Off Season in Maine

Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine

So what do you do in the off-season in Maine?  Well, when the weather is unseasonably mild in November and December, you can take a little walk around one of Maine's icons, Portland Head Light.

The Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine maintains the park for it's residents and visitors alike.  The lighthouse his situated on a piece of land that was once home to Fort Williams, a 90-acre fort that protected Portland Harbor up through World War II.  It still has some of the old batteries that my son liked climbing on and the park itself has a lot of open space for many different outdoor recreational activities.

For a couple bucks per adult and a dollar for children, you can visit the Portland Head Light Museum located in the Keeper's House.  It includes various lighthouse memorabilia including models of the lighthouse throughout the years.   There's also a small gift shop to browse.

My son liked exploring the passageways around one of the batteries.  It is best done with a flashlight, but you can do it without, just watch your footing as there was a small pipe on the floor in one of the passages.

My son investigating one of the passages at Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light Battery with the passage to explore (See photo above).

They started building the lighthouse in 1787, that same year my alma mater, Castleton State College in Vermont, was founded (How's that for an interesting fact?)

There are more than 60 lighthouses that dot the coast of Maine.  These historic structures are an important part of Maine's culture and heritage.  You can tour the grounds at many of them and there are a few in which you can actually spend the night.  A good place to learn more about lighthouses is on the Maine Office of Tourism's web site.

The Top of New England

Atop Mt. Washington, New England's tallest mountain.

On a recent September day, my family spent a night at Attitash Mountain Resort (specifically, Attitash Grand Summit Hotel), just outside the vacation mecca of North Conway, New Hampshire.  It was not our first time staying there and odds are it won't be our last.  They offer reasonable prices, a huge outdoor heated pool that, given the chance, my son would live in, and of course the dueling outdoor spas.  Put these together with a comfortable studio room with full kitchen, full breakfast included and you have a great place for a family escape.

Entrance to the 8 mile long Mt. Washington Auto Road.

About 20 minutes up the road from Attitash is the Mt. Washington Auto Road that opened 150 years ago to horse-drawn carriages transporting rusticators to its summit at 6,288 foot summit.  Now anyone living in New England for any period of time can relate to the familiar site of the "This Car Climbed Mt. Washington" bumper sticker, yet in all my years in the region, I never embarked upon this journey, until now.

Yes, that is snow...and yes it is September.

Although my wife's knuckles were white with anxiety on the trek up, the scenery from above the treeline was beautiful.  We were very fortunate that the weather cooperated, as this mountain's reputation for wild weather is well deserved.  But on this day, it was mostly sunny, the temperature was a cool 34 degrees, and the wind only topped out at about 4 mph.  For Mt. Washington, where the average temperature is about 34 degrees and wind speeds frequently linger around 35 mph, this was a pretty mild day.  This from a mountain where there have been winds so high, they even chained down one of the old buildings at the top to keep it from blowing away.

Note the chains holding down the building.

If you look closely, you see the Mt. Washington Hotel (bottom center) across the street from Bretton Woods Ski Resort

We lingered at the top for quite some time, taking in the views of neighboring mountains such as Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and a view of the Omni Mount Washington Resort, dwarfed next to this majestic mountain.  We also wandered around the Tip Top House, built in 1853, which used to provide lodging for people who braved an overnight at the summit, and a museum with interesting memorabilia.

Tip Top House on Mt. Washington.  Built in 1853.

We opted to take our personal car, but many people chugged to the summit on the Cog Railway, whose bright yellow engine pushed a turquoise passenger car that was packed to the gills with travelers of all ages.

Cog Railway with Wildcat Mountain Ski Resort in the background.

So next time you're looking for something to do on a sunny day in the White Mountain National Forest, consider a drive to the top of Mt. Washington.  Plan on a couple of hours to drive up, linger and drive down, stopping occasionally to keep from overheating your brakes.

Tubing the Kennebec River in Maine

The tubing adventure begins at The Forks, Maine

The Kennebec River is probably best known for its exceptional white water rafting and there are many companies in The Forks, Caratunk and Greenville that offer trips throughout the summer.  I've rafted both the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers and found that both offered some great whitewater adventures, but this time my family opted for the more casual tubing trip.

