Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Anniversary Road Trip to Bar Harbor

Every year, my husband and I celebrate our anniversary with a new adventure, and this year we decided to road trip up to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. We’ve lived in Maine for two years but hadn’t ventured to the northern part of the state. So, we packed up and hit the road to Down East, taking the scenic Route 1, also known as the Atlantic Highway, which stretches all the way down to Key West -> next adventure??? Haha.

We love turning the journey into part of the adventure and driving on a Thursday made travel easy with fewer people on the road. Our first stop was Old Orchard Beach to see the Pier, but it was closed for the season. Lucky for us, we found a great breakfast spot at Lazy Day’s Restaurant. 

Next, we stopped in Brunswick to stretch our legs on the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge. 


In Woolwich, we enjoyed an afternoon drink at the bar at Taste of Maine and got a fun picture with Larry the Lobster - a 12-foot inflatable lobster that sits atop the restaurant.

In Rockland, we walked the nearly one-mile Breakwater to the lighthouse, enjoying the ocean views along the way.



Friday: Acadia National Park Adventures

We woke up early on Friday and caught a beautiful sunrise right from our hotel balcony—a peaceful way to start the day before heading out to Acadia National Park. 

We spent the day hiking, starting with the Ocean Trail, and even though it was a foggy day, we still had amazing views of Sands Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Point. 





Although the summit of Cadillac Mountain was so foggy we couldn’t really see the water, the hike was still refreshing and worth it. We even enjoyed a donut snack on the top.



We returned Saturday morning to see the foliage around Jordan Pond. It was in full fall bloom, adding to the beauty of the morning.


Exploring Bar Harbor: Seafood, Shopping & More

Friday after hiking, we had an incredible lunch at Galyn’s downtown (their crab cakes and seafood linguini are a must-try). 

We devoured the charcuterie board at Paddy's Irish Pub to get our dinner started. 

I had my very first lobster roll, paired with some delicious clam chowder to share at West Street Café - a fun and cozy spot with a great atmosphere.

Saturday morning, before heading home, we enjoyed breakfast at the iconic Great Maine Breakfast, where the gluten-free blueberry pancakes were out of this world! 


Afterward, we explored the town a bit more, shopping at A Little Mad, a quirky shop with unique gifts, and walking along the Shore Path. 



We also made it out to Bar Island, walking the Sandbar—a land bridge that only appears during low tide.

The Journey Home: Wrapping Up the Adventure

On the way back Saturday, we made a few more stops. We walked the Harbor Walk and Footbridge in Belfast, taking in the beautiful coastal views, and then stopped in Camden for some final shopping and a delicious lunch at Sea Dog Brewing Company.


The Dogs:

In case you were wondering, we leave the dogs at home with a dog walker. She checks in on them 4 times a day and they absolutely love her. We know because she send us pics from her visits. 




Another Adventure for the Books

We love traveling to new places and trying new things, and this trip to Bar Harbor ranks up there with some of our favorite adventures, like Maui and Mt. Washington. The blend of coastal beauty, outdoor activities, and amazing food made it a perfect anniversary celebration.

If you’re ever in Maine or planning a trip to Bar Harbor, definitely consider taking Route 1 for some great scenic stops along the way. 


What’s your favorite place to explore for a special occasion? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Wiggly Bridge & Steedman Woods

We are always in search of a new trail adventure especially one that is dog friendly now that we have two amazing dogs. Our most recent adventure was right in our neck of the woods -> Wiggly Bridge & Steedman Woods. 

You can see Wiggly Bridge from Route 1A when you're heading to York Beach, which is when it first caught my interest. It's actually part of the Fisherman's Walk that starts close to York Harbor Beach. We didn't know that the day we went and simply jumped on the trail at Barrel's Millpond. (There was very limited parking, many spots for residents only, but a local told us not to worry since it was off season.)

Wiggly Bridge was built in the 1930s when there were mills lining the river and is known as the world's smallest suspension bridge. The story goes that it got its name from a group of local girls who constantly called it "wiggly."

The flat path leading to the bridge is actually a dam separating York River with Barrel's Millpond and was used by the original settlers who were farming and trading. On the other side of the bridge is Steedman Woods Nature Reserve. 

Although it looks like an island, Steedman Woods is actually a peninsula. The short loop hiking trail is shaded and well maintained with water views on every side. There is a connecting loop that is accessible from the Old York Town side, but we couldn't follow it because it was too muddy.

The Fisherman's Trail follows the York River into York Village. I saw people walking that way, but didn't know where it went. Gives a good reason to go back and walk the full trail.





Tuesday, November 15, 2022

My Favorite Fall Activities on the Seacoast

Until yesterday, we were having a little heatwave here in New England, but not so much now. I really love the fall and jeans, sweaters and boots. Plus there are just so many fun things to do!

