Mainly in Maine

The Bubbles at Jordan Pond

     The Maine thing is to keep the Maine thing the Maine thing. I think Stephen Covey once said something like that, didn't he?
     So this summer finds us in the the great state of Maine. We are working as campground staff at a small campground near Ellsworth, in the Acadia National Park area. When I sit at my desk I look out at leaves blowing in the breeze, and our commute to work is to walk past 5 campsites and across the camp road (and sometimes through hoards of mosquitos). The campground is on a beautiful 749 acre lake called Patten Pond. We are here along with 4 other great workamper couples. The men spend their days mowing grass, trimming weeds, doing light maintenance and cleaning the bath house. The women make reservations, run the store and clean the rental units. We all get to ride around on golf carts while working, and we can enjoy the camp's canoes, kayaks and paddleboats on our time off. The water is finally getting warmer for swimming at our small beach.
     Spring came late here, but it was worth waiting for. The hillsides covered in lupine,

the lilacs, azaleas and rhododendrons were all so beautiful! We also had wild, pink lady slippers blooming right in the campground!

It's been cool and wet, which makes us appreciate the sunny days even more. The sun rises at about 5:00 am here because we are so far east, I've learned to cover the window to keep it a little darker in the camper. We want to go see the sunrise over the ocean, from the top of Cadillac mountain, but this time of year that would mean getting up before 4 am to drive to the island and up the mountain, so we may wait for fall when the days get a little shorter.  Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the east coast, so it is one of the first spots in the U.S. to see the new day begin.

    We enjoy finding local activities, not just the tourist stuff, and there is a lot going on around the area. We attended a Saturday night contra dance at a local Grange Hall. Contra dancing is traditional partner dancing, similar to square dancing, with a caller, but you don't dance in squares. Instead, the sets are lines facing each other. You change partners as the dance goes along, and (sometimes) end up back with your original partner! There was live music, and it was well attended by young people! We have heard performances by several local musicians at the city park, the library, and a local brewery, and we went to a mystery evening at the library.  I also found a bell choir on Mount Desert Island that needed a sub for a concert so I got to play bells once more. The locals are friendly and welcoming.

This is a view from Ship Harbor trail

This is Bubble Rock at the top of South Bub

     Acadia National Park is beautiful, with miles of rugged coastline and ocean views from each mountain top. The trails are fun and challenging, even when you think you will just be wandering around a lake, you get to the back side and find yourself climbing on and around big boulders.
                                                                                                                                                                                           

 A very rocky trail at Tarn Lake 

 

The view from Beehive

Or when you are walking on carriage roads, you find yourself going in circles because there aren't many signs.
      We hiked "The Beehive" trail with the kids when they were here to visit. It has ladders and iron rungs to help hikers ascend the rocky ledges to great views of Sand Beach and Frenchman's Bay.






      We had a great visit with the kids and made sure they had some tasty lobster while they were here.

Schoodic Penninsula

        Our favorite food here is definitely lobster!!
We learned that the grocery stores will steam them for us, so all we have to do is enjoy!! The crab rolls, mussels and clams are pretty good, too.
     Well, we are only about half way through our season, so we have many more adventures to enjoy here in Maine. We'll keep you posted!

The kids on Patten Pond