was the beer). We started off on the patio, but near the end of the meal, moved inside because of the cool wind. It is supposed to rain this evening and wet SNOW is possible about 1800 ft. Tomorrow it's off to Maine via New Hampshire.

In a fine State

Our departure from Lake Placid this morning was in very cool ( 30F) weather accompanied by the heaviest frost yet. The roads are made for Model A Fords ( if you take away the hills). They tend to be curvy and narrow and not too busy.
We came across Lake Champlain, which separates New York State from Vermont. The bridge is being replaced and in the interim, they offer ferry service. The fall colours are a bit stronger here than in the Lake Placid area. On the way we stopped in and did a tour of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory...also got to sample some. Neat place.
Upon arrival in Stowe, we decided to take the afternoon off and do our exploring tomorrow ( Thursday). We have been given the names of a few eating establishments and may investigate them or at least some of them. Two new albums have been added to the picture gallery.

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Lake Placid

Our drive to Lake Placid was very colourful although it would appear the leaves have pasted their best. We went to the Olympic ski hill and took the chair lift to the top of the hill THEN took the elevator another 120 metres to the top of the jump. These jumpers must be lacking common sense. During the off season, they jump off a smaller version and land in a large pool. The freestyle skiers were practicing today....see bottom pic. We had a great dinner at a little place overlooking Lake Placid called Jimmy's 21. Tomorrow it's off to Stowe VT for a couple of days. The weather has been cool but dry.

USA

Well, we are now back in the USA, after a wonderful visit with "the family" in Kingston at Thanksgiving. Marg, one of my sisters, was not able to join us due to hubby Dick having had a major operation the previous week. As we understand it, he is recovering well and will be home sooner than estimated.
Our departure from Canada was rather iffy, due to the fact we had already been in the US for 184 days. Your maximum stay is supposed to be 181 in any calendar year. However, I guess they needed our tourist $$ and here we are. Tonight, home is Malone NY. We hope to head over to the Lake Placid area, perhaps staying for a few days before going to Stowe VT. We will go down the Eastern seaboard for a while. The blog will be kept a little more up to date from now on, now we have a better idea where we are headed. The uncertainty of our getting back into the US had prevented us from making any firm plans for a while. The colours along hwy 37 on the south side of the St. Lawrence River are just as vivid as on the Canadian side........GREAT weather eh?