With the admiral back home to be with her mother and attend her aunt’s funeral, the pups and I are holding down the fort and riding out Earl. Sunday after Earl departed and the weather improved dramatically, we boarded the bus, (yes dogs are allowed on the Explorer buses here!) and headed to Bar Harbor to do some sightseeing. With a cruise ship lying at anchor, there was considerably more activity than we had seen the previous visit. A little too busy for my liking, so I had a lunch of a lobster roll and a beer from Butterfield’s store, and we set back out on the bus. We stopped off at Jordan Pond where Barb & I had lunch a few days before, and set out on the Carriage Roads to explore a bit and get some needed exercise. The dogs had a great time sniffing in the woods, it’s a beautiful area.
The Carriage Roads were intended to be for horse-drawn carriages or horseback. They were built by philanthropist J.D. Rockefeller between 1913 and 1940 in an effort to preserve the park at the same time providing a means for people to see the park without the noise and distraction of automobiles. It’s a very beautiful setting, serene and quiet; yet despite the presence of throngs of people in the park, you never get the sense of being part of a crowd. Lots and lots of bicycles!
We returned to the boat and prepped for our departure in the morning Monday. Monday started calm and sunny, great conditions to make the easy run to Castine. After our morning shore visit, I winched the dink up to its cradle, secured everything and slipped the mooring lines. My first experience with single handing involving a day’s cruise to a new location. The weather couldn’t have been better, and it was an enjoyable run. The scenery along the inside run is beautiful!
