Stacy: Day 12 - The Long Drive Home

Not much to report today, although I do intend to write a bit sometime after August 7th on my thoughts about the trip in general, as well to as mention things I forgot to post on the days they occurred.

We spent today driving, with a few stops along the way.

We left PEI, then Canada, and finally Maine.  We are spending the night in Hampton, New Hampshire.  I had to ask my sister where we were sleeping again, and she giggled at me.  Even though I remember most events, adventures, and places, they all run together.

Today we ate at a Tim Horton (a doughnut/sandwich shop all around eastern Canada and north Maine), saw Stephen King's house, and stopped by the Augusta, Maine, state house.

We also visited a chocolate factory at St. Stephen's, right on the border with Canada.  The border was literally 1000 feet away!  They had all you can eat chocolate samples throughout the museum......  The city was having their annual Chocolate Festival.  What luck, eh?

As usual on this trip, we checked in to our hotel at 11pm.  Abby got ready for bed, then Kim, Mom, and now me.  I write these posts while they are getting ready, but sometimes the Wi-Fi doesn't let me post until the next day.  Tonight's Wi-Fi is just as good as the Wi-Fi on the first night of our trip!  I wish it had been more consistent throughout.

Anyway, I'm going to bed, now.  We have another long day of driving tomorrow, until we make it back to Maryland.

:oD

Jeannie: Thoughts and Impressions

As stated earlier, we’ve had problems connecting to wi/fi so our posts have been spotty.  I just wanted to add some personal impressions on some of the places we’ve been to and some of the things we’ve done.  They may not be in order since at this point in any trip everything begins to run together in one’s mind.  You can’t remember what day it is, let alone what you did a few days ago.

--Providence, RI, is a pretty little town.  Being in Rhode Island was a first for all of us.  They have a cute little River Walk, but nothing like San Antonio’s.  Everything is close together and we saw all of the important things in only a couple of hours.  I’m glad we stopped there.

--I enjoyed our stop at the American Girl Store for Abby’s birthday celebration.  I’d never been in one and it’s a little girl’s dream world.  They are catered to and made to feel so grown up.

--I’m doing my best to make sure that my granddaughter is brought up properly.  Not only did we visit the Lizzie Borden House, but we went on 2 ghost tours!  ;-)

--Portland, ME, is another really pretty town which I’m glad we stopped in.  Our (non)whale watching tour was an experience.  The weather was gorgeous and it was a beautiful boat ride, and my girls had some good “sisterly bonding time” heaving over the back rail of the boat side by side.   Abby was the only true sailor in our group.  She was hopping around the boat like an old salt.

--We had a few early mornings in a row but they were well worth it.  Sunrises at both Cadillac Mountain in Acadia NP and at Lubec, ME, guaranteed us as being some of the first in the US to see the sun rise on those days.  They were both beautiful.  We weren’t sure about Cadillac Mountain.  It was foggy but we thought we’d give it a try anyway.  The mountain top was above the fog and there were about 100 people spread around. We are now official members of the “Cadillac Mountain Sunrise Club.”  In Lubec we just had to walk across the street from our B&B.  (We could have watched from our window but the screen would have ruined the pictures.)  There was only one other person also watching and she was at the end of the street, so we had peaceful solitude as the sun rose above Campabello Island.

--The highlight of the entire trip was the puffin watching tour.  I HIGHLY recommend it if you ever have the chance.  The puffins are so close that you could literally reach out and touch them.  We got Nat Geo quality photos.  Under these conditions, someone would actually have to work at getting bad photos. The puffins are so adorable, I could have stayed there all day.  Our 2 hours were up much too quickly.

--Kayaking in Hopewell Rocks comes in as a very close second.  That is another incredible experience.  To actually be paddling around and under those huge rocks and fully experiencing them at high tide, and then just a few hours later at low tide to be walking 40 ft. below where we kayaked is mind boggling.  I had a great time (despite what Stacy said!).

