Summary of time:
· Driving amongst smaller villages/towns, through farmland, rolling hills
· Overcast weather
· White Mountain National Park – New Hampshire
Handy hints –
§ Get localised maps, hints of things to go and do or see.
§ Have your camera ready, and be prepared to change direction.
§ Be prepared for all types of weather, as it can change several times in a day!
§ Find space to relax and enjoy the views, space and peacefulness.
My time in Acadia was at an end, time to move on, go on a road trip, before i headed over to New Hampshire, i had an “urge” to travel east, i had seen a name on the map, that reminded me of a film i saw as a kid...the film “Pete’s Dragon”...the place name “Passamaquoddy”. Now it must be noted that Passamaquoddy is a Bay, not an actual place, and the most eastern point of USA is a lighthouse, West Quoddy Head, Lubec, Maine, so i decided i would visit it.
The day did not promise much as it was foggy / misty, so a driving day was fine, if you didn’t mind not getting a view. The drive is a couple of hundred miles, and for the main, you take Highway 1, passing through few places per 50 miles than previously driven...not so much tourist stuff, and a lot of people don’t tend to venture east of Acadia, according to travel books. I did head down one peninsular, driving through Jonesport, i knew that this was a living, working fishing community, although he did have a cafe advertising Espresso, but not open as i passed.
At one point we (me and the opposing traffic) had to stop, as a doe and her fawn were crossing the road, well the doe crossed, but the fawn didn’t like the look of the lorry (even though it had stopped) and headed back to the woods, we waited but it wasn’t coming, and mum was definitely not turning round.
There wasn’t much of a view due to the mist, which i didn’t mind as i was having a day feeling a bit homesick, and just wanted to nip back to see family, even for a couple of days, and then come back.
Driving onto to Quoddy Lighthouse, you could hear the fog horn, there was really only around 300ft clear. It was a nice red and white striped Lighthouse. I am reliable informed that on a clear day you can see across the bay and see Canada...but definitely not today.
After the lighthouse it was back onto the main road, and head north a way, and find somewhere to stop for lunch...a small park, overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay, and the sun was out, not a cloud here!!! Then onto Calais (pronounced Cal-liss), from where you can cross into Canada, but i was heading West, along Route 9, through Washington County and onto Bangor....the road, was under repair, with varying degrees of road surface. According to the map there was an international airport at Bangor, maybe i could get a cheap flight to the UK, i’d look when i got internet access, at a motel...time to find somewhere.
In the labels on the map it was hard to distinguish road numbers, as there were several converging in and around Bangor, but i saw Route 2 was heading out of the other side in the direction i was heading, but at junction, there was no Route 2 or 9..and i didn’t want I95, i eventually realised that should have taken a turning onto I95, and then a couple of junctions come off again.
I found myself heading south, and down to Bucksport (Fort Knox) area, i knew there would be motels down that way, as there wasn’t any on this road, but on reaching Bucksport, i headed west towards Belfast, and found a place to stop, very near a place doing fish and chips. Ok, so i didn’t go where i thought i should be, but i was in the place i was meant to be. The owner was really nice and gave me some Clams, and Broth of Clams (her husband had collected the clams earlier in the day) to go with my fish and chips (chips were not the same as ours, more like sliced potatoes fried), and i decided i didn’t want french fries with that.
The next day the weather was a bit brighter, but still a drive ahead, i headed north again, but coming out west of Bangor at Damascus, and then west on Route 2 all the way to Bethel, which is on the border with New Hampshire, and the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. Route 2 was full of road works, and in some places there was no tarmac (or pavement as the Americans say), at one point i couldn’t decide if the roads in Uganda were better....especially as the earth was reddish.
Driving through a place called Dixifield, i stopped for lunch at a cafe....a really homely type place, where everyone was friendly, lots of locals stopping in, and the food was great.
When its getting on towards mid late afternoon, it is not always easy to know where to stop, i just seem to know when to stop and turn in somewhere. I turned off the highway and went into Bethel, there was something nice, a real small town feel to the place, but didn’t see anywhere really to stop so carried on, as i was heading out west, a couple of miles down the road was a HI Hostel, so i turned in, and got a room, for a couple of nights. I headed back out to shop for dinner, and go for a walk, also visited the tourist info and got ideas for walks for the next day. There were a few people around, and we got on well, sharing wine and beers.
The next day, it rained, and rained, and rained, so it was a day for catching up on paperwork, and hanging out together.
Saturday, a new month, and off to New Hampshire, from the conversations the previous day i decided that my route into New Hampshire would not be via Route 2 (too many roadwork’s), but head south on 113, a lesser known road, that climbed up and over on the east side of the National Park, but a great place for views, a bit windy, and as the weather had improved why not.