Our decision was prompted by a tubing trip on the White River in Stockbridge, Vermont last summer.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Vermont River Tubing, but thought we'd like something a bit closer to home.  Thanks to Google, we found Bullfrog Adventures in Caratunk, Maine.  It was only about two hours from our home in the Lewiston/Auburn area, and a very scenic drive.  After all, for part of the trip, you're on the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway (Route 201), which is also the Kennebec Chaudiere Heritage Corridor.

A rest stop overlooking Wyman Lake on the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway

Our Guide for the day was Tammy Toothaker who helps here husband Steve with the tubing trips for Bullfrog Adventures.  When not guiding tubers down the Kennebec River, she's a kindergarten teacher, so she is very experienced in dealing with children and keeping them interested.

The trip began at Bullfrog's headquarters on Route 201 in Caratunk.  They had us sign the standard liability release form and fitted us with PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices) for the 8-mile trip down river.  Steve had taken our reservation a few days before and told us that we could do the trip if we didn't mind tagging along with a group that was having a birthday party for their 9 year old.  That worked out well for us, because our son is going to be nine in about a month, so we were pleased that there would be kids his age of the trip.  Then by sheer coincidence, it turned out that one of the families at the birthday party was a family that lived a half mile away from us for a few years.  Our kids used to play together a lot, but several years ago they moved about two hours away and we hadn't seen them for a couple years.  As our friend said, "It's amazing who you can meet in the woods."

From Bullfrog, it was about an eight mile drive up to the put-in spot at the bridge at The Forks.  Steve Toothaker gave us a few pointers as he shuttled us up river, explaining things like how The Forks got its name, and how the water will rise when the dam is released and he also gave us some pointers about where the fun spots were on the river.

The trip down river took us about 3-1/2 hours.  Normally it's about a two hour trip, but the birthday party stopped for about an hour for lunch, thereby slowing things down a bit.  Since we were "riding the bubble" (meaning, catching the beginning of the water that was released from the dam), the tubes drifted briskly down the river, but it was a very comfortable speed.  There were  three or four rapids that made it extra fun, the challenge was steering yourself into them.  We rented one of Bullfrog's floating coolers for $10 which held our lunch, water and sodas that we brought for the trip.  It was also a dry place to keep our camera.

Relaxing on the Kennebec River somewhere between The Forks and Caratunk, Maine

The weather was perfect with temperatures around 80.  It was mostly sunny, low humidity and a bit of a breeze.  Plus, the water temperature was great.  Much warmer than I anticipated.  The trip itself was $20 each for my wife and I and $15 for our son.  It included the tube and shuttle services to the put-in point and from the take out point.  Since Bullfrog has a few campsites on their property, they also have bathrooms and showers, for those who wish to use them after the trip.

All in all we had a wonderful trip.  My 8 year old enjoyed it, although a 2-hour trip would have been better.  At no time were we ever concerned about safety.  It was just fun all the way down.  Tammy even said she had three 75-year-old grandmothers who did the trip a few weeks ago and they had a nice time, so the trip is great for all ages. 

If you go, be sure to bring sunscreen and drinking water as there is almost no shade along the way.  Also, you must have a good water shoe.  We wore our Keens and that was perfect for the river given the rocky bottom.

Lake St. George State Park

The swimming area at Lake St. George is accessed by stairs down to the water.

 

Today, we spent much of the day at Lake St. George State Park in Liberty, Maine.  It's located about 25 miles East of Augusta, or 16 miles West of Belfast, right on Route 3.  It's a great little park with plenty of grassy areas for laying out your stuff, lots of share for the hot days and a nice roped in swimming area with a sandy bottom, at least until you get out into the water over your head.

We found a nice shady picnic table down by the water and close to the swimming access.  As you may be able to tell from this photo, there isn't a beach per se (unless you count the one-foot-wide stretch of sand between the day use and campground sections of the park. However, there are stairs that lead right down into the water, so there's easy access to swimming.  I'd recommend bringing inflatable floats to add to the family fun.

