Our last week in Maine

White Mountain National Park

After we dropped R&V off at the airport on Saturday, Dennis and I decided to drive up to the White Mountain National Forest to see if we could feast our eyes on some fall foliage.  We had learned peak season was still a few weeks out but we were hoping to at least see some color.

The White Mountain National Forest is a mountain range covering about a quarter of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine.  It is  part of the northern Appalachian Mountains, the most rugged mountains in New England, and one of the most scenic mountain views I've seen.

Our view as we watched others drive up to Mount Washington

As you can see the fall colors are just beginning to show.  If you want to see some of America's best fall foliage, well this drive is one you don't want to pass up.  I can only imagine what the drive would be like in two weeks.  Next time I will plan our trip for mid-October rather than September.

But this is the view we missed!!!

We were also hoping to drive up to the summit of Mount Washington on the Mount Washington Auto Road.  Well, that was a no go.  The second we got in line to buy outrageously-priced tickets some dude came out of the toll booth and started walking toward the truck.  We could tell by the grin on his face what was about to happen. Yep, sure enough, he said we were to wide for the trail.   So instead, we crossed the street and took solace in eating lunch at the visitors' center while watching others go up the mountain.  Dang The Beast!

Portland Head Lighthouse and Fort Williams Park
 

 

On Sunday we headed back up to Portland to visit another lighthouse.  This one has been my favorite so far.  We were able to get a great parking spot in the park.  The lighthouse was an easy walk and also offers a nice walking trail that follows the cliffs along the bay.  

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.

We finished up our visit to Portland with a late lunch at this quaint little restaurant that I had found on Yelp call Snow Squall Restaurant.  Come to find out it was located right by a harbor.  Since it was such a nice day we opted to sit outside so we could enjoy the view.  I had the Spinach Salad with sautéed Apples, Pears and baked sweet potato wedges. I added salmon and it was cooked perfectly.  The whole salad was full of so much flavor, I didn't even bother to use the dressing that came with it.  Definitely a great lunch.  Don't ask me what D had cause I can't even remember.  However I do think I remember someone ordering peanut butter pie for himself!

 

 A Rare Friday Night Dinner Out

Normally we don't eat out on Friday nights because of the crowds, but we decided to make an exception and go out on our last night in Maine.  Friday night did not disappoint us with the crowds.  We had driven 15 miles over to the city of Kennebunk to try out the Village Tavern Restaurant.  When we got there, we were told by the very friendly and funny host that there was a 40+ minute wait.   Our first reaction was to leave, but the guy goes, "Where are you going?  It's going to take you 20 minutes to get there and then you will have to wait 20 minutes or more to get a seat.  Just stay here, have a drink, and relax."  So we took his advice and stayed.  As it turned out, we were glad we did.  We ended up meeting a wonderful couple from Wales.  They had tons of stories to tell of there travels here in the US and loads of advice for visiting their country.  I'm adding Wales to my bucket list of travel destinations.

Well, this winds up our visit to Maine.  It was a whirlwind of a visit and I'm looking forward to visiting this beautiful state again and explore all that it has to offer.  

Tomorrow we move on to Plymouth Mass for a week to visit where the Mayflower landed way back in 1640. 

Exploring Kennebunkport with R&V

Thursday, after surviving Boston, we headed back up the coast toward Kennebunkport.  We discovered that liquor was cheap in New Hampshire, so Dennis had wanted to stop and check it out for himself.  Come to find, out the Canadian Club Whiskey that Dennis is currently drinking was very much worth the stop.  What had cost $42 in Canada was priced there at just $14.99.  Crazy, huh?!  So you bet he stocked up!  Good thing we have a truck, right!  Just Kidding, he only bought a few bottles.

Michael's Harborside Restaurant. Nice view!

Back on the road, we decided to stop for dinner in one of the small towns along the southern coast of Maine.  We found this cute waterfront restaurant called Michael's Harborside in Newburyport, so Veronica could try her first-ever Lobster Roll.  I think the vote is still out on whether it was good or not.  It seems there are two types of Lobster Rolls; The ones served cold with mayo and the ones served warm with butter.   I think she was expecting the warm kind but come to find out, that's not the Maine way of serving them.

View from the deck at Salt & Honey, Kennebunkport, Maine

On Friday, we explored downtown Kennebunkport.  We started out the day having breakfast as this small but popular restaurant called Salt & Honey.  With a name so close to R&V's own store, Milk & Honey, of course, we had to try it.  Afterward, we walked around town for a bit then drove by the Bush's compound on our way out.

Pier 77 in Kennebunkport, Maine

For lunch, we went just around the corner from the campground to Pier 77.  There is a small lighthouse off in the distance and a couple of restaurants.  However, parking the dually was a bear as always.

Drinks at Lobster Beach House while watching the sunset.

 

Afterward, we headed down to Ogunquit and checked out a few more shops, sat and watched the surfers in the ocean, and then had drinks at the Lobster Beach House while waiting on the sun to set.

We finished up the day with dinner at Federal Jacks back in Kennebunkport.  I kinda feel like we ate and drank our way through the whole day.  But hey, when you're in port, it's vacation time!

On Saturday morning, we headed up to Portland to take R&V to the jetport.  We stopped in Biddeford for a quick breakfast at Biscuit and Company.  I first thought $7 was high for just a biscuit, but the thing was huge and delish!  A must stop if you are in the area.