--I’m so glad that Kim brought along the CD of “Anne of Green Gables.”  We all listened to it together as we drove so we were well prepared by the time we reached Prince Edward Island.  We finished the story right before we arrived at Cavendish.  As we walked through the Green Gables House we were able to appreciate the details, like the bottle of raspberry cordial on the second shelf of the pantry, because the story was so fresh in our minds.  Abby is totally infatuated with Anne.

--We did the Tip to Tip tour of PEI (getting a ribbon at one end and a certificate at the other).  We really got to see what the entire island is like.  We rushed like crazy to get to the East Point Lighthouse before it closed at 6PM, only to find out after arriving that they’re opened until 7.  At least it gave us time to visit the site.

This is only a small taste of what we experienced on our THALAMAC adventure.  Today we begin our journey back home, making several touristy stops along the way.  It’s been a fantastic trip and a very special time spent with my daughters and granddaughter.

Stacy: Day 11

Poor Kim.  Today was spent driving, as will tomorrow and the next day.  Although, tomorrow and the next day are full days of driving back to Maryland.  Tonight is our last night in Canada!  It was fun.

Today, however, we drive the "Tip-To-Tip" driving tour.  Our hotel is located in the heart of "Anne Country," but that's really north-central PEI.  So, the tour took us along the northern roads that parallel the coast.

We stopped at a light house at each end of the island to obtain award ribbons, and at the second light house you visit, they give you a certificate to prove that you had, indeed, visited both tips of the island.

The drive took us about eight hours.  PEI is quite diverse geologically-speaking.  The northern tip starts out with cliff beaches and deciduous trees, which turn into rolling hills and conifers.  The eastern tip still had mostly conifers, but also had more plains than hills.  I think.  Days have really been running together.  I'm kinda glad I've been keeping this journal (even though I despise journaling) because we are all forgetting what we did just this morning!

After obtaining our certificates, we took a self-guided tour of the eastern light house, and went to the top!!  It was my first time at the top of a light house.  In Portland, Maine, we climbed to the top of the Observatory, but an observatory is different from a light house.

Anyway.  Today we also geo-cached, any and I walked on to the Singing Sands in the rain (didn't hear it sing due to said rain), and watched a lovely sunset at yet another light house.

So long, Canada.  It was fun!

Day 10 - PEI

We left our hotel (that had a great view of the Bay of Fundy), and relaxed in the car by listening to "Anne of Green Gables" on our way to Prince Edward Island (where Anne lived).

We crossed the neat 8-mile long Confederation Bridge (takes 12 minutes to cross it) into PEI.  After lunch at the welcome center (also a small strip mall), we trapsed around the area that inspired the writing of "Anne of Green Gables."  It was neat!

Mom bought Abby a cute straw had that has red pigtails attached to it.  She looked adorable.  :o)

Today was the most relaxing day of THALAMAC so far!

I'm going to bed, now.  I was promised sleep-in time (waking up time is 8am instead of 5:30am).

Day 9 - "Watching the tide roll in..."

Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy.  OH MY.  What an amazing place.  So full of science!  We had a bit more sleep last night, and started the day with a two-hour kayaking tour at high hide.  Now, please keep in mind that "high tide" is, on average here, 34 feet.

Tide is halway out:

That, and it's the largest difference between high and low tide in the entire world.  Amazing.  So, kayaking was... ok.  I was in the back, in charge of steering (and it seemed like most of the rowing), with my mother in the front.  I enjoyed the actual kayaking enough, but that's all I'll say about that.

Besides the fact that I'm DONE with boats for a long while.  I didn't get sick kayaking... but... I'm DONE.

However, seeing the tippy-tops of the rocks, being amongst them, touching them, gliding through passage ways--things that only insects and birds can do regularly--is, in all senses of the word, awesome and indescribable.  Then, halfway through the tour, the tide had already receeded 25%.  It was quite noticible since we had been through that area only an hour before.