The water temperature was comfortable, although the breeze today made it a bit chilly when we first got out of the water.  But once we sat in the sun for a couple of minutes, we were comfortable again.  My son spent a lot of time on the playground.  This is a very modern playground with lots of climbing options, slides, a swingset and sand all around.  Although there wasn't a beach, there was enough space to play with beach toys over by the playground without being in anyone's way.

View of the swimming area from atop the playground.

It's a great little family park because everything is very close.  You can sit by the water and be close to the playground and bathhouse, so it's easy to keep track of your kids.  The bathhouse/changing rooms are brand new and have a total of eight individual rooms that are large enough for a small family to change.  Each has hot and cold running water and flush toilets along with a built-in wooden bench where you can sit to change, and wooden pegs above the bench for wet towels or dry clothes.  The building is handicap accessible, making enough space in the room so my wife, son and I were not bumping into one another while changing.  Outside is a faucet for rinsing the sand off your feet.

Eight modern changing/bathrooms that are great for families.

There was plenty of parking and the cost was $4 per adult and $1 for kids 5-12.  Kids under 5 are free.  There seemed to be plenty of room for people, so we never felt crowded in like we have at some parks, and there's table after table beneath the shady trees along the water, each with a charcoal grill.

There's a group area if you want to have a family reunion and there's a horseshoe pit for those who might want to pitch a ringer.  My recommendation...bring a picnic.  Pick a shady spot along the water.  Take a refreshing dip, and relax and enjoy a summer day at Lake St. George State Park.

There ain't gold in them thar hills

Well, we didn't strike it rich last week when we traveled to Coos Canyon in Byron, Maine to pan for gold.  It was our first time out and the guy at the shop where we rented the pans said that there's only about a 10% chance anyone would find gold on their first try.

I guess the gold "bumble bee" shirt I had on didn't bring me any luck, as we didn't even find a sliver of gold.  However, the butterflies were very attracted to my shirt.  I guess they thought I was a flower or something.

Byron, Maine is about 15-20 minutes north of Rumford, Maine on Route 17.  The Swift River runs right along the road and Coos Canyon is a rocky gorge with some waterfalls and nice swimming holes.

If you want to go, you can rent pans at Coos Canyon Rock & Gift directly across the street from Coos Canyon.  The pans were two bucks each to rent and you have to leave a five dollar deposit per pan that you get back if you return the pan.  They give you a brief demonstration of panning techniques and then send you on your way.  You can either continue up Route 17 or drive up a side road that crosses over the canyon.  We chose the latter and found a quiet spot and proceeded to pan.

The river we chose was a cold, rocky river.  Our eight year old son Ashton panned for about five minutes and then entertained himself in the river for awhile.  My wife lasted a little longer that Ashton, but eventually packed it in and picked up a book.  I continued to pan for awhile, wondering if I was even doing it right given that I couldn't even find a spec of gold.  We brought a picnic with us and ate along side the river, so all in all it was a pretty relaxing time.

Afterwards we wandered back down to Coos Canyon and took a dip in the river.  We thought the river was going to be cold, but surprisingly it was very refreshing.  My son had a great time letting the currents move him slowly downstream and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Bethany and Ashton swimming in Coos Canyon

A shot looking south into the Canyon

The rock formations were very cool, having been carved out by the water over many years.

On the way home, we stopped in Mexico...no, not the country, but the town.  We topped off our day with an ice cream from Frosty Delite right on Route 2 in Mexico and a slight detour to Marden's on Route 2 in Rumford.

We seem to spend a lot of time in the Rumford area.  In the winter Ashton and I had season passes to Black Mountain Ski Area.  Ashton was enrolled in group lessons this year, so we were up their almost every Sunday in January and February.  Even though it's been 95 degrees the last couple of days, I thought I'd insert this winter shot.  Maybe it will help you think cool thoughts.

The base of the beginner lift at Black Mountain

Fourth of July in Vermont

Each July Fourth, the city of Montpelier, Vermont, my old home town, hosts a huge parade and fireworks display.  Actually, they usually do it on July 3rd, probably assuming that people will want to stay up late to watch the fireworks because most people don't have to work the next morning.