It was then west into North Conway, and the White Mountain National Forest. Although within the National Forest area, there are several State Parks, with various places of interest, and walks. North Conway was a tourist place with lots of shopping places, in fact slightly south it’s a shopper’s paradise – factory outlet stores, with offers of no tax! The town itself is a bit more conservative, but lots of galleries, and up market tourist stores. I drove on through and followed on through to Crawford Notch State Park, at the entrance to the park, i had my first sighting of Mt Washington, quite an impressive Mountain.
Not only is it the highest mountain in New Hampshire, but also in the North East part of USA, it is an impressive 6,288 ft, was named after George Washington before he became president, and various of the mountains in the range, have been named after Presidents, thereby giving it the name of the “Presidential Range”. On a clear day, you will be lucky and see Canada and the Atlantic, although the weather can change quickly, it can also be very severe.....it has arctic weather, they flora / fauna seen here is the same as seen in the Arctic Fundra climate zone. There is a weather station up at the top (and at one time there was even a village community), which in 1934 recorded wind speeds of 231mph – a world record!
Today i didn’t plan to go up there. I carried up through Crawford Notch, stopping at Willey house for lunch. The original house no longer exists, as it was burned in 1898, but there is a legend about it that has meant it has been remembered, and has become a stopping place. 1825 the Willey family set up home, half way up the Notch (a pathway between the mountains from Lancaster heading east, that was opened in 1775), and provided an inn for travellers passing through the mountains on the desolate road. The family witnessed huge landslides following heavy rain in June of the following year, so built a cave for shelter. That summer there was a long drought which dried up the mountain soil, and on Aug 28, 1826, there was a violent and destructive rain storms ever known. No-one quite knows what happened, but a few days later, concerned family and friends, made their way to the house and found it untouched, but all surrounding it was covered with debris. The house had survived as it was below a ledge (higher up) that had divided the landslide into two streams. Everything inside showed evidence that the family had left in a hurry, they found the parents, 2 of the 5 children, and the hired men not far away, crushed – the other 3 kids were never found.
The notch’s popularity grew, and there were several inn’s along the route, and the Crawford’s were famous mountain guides, who created a route up Mt Washington, which was opened in 1819, and horses were going up the trail in 1840. Although a shorter route up Mt Washington was found by Ethan Allen in 1821, which is now closely followed by the cog railway.
The route up the Notch was becoming more popular with tourists that a railroad was built and opened in 1875, from Portland up to Fabyans, above the notch. The railway climbs 1623 feet in elevation over 30 miles, and 2 ravines crossed which were traversed by building Trestle type bridges. Over its lifetime, the railway was used for more commercial purposes – limber companies getting their timber down from the various valleys – off shoots of railway were added, but no longer exist. With the start of the automobile, there was less call for passenger use, and was stopped.
I stopped for lunch and a short walk near the house, and saw a beaver dam across the river, but no-one was home (or at least visible). I drove up the Notch, and passed the famous Mt Washington Hotel (opened in 1902), with Mt Washington behind it. From near here you can catch the cog railway (which took 100 men 3 years to build), which opened in 1869. The rickety trains go up gradients as steep as 38 percent in some places, and since last year the trains are now run on bio fuel, rather than a ton of coal and thousand gallons of water.
I travelled on further north, actually out of the National Forest to Bethlehem, before heading south through the Franconia Notch State Park. There is only 1 road through this bit (over the higher part), I93, and at one point there were cars park on both carriageways, pulling in to see what was going on i saw the rear end of a moose going into the forest, apparently he had been out for a while crossing the road (darn it, i had missed it all).
I then went to Flume Gorge, which is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mt Liberty. The walls of Conway granite rise perpendicularly to a height of 70-90 feet, a boardwalk takes you along the gorge. The Flume was discovered in 1808 by a 93 old lady whilst she was out fishing. In 1883 a heavy rainstorm, started a landslide, removing a huge boulder, deepening the gorge and creating the 45 ft waterfall, which creates a roaring sound as the Flume brook enters the gorge. The area has many Glacial boulders, and some weigh over 300 tons.
Leaving the Gorge, i travelled south on highway 3 passing Woodstock (not the famous place of the ‘60’s which is in New York State), looking at various places for somewhere to stop, not finding anyway i liked (or had a vacancy), i headed back east towards Conway, travelling on the Kancamagus Highway, which is a road loved by bikers (esp Harley Davidson bikers), for its bends and hairpin bends. It was a lovely road to drive, but there were clouds in the sky so the mountain tops were covered. I found a great place to stop just north of North Conway.