As we get ready to wrap up another fall season, here are some of my favorite fall activities that we've done since moving back to the seacoast last year.

Pumpkin Fest - Applecrest Farm Orchards, Hampton Falls, NH

They have a pumpkin field with pumpkins ready to go, animals, apple cider donuts, flowers, food and a store filled with yummy homemade products. Plus, it is pet friendly!

Leaf Peeping - Kancamgus Highway, NH

We've done this two times now. I highly recommend stopping to grab a map and plotting out places to stop for pics, hikes, attractions. This year we rode the gondola at Loon Mountain -> totally worth it!

Pumpkin Scarecrows - Portsmouth, NH

About a week or two before Halloween, the scarecrows go up around downtown Portsmouth. Last year we lived on State Street and saw them all the time. This year, we went over to Portsmouth for a long walk and counted how many we saw just for fun. We found 12 that day.

Apple Picking - Applecrest Farm Orchards, Hampton Falls, NH

I was 51 years old the first time I went apple picking!!! Applecrest Farm has the oldest apple orchard in New Hampshire, so we went back to raid their trees. We picked a peck of Golden Delicious, and Jonagold. In addition to pick your own, they had other fun activities like a corn maze and corn hole games.

Halloween Parade - Portsmouth, NH

Living downtown last year made it super easy to step out and watch the Halloween fun march and dance through the streets. This is definitely an activity that you should do at least once.


York Harbor Cliff Walk - York, Maine

Any coastal trail walk in the fall is fun. You'll get sunshine, crisp air and pops of color against the beautiful ocean blue. We loved the cliff walk in York because it reminded us of Newport's Cliff Walk.


What are your favorite things to do in the fall?





Thursday, October 20, 2016

Catching Up from Ohio

Wow!

Time has flown by since my last blog post.

mrC finished his work in Connecticut and we wrapped up our stay in New England with a weekend visit to the girls in Portsmouth, NH.

The weather was great on Saturday for a day of hiking and exploring in Maine with D. We hiked Mount Agamenticus in Ogunquit and had lunch (we brown-bagged yummy sandwiches from Backyard Coffeehouse and Eatery off the main street) at the summit. We stopped to view Cape Neddick Lighthouse and then browsed Stonewall Kitchen in York. Later, back in Portsmouth, we met up with G for dinner. After brunch at Popovers on Sunday, we escaped the rain at the movie theater and watched Girl on the Train (just as good as the book!) and then went out for lunch before saying goodbye to the girls.


We spent one more evening with Booney and mrC's family before flying to Ohio for one more week of work for mrC.


The great thing about mrC working in Ohio is that we can see my family while we are here (we really are blessed that he gets to work in both places when we return to the US). We came to Ohio a couple of days early and spent time in Cincinnati at my mom's. We met up with my aunt at Howl at the Moon downtown and had a blast bowling after a great meal. While mrC works in Columbus, we get to visit with the BFF! We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (little O's choice) and then met up for a free yoga session at the Athleta store the next morning.


After sticking to low intensity workouts (or no workouts 😳) for a couple of weeks, it feels good to use the fitness room here at the hotel for some HIIT cardio on the elliptical and cool down walks on the treadmill. I was feeling a little unmotivated doing the same at-home workouts and getting back on the elliptical is helping bring back my workout HAPPY.

Sprint Workout ---> 10 minute warm up on elliptical, 15 sprints: 20:20 seconds intervals, and 30 minute cool down on treadmill.

The fitness room at the Residence Inn Easton is TINY compared to what we had in Montreal, but it will do the trick while we are here. The room is steps away from the dining room making it super easy to grab some breakfast to-go.


It's a bit rainy here today, but the weekend promises to be beautiful and everything we love: cool temps and sunny, blue skies. It will be our last weekend in the US for about 6 months, so we are trying to soak up everything fall before we leave on Sunday morning.

Do you ever get in a fitness rut and feel unmotivated? How do you break out?
Tell me something you've been up to lately!






Saturday, April 23, 2016

A Day in Kennebunkport

One perk to traveling is the hotel breakfast. It's a quick and easy way to fuel up for a day of adventure. I'm a big fan of scrambled eggs.


We rounded up the girls and their buds, and headed up the coast to Kennebunkport to show them the summer home of our 41st POTUS. 

Our first stop was to view Walker's Point. According to the locals, George H. W. is a pretty good neighbor. The Mrs. is often spotted walking on the beach with her walker. There's always a flag flying when they're in residence, but not today.


Then we took some pictures.


We headed back to town and had lunch at Ports of Italy. We were all stuffed so afterwards we walked around and enjoyed the downtown area. We all agreed it was like a small Newport, RI.


The cloudy skies never seemed to break and while the kids got some Ben & Jerry's, mrC and I opted for some hot chocolate.


It was another great day with the girls. 

Don't forget to check out my book giveaway here.  







*