For the past three or four years, my family has traveled to Montpelier for this wonderful event.  Since my parents still live there, it's usually a good excuse for us to freeload (I mean stay with them) for a day or two.  The parade generally lasts about two hours, starting near the public library and ending down by the high school.  It includes the typical fire trucks, floats, bands and politicians, but it's rather unique in that it also includes many groups of people touting various causes.

One of the groups that participates every year is the Bread & Puppet Theater from Glover, VT.  Here's a video excerpt of them parading down State Street in front of the State Capitol.  I must say that the six foot-something guy in drag and playing the trumpet was very good.  And it amazed me how he could march in high heels and play the trumpet at the same time.

This year we brought my in-laws along for the ride because it had been many years since my parents and my wife's parents have gotten together, so it was a great opportunity for them to catch up.  Plus, my wife's parents hadn't been to Vermont in even more years, so it was a welcome change of scenery for them as well.

Following the parade, we headed for Stowe where we spend three nights in a chalet at the Stowe Motel.  The Stowe Motel/Snowdrift is a 16-acre property that is great for families.  It has two outdoor pools, loaner mountain bikes that may be used on the famous Stowe Rec Path and it sits along the West Branch River.

Striking a pose along the Stowe Rec Path with Mt. Mansfield in the background

The Stowe Rec Path is about 5.5 miles long.  It begins behind the quintessential white-steepled church in the center of Stowe village and meanders along the West Branch River ending by the Topnotch Resort & Spa.  We found it great for my son because he's just learning to control his bike a bit better, and on the Rec Path we didn't have to worry about cars zipping past us.

The nice thing about the West Branch River is that there are a number of places to stop and dip your feet in the water.  One such places was directly behind the Stowe Motel and our son had a great time playing in the cold mountain fed water.

My son playing in Stowe's West Branch River

My son spent nearly as much time playing in the river as he did playing in the pool.  As a matter of fact, the river water was so cold that it made the pool feel that much warmer.

And who could go to the Stowe area without visiting the Ben & Jerry's Factory?  In addition to sampling their ice cream, we like to visit their Flavor Graveyard and pay our respects to the flavors that didn't quite cut it with the general public.  It sits up on a hillside behind the factory, and in close proximity to the playground.

The Waterbury area (where Ben & Jerry's is located) has become quite a mecca for Vermont products.  A couple miles down the road from B&J's is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.  As you drive along Interstate 89 past Waterbury, roll down your window for a whiff of the coffee being made there, or better yet, stop by their visitor center in the restored 1875 train station in downtown Waterbury to learn all about the company.

Up the road a piece, is the Cabot Annex store where you can get Cabot's award-winning cheese (about the only cheese my family will eat) and other great Vermont products.  Nearby is the Ziemke Glassblowing Studio and around the corner from Cold Hollow Cider Mill.  Cold Hollow is great to visit anytime, but personally I like going in the fall when they're pressing fresh apple cider.

Our little smiling apple at Cold Hollow Cider Mill

  All in all we had a great trip to Stowe.  The two bedroom, two bath chalet with kitchen and living room was the perfect amount of space for my family and my wife's parents.  We watched the Stowe fireworks from across the street on July 4th and started thinking about when we can visit the Stowe Motel again in the future.

Onward to Burlington, Vermont

After the excitement of the Snowflake Bentley Museum, we continued our journey to Burlington and the surrounding communities.  We checked into the Quality Inn on Shelburne Road in Shelburne (or South Burlington - I'm not sure how close we were to the town line).  The room was big and so was the indoor pool.  My son is always excited to swim in indoor pools even when the temperatures aren't as comfortable as my wife and I would like.  While we were in the pool about 4 or 5 kids stared playing "Marco Polo."  I'm not sure who invented this game, but I can tell you that is wasn't an adult.  One kid closes his eyes and yells "Marco" while all the rest yell "Polo" and try to elude the one with closed eyes.  This is one of the loudest and spalshiest games one could play in a pool.  And when you're in the pool trying to have some quiet family time it seems like it was easier for Marco Polo to find China then for the kid in the pool to find the others; and I'm sure traveling through Asia in the late twelve hundreds was much quieter than the echoy pool room.