· Driving amongst smaller villages/towns, through farmland, rolling hills
· Overcast weather
· White Mountain National Park – New Hampshire
Handy hints –
§ Get localised maps, hints of things to go and do or see.
§ Have your camera ready, and be prepared to change direction.
§ Be prepared for all types of weather, as it can change several times in a day!
§ Find space to relax and enjoy the views, space and peacefulness.
My time in Acadia was at an end, time to move on, go on a road trip, before i headed over to New Hampshire, i had an “urge” to travel east, i had seen a name on the map, that reminded me of a film i saw as a kid...the film “Pete’s Dragon”...the place name “Passamaquoddy”. Now it must be noted that Passamaquoddy is a Bay, not an actual place, and the most eastern point of USA is a lighthouse, West Quoddy Head, Lubec, Maine, so i decided i would visit it.
The day did not promise much as it was foggy / misty, so a driving day was fine, if you didn’t mind not getting a view. The drive is a couple of hundred miles, and for the main, you take Highway 1, passing through few places per 50 miles than previously driven...not so much tourist stuff, and a lot of people don’t tend to venture east of Acadia, according to travel books. I did head down one peninsular, driving through Jonesport, i knew that this was a living, working fishing community, although he did have a cafe advertising Espresso, but not open as i passed.
At one point we (me and the opposing traffic) had to stop, as a doe and her fawn were crossing the road, well the doe crossed, but the fawn didn’t like the look of the lorry (even though it had stopped) and headed back to the woods, we waited but it wasn’t coming, and mum was definitely not turning round.
There wasn’t much of a view due to the mist, which i didn’t mind as i was having a day feeling a bit homesick, and just wanted to nip back to see family, even for a couple of days, and then come back.
Driving onto to Quoddy Lighthouse, you could hear the fog horn, there was really only around 300ft clear. It was a nice red and white striped Lighthouse. I am reliable informed that on a clear day you can see across the bay and see Canada...but definitely not today.
After the lighthouse it was back onto the main road, and head north a way, and find somewhere to stop for lunch...a small park, overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay, and the sun was out, not a cloud here!!! Then onto Calais (pronounced Cal-liss), from where you can cross into Canada, but i was heading West, along Route 9, through Washington County and onto Bangor....the road, was under repair, with varying degrees of road surface. According to the map there was an international airport at Bangor, maybe i could get a cheap flight to the UK, i’d look when i got internet access, at a motel...time to find somewhere.
In the labels on the map it was hard to distinguish road numbers, as there were several converging in and around Bangor, but i saw Route 2 was heading out of the other side in the direction i was heading, but at junction, there was no Route 2 or 9..and i didn’t want I95, i eventually realised that should have taken a turning onto I95, and then a couple of junctions come off again.
I found myself heading south, and down to Bucksport (Fort Knox) area, i knew there would be motels down that way, as there wasn’t any on this road, but on reaching Bucksport, i headed west towards Belfast, and found a place to stop, very near a place doing fish and chips. Ok, so i didn’t go where i thought i should be, but i was in the place i was meant to be. The owner was really nice and gave me some Clams, and Broth of Clams (her husband had collected the clams earlier in the day) to go with my fish and chips (chips were not the same as ours, more like sliced potatoes fried), and i decided i didn’t want french fries with that.
The next day the weather was a bit brighter, but still a drive ahead, i headed north again, but coming out west of Bangor at Damascus, and then west on Route 2 all the way to Bethel, which is on the border with New Hampshire, and the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. Route 2 was full of road works, and in some places there was no tarmac (or pavement as the Americans say), at one point i couldn’t decide if the roads in Uganda were better....especially as the earth was reddish.
Driving through a place called Dixifield, i stopped for lunch at a cafe....a really homely type place, where everyone was friendly, lots of locals stopping in, and the food was great.
When its getting on towards mid late afternoon, it is not always easy to know where to stop, i just seem to know when to stop and turn in somewhere. I turned off the highway and went into Bethel, there was something nice, a real small town feel to the place, but didn’t see anywhere really to stop so carried on, as i was heading out west, a couple of miles down the road was a HI Hostel, so i turned in, and got a room, for a couple of nights. I headed back out to shop for dinner, and go for a walk, also visited the tourist info and got ideas for walks for the next day. There were a few people around, and we got on well, sharing wine and beers.
The next day, it rained, and rained, and rained, so it was a day for catching up on paperwork, and hanging out together.
Saturday, a new month, and off to New Hampshire, from the conversations the previous day i decided that my route into New Hampshire would not be via Route 2 (too many roadwork’s), but head south on 113, a lesser known road, that climbed up and over on the east side of the National Park, but a great place for views, a bit windy, and as the weather had improved why not.