After recooperating from kayaking, we walked around the park, did some geo-caching, and ate lunch at a restaurant.  Man, are the squirrels bold!  No sooner than we had stood up from the table, he scampered from the forest about 30 feet away, crawled up the deck and chair, and hopped up to the table and stole a French fry from one of our plates.  He gobbled it down and then scampered away.  We got a kick out of that--we were standing 2 feet away, at most, for the entire encounter.

A local/worker told us that the best time to view low tide was after lunch, so we made our way back to the water.  Again, words simply cannot describe the shock and awe of seeing all of that land.

We walked along the mud flats and shore.  Walking on the mud flats is prohibited, even though we saw many footprints.  A kid walked past us, in the mud, and he sank 3-4 inches!  Suffice it to say, he had trouble catching up to his family.

We had to climb over a lot of large rocks that had been underwater when we were kayaking.  If the seabed wasn't mud, it was sharp little rocks (golf-ball-sized).  The soles of my beach shoes are not very thick, so the soles of my feet got kinda sore.

Now, we were walking where we had kayaked earlier that morning, and we recognizing the tops of the rock formations.  Simply mind-blowing!!!  And, absolutely breathtaking.

I haven't seen a whole lot of amazing geological formations [throughout the world], but I do believe this will be hard to beat.  I don't know why Hopewell Rocks isn't a Wonder of the Natural World.  [Maybe it is--WiFi still isn't great, so we can't fact-check like we normally do.]

After witnessing these amazing tidal events, we prettymuch took it easy: saw another light house, geo-cached, had dinner and walked a Fossil Beach at Cape Enrage.

We got to bed an hour earlier than "normal," but we didn't have to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn the next day, either.

Stacy: Day 8

NOTE: I am running out of time right now, so I will (Wi-Fi permitting) add photos later tonight.

It turns out that the Lubec Public Library was quite literally next door. [Reference Day 7]

We all woke up extra early today to witness the sun rise over Lubec, Maine, the eastern-most city in the U.S.

Then, we packed up the van again, and drove ten minutes to the docks of a tiny city named Cuttler, where we then spent five hours on a Puffin-seeing tour.  They are considered the penguins of the Northern Hemisphere.  Oh, are Puffins absolutely adorable!!!  I believe this was Mom's most anticipated event for our journey.  We rode out to the island for 45 minutes, 10 miles out to sea.  Then, we stood in these little boxes [blinds], on the hilltops, made of plywood, where we watched the Puffins for two whole hours.  They were right outside the blind, no more than 3 feet away at time!

They are usually open sea-fairing birds, living their lives bobbing on the open sea water, but they migrate to breeding grounds (one of which happens to have the Machias Seal Light House [on Seal Island] on it.  They don't necessarily mate for life, but they do breed/use the same burrow for their entire lives.  Their song sounds like weed-whackers, and the Razor Beaks (who cohabitate on the same island) sound like chainsaws.

We had so very many nests near our blind!  Several different pairs were seen bringing food to the nests (they dive underwater for food).

Oh!  And, they were all over the roof of our blind!  Since they sit on the surface of the water for most of their lives, they made such ungraceful landings.  Rarely was our blind silent due to all of the landings and shuffling of their feet.  We could see their shadows on the rocks outside our blind, and I witnessed a squabble over a branch of seaweed.  It was funny, but I have no idea what they use it for.  Nest material, maybe?  The "winner" flew from our roof to the rocks right in front of us, and just sat there with the branch.  I suppose it was drying it out.  After a while it went into its nest with thebranch.  I could go on for a while about the cuties, but this would be waaaay too long.

Seaweed Winner:

The only blind near us (to our left):

On the boat ride back, the Maine-Atlantic Ocean kissed me goodbye!  [I was sprayed by splashes a tiny bit).  I did not get sick this time!

After the Puffin tour ended, we drove into Canada.  We stopped by St. Croix Island, New Brunswick, to stretch our legs (it is an international National Park, shared by the US and Canada), right on the border.

