Fall

I just now noticed that the latest design here is rather grey.  Here's some color, seen two weeks ago at Potomac Falls, on the Virginia side.

Acadia: All Over Too Soon

It was a long and uncomfortable night’s sleep.  We mostly laid awake or were awoken by drips, like Chinese water torture.  We packed the car after deciding that staying another night in the tent was not worth it. 

We went back to Bar Harbor for the Margaret Todd’s morning scenic cruise.  The ship is a 151-ft schooner with four masts, operated by a captain who loves Newfoundland dogs, and takes his two along every day.  The big black shaggy teddy bears wandered about for a bit but were put off by a neighboring cruise ship’s foghorn.  Unfortunately, the fog did not burn up in the morning sunshine, so it was difficult to see much, though we did see a few porpoises.  A few other islands peeked through the gloomy fog.  Our trip’s narrator was a wonderful Park Service Ranger named…Todd…as it turned out.

 Hoist the sails!  (Can you see Hans helping?)

 

Porpoises!

Back on land, we did a bit of last-minute souvenir shopping and had lunch at the Lobster Claw, an obvious tourist trap but their small confines and lively humor made it an enjoyable experience.  During the lunch rush there could be heard and sometimes seen a flurry of activity behind the counter.

“I need a clean rag!  I need a day off!” Came the cry of one jocular employee.

Hans finally had some fried clams after a week of being denied at every turn by unfortunate timing.  I had a delicious lobster roll.

We headed out of town a short ways to The Cove Adventure Golf for a few hours entertainment on 36 holes of pirate-themed mini golf.  We had a great time in the sun as we played to ludicrous steel drum covers of soft-rock classics on the sound system.

After finding a small cottage motel for the night we went back to town for ice cream.  I had the dubious sounding blueberry-blue-cheese-fig-walnut.  It was awesome!  We ate our treats in the neighboring park where a Park Ranger-led presentation was being held: Picnic with the Planets.  Families and rangers were holding different blow-up models of planets in our solar system and were acting out their orbit, walking (and sometimes running) in wide circles.  Our boat tour guide, Todd, was seen wearing a picture of an asteroid and a belt strung with potatoes, spinning like a juggernaut all over the solar system.

We stopped at the grocery store to pick up dinner for the night since neither of us was very hungry: Pizza Rolls!  Exhausted, we flopped onto our motel bed and watched TV, ready for the drive back home.

Acadia: Rain, Rain

 Awoke to the sound of a steady drizzle.  Very tired.  We fired up the camp stove for a hot breakfast and then paid a rain-soaked visit to the Wild Gardens of Acadia exhibit garden.  We saw a couple of frogs, and we were saddened by the sight of a sign that read “please do not throw rocks at our friendly frogs”.

Next, we visited a few shops in the posh-er Northeast Harbor, picked up coffee in Somesville again, and had a quiet picnic at Pretty Marsh and browsed for shells on the beach.  Saw a few tiny crabs the size of spiders.

On a whim we did the very damp Beech and Canada Cliffs trails.  There weren’t any vantage-point views to be had but the plants and fungi were fascinating.  We closed our circuit of Mt. Desert Island by returning to Bar Harbor where we had excellent cocktails for happy hour followed by a delicious dinner at Galyns.  I am resolved to learn how to make hot buttered rum and Hans wants to learn how to make blueberry cosmopolitans.  Hans finished the evening with yummy maple walnut ice cream.

We came back to our campsite to find the tent full of water from the day’s fog.  Poor Hans’ sleeping bag was soaked and mine fairly damp.  Very grumpy bedtime.

Acadia: Around the Island

This morning we were up before sunrise, hoping to catch the morning light from atop Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the park and the highest Atlantic Ocean-side feature in America.  No dice.  We realized we hadn’t risen quite early enough and so went to Bar Harbor for some early morning photo-ops instead.

 

After, we set out for the western side of the island.  We stopped in Somesville to take a few pictures, then Southwest Harbor for coffee.

Next, a quick (though not always easy) hike up Bernard Mountain.  Along the return hike we encountered an enchanting moss-strewn pine wood and one lonely frog (toad?).  So much for “wildlife sighting”, but I should note that moose are rarely seen on the island and it turns out that we had the trail completely to ourselves, an unusual even in such a busy park.

Our western tour continued past Seawall and we had a great time curiously looking at the tidepools near the Wonderland Trail.  We tried not to crush any of the sea snails that teemed over the rocks and we spotted a couple of Hermit crabs less than a half centimeter long and a lone baby crab.  Further down the road we checked out the Bass Harbor lighthouse, built 1858, electronically operated since 1974, but still inhabited by a coast guard family year-round.

