"To journey without being changed is to be a nomad.
To change without journeying is to be a chameleon.
To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim."
----Mark Nepo, The Exquisite Risk
We find we are all three at various times on our trips but we do stay in touch with pleasure and fun, with the passionate engagement that we all manage, as children. Seeing this beautiful country in bits of a few weeks at a time gives us such appreciation for what we truly have as Americans. We are truly blessed to have the opportunities to revel in God's natural beauty and man's efforts to create beauty in various forms whether in homes, buildings, sailing ships, works or parks.
Its Friday morning and the sun on the calm water in front of the Silver Lady is glistening as it reflects off of each tiny wave. We are safely in Bar Harbor. More correctly, we are on Mt. Desert Island staying at a KOA. The town of Bar Harbor is about a 20 minute drive down the coast of this island.
Wednesday morning, we headed south for Rhode Island in search of the trailer for the Chrysler. The tow dolly was still not fixed and we decided to head north anyway. I took the wrong exit off of US 1 and it took more than an hour to go about 18 miles. Once we found where we were to go, the people at the U-Haul store were great. We loaded up the trailer onto to the Silver Lady and then the Chrysler onto the trailer and headed north about 2 hours later than we had hoped for the 6 hour trip to Bar Harbor.
It rained a good deal of the trip. Just south of Bangor, ME, I started having a problem with the air system on the Silver Lady. I called Billy, my mechanic, for advice several times and finally just east of Bangor, we pulled off the road. We were able to find roadside service. A young man, Nick, came out. He first tried to fix the obvious issue and then found that we had a leak in the valve that dumps excess air pressure. He fashioned a bypass to that valve that he said would service us for the rest of our trip. About 2 hours later, we were back on the road. We now have a noise when the engine is idling, a vibration of some sort, but everything with the air system seems to be working. Since the Silver Lady has air brakes, this service was critical to our trip.
We arrived at the Bar Harbor KOA, just at dusk and found our site. Its right on the edge of the water of Western Bay of Mount Desert Island and I parked facing the water so we had to run the electric and water lines under the coach to hook them up to the campsite. We have no sewer at this site, first time we have ever dealt with that. Our bed was very welcome this evening as we were both exhausted from the trip and the events of the day. We had also heard that the water heater at the office had burst and there was a mess at the office. (What is it with water heaters this year?!!) I'm glad I am here. I have enough on my hands and others will need to solve the office issue.
Yesterday morning started slowly. We walked up to the office to check in and purchased tickets for Oli's Trolley for a 2 1/2 hour tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. With some difficulty, we were able to get the Chrysler off the trailer and I solved a water leak problem on the water hose which connects to the Silver Lady. After that we prepared for our trip to Bar Harbor. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant right on the harbor in the heart of town. Sue had her first lobster roll , I had an oyster sandwich and we both had New England Clam Chowder. We enjoyed the meal on a deck over the water as we watched whale watching boats coming in to dock to unload and reload passengers. The setting was gorgeous!
Heading over to Oli's Trolley, we were part of a group of 22 people for this tour. Our Guide was most interesting. He took us around Bar Harbor, told us much of its history and then headed for Acadia National Park. We made several stops in the pristine National Park the most memorable of which was at Cadillac Mountain. We have been having problems with Sue's new camera so pictures are few and far between. We were able to take a number of pictures with Sue's cell phone so we now need to download those. The trip was full of information and we must pay attention to what we remember because what we choose to remember is a great clue to what is important to us, where our passions lie. Sometimes we don't so much discover ourselves in the journey as we uncover ourselves.
Wednesday morning, we headed south for Rhode Island in search of the trailer for the Chrysler. The tow dolly was still not fixed and we decided to head north anyway. I took the wrong exit off of US 1 and it took more than an hour to go about 18 miles. Once we found where we were to go, the people at the U-Haul store were great. We loaded up the trailer onto to the Silver Lady and then the Chrysler onto the trailer and headed north about 2 hours later than we had hoped for the 6 hour trip to Bar Harbor.