It was then west into North Conway, and the White Mountain National Forest. Although within the National Forest area, there are several State Parks, with various places of interest, and walks. North Conway was a tourist place with lots of shopping places, in fact slightly south it’s a shopper’s paradise – factory outlet stores, with offers of no tax! The town itself is a bit more conservative, but lots of galleries, and up market tourist stores. I drove on through and followed on through to Crawford Notch State Park, at the entrance to the park, i had my first sighting of Mt Washington, quite an impressive Mountain.
Not only is it the highest mountain in New Hampshire, but also in the North East part of USA, it is an impressive 6,288 ft, was named after George Washington before he became president, and various of the mountains in the range, have been named after Presidents, thereby giving it the name of the “Presidential Range”. On a clear day, you will be lucky and see Canada and the Atlantic, although the weather can change quickly, it can also be very severe.....it has arctic weather, they flora / fauna seen here is the same as seen in the Arctic Fundra climate zone. There is a weather station up at the top (and at one time there was even a village community), which in 1934 recorded wind speeds of 231mph – a world record!
Today i didn’t plan to go up there. I carried up through Crawford Notch, stopping at Willey house for lunch. The original house no longer exists, as it was burned in 1898, but there is a legend about it that has meant it has been remembered, and has become a stopping place. 1825 the Willey family set up home, half way up the Notch (a pathway between the mountains from Lancaster heading east, that was opened in 1775), and provided an inn for travellers passing through the mountains on the desolate road. The family witnessed huge landslides following heavy rain in June of the following year, so built a cave for shelter. That summer there was a long drought which dried up the mountain soil, and on Aug 28, 1826, there was a violent and destructive rain storms ever known. No-one quite knows what happened, but a few days later, concerned family and friends, made their way to the house and found it untouched, but all surrounding it was covered with debris. The house had survived as it was below a ledge (higher up) that had divided the landslide into two streams. Everything inside showed evidence that the family had left in a hurry, they found the parents, 2 of the 5 children, and the hired men not far away, crushed – the other 3 kids were never found.
The notch’s popularity grew, and there were several inn’s along the route, and the Crawford’s were famous mountain guides, who created a route up Mt Washington, which was opened in 1819, and horses were going up the trail in 1840. Although a shorter route up Mt Washington was found by Ethan Allen in 1821, which is now closely followed by the cog railway.
The route up the Notch was becoming more popular with tourists that a railroad was built and opened in 1875, from Portland up to Fabyans, above the notch. The railway climbs 1623 feet in elevation over 30 miles, and 2 ravines crossed which were traversed by building Trestle type bridges. Over its lifetime, the railway was used for more commercial purposes – limber companies getting their timber down from the various valleys – off shoots of railway were added, but no longer exist. With the start of the automobile, there was less call for passenger use, and was stopped.
I stopped for lunch and a short walk near the house, and saw a beaver dam across the river, but no-one was home (or at least visible). I drove up the Notch, and passed the famous Mt Washington Hotel (opened in 1902), with Mt Washington behind it. From near here you can catch the cog railway (which took 100 men 3 years to build), which opened in 1869. The rickety trains go up gradients as steep as 38 percent in some places, and since last year the trains are now run on bio fuel, rather than a ton of coal and thousand gallons of water.
I travelled on further north, actually out of the National Forest to Bethlehem, before heading south through the Franconia Notch State Park. There is only 1 road through this bit (over the higher part), I93, and at one point there were cars park on both carriageways, pulling in to see what was going on i saw the rear end of a moose going into the forest, apparently he had been out for a while crossing the road (darn it, i had missed it all).
I then went to Flume Gorge, which is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mt Liberty. The walls of Conway granite rise perpendicularly to a height of 70-90 feet, a boardwalk takes you along the gorge. The Flume was discovered in 1808 by a 93 old lady whilst she was out fishing. In 1883 a heavy rainstorm, started a landslide, removing a huge boulder, deepening the gorge and creating the 45 ft waterfall, which creates a roaring sound as the Flume brook enters the gorge. The area has many Glacial boulders, and some weigh over 300 tons.
Leaving the Gorge, i travelled south on highway 3 passing Woodstock (not the famous place of the ‘60’s which is in New York State), looking at various places for somewhere to stop, not finding anyway i liked (or had a vacancy), i headed back east towards Conway, travelling on the Kancamagus Highway, which is a road loved by bikers (esp Harley Davidson bikers), for its bends and hairpin bends. It was a lovely road to drive, but there were clouds in the sky so the mountain tops were covered. I found a great place to stop just north of North Conway.
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