 I spied a local-crafts gallery in the town of Southwest Harbor.  Inside I was drawn to a series of art prints.  It turns out that the artist herself was manning the store!  She signed the print I decided to buy and told me an amusing story about her sister that used to belong to a nunnery in Baltimore.

On the other side of the harbor was The Captain’s Galley at Beal’s Lobster Pier: A mouthful to say, equaling mouthfuls of sweet, succulent lobsta!  I ordered a soft-shelled crustacean and my previous Maryland crab-eating experience proved to be extremely useful as I tore into my bright red dinner.  Hans was a little grossed out when I de-veined the tail but I gave him a little claw meat.  We finished our meal with some blueberry pie.

As it was nearing the end of daylight hours we drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.  An hour of semi-hazy star gazing back at the campground and then to bed.

 Atop Cadillac Mountain, the Margaret Todd seen in Frenchman's Bay near Bar Harbor

Acadia: Carriage Roads

The carriage roads of Acadia have thoroughly and completely kicked our asses today.  17 hill-strewn miles of gravel-lined beauty/misery later, we had an early and unremarkable dinner at Getty’s.  Got plastered in front of the campfire.

Acadia: Intro

Awoke shortly after sunrise.  Our vacation began on Sand Beach, the only beach in the park.  We spent a while looking for shells, then proceeded along the 2-mile Ocean Trail, observed Thunder Hole, the Otter Cliffs, and Otter Point.  On the way there were many opportunities for sea-bird watching.

Views of Sand Beach

After our hike we drove to Jordan Pond and walked the 3-mile pond Nature Trail which took us through beautiful canopied boardwalks over the delicate shore plants and near a large beaver dam.

 Jordan Pond Nature Trail

 One of the original carriage road gatehouses

We stuffed ourselves with ludicrously large burgers at the Fintale Alehouse.  At sunset we returned to Sand Beach and waited for nightfall when we took pictures of another brilliant night sky.

Acadia: Arrival (sorry, no pictures)

The end of our drive took us along Route 1 from Brunswick to Bar Harbor on Mt. Desert Island, the locale of most of Acadia National Park.  The ride was slower than if we’d taken the interstate but it was worth the pastoral seaside views.

We set up our campsite in the park and went back to Bar Harbor.  Its plethora of sports stores, ice cream shoppes, and Christmas boutiques reminded us of a cross between Banff and Jasper in Alberta.  The sea views were stunning.  We had a decent, though a bit overpriced dinner at the Fish House Grill.

After a short trip to the local grocery store we had a small campfire and toasted some marshmallows before crawling into the tent for the night.  Beautiful star gazing tonight.

Acadia: Getting Packed

Two mountain bikes in the backseat...everything else in the trunk

We got a late start this morning:  Bikes had to be disassembled so they’d fit in the backseat of our….Fit.  We had our first glimpse of the New York City skyline from New Jersey.  Even from far away the Empire State Building makes an impressive figure.  After a food break at a rest stop Hans took over driving and we continued through Connecticut and into Massachusetts for the evening.

Las Vegas

Surprise!

We went to Las Vegas last week for a couple of days to see my longtime friend, Nathan, get hitched.  It was a slightly last-minute trip, mostly in that we weren't sure if Hans was going to be able to go.  Luckily, we both made it!

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Welcome to Vegas!

We awoke, mostly refreshed from a night's sleep after arriving at midnight.  Since we had a full day to check out the city before the wedding on Friday, we bought some bus passes and rode from where we were staying on Fremont Street to the middle of the "new" strip.

We strolled along the fake canals of the Venetian, and I even went across the replica of the Rialto Bridge, three months shy of a decade after visiting the real one in Venice!

The Forum shops at Caesars Palace were nothing short of oppulent, but it was nice to see a few mid-range stores thrown in among Burberry, Coach, D&G, Lacoste, etc.

After stopping along the tree-shaded sidewalk in front of the Bellagio we ate at the Spice Market buffet inside the Planet Hollywood resort.  There were other entertainments throughout the day, including sampling sodas from around the world at the Coke store (most were horrible: the mint, watermellon, and strawberry sodas made me feel like I was drinking a box of Mr. Sketch markers).  We were going to ride the rollercoaster at New York, New York, but at $14 a ride we decided to skip it especially since we already have season passes for Six Flags this year.

 In this recession even Jason has to make a little money somehow

Looking north along Las Vegas Blvd,  New York, New York on left

New York, New York casino floor

Once the temperature had really risen in the afternoon, we returned to Fremont Street and I cooled off at the pool at a neighboring hotel.  At sunset we had martinis at the Level 107 Lounge at the Stratosphere.

