Maine Trip, Volume 03

June 26th, 11:21.

I am currently writing this entry at the cabin in the middle of the gorgeous woods where I'll be living for the next week. I am also writing this as a word document on my laptop as I've yet to be able to get online, so I'll be posting updates as I can, when I get back home (or the hotel on next Saturday) if necessary.

We spent the better part of the day hanging out in Freeport and Portland. We got breakfast at the hotel before checking out and were out and about a little after ten (probably the earliest we've ever checked out of a hotel). We stopped in first at a local shop that had mostly knives and household items (lots of kitchen/cookware and every kitchen knife you can imagine – a great selection of swiss army knives, too). The gentleman who was running the shop was incredibly friendly (as has every single person we've dealt with since getting to Maine) and we hung out there for quite a while, all of us ultimately supporting his business.

Next we went to a local potter (there are _so_ many potters in Maine!) and found some great stuff there, too. Again, the clerk was very nice and we had a nice time chatting with her about the area and New Jersey for a while. Afterwards we decided we wanted to go back to Portland for a bit and hit he Cabela's we'd passed on our way to Freeport. But first, we decided to get McLobsters.

Well, we didn't. They didn't have them. However, there is still hope. Michael's mom mentioned a McDonald's that she saw advertising them on her way in last week, so perhaps on the way back next weekend we just might get lucky. Details as events unfold.

Disappointed in the Freeport McDonald's we started heading for Portland. The GPS had the completely wrong idea of where Cabela's was, but after doing some quick Blackberry searching, we helped it out and we made our way to Cabela's.

It was somewhat smaller and less interesting than the one we went to in Pennsylvania, but still nice to walk around in. And in the connecting lot there was some kind of dog event going on. Lots of tents were set up selling dog accessories, treats, and accepting donations for various important pup causes. They were also holding a contest while we were there. They had a huge pool set up and trainers would lead their dogs to the edge of the pool, throw a toy and the dogs would leap in after it and then paddle back to the ramp. They were judging based on distance and it was completely fucking adorable.

We also stopped in at an awesome Thai restaurant while we were there. I had a dish that was new to me and completely satisfying and delicious. Thai iced teas all around (always amazing) to top it off. We started to hear towards Bar Harbor after that (we wanted to get to the cabin and Michael's mom before dusk) and stopped in* at a gigantic Whole Foods that had _way_ too much delicious looking food and wine. That was our last stop in the Portland area. Portland in generally was very charming, though, and given the time and right circumstances, it would be a lovely place to walk around for a day or two.

After grabbing a couple of things we finally really started heading to Bar Harbor. The only other time we stopped was to stretch our legs a bit and we arrived here at the cabin at around 7:00. After moving our luggage inside (you'd think we were going to be here for half a year) we chatted with Michael's mom and then went to dinner. I had an _amazing_ lobster quesadilla and their salad bar (which included steamed mussels – also good!) and helped Michael a little through his massive barbecue plate (which he probably took 2/3 of home).

We took a drive around downtown Bar Harbor to get an idea of the area. In the morning we'll be working out a basic plan for the week and probably will be out for most of the day afterwards. I've squared away my stuff so it's accessible but not in the way and took a blissfully cool shower. It's about 10-15 degrees cooler here at least than in New Jersey and with all the windows open and the fan going it's feeling pretty divine. Outside here is also pretty fucking gorgeous, especially at night. So many stars and the moon is breathtaking. We're pretty sure we heard some moose when we got back and frogs (or are they toads) are of the plenty.

I think I'll be turning in soon; I have a feeling we'll be having some early-ish mornings and, quite frankly, I don't want to waste the days by sleeping in anyway. So, time to fall asleep to the sound of frogs and fans.

*Incidentally, take note of how many times in the course of our long trips I say the phrase “stopped at” or “stopped in” or just simply “stopped” and you'll soon realize why 4-6 hour trips can take 12-15 hours for us.

(There is no wi-fi as previously thought, so I'll be updating whenever it's convenient for me to plug into the kitchen wall jack.)