Thursday, July 09, 2009

The "Maine" Event!

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm going to Maine! For 2 weeks!

I have rented a small - 24 ft - RV and am spending 2 weeks camping, driving, hiking, biking, kayaking, and exploring in Maine!

When I made my plane reservations I picked the 8:25 flight from Dulles to Boston because I thought it would be nice to not have to get up before dawn to leave for the airport. Then I realized I was leaving on a weekday! Aghhh!!! The alarm is set for 4 am. The plan is to be out of the house between 5 and 5:30 am to make it to the airport by 7.

The adventure will truly begin in Boston. I'm picking up my motorhome in Rockland, Maine - it's on the coast about 1/2 way between Portland and Acadia NP. The best way to get to Rockland is to fly Cape Air. Anyone remember the 1980's/90's sitcom Wings? Cape Air is just like that! The plan I'll be flying on from Boston holds 9 passengers. That's right, 9! The gal I talked to this morning said that it's like a sightseeing trip on a clear day, which tomorrow promises to be! :-)

The first item of business will be to pick up my motorhome and after that I'll be traveling a few miles down the road to what sounds like a lovely campground - they have their own private swimming beach right on the Atlantic! I'll also need to go to the local grocery store to stock up on snacks, drinks and meals!

Saturday I'll be heading to Acadia NP! I'll be in Acadia the whole first week! I already have reservations for 2 days. One a Ranger lead boat trip to an uninhabited island where we will take a 2 mile hike before returning. The other a 4 hour kayak trip! One of the other days I'll rent a bike and ride around on the carriage trails. Acadia also has a "Senior Ranger" program - like the Junior Ranger stuff for kids, but for grown ups! I'll have to check that out. I also read something about an Earth Cache - it's like Geo Cache but you don't actually find an object. I hope my phone has enough coverage to use my google maps so I can try that out! There are also over 100 miles of trails, tide pools, ranger programs, and other stuff to explore!

After my time in Acadia I'm heading out to the Mountains! I found a campground near Andover that sounds like heaven. They have their own lake, they rent kayaks and canoes, they have a pontoon boat that they take people out on for sunset cruises to look for moose! I'm going to be taking some day trips to Grafton Notch State park to hike a few miles of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park. I might even go into New Hampshire to see Mt. Washington.

At the end of the trip I'll head back to civilization and spend a couple days in the Freeport area! I have to visit the Original LL Bean store! Seems a bit silly to go to the outfitter at the end of a "play outside" vacation, but that's the way it worked out!

I'm planning to blog frequently, however I'm not traveling with my parents so I don't have the mobile "hot spot". Too bad AT&T doesn't support tethering my iPhone to my computer so I could use it's connection! Maybe I'll blog from my phone depending on the connection! I'm sure that I'll be able to find free wi-fi, might have to eat a lot of McDonald's! Even if I can't blog I'll be able to post to Facebook and Twitter as long as I have voice coverage on my phone!

Be sure to check out the video I posted below to get us all in the mood for a road trip! :-)

1 comment:

Talmadge said...

McDonald's Wi-fi is not free. Just so you know. :-/

Wendy's, I found, has a lot of locations with free access. Ditto for Denny's.

Good luck, and have a great time.