As we were camping in one of our last camps in Maine, we made friends with a chipmunk. To be fair, we were buying his friendship with chips and grapes. Rose and Chris stuffed their cheeks with grapes to see how many they could store. They did beat the chipmunk as he could only carry three. Chris and Rose must have had seven or eight packed in. Chris had the hardest time not biting and chewing...but with practice he should get it. Now if only I could find where they buried all that food. (picture of lumpy faces)
We hunted everywhere for moose. We asked the locals and game wardens and were assured they exist and where to find them. Did you know that the best time to find moose is at dawn, dusk and from noon to 2:00 PM? Now I understand dawn and dusk...but lunch time? We checked with a few authorities and they confirmed that moose do get up and wander out for lunch and after eating go back for their siesta. Too much!!!! The one we finally found was located in a moose rehab. There were several there for us to see...but it sure feels like cheating.
Next to the moose rehab was a fish hatchery. When I asked Rose what she enjoyed most that day I was ready to hear "seeing moose". But what I got was "feeding the fish". The hatchery has a coin-operated dispenser so we could get the feed. It was thrilling to see all those fish jump for the single piece of food we dropped (ever teased fish?). There were some real battles going on with them. Land-locked salmon seems to be the big sport fish in this area, and I think that is what were in the tanks. Rose was the last to leave, so I got a picture of her totally enthralled with the feeding process.
Unfortunately, we did get rained-out of a lot of outdoor activities that would have been awesome. We were camped close to Acadia National Forest and managed to get there a couple hours before the week long storm hit. This island was once owned by the Rockefeller family who developed the carriage paths to counter the road development for automobiles. The paths were all designed to not allow for cars. When they gave the island to the national park service it was decided to leave it the same--which is a treasure now. There are wonderful places to go and see. We managed to drive the 40-mile scenic route and play on the only beach, then it rained. And rained. And rained. It started to feel an awful lot like home. It rained until we left--we did not get to hike any of the trails. Maybe when we come back? I did manage a picture of Bar Harbour from one of the pull-outs on the scenic route.
The sun did return after we moved camp further south. It was time for Jerry to do some serious lobster eating. Rose and I begged off. Chris and Jerry had their share, but not their fill. I know there is more to come when we return again to the sea.
The only "old" historical site we found at the new campsite, was Fort William Henry. This is the third fort built on the same site. Each time the Indians managed to destroy it. The first fort (built in the 1600's) was built with wood and the formerly friend Indians burnt it. It was rebuilt with stone, (early 1700's) but the mortar was too weak to withstand the bombs lobbed from the French ships in the harbor. The third rebuild was with reinforced stone and it lasted long enough for a settlement to develop. The French-Indian war was waged in this area and pretty much routed this group. The site is a wonderful picnic site with a terrific view of the harbor. Chris found a fuzzy caterpillar (which shows on his arm). Both children wanted to adopt it until it turned into a butterfly. He managed to escape between the rocks, which saved me from saving him.
We had a wonderful time in Maine, but alas, it is time to move south. Bidding fairwell to such a beautiful state is with mixed feelings. We have thoroughly enjoyed everything (except the rain). We have picked some new places to go should we ever be blessed with a return trip. However, we know that there is just as much to enjoy in our next state: New Hampshire.
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