Camden, Maine...So Cute!

We met a couple at the B&B in Bar Harbour, who had just come from Camden. They loved it...great restaurants, nice scenery and they recommended a B&B. So off we went to Camden. We had lunch in Bucksport, where they are very proud of their new bridge. Rightly so! The old and the new...the closest tower is actually an observation deck, 420 feet up. It was pretty hot, so we decided to save that for another trip.

Camden, home of the US Toboggan Championships...who knew!

Camden, best known as the setting for Peyton Place...

It's a nearby getaway for the wealthy from Boston and New York...

The Timbercliffe B&B, owned by a lovely couple who got tired of corporate life, and gave it up to move to Maine.

It was a nice 20 minute walk to town, all downhill, so you know what that meant coming back! Lots of dinghies that the yacht owners use to get to shore.

Dave & Karen, the owners of the B&B, recommended a day trip to the Pemaquid Lighthouse, which is featured on the Maine quarter. The original lighthouse was built in 1827, but was so poorly constructed, that the walls began to disintegrate and it was rebuilt in 1835.

The light keeper's cottage, which is now a museum. Pretty nice!

You could see the different layers in the rock, which was really neat...

A trip up a spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse gave you a lovely view. Six people could be at the top of the lighthouse at one time, but that was if no one wanted to move around! A fog bell was added in 1897 in this building beside the tower.

45 pound lobsters caught in 1907. The caption said "It is not known how they were caught." Really!

Jim was enthused about the differences in the rocks. The strip of rock showed that it was formed from volcanic activity, rather than from the layers of sediment like the rest of the rock.

In the lighthouse...

The roses were beautiful! I think we had just missed their peak...

Back in town, we noticed a lot of schooners offering sunset cruises. We decided on the 86 foot Appledore, which was built in the 1970s by an adventurer who took 15 people with him on a round-the-world cruise. It does cruises in Camden in the summer and then heads to Key West for the winter.

And we were off, past the businesses on the water...

And the summer "cottages"...

This yacht was flying the flag of Lebanon...

Holds 8 passengers???!! I hoped we didn't have to test it.

Looking pretty pleased with myself!

We passed this nest with the eagle coming home. Come to think of it, maybe it was an osprey. The nest was pretty big.

And the sun started to set. It was pretty chilly!

Lots of bells and whistles!

JP, one of the crew...you can help them if you wish. Not likely! I think you'd get rope burns pretty fast!

Brrrr...they do provide blankets because the temperature can drop 30 degrees F at sea!

It was so relaxing!

A little bottle of wine to keep you warm...

And a beautiful sunset...

And then we headed back to Camden...it was a great evening!

Mac, another crew member, looking very Johnny Depp-ish!

A cute bear in one of the shop windows...can you read his t-shirt?

Another recommendation from Dave & Karen. We heard so much about lobster pounds that we decided to give one a try.

It was a very pretty setting...

Standard fare is lobster, mussels and corn on the cob...

Anticipating my lobster!

The lobster was very good. They cook it when you order it, so it's served hot. Makes for interesting handling!

Quaint Camden...

The water runs under the businesses...

You can see the spire of this church from quite a distance...

There is yummy ice cream everywhere! We didn't qualify for a free one...

Adorable footbridge maintained by one of the hotels...

We loved Camden, but after three days, it was time to head to our next stop...Ogunquit!

It's Not England, but Small Town USA Here We Come

What do you do when your planned trip to England falls through two days before you leave? You bury your disappointment at not seeing the grandkids, and head to Maine, USA. No, it's not the same, but better than staying home and moping.

Our first stop was Bar Harbour. We've visited several times, but not in the last couple of years. Happily, not much has changed. This is the fountain in Agamont Park overlooking the harbour.

The schooner does cruises of Frenchmans Bay.

Nothing says Maine like a lobster holding an ice cream cone!

For my sister, a big sock monkey!!

One of the attractions in the area is Acadia National Park. It's a great place for hiking, camping and biking, as many of the roads do not allow vehicle traffic. These carriage roads and stone bridges were financed by John D. Rockefeller between 1913 and 1940, and are part of a 57 mile network of roads that were meant for horses, carriages and pedestrians. There are 16 of these bridges in park.

The view from the top of Cadillac Mountain in the park. The Holland America cruise ship, Maasdam, was in port that day, so there were lots of people in town, which is great for the shopkeepers. On Sunday, there were going to be three cruise ships in port at the same time. I was glad we would be on our way by then!

We had one day of rain, and Jim decided a good rainy day activity would be to visit a car museum he had read about. Somehow, I think we would have been visiting the car museum one way or the other! The Seal Cove Auto Museum is located...in the middle of nowhere! Richard C. Paine, Jr. amassed more than 130 automobiles and motorcyles. When he died in 2007, he left an endowment to ensure that the vehicles would be showcased in this museum.

The following is for the car buffs!

A 1909 Stevens Duryea...it cost $5000 when it was built.

A 1911 Stanley Steamer (cost $1,125).

These are just some of the amazing cars...all in pristine condition.

A 1906 Ford (cost $500). This car represented a step forward for Ford in producing a low-priced car for the mass market.

A 1907 Model K Ford (cost $2,800). This car had enough power to carry a full load of passengers and their luggage.

1912 Ford (cost $645-$725)...inexpensive, reliable and easily maintained, this car brought Americans from the horse and buggy era into the automobile age.

The 1922 Ford Model T Depot Hack was made to transport passengers and their luggage to and from railway stations to hotels and resorts.

1913 Peugeot...the body was made of tulip wood.

These "barn cars" were never intended to be restored.

An 1886 Benz...Benz's wife Bertha demonstrated the practicality of it when she took it on a 50 mile trip to visit her parents. I cannot imagine!

With our fill of cars, we headed to one of our favourite restaurants, Galyn's, and enjoyed their small verandah for a nice evening.

At our B&B, we met a couple who had just come from Camden, Maine. We weren't familiar with it, but they recommended the B&B they had stayed at and said it was a great little town. So with that, we left Bar Harbour and headed to Camden.

We passed this carving of Glooscap. He was an important figure in history for the natives in the US and Atlantic Canada.

We spied a mini golf park that looked interesting, so we stopped and played a round...

It was really pretty!

It was busy (and hot!), so we had time in between holes for picture taking...

A pirate ship, me-hardies...

I let Jim go first, so I could copy what he did, but he still beat me.

This pirate is kicking back with his bottle of rum!

That was fun! Now it's on to Camden...