So...it's cold out here. Predicted low of 45 tonight. And the only place to get internet is outside, so this could be a short update. Or it'll be my usual long update and I'll have very cold fingers at the end of it.
The "out here" that I speak of is Freeport, Maine. Mostly my goal for today was to get some miles out of the way on my way to Acadia National Park. I didn't make it too far though, because I kept getting distracted by scenic ocean-view roads and that kind of thing. I read about a little beachfront town called Ogunquit in one of my books. The book made it sound like a little secret spot (yes I realize it's not that secret if it's published in a book), and I figured maybe by this time of year I could get some not so crowded beach time. Ha. That town was packed! When I first got in to town there was a parking lot with $5 parking. In hindsight I should've just parked there and biked in, but I wanted to look around a bit first. I also saw some restaurants and such where I could've parked for free, but I didn't think of that at the time. The town was beautiful, as was the beach, but the parking just kept getting more and more expensive. I finally went to what I thought was the far edge of town and there it cost $15 to park! Just didn't seem worth it to spend that much for a quick walk on the beach. The other issue was that the "beach side foot trail" where I'd wanted to go run after reading about it turned out to be basically a crowded sidewalk through town. So reluctantly I skipped the run and kept going. I considered going back to the cheap parking but while I'm fine with making random stop offs...I hate to backtrack when I'm trying to make distance.
I realized though that after all that winding through town that I really did need to stop and run around or do something to wake myself up. So instead of going running I stopped to get ice cream. I really need to get better about not letting myself get fat on this trip, but I met a very nice man named Bob and got to sample some really crazy homemade ice cream flavors. Good times. I then continued up the little windy beach road (which unlike highway 1 of the west coast had very few beach sightings due to all the tall trees) through towns like Kennebunkport where apparently lots of rich important people go on vacation. It was another cute, crowded beach town so I kept going.
I finally made it to Freeport, which was my pseudo-destination for the day. I hadn't decided for sure if I'd want to stay here, but I wanted to stop and check out the LL Bean flagship store. Huge doesn't even begin to describe that store. It's like it's own small village with 5 seperate stores: the main one; hunting and fishing; bike, ski, and paddle; home; and the outlet. Though with all of those stores I couldn't find a single pair of fleece pants or any sort of warm, cozy pants for these cold nights. The guy kept trying to sell me hiking pants. So I still like REI better. They would've had warm pants! lol
Anyway, I discovered while I was there that LL Bean has $15 introductory sea kayaking classes every weekend. Sea kayaking is never something I would've sought out myself, but it's here, it's cheap, and something that I definitely can't do in MT! (or CO, or UT, or any of those landlocked places where I like to live). Sooooo....I'm delaying my trip to Acadia by a few days so that I can go sea kayak on saturday morning. I'm getting a little frustrated/guilt tripping myself about the slow pace with which i'm moving on this trip, but then again, i've got nowhere I really need to be! I just don't want to end up getting to the end of this trip and having only seen a very small area. At the same time, things like random sea kayaking jaunts are the whole reason i'm taking this trip...to explore and see/try new things. So sea kayaking I go! I've got a nice camp site here for 2 nights on an actual functional farm that also does all sorts of sustainable agriculture and environmental education. My site is labeled as "waterfront", but it's not exactly sandy beach side like i'd hoped for. I'm on the side of a big cliff with tons of trees, but if I peek through at just the right angle I can see some water. It was enough of a view to make for a very nice sunset though. Just no wave sounds and no place to swim. But really, it's far to cold to be getting wet anyway!
So tomorrow I'm going to kill time by visiting Bowdoin College...the school that back in highschool I wanted to go to more than anything but rejected me and left me crushed. Looking back, I'm so so glad I didn't get in because I really can't imagine my life without DU. I took so many great classes, met so many amazing people, and just had such a great experience. It's strange to think of what my life would've been like living out in Maine. I'm now curious to see what the school looks like to me as a college graduate, rather than starry eyed high school student.
After that I'll probably wander around Freeport for a bit, and maybe, just maybe, I'll attempt to use my camp stove to make dinner. Maybe.
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So I keep commenting out loud to the cat as I read your blog entries, but by the time I get around to actually commenting, I've forgotten what I was going to say!
ReplyDeleteI get angry about parking fees, too. Seems to me that if you want people to visit your municipality, event, whatever, make it easy for them to see it. Don't charge an arm and a leg. And, uh, if they charge that much for parking, do they really think you'll want to buy anything once you're there? Oh, but wait, that's just my irrational perfect world view perspective talking again...
Kayaking sounds fun. I've never tried it, but always thought I'd like it. Found out last time I went canoeing that I'm not so bad at paddling, if I'm paired with the right person (who, at the time, was my nephew's very small 14 year old friend). So, I'm sure I could hold my own in a kayak, seeing as nobody else would be depending (or dependent) on me. You'll have to give lots of details about your experiences with that!
Did you cook dinner or did you go out? Hamburger helper tastes really good when you're camping, btw. And 45 degrees? That's the weather we had last week. It's warmer here now. I won't upset you with the particulars.