Embarked on a week long adventure up the East Coast to Main and back.
AUGUST 5th
First stop was Outdoor Art at the Cornell Botanic Gardens. We enjoyed driving around this massive area, stopping several times to enjoy the art, both natural and sculpted. I am sitting atop the Lightwave Bench, and Carol is standing on the boardwalk overlooking the pond. The Flower Sculpture, Bell and Garden of Stones were amazing to behold.
Next we visited Tinker Falls. Carol loves waterfalls and I love earthcaches, so this was an interesting stop for both of us on our way to Maine. Carol was expecting a nice waterfall, but was treated to a mere trickle.
Last was an unexpected stop due to someone putting incorrect coordinates in the GPS. We ended up at Glimmerglass State Park where there was both an EarthCache for me and the Hyde Hall Historic Site Adventure Lab for Carol. Don’t you just love when “mistakes” yield unexpected benefits?!
AUGUST 6th
Our first cache today as we traveled through the Adirondacks on our way to Arcadia National Park was Walkin’ on Water at Arrowhead Park. Love the water, but also have resident butterflies whenever I am near the water due to a near drowning. Walking with water flowing beneath gave wings to the butterflies. That step across the yellow line resulted in movement that gave birth to a kaleidoscope of butterflies. Scary but fun. Posted pics of gazebo a little ways down the beach and two critters we encountered.
Continuing on our journey, we stopped at a rest area with an Adirondack chair fit for Bigfoot.
We then motored across Lake Champlain via a ferry. This was the first time Carol experienced a ferry ride, and she was delighted with the new experience.
Shortly after disembarking, we found Charlotte Surprise. My goodness what a surprise that was to those putting the railroad through in 1849. The surprise was …
Before day’s end we saw two interesting sculptures – a fire hydrant that is every doggie’s dream, and a huge telephone.
In our neck of the woods, we see deer and bear signs. In this neck of the woods, there are moose signs.
AUGUST 7th
First stop today was Arcadia National Park. We alternated between driving and walking as we explored this awesome national treasure.
Waterfalls and lighthouses are among Carol’s favorites. So, Bass Harbor Light was a must see. Going left was a lot of stairs, a rocky Maine coast, and nearly impossible access to the lighthouse. Going right was a nice sloping walk to the lighthouse. On the way back we saw a senior struggling with the hill. It was here we witnessed a wonderful act of kindness. A young man took her arm and walked up the hill with her.
Afterwards, we EarthCached our way to several interesting aquatic spots in this area.
First was The Bar That Named a Town. “A sand and gravel bar, exposed for only couple of hours around low tide, connects Bar Island to Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. Visitors have been known to return from a hike to find their cars submerging and themselves stranded until the tide recedes.”
Next was Tidal Falls Sullivan Earthcache. We arrived on site at 5:00, an hour and a half before high tide. I loved visiting and observing this phenomenon. Carol, however, was expecting a waterfall and was not impressed, describing the falls as rapids.
Bagaduce Reversing Tidal Falls was the second Tidal Falls we visited, and both were interesting and considerably different from each other. We arrived on site at 6:00, 30 minutes before high tide. “Tides passing in and out over the shallow bottom ledge under the bridge crossing the Badaduce River in North Brooksville creates an impressive reversing waterfall effect.” Unlike the first Tidal Falls site, this one did impress her. We were both surprised to observe the difference in the water on both sides of the bridge. On one side the water was calm. On the other side, the water was filled with rapids. Amazing!
AUGUST 8th
Booked a room at the Tugboat Inn Boothbay so we could begin our day close to the Botanical Gardens. What I didn’t realize until we arrived was our room was sitting atop a pier. Good thing there was a railing, or we would have stepped out of our room splash right into the water below. Yikes!
Up early and visited several Museum in the Streets locations before the Botanical Gardens opened at 9:00.
The main attraction in Maine today was our visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, a magical place indeed. Would definitely become a member and visit often if lived closer. Would like to return someday and explore all the gardens. Gardens / Guardians of the Seeds / Trolls / Sculptures
Our final destination was Salem. Was thankful for the Virtuals and Adventure Labs that brought us to destinations we otherwise would have missed. This destination was on Carol’s bucket list. It is one of those been there, done that, no desire to return destinations for both of us.
Roskva … Stands for the trunks
Lilja … Holds the scent of the flowers
Birk … Holds the roots
Søren … Sticks up for the branches
Gro … Smiles with the leaves
Metal Sculpture
Met Tom and Linda
on the trail visiting trolls.
Stone Sculpture
AUGUST 9th
First stop Plymouth Massachusetts. “Plymouth Rock is an iconic piece of Americana; it represents a fresh beginning, a huge step in Western Exploration and the fledgling foundations of modern day America.” Always enjoy the sculpture art unique to each location.
Next stop Mystic Connecticut. “Thirty-five years ago, a romantic comedy about a pizzeria hit the big screens, launching the career of one of America’s most famous actresses and putting a southeastern Connecticut fishing village on the map.”
Final stop Devil’s Hopyard State Park. We visited several sites along our journey to Maine and back. Carol loves waterfalls, so we stopped at several earthcaches with waterfalls. Finally, a waterfall with an abundance of cascading water!
AUGUST 10th
Carol drove home so it was the fastest route to get from point A to point B. My driving would have taken us the scenic route along back roads stopping at interesting sites along the way. So, alas, we only stopped for one virtual … Peace, Love and Geocaching.