The next morning we headed for The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory for the tour.  The factory wasn't running, but the tour was still interesting.  A stop in the gift show afterwards netted my son a black and white bear that looked like a cow.  As with all of their bears, he was packed in a box with air holes and given a piece of chocolate so he wouldn't go hungry.  They also told us to work the arms, legs and head to keep him loose and that we should do that everyday.

We left the factory and my son took their advice, spinning the arms, legs and head as suggested.  About a half hour after leaving the factory, we were eating lunch in our hotel room, making plans to head up to the Maple Festival  parade in St. Albans when the tragedy occurred...the bear's head popped off as we spun it.  As you might imagine, our plans to attend the Maple Festival parade suddenly became a low priority as my son insisted on going immediately back to the factory for a replacement bear.  At the factory they were pretty surprised that the head had popped off, as was I.  After all, I just laid out nearly 65 bucks for the bear and wasn't expecting a headless horseman themed bear at that price.  The customer service reps were very nice and replaced the bear at no charge.  My wife even convinced them to give us another piece of chocolate for the "pain and suffering" we'd experienced and they obliged.

That afternoon, we headed out to Shelburne Farms which is a beautiful estate on the shores of Lake Champlain.  Around the turn of the Century (1900), Shelburne Farms was a 3,500-acre agricultural estate owned by Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb.  The estate includes an huge barn which is bigger than many hotels I've stayed in and a beautiful mansion overlooking the lake.  Today it has about 1,400 acres and is run as a non-profit organization.  In the barn they house animals, make cheese and there's a bakery.  When paying admission to get in, be sure to try the free samples of the cheese.  If you like cheddar, you won't be disappointed.

And of course the friendly neighborhood farm animals are as curious about us as we are of them.

One final note, if you have the opportunity to visit Shelburne Farms when the Vermont Symphony is playing, I'd highly recommend it.  Be sure to bring your picnic basket, wine, maybe crackers and Shelburne Farms cheese and a blanket or chairs.  The setting is stunning.  The Vermont Symphony is wonderful and it could well be the highlight of your day.

Another stop that day was the Burton Factory Store on Industrial Parkway in Burlington.  Outdoor winter sports enthusiasts will enjoy the selection of snowboarding and skiing apparel, and might find the old snowboards hanging on the walls interesting.  

We also stopped by the Church Street Marketplace including the Frog Hollow store and Sweet Thing, a penny candy store (or perhaps more like a quarter candy store these days) where we filled up on the stuff that should keep our dentist in business for awhile.

Spring Vermont Trip - Wolcott to Jericho

On a recent trip to Vermont, we strayed from our usual route to explore some places a little more off the beaten path.  It was one of those chilly spring days when the clouds held fast and there was a constant threat of rain that eventually let loose as we got close to our destination.

Our first stop was the Fisher Bridge in Wolcott.  When it was built in 1908 it included a unique full-length cupola to keep the engine's smoke from depositing a layer of soot on its passengers as the smoke was able to escape through the cupola.  The bridge spanned the Lamoille River and if it were a few degrees warmer, it would have made for a pleasant picnic spot and a place for the weary traveler to stretch his legs as there was a covered picnic table and a nice flat area to run.

Fisher Covered Railroad Bridge, Wolcott, Vermont

The next stop was the village of Johnson, a small college town of about of about 3,200.  You may have not heard of Johnson, but if you know where Stowe is, keep heading about 20 miles north and you'll get to the village which is home to Johnson Woolen Mills and the Butternut Mountain Farm store, among other interesting stores.

The Woolen Mill was originally built in 1842 and it was the place where the local farmers brought their wool to be woven into cloth.  The store offers up fine quality wool clothing not only from Johnson Woolen Mills, but from the younger Pendleton Wool Company which started producing products in 1909 in Oregon, and the slightly older Woolrich which opened its doors in Plum Run, Pennsylvania around 1830.  If you go to the store, remember the fine quality clothing has a fine quality price, so for about $350 you could have a wool-lined flannel shirt and a Worsted Wool pair of pants.