We had BBQ for dinner near St. John--it was the only not-fast food restaurant with cars in front of it.  It was OK for non-Texas BBQ.

And, then we continued to Hopewell Rocks, where we stayed the night  Our first night in Canada!!  This time we got a whopping 5 hours of sleep!  But, tomorrow should be awesome.  Hopewell Rocks is probably my most anticipated event.

Jeannie – the Mother: Day 9

What a gorgeous first day of August!  I’m sitting on the motel porch overlooking the Bay of Fundy in Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, Canada.  It’s about 30 min. after sunrise and all is quiet except the birds who are beginning to wake up (along with me!).

This morning we’re going kayaking, a first for me.  The Bay of Fundy has the greatest difference in tide levels of anywhere in the world.  The rock formations that we will kayak around this morning at high tide, we will be walking around this afternoon at low tide.  

We’ve been running every minute and having a blast.  I’ll write more later to catch you up on my impressions of the trip.

Exhaustion

I am running on three hours sleep two days in a row.  The others aren't running on much more, and we have an early (and exciting) day tomorrow as well (although not nearly as early as the previous two days).

That's what we get for being the first in the nation, two days in a row, to see the sunrise.

I'll write Day 8 tomorrow.

We are, however, in Canada!  It is our first night.  :oD

Stacy: Day 7 - Sunrises

Goodness gracious me.  We woke up at 4:30am so we could watch the sun rise over Cadillac Mountain at 5:18am.  It is one of two points along the NE coast that is in contention for the first location in the US to see the sun rise.  We are covering our bases by seeing the sun rise tomorrow at Lubec, ME (the eastern-most point in the US).

After a successful, yet cold, sunrise (it is foggy on and off throughout the entire day), we drove around Acadia National Park a bit more (just for a couple of hours), getting our National Passports stamped and picking wild blueberries (the only thing you can legally take from the park).  We then drove to Lubec, checked into our bed and breakfast, and then went into Canada for a few hours. 

We went from west to east, north to south.  The island is only 10 miles long, and we saw most of it.  It is very beautiful here, but I like the area around Portland, ME, the most so far.  I'm going to start small summering there....  :oD. We shall see how Prince Edward Island compares.

All-in-all, but besides waking up so early, it was a pretty relaxed day.

Asides:  1) I can see the border with Canada from our Windows.  It's pretty neat, especially at night, with a bit of fog-halo.  2) we actually have decent Wi-Fi at this B&B!  (It has only 2 or 3 rooms.)  However, we are connected to the Lubec Public Library......  Must be close by (this is a small town).  3) don't know if I'll have any way to communicate from here on out, to include this blog.  My phone is roaming as it is when not on Wi-Fi (so I've pretty much turned everything off).  We'll post as soon as we are able to.

The bright lights across the water are the border crossing.  I was standing in our bed and breakfast room.  Sorry for the screen.

I found this sea urchin shell in the forest.  Granted, there was a 100 foot drop off no more than 15 feet from where I found it...  A sea bird must have had a lovely meal of it.

Fog (and creepy-looking forest) and lovely shore in Campabello Island, New Brunswick, Canada.

Abby: Day 4

We went on a beautiful whale watch this morning.  We didn’t see any whales but the view was fantastic.  I personally liked the rocking of the boat but Mommy, Aunt Stacy, and Grammy did not.  For lunch we went to Flatbread.  We ate a salad and a pizza and we enjoyed the view.  After lunch we went to the Portland Observatory.  We went up all six floors to the top for a breathtaking view.  We took a stop at the Longfellow House.  We couldn’t go inside but we still got a photo with the house.  We ate dinner at Gilbert’s Chowder House and saw many birds.  We went on a ghost tour of Portland.  Can’t wait for another day of fun!  Write tomorrow!

