A MAINE Event!

Bah Humbug?

Hubba Bubba?

Bananarama?

BahamaMama?

Ah... BAR HARBOUR!!!

On Thursday we saw a break in the weather and bolted across the New Hampshire border into Maine, headed for the south coast town of Bar Harbour and the Acadia National Park. This was my first view of Maine on the ocean...Thunderstorms had disappeared, the sun was shining, lobster was beckoning, and Mac was happy to take me on his bike over to the best place in America to get them. Most of you know I've had an addiction to crayfish for as long as I can remember, and whose crabsters and lobbies are the best in the world has been a lively debate across one particular forum some of you are familiar with logging into and taking part in. Well, 'Well Enuf', it wasn't as big as the one you waved at me (said the actress to the bishop!) but the one I got was pretty damn nice, and here's the evidence. I bought one for Mac and almost didn't let him have it, figuring he'd prefer his cheeseburger, but then I couldn't stand those sad puppy eyes and handed it over. Delish and worth riding all the way to Maine for. I do have to say that it wasn't quite the same as being handed one straight from the barnacled paw of a certain scuba-man (Hello Kerry!!!) but I warn't complainin'. YUUURRRMMMM.........

The before picture...

The carnage after the event...

Yes indeed, folks, there wasn't a tweezer-grabb-able shred of flesh left on this poor sucker by the time I'd finished with him (and I don't mean Mac). We got these at a place called Beale's, a lobster shack on a pier in South West Harbour on Mt Desert Island on the south coast of Maine...

You go into this place that is really nothing fancy at all and you choose a live lobbie out of a tank which they then chuck into a pot for you. After fifteen minutes they call you up to go get the poor thing, and they give it to you wrapped in paper with a pot of melted butter for dipping. I felt bad about seeing the poor old thing still waving his claws at me before being flung into the pot. But I think he would be happy knowing how much happiness he brought me. I keep on telling myself that anyway!!!!!

By the way, that thing on my head? Its a bandana. They are great for keeping your hair from rubbing into the underside lining of your helmet, and helping to minimise that whole clean hair/perspiration/greasy hair/greasy helmet lining/dandruff vicious cycle thing, but since there are no helmet laws in Maine OR in New Hampshire, and wearing them is optional, some people elect not to. Especially in hot weather. In lieu of a helmet, this "do-rag" as they're called here was a vain attempt to keep my hair from tangling into an irrecoverable birds nest, and I must say, that even in spite of 30 years of habit and safety consciousness tapping me on the shoulder all the time, it WAS kinda nice to ride with that whole freedom-wind-in-the-face feeling.

We stayed in an extremely cute little cottage in a motel complex just outside of Acadia National Park.

Apparently there used to be a whole bunch of these delightful holiday places all over the country, particularly in this area, offering these free-standing cottage units as their accommodation. Sadly, these charming, historic little structures are becoming a thing of the past, as they give way to the multi-roomed slab-like structures being favoured by motelliers keen to jam as many people onto their properties as humanly possible. The only downside of this cute place was a lack of security for Mac's bike, which we couldn't park out of sight of the road, so we covered it with clothing and hid it as best we could behind the trellis at the side of the cottage, and all was well.

We got back home Friday night and by the time we did, my hair was in an affro of frizz, and my nose was so sunburnt it glowed in the dark (no neeed for headlights!) but it was a really happy couple of days. Acadia National Park is stunning, and beautiful, and on Mac's insistence I stuck my hand in the Atlantic Ocean and tasted the sea, at Sand Beach in the Park, promising to do the same at the West Coast in the Pacific.

I still don't know if I'll get there, at this rate, but I'm hoping it will still be possible. The Coast of Maine is so tortuous that its impossible to ride around it, and many roads are inland with glimpses of the coastline, but every view is stunning. It was a really great couple of days. Thanks to Mac, for a fab experience, and even bigger thanks to Gwyn for loaning him out (I did respect him in the morning, honest!!!)