Since we still had a little time before their flight left we decided to check out Cape Elizabeth lighthouse while we were in Portland.   Even though we couldn't get real close to the lighthouse from this viewpoint, the rocky shoreline was well worth the stop.  A perfect ending to a great visit.  We look forward to more visits from my wonderful sons and their families during our time on the road.

Boston

On Wednesday, we packed our bags and headed south to the Boston Amtrak Station to pick up my son Ryan and his wife, Veronica.  Since they had to be in NYC for work, we had discussed them hopping up here for a short visit and I was so glad they did!  It had been 8 months since we left Ga and I was getting very homesick for family.

As it turned out, Boston was only about a 90-minute drive from Kennebunkport.  We found getting down to Boston was an easy drive along the coast but OH MY WORD once we got into the city, it's a whole new ball game.  Little did we know that Boston was the most populated city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts AND in all of New England, therefore, making traffic crazy.

If you have driven in New York or DC and thought the traffic was bad there, well think again for Boston is the worst.  Come to find out in 2018 it was ranked as #1 for having the worst traffic in the nation and 8th in the world.  I for one feel that still holds!  To say driving the dually there was pure insanity is pretty much spot on.

Statue of Samuel Adams in the square

The one thing that saves Boston is that it is very easy to get around on foot.  So after picking the kids up in the middle of the road (literally), we drove around and got lucky with parking and hit the pavement.  Our destination was Faneuil Hall Marketplace near the waterfront.  The market house originally opened in 1743 and it was the site of several speeches encouraging independence from Great Britain.  Inside we found information and maps on the freedom trail and downstairs you can watch a short documentary about the building history involving slave trading on the site.  It was definitely worth the stop.

Bell-in-Hand Tavern on Union Street, Boston

If it's on a plague, it's gotta be true!

Cheers for family!!

Afterward, we did a little more shopping and then went for a drink in the oldest bar in town! The Bell-in-Hand Tavern was built in 1795 and was a very cool pub.

Got a feeling there's always a line.

Some of the pics on the walls

Afterward that, we set out to eat at THE best pizza joint in all of Boston! Regina Pizzeria was founded in 1926 and they even have there own wiki page! Come to find out it wasn't too far from the pub so we decided to walk. However, when we got close, we could see the line to be seated was out the door.  Well, you only live once, so we waited for our turn. It seems it's also popular with a few celebrities too. There are pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio, Henry Winkler, Rob Lowe, Jay Leno, just to name a few.

After dinner, we headed to our hotel for the night in order to rest up to fight the streets of Boston again.  We weren't so lucky the next day at finding a parking spot, so Dennis and Ryan decided to just ride around the block while Veronica and I jumped out to go pick up a vest I had seen the day before.  It took all of 30 minutes to purchase the vest and when we went out to met them, they were still half a block away!  It seems they had been sitting at one red light 15 times before finally making it through.

USS Constitution aka Old Ironsides

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge

We finally said goodbye to the city center and drove out to tour the USS Constitution that we had spotted when we crossed the bridge into the city.  The USS Constitution served from 1797 to 1881 and is the the oldest and most storied commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy.  We also got to go on a destroyer called the USS Cassin Young that served from 1943-1960. She survived two Kamikaze attacks and sailed the globe.

Afterward, we headed up to our campsite in Kennebunkport, Maine.  Yahoo!  We still had 2 more days to enjoy the company of Ryan and Veronica! Yeah!

Kennebunkport, Maine

Well, our first boondocking experience (camping without any type of hookups) went off without a hitch.   We found a Walmart just north of Bar Harbor in Ellsworth, Maine and pulled in about 9:30 PM in the pouring rain.  It was pretty crowded by that time but we still managed to find a spot for our big rig.

Thanks, Walmart!

We got up early, dressed, and headed into Walmart since they had a Duncan Donuts inside the store. Sweet!! After a quick breakfast, we set out to find fuel and then continued on our way.

We pulled into Sandy Pines Campground around 1pm and checked in.  Our site is a little short for our outfit and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get it to fit.  Next time I will be sure they understand just how long our 5th wheel is before booking.  Other than the size of our spot, this park is pretty interesting.

Our 5th wheel is right at the edge of a big drop off and it's just off the road. Whew!

They have these awesome yurts and wagons you can rent here and they seem to be very popular.  We are also pretty close to downtown and the beach, plus several other cute resort towns.

How cool is this!!

Inside the wagon

Now that is tent camping!

Inside one of the many tents that are here.

On our list of things to do while here was to drive by the Bush family vacation home.  Seems they have had a presence in Kennebunkport for well over a century. George H.W. Bush’s grandfather and great-grandfather purchased the property in the 1870s.  Originally known as “Point Vesuvius,” but is now known as “Walker’s Point.”

Walker’s Point is home to a variety of properties and has been in the news on more than one occasion.  There’s the main, 3-story, stone-and-shingle home along with eight other buildings. The  Bush’s five children all have homes on the property.

Family photo in 2015

Barbara Bush and Craig Coyne's wedding back in Oct 2018

Walker's Point

The town of Kennebuckport offers tons of shops, hotels, restaurants, whale watching tours, and a trolley museum.

Any time of the day there was always a line at this place!

City Center with Cooper Candle store in the background.  Cute shop!

Bridge on the main street

Some of the shops on the water

This weekend we are going to hop down to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and check out a couple of lighthouses.