Abby: Day 3

This morning we arrived at The House of the Seven Gables.  We took the tour of the house.  In some parts of the house the ceiling was so low I could have stood on a small stool and touched it, but in other parts of the house it was tall.  There were hidden doors, stairs, cabinets, and passageways.  We also got to tour the small but pretty Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace House.  There were very pretty gardens.   The house was great even though it was dark, gloomy, and rainy outside.  We visited the Salem Visitor Center and stopped at a store.  We left Salem, went through New Hampshire, and arrived in Maine.  We stopped to see Nubble Lighthouse.  We couldn’t get on the lighthouse island, but we could see it.  There was a beautiful view.  After that we ate Brown’s Ice Cream in the rain and went to Goldenrod’s Kisses to eat dinner.  A wonderful day!

Stacy: Day 6

Today we spent entirely at Acadia National Park.  Words simply cannot describe how absolutely stunningly beautiful this place is!  Forests of spruce and pine run right up to the rocky beaches.  The waves crash repeatedly over the rocks, and tannin-stained water (from bogs and cedar trees) from creeks trickles from beneath the topsoil and in between rock fissures.  There is one spot where, when the tide is rising, it crashes on and in/under some rocks on the shore in such a way that it sounds like thunder (the spot is aptly named "Thunder Hole").  The air smells wonderfully of the conifers and sea.  It is all truly indescribable.  I can only hope you can catch a glimpse of the beauty in Kim's and Mom's photos.

It started out drizzly and foggy and cloudy, but cleared up around lunch time.  Then it became quite foggy again after dinner time.

We had a wonderful 2 hour, horse-drawn carriage ride through a special portion of the park up to the summit of Days Mountain.  In the park, the only thing you are allowed to take with you are blueberries.  Maine is known for their native blueberries!  We were introduced to what the bushes looked like, and then Abby and I started searching for them!  We were successful.  They were extremely sweet and yummy (and tiny!), but of course, this is their prime season.

After leaving the park (we will return tomorrow literally before the crack of dawn), we went to Bar Harbor for dinner.  Remember the TV show "Dark Shadows"?  Well, Collinsport was based off of Bar Harbor.

There is a point within the harbor that you can walk on when the tide is out.  We walked on it!  Abby and I had a blast skipping stones on the water and running around.  We went out about halfway, and stayed out there for under 30 minutes.  But, we didn't stay long because we were all hungry, and it was getting dark.  I'll let Kim tell you more about this one.

Then, we went to dinner, where Mom and Kim entertained Abby and me with their attempts to eat (crack open) a lobster.  It was quite humorous...

Oh, and blueberry margaritas are super delicious!!!  We all partook in a virgin one.  I have a photo on my phone... I'll see if I can get it to upload sometime.  :oS

Lastly, the super kind waiter, Camden, showed us the lobster tank as we left.  I'll let Abby describe this more (she got to hold one!!!), but I touched its soft underside of the tail (you know, where all the fertilized eggs stick on the females--I think).  He also pried open the claws (rubber bands securely in place) and showed how easily they chop carrots.  A carrot (stick) gives about the same resistance as a human finger.  Chew on that one for a minute...

Ok, that's all for tonight.  We wake up in 4 hours to catch the sun rise over Cadillac Mountain.

Stacy: Day 5 - "Hi, COWS!"

Well, I'm going to make this a short entry.  I mean, come on!  I'm the only one of us who has consistently blogged... 1) It wasn't even my idea, 2) I hate journaling with a passion.

Although, I can't exactly blame The Others.  Kim is tired from being behind the wheel all day, we'e had bad Wi-Fi several nights in a row, and, on average, we don't arrive at the hotel until 11:15pm.  By the time we check in and get settled (unpacking and then showers), it's 1am.  Well, I'm usually the last one in the shower.  So, they get to nod off before I do.

Anyway.  About today:  it was mostly a driving day, but we had some really neat things.

We started off with another light house.  All I remember is that it is one of the most photographed ight houses in the world, and that the shoreline is absolutely breathtaking.  It was cold and drizzly when we got there (again, grateful for the coats), and the fog horn was going!

