Acadia

Over the next few posts (5 or 6 or more - not sure yet) I will be describing villages and or other locations that I believe you will enjoy - if you want to slow down and watch the grass grow or watch the tide come and go. I am starting with one of my top choices. Stonington Maine is located at the end of the road (route 15) in the Downeast region. Take route 3 north from Belfast - you can’t miss it - watch the signs or plug Stonington Maine into your GPS.

Eat at Fisherman’s Friend restaurant, stay at the Inn on the Harbor B&B or camp at Old Quarry Campground (not in Stonington but close by and very quiet location). The harbor is almost all lobster boats - pleasure craft are few and far between. Get up at dawn and watch the boats load up with bait and then go back to bed before eating lunch in one of several small restaurants. Return to the docks in mid to late afternoon to watch the boats return with their catch. Watch the sun set and then go out to a relaxing seafood dinner at Fisherman’s friend. I suggest two or more days, explore the many galleries and artist shops or kayak around the many small islands and through the harbor or just sit and watch a days events it a “real” Maine working fishing village - you will love it!

Go to www.markflemingphoto.com to the Places Portfolio to see Stonington Harbor.

Come on up, the snow is gone in all but places where it had been piled up by snow plows and dump trucks. The weather has been fantastic for the last couple weeks. Come prepared for the black flies - they have loved the weather but wear long pants and long sleeve shirts and you will be fine.

There are still some seasonal restaurants and other businesses that are not open yet and camping is still not in full swing - nights are still dropping into the high 30s and 40s - RVs are great but tenting, brrrrrrr.

So, you are in the Mid-Coast area and you want a relaxing, healthy and refreshing dining experience - let me suggest:

Frontier Cafe, Cinema, & Gallery
FOOD, FILM & ART INSPIRED BY THE WORLD
http://www.explorefrontier.com/

The Frontier Cafe is a little different - inside you will find a relaxing atmosphere, large tables, lots of windows, a healthy menu, and a small Cinema and Gallery. The kind of place where you can enjoy a great meal in an unhurried climate. At lunch you will find local business people holding informal meetings while enjoying a tasty soup and salad or a large cheese, pickles, fruits and veggie plate. Take your time and relax, use the free wifi or just enjoy the falls as the river flows by.

Gardens are popular here in Maine and it has a new one that is making a big splash in the Downeast area. Plan to visit and spend at least a day wandering through the roughly 250 acre botanical garden located in coastal Boothbay. Coastal Maine Botanical Garden is the largest garden of its kind in New England. Soon the Giles Rhododendron and Perennial Garden will be ablaze with the spring flowering shrubs, jonquils and many other flowering bulbs. Open daily year round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $10 Adults, $8 for seniors (65 up), $5 for children (5 to 17) - no admission fee on weekends from January through March. Visit www.mainegardens.org or call 207-633-4333

With over 40,000 acres Acadia National Park is one of the most popular national parks for several reasons, not the least of which is the variety of it’s beautiful scenery - mountains, lakes, rocky coast line, ponds, streams, coves, cliffs and just plain natural beauty everywhere you look. This leads to a wide variety of outdoor activities available to young and not so young alike. Hiking - from quiet meandering paths that are virtually flat to mountains that will challenge the expert climber. Biking - there are trails for the extreme sport enthusiast and then there are the smooth carriage paths or roadside paths. Birdwatching is a popular activity with coastal locations as well as mountain top locations - the park has over 150 breeding species of birds. Kayaking - chose a quiet secluded pond or push off into the ocean to explore the many offshore islands. Camping - camp in the park (500 sites) or choose one of the many privately operated campgrounds on the island. And, then there are is shopping! Acadia National Park has the advantage of having several villages seemingly within it’s borders. Bar Harbor is the most well known but there is also Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Hulls Cove to name a few. Art galleries, craft shops, antiques shops, fine restaurants and much more are all close by offering a great rainy day activity. Bottom line, there is a wide variety of things to do and place to see - plan for an extended stay, one day just will not be enough and a week is probably not either - most people come back often.

An interesting fact about Cadillac Mountain - it is the highest point along the Atlantic sea coast of North America. And, you can drive to the top where you can be one of those there who see the sun first in the United States. Some would argue that the first people to see the sun rise on the US are those who live in Eastport - however, the word I have heard is that the height of Cadillac Mountain over rides the fact that Eastport is further East than Acadia National Park. I tend to believe the case for Cadillac Mountain being the first to see the sun.

So, your on your way to Acadia National Park and you are coming from the South of Maine through New Hampshire I would like to recommend you get off the turnpike in Wells, take a break and go to “The Maine Diner” (From the Maine Turnpike I-95 take Exit 19 [Formerly Exit 2] Wells/Sanford. Turn left onto Route 109 for 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Route 1 North - from this point we are located approximately 1.7 miles on the right.) This is a restaurant voted to be one of the best by a select group of Maine Chefs.

Lobster pie anyone? Crispy fried clams? I am getting hungry!

If you are planning your 2008 vacation and Maine is one of your options and you want some honest first hand info them give me a shot - send your questions and I will answer them in a very candid and unbiased way - really, you can count on it.

Black Flies

Peak Black Fly season usually starts around mid-May and is generally over (except for a few that don’t get the word) by the end of June. Black Flies breed in running water, so areas with brooks and streams are likely to be areas where you will encounter them.

Black Flies like calm, sunny days. They are not active on rainy days and if it is breezy they are unable to fly. That is why you will find very few if any Black Flies on the rocks along the shore. Usually the sea breezes keep them away. The same is true on many mountain trails where the wind is brisk.

Expert Advice on How To Protect Yourself

Experts recommend the following tactics for minimizing exposure to Black Fly bites:

* wear light-colored clothing
* wear long-sleeved T-shirts (rather than buttons and cuffs)
* tuck your pants into your socks
* wear a hat

Stan’s Advice: While not a Black Fly expert I suggest you follow the above suggestions and bring along your favorite insect repellent. Don’t use it until you find you need to because in many cases you will not need it. If you venture into heavily wooded or shaded areas you will most likely need your repellent. I like OFF! Skintastic Spray because it smells good and it is non-greasy. I find I need to apply it more frequently when I am hiking and working up a sweat. It is easy to carry and is very effective for me. Ben’s is also quite effective and I have used that almost as much as the OFF Skintastic.