It rained a good deal of the trip. Just south of Bangor, ME, I started having a problem with the air system on the Silver Lady. I called Billy, my mechanic, for advice several times and finally just east of Bangor, we pulled off the road. We were able to find roadside service. A young man, Nick, came out. He first tried to fix the obvious issue and then found that we had a leak in the valve that dumps excess air pressure. He fashioned a bypass to that valve that he said would service us for the rest of our trip. About 2 hours later, we were back on the road. We now have a noise when the engine is idling, a vibration of some sort, but everything with the air system seems to be working. Since the Silver Lady has air brakes, this service was critical to our trip.
We arrived at the Bar Harbor KOA, just at dusk and found our site. Its right on the edge of the water of Western Bay of Mount Desert Island and I parked facing the water so we had to run the electric and water lines under the coach to hook them up to the campsite. We have no sewer at this site, first time we have ever dealt with that. Our bed was very welcome this evening as we were both exhausted from the trip and the events of the day. We had also heard that the water heater at the office had burst and there was a mess at the office. (What is it with water heaters this year?!!) I'm glad I am here. I have enough on my hands and others will need to solve the office issue.
Yesterday morning started slowly. We walked up to the office to check in and purchased tickets for Oli's Trolley for a 2 1/2 hour tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. With some difficulty, we were able to get the Chrysler off the trailer and I solved a water leak problem on the water hose which connects to the Silver Lady. After that we prepared for our trip to Bar Harbor. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant right on the harbor in the heart of town. Sue had her first lobster roll , I had an oyster sandwich and we both had New England Clam Chowder. We enjoyed the meal on a deck over the water as we watched whale watching boats coming in to dock to unload and reload passengers. The setting was gorgeous!
Heading over to Oli's Trolley, we were part of a group of 22 people for this tour. Our Guide was most interesting. He took us around Bar Harbor, told us much of its history and then headed for Acadia National Park. We made several stops in the pristine National Park the most memorable of which was at Cadillac Mountain. We have been having problems with Sue's new camera so pictures are few and far between. We were able to take a number of pictures with Sue's cell phone so we now need to download those. The trip was full of information and we must pay attention to what we remember because what we choose to remember is a great clue to what is important to us, where our passions lie. Sometimes we don't so much discover ourselves in the journey as we uncover ourselves.
Bar Harbor was populated with the "rich and the famous" in the early 20th century but few remnants of those mansions still exist. The fire of 1947 burned about 70% of those homes. The village has rebuilt into a charming tourist mecca to make the most of the water sports, scenic attractions, and outdoor adventures. There is a college here that teaches only one course but has 43 faculty members. The course is in environmental ecology and costs about $40,000. Maine takes its enviroment seriously. Cadillac Mountain is the highest, most eastern point on the US coastline and we plan to observe the sunrise at 4:50 am on Saturday morning. (Sue insists on seeing memorable sunrises everywhere we visit.) We will see it before anyone else in the country. It is reputed to be a "not-to-be-missed" experience. Jackson Laboratories is on the island. This lab produces genetically altered mice for use in medical tests and trials. The tour guide stated that they have found a cure for cancer--in mice---now they are working on locating the gene that corresponds to humans. We have something new to add to our prayer list. Acadia National Park is on land that was donated by philanthropists,the then president of Harvard and a Mr. Door, who wanted to preserve the green mountain for posterity.
Afterwards we walked around Bar Harbor for several hours heading in and out of various shops, including a Tea Shop where Sue purchased some Blueberry Tea. The shop's top seller, for obvious reasons of Maine and its renown for blueberry production.
Returning to the Silver Lady, we took a break before heading out for a grocery store and some needed items. We returned just in time to see the last of a beautiful sunset over the water. We have been told that the last week has been very wet with lots of rain, clouds and fog. Apparently yesterday was the first really nice day. It was sunny, warm with lots of blue sky and a few puffy white clouds. We crashed into bed last evening at about 11:00 after turning on the heat in the unit. The clear day was followed by a cool night.
Today, we plan to do a driving trip all around the island, stop at Jordan Pond and find lobster for dinner.
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