Then, we visited the Desert of Maine.  That was pretty neat!  The sand originated from a mile-high glacier melting and grinding all the rocks in its path to the ultra-fine, Mica-laden sand you see today.  It accumulated a good amount of topsoil over the epochs, and around the 1700s, a family began to farm it with the same farming practices (I believe) that later brought on the Dust Bowl.  It was just fun.  Plus, there was a 9-hole disc golf course there!  No, I didn't play.  No time!!!

We then drove through many little Maine towns.  We saw belted cows, absolutely beautiful Maine-architectured cottages, a really neat suspension bridge lit up at night (with an awesome shadow on the clouds--which my phone camera is not capable of catching), and did a lot of geo-caching.

Maybe someone else will fill in with more info on today.  ;o)

~Signing Off~

Stacy: Day 4 - "Whaling Overboard!"

Well, even though my breakfast became food for the fishies following in the wake of our boat 2/3 the way into the whale watching tour, it was still worth it.  I have never been out in open water before!  I've only been in (more recently [and by that I mean 18 years ago]) a canoe, and over 23 years ago, a huge ship crossing the English Channel.  [It should be noted here that I became sea-sick over the English Channel as well, at the age of 8 or 9, but the waters were super stormy and rough that day.]  Today was absolutely beautiful.  We could not have had calmer seas or more perfect weather.  It was fascinating watching the waves over open water, with no land on the horizon.  Mom thinks we were at least 17 miles off shore.

Again, no whales.

We walked around Portland, Maine, all day.  It's a wonderful and charming little town with loads of history!!  It has been a great visit.

The Great Lobster-A-Thon has begun...  I'm going to be eating a lot of chicken or kids-menu stuff.  Blech.

The last thing we did this evening was another ghost tour.  I think this is the last one...  I'll get the tour info later, but Gordon did a fantastic job!  I do believe he was the best ghost tour guide that I've ever had!  It seems like he had a script memorized, but it was well written.  There was a great mix of history, ghost stories, and humor that it all came together beautifully.  He handled the kids really well, but both Abby and the little boy her age seemed to not be threatened/scared.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

We actually got back to the hotel at a decent hour tonight!  (9:30-ish)  I think I might actually get to bed before 1am tonight...

Stacy: quick update

FYI:  my phone has been pretty much useless these past few days as a communications device.  I'm constantly "roaming".  SO.  Since it doesn't exactly seem to work when I'm connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi (and we've had a good connection for the past two days), I wanted to let you know that before you read my next two posts.

My posts for Days 4 and 5 were written and Swyped into my phone dutifully, but I could not get them to publish.  Then, when I did finally have a good Wi-Fi connection, they were stuck.  I uninstalled and reinstalled the mobile app, but my posts were completely gone.

All is not lost.  Kim bought us coordinating composition books and pens in which to journal our adventures, so I have a good idea of what I typed.  I just change things up here and there as it moves me.

Proceeding to Days 4 and 5, and even 6, if I can get it typed before we leave the hotel room!

Jeannie: Days 1-4

Since Stacy and Abby have done such a good job retelling our daily adventures, I thought I would just add some details and personal insights.

We call it “Thelma and Louise” because it’s a girl’s road trip, just like the movie.  However, we are doing our best to stay on the good side of the law.  I bought matching Thelma and Louise sunglasses for each of us and we’ve been taking self-portraits in various spots wearing our sunglasses.  Kim has really gotten into this and has us posing it in all kinds of places and positions.

Stacy: Before you hear it from someone else...

EDITED 7-28-13

And before anyone gives you evidence and tries to sway your opinion on the facts: the whale watching tour was both uneventful and eventful at the same time.  No whales, but, yes, my breakfast did become food for the fishies following in the boat's wake. The only railing you were allowed to vomit over was the aft railing, where it was noisiest, and most accessible.