Needless to say the view of the valley and surrounding mountains was exceptional, as well as the people watching.  Our table was next to a group of young men from either northern England or Wales as far as we could tell.  They had just come from a golf course, and were wearing ludicrously bright pastel argyle socks that clashed with their bright polo shirts and sometimes golf hats.  One floor below we could see diners on the rotating floor of the hotel's Top of the World restaurant.  The waitstaff were impressive as they stood on the outer edge of the floor, which was stationary, pouring wine into glasses on tables that slowly crept along their orbit.  Did I mention the martinis were fabulous?  We each had a mango, Key lime, and ultimate chocolate one along with some yummy appetizers.

 Scary heights!

 The strip

 Top of the World

Since we were already paying customers, we took a second elevator to the outdoor observation deck (which normally costs $16 if you just want the view) and saw some brave souls on a spinning ride that propels you out over the edge of the building.

We continued back down the strip, now fully lit in its neon glory.  The streets were already littered with escort service cards, some more risque than others.  We watched the volcano at the Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio before grabbing some last-minute tickets to a drag show at the Imperial Palace (queens at the Palace, get it?).  The performances were outstanding, though the host's standup as Joan Rivers was our favorite.  Most of the content is unrepeatable on here.  Impersonations included Madonna, Beyonce (very goofy), Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Cher, Celine Dion (extremely hilarious), Janet Jackson, Rhianna, and Whitney Houston.

At the end of the night I was still jet-lagged, so we went to bed early (by Vegas standards).

Friday, May 13th, 2011 

After a late breakfast we decided to rent a car.  All they had left was a mini-van and a camaro.  One silver muscle car later we were on our way to the movie theater at the Palms to see an appropriate flick for the day: Bridesmaids.  Many laughs later it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the wedding.

When we pulled up to the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, the entire party was outside, so I got a chance to meet the lovely bride and catch up the groom's family before the ceremony, which was very sweet and tear-jerking.  Beforehand I had called my mom to give her a heads-up that it was going to be streamed live on the net.  That's the benefit of a Vegas destination wedding!

The reception was held at a fantastic Mexican restaurant, coincidentally one block from the Palms.  The servers were hilarious and helpful, even coming to the rescue when the gracious bride and groom were having trouble cutting the cake (I swear, someone needs to publish a cake-cutting brochure for newlyweds because Hans and I had the same problem at our wedding!).  I had just finished a very large and refreshing margarita when it was time to go, so I was feeling pretty good in my shiny cocktail dress, riding in the camaro with the sunroof open.

Since it was our last night in Vegas and we still had a little energy left, we changed into some more comfortable clothes and went back down to Fremont Street for the light show and ran into the wedding party once more.

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

We grabbed a quick breakfast before checking out early and Hans finally got to exercise the accelerator on our rental on I-15 as we made our way to the Valley of Fire, about an hour away.  The desert was positively teeming with critters like the Antelope Ground Squirrel and several types of lizards.  We were fortunate enough to see some of the native plants with lingering flowers.  The red sandstone rocks contrasted eerily with the limestone mountains in the long-dried seabed.  We picked our way along some of the short trails, having not planned to go hiking in advance, and were thoroughly baked by the sun by the time we began the slow drive past Lake Mead, stopping in Callville Bay for a leisurely lunch, and continuing back to Vegas.  One brief stop at an outlet mall later we had arrived at our gates at the airport before departing on separate flights back to Maryland.

 A new little friend

 Lizard tracks

Sitting inside a tiny arch, petroglyphs in background

 It's not Arches National Park, but we'll take it!

White Domes

Two of the Seven Sisters

Taking a little bit of the desert home with us!

In all honesty I thought that the city was dingy, cheap, (though really not cheap), and superficial.  And I suppose that's the whole point.  Most of the casinos have a derelict air about them, but at least the customers look like they're having a good time.  It's an oasis of a city eeking out a living based on having the newest, brightest, and shiniest, where nothing is built with the intention of it lasting more than a couple of decades.

I will admit that I was a little relieved to get out of the smoke-filled casinos and into the outdoors on Saturday, but when my plane took off in the evening, and I looked down into the busy lights below, I could not help but be charmed by the sheer brightness and excitement of the Boulevard that represents escape from reality for most visitors.  Perhaps what is most stunning about it's allure is the seeming impossibility of its location, for as my plane turned east, the view was plunged into darkness, save for a single thin glittering gold chain as the interstate weaves its way south toward the Mojave desert and disappears quietly into the moonlit horizon.