Friends & Fall Colors Tour 2018
Part B (Lake Placid, NY to Ogunquit, Maine)
We're spending a lot of time in this gorgeous state: four days in Cooperstown, four in the Lake Placid area; later, three more days in Seneca Falls. Even without fall colors, this region of the country is as picturesque as it gets: Rolling hills, full rivers, lakes galore. But, as we all know, when the forests turn color, it becomes magical.
The colorful beauty of a single tree, however, is no match for the cummulative power of an entire forest.
We're staying in Wilmington (NY), about 10 miles east of Lake Placid; it doesn't have the touristy glitz of Lake Placid (and it's cheaper!), and there are plenty of trails and views right here. In fact, Whiteface Mountain (the symbol of Wilmington) is the mountain where all of the downhill skiing in the 1980 Summer Olympics took place (think Miracle on Ice that year).
We did plenty of hiking today, but it's not until you get a view that you notice the color in the trees. Fall is still in its early stages here (1,000 feet above sea level); the colors are mostly at the top of the trees.
Part A: Hoodsport to Cooperstown Part C: Woodstock to Little Compton
Part D: Ocean City to Chicago Part E: Winnipeg to Churchill
Part F: Churchill
Above: Typical tree marking to keep us on course; Tracy on a classic hike; Adirondack lost and found.
The colors are popping; an unseen beaver leaves its mark; below: the clouds and a local pond cooperate.
The last wooden-covered bridge in upstate NY in Jay (founded 1798; bridge built in 1857). It's no longer in use, however, except for foot traffic. It crosses the Au Sable River (or Ausable, depending on whch sign you look at; it appears interchangeable); it's a very popular trout stream, teeming with fly fishermen if not brook trout. More Au Sable views below (pronounced ah-SAY-bull).
I'm generally good to find a typo of two in almost any restaurant menu, but I don't usually expect to find one (or two!) typos in an old motel sign (this one humorlously kept by our wonderful Wilmington lodge hosts). Below is Mirror Lake to the north of Lake Placid. Left, Tracy hiking one of the well-kept trails near Wilmington and Whiteface Mountain.
Above: Gazing north toward Mirror Lake; Adirondack chairs everywhere, naturally. Upper right: note Whiteface Mountain and its ski runs over my left shoulder. We suggest you stay in laid-back Wilmington rather than Lake Placid: Cadence Lodge!
Unfortunately, our Lake Placid to Camden (Maine) drive took place in a steady rain; we couldn't even safely stop for 'Welcome to Our State' signs. Oh, well. There were some fall colors as we traversed New England, but they, again, were spotty by the time we got to the Maine coast, a favorite place of ours in the East.
Instead of heading up to Acadia National Park, we hung out in the Camden area and made a questionable decision to hike over the Rockland breakwater to a lone (and unoccupied) lighthouse in the middle of the harbor. It was a 7/8th of a mile hike each direction, and it started to rain after we got out there; the sea also roiled the breakwater, and we were sopping wet when we finally made it back to land. We weren't the only dummies to make the same decision, however.
It's actually a pretty cool hike under better conditions. You can see the uneven stones that were placed on the breakwater; you have to take care as you step as there are gaps between the rocks. If you squint you can see Tracy's destination at the end of the breakwater; it's a miniature version of the center picture. On the right, as the waves get bigger on the right (we believe the tide was going out; well, we hoped it was), it became a daunting hike back into the teeth of the wind and rain.
Then we made another mistake on Wednesday (10/3): We made the 90-minute drive up to Acadia National Park. We'd done so before (2004) in the summer, and it was relatively quiet. We took a great hike around one of the ponds. But this year, the tourist town of Bar Harbor (see the correct pronounciation below left) was crowded, and the Park was difficult to visit because EVERY parking lot was filled to the gills. Sure, it's a picturesque area, but we should have explored more of the coast that was not Acadia. Besides, the fall colors remained spotty along the coast even in the National Park.
Maine businesses have fun with putting the state in their titles: Mainely Pottery, Mainely Florists, Mainely Used Cars, etc. But my favorite was the one below.
Our one surprise driving north to Acadia NP was the appearance of this unique suspension bridge that was built after we'd been up here 14 years ago. On our way back south, we went up the elevator to the observation area (at the top of the left tower); a nominal $5 expense for us old folks; it also allowed us to visit a local fort (Ft. Knox!) that was built in the 1860's to protect the area from British invasion; it was rarely used and not really ever occupied, even though it stayed in commission up through the Spanish-American War (1898), still worried about the British taking advantage!
At the bottom of the picture on the left you can see our Outback in the parking lot. The fort is on the high bluff of the Penobscot River, upper right; the town in the background, across the river, is Bucksport. On the right is the view of the town from the fort.
There are plenty of picturesque towns along this part of the coast (north of Freeport, south of Acadia). We love the art colony in Belfast, and the harbors of Clyde, Camden, Rockport, Boothbay and others.
No trip to NE coastal Maine (defined by anything north and east of Portland) is complete without a trip to the famous L.L. Bean flagship store. This iconic brand has graced Maine since 1912.
It is open 24/7/365. Seriously.
It has closed only four times since it started those hours in 1951: 1) when a fire temporarily closed the store; 2) when JFK was assassinated in 1963; 3) when Mr. Bean voluntarily closed for four Sundays after the Maine Legislature threatened to close the store on Sundays to enforce the state's Blue Laws; the state's hunters and fishermen were outraged, and the Legislature gave in; and 4) probably to Mr. Bean's chagrin, when L.L. Bean died.
No Bean stop is complete for us without a visit to our older daughter's namesake, Jameson Tavern, established 1779. I even wore my Jameson Tavern t-shirt for lunch; the current staff had never seen it before; as impressed as they were, I failed to secure a discount on our lunch!
It's said that the legislation that separated Maine from Massachusetts (1820) originated in the tavern; thus, Freeport is called the "Birthplace of Maine." Trivia: The separation was part of the Missouri Compromise
We then spent two nights in what has become our favorite Maine stop: Ogunquit. Sure, it's as touristy as the next place, and because of its proximity to Boston (72 miles), it can be more crowded than areas to the north. But it doesn't get more quaint than this. It's also home to a terrific theatre company (we saw Young Frankenstein here in 2005, and it was clearly Broadway-quality).
The long Ogunquit Beach (3 miles; we know because we walked and meaured it) is ideal in the summer and the fall. We faced a stiff Nor'easter on our walk north in the morning, but by the time we turned and headed back, the wind subsided, and the day warmed. Granted, it did not hit the unseasonable warmth of Friday (low 70s), but the town folk were out in force along the coast. South of the beach is a walk called the Marginal Walk; beautful Inns and homes to the west; rocky coastline to the east. It terminates at Perkins Cove and harbor.
Tracy's best Maine beach. Our Inn, the Abalonia: "Happily Full"! Below, the river inlet comes in from the left; the long beach stretches north; here, at low tide, the middle-ground beach expands in size.
Above left, the Abalonia Inn; Tracy and a lighthouse along the very popular Marginal Walk; Rick contemplating life and the sea. Below, Perkins Cove and the Ogunquit public library.