I'll have you know that I was feeling 85-90% fine for 2/3 of the boat ride, and then, for whatever reason, everyone decided to go downstairs.  I decided to follow, and then began to feel sick after about 15 minutes. 

So. Yeah.  There you have it.

Luckily, our hotel has a crappy breakfast, and I only had two donuts to eat...

More on the whale tour tonight.  Not that there's much more to come from my mouth.  *rimshot*

Abby: Day 2

Left early in the morning again! Saw a giant blue bug by the side of the road! We went to the Providence State House. It had beautiful rooms! It was freezing cold, and we wore coats the whole time. We went to the Lizzie Borden House. We toured the house. I got to lie on the floor where Abby Borden was murdered. I got a strange feeling lying there on the floor! We also went to the graveyard to see the Bordens’ graves. We went to the American Girl Store for dinner. At the American Girl Bistro I ate cheesy pretzels, a mini picnic, a sparkly drink, and 3 brownie pops. They had special chairs for the dolls to sit at the table and eat with you! They also have doll holders in the bathrooms so it can keep your doll safe and dry. The food was delicious, and we were glad we were not in the pouring rain! At the end of the day we went on a ghost tour of Salem. We visited many houses, hotels, and stores. We had a day full of girls, stories, and hauntings!  

Stacy: Day of the third!

NOTE: Again, we have horrible Wi-Fi at our hotel, so I had the foresight to Swype this whole thing on my phone. See how much I love you all??  Everyone else will contribute when they are next able. We will be in this hotel tomorrow night as well, but this is the last time we have reservations for this hotel chain for the duration of our adventure.

Today, we were able to take the day at a leisurely pace.  We "slept-in" until 9am, and took advantage of the hotel's free breakfast (we only booked hotels with free breakfast and Wi-Fi), and made our way to the House of Seven Gables.

I don't remember who lived there, etc, but it was a really neat, historically accurate, of house, originally built in the 1600s.  Everything in it was as close to the original ___ (fill in the blank--fireplace, "toaster," built-in alcohol cabinet) as could be.  Even the bed linens had a thread count accurate for an affluent master bedroom between 1600-1800.  The most exciting thing for me, though, was going up a real secret staircase!  It was probably no more than 30 inches in width, but it went directly from the first floor to the third.  The guide said one of the owners liked to act mysteriously and mischievously, quietly slinking between floors in order to startle people.

We then drove back to Salem, MA, so I could buy a Salem-specific trinket. All the stores were closed last night since the ghost tour started at 8pm.  We ended up walking around the area for a while longer, and it was really pleasant.  The drizzle burned off, and it warmed up.

Since we were later in leaving Salem, MA, than we had planned, we postponed America's Stonehenge.  They close at 4pm; we would have arrived too late.  We may be able to hit it in the way home, though.

So, we drove to Maine!  We geo-cached in each state we hit along the way.  I even found some wild raspberries near the New Hampshire Welcome Center cache.  They were tiny berries, but oh boy were they flavorful!!

Right after entering Maine, we stopped at York Beach, and saw the Nubble Light House.  I think light houses are just ok, but OH BOY was the cape the most beautiful I've ever seen!  Huge, granite rocks, strewn about by God from digging a hole on the other side of the world, with small, beautiful waves crashing over and around them.  Once again, we spent more time there than we originally anticipated, but it was well worth it.

Then, we drove down the street and had ice cream for dinner.  Yum!  We drove a little further and got to see how taffy is made.  Oh.  And then we had dinner.  ;o)

Last, but not least, we began to listen to the "Anne of Green Gables" audio book on our way to the hotel.  Now?  SLEEP.  All this traveling and walking around is quite tiring!  Plus, we have an early day tomorrow:  6am wake up for whale watching tour!

MAINE

We are officially in Maine!  We've already made friends.  They are so friendly here!

Abby: Day 1

Left an hour later than expected! the journey begins! we watched a beautiful sunset in New York City! we've already gone through six states, and it has only been one day!