Next door the Butternut Mountain Farm store is a worthwhile stop for Vermont-specialty food products.  Upon entering the store, I was struck by the floor-to-ceiling wall of maple syrup.  As a native Vermonter, just the site of these "liquid gold" containers makes my mouth water.  I can't think of any better way to top off my pancakes, waffles or French toast as part of a hearty breakfast.  They say it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup, so I figure about 10 gallons of water was boiled off to make the quart of Grade A Medium Amber syrup we bought for $19.50. What always amazed me is how something so tasty comes from the innards of a tree.

With our maple syrup, maple candy and a couple of Champlain Chocolates to top it off, we began heading out of town until seeing Buggyman Antiques where we browsed around and chatted with the proprietors.  These guys have been pulling stuff out of old farmhouses and barns for years and have a great collection of antique country furniture.

Jericho Historical Society/Snowflake Bentley Exhibit, Jericho, Vermont

A few miles east of our ultimate destination of Burlington, we stopped in the Jericho Historical Society to see the Snowflake Bentley Museum.  Despite my wife's skepticism,  we pulled in to see what this place was all about.  As a young Vermonter, I grew up hearing about the man who photographed snowflakes and determined that no two are alike; a claim my 8-year-old dismisses because he insists that just this past winter he saw two that looked alike.  Vermonters knowing about Snowflake Bentley is not unlike Mainers knowing about Chester Greenwood (the Farmington man who invented ear muffs).  It might win you a trivia contest, but doesn't have much practical use.  With that said, here's the 10 second sound bite for the man and museum.

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley was born in 1865 and photographed his first snow crystal 20 years later.  He's said to have photographed 5,000 snowflakes by hooking up a microscope to a camera and keeping the flakes on a cold surface so they wouldn't melt.  The museum is located in two small rooms at the back of the Old Red Mill that once housed a grist mill.  You can watch a video about Mr. Bentley and view his photographic equipment and snowflake photos.  In the front of the mill is a gift shop with many snowflake themed gifts, like the Christmas ornament we purchased, and other items, including a catnip lizard we bought for our feline friend at home.  Snowflake Bentley died in 1931.  And if you wonder what possesses a man to photograph snowflakes, perhaps one theory is that since the first ski lift wasn't built in Vermont until 1934, he needed something to keep him busy during the long winter months.

April Traveling in New England

In a recent trip from Maine to Vermont, we discovered something...when traveling through Northern New England in April, it's hit or miss as to whether the OPEN sign is illuminated or the windows are temporarily shuttered.  We tried stopping at two restaurants in New Hampshire for lunch, both of which were closed.  A gift shop in Vermont was closed and a factory tour in Vermont was not running a full schedule of tours because it was "vacation week" for the schools.  Frankly, that seemed a little odd to me.  One would think that there would be more people around during a holiday, but then it struck me; many people needed a break after a long New England winter and they most likely went someplace warm.  So the bottom line is that we will just pack a picnic lunch next time we travel in northern New England in April. 

Family Wanderings

When I was a kid my family spent a great deal of time traveling the back roads of Vermont.  The Sunday drives brought me, my parents and two brothers to secluded lakes and ponds dotted with rustic cottages and general stores with a jingle of the door-top bell and creak of the old wooden floors, to many spectacular spots with sweeping Green Mountains vistas.

It was the late 60s and early 70s when there were no GPS devices to guide our travels.  We had a full tank of gas, our trusty Vermont State Map - which showed most of the roads - my father's 35mm camera, and a well-honed sense of direction.  At scenic locations along the way the family would file out of the car and patiently (most of the time) pose for the photos that now grace the dusty old family photo albums.  This instilled a somewhat inherent sense to study maps and simply see where the road will lead.

My family in the "People Pen" at Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont

Today, my 8-year-old son and wife humor me most of the time when I want to check out something that may be a little off the beaten path.  We've been to historic sites, parks, attractions and practically every kid's museum in New England.  We're always on the lookout for interesting places to explore, and as we do, we'll be posting them within these pages.  If nothing else, it will be a personal travelogue of activities and adventures.