huismanfoto "Indian Summer''

In a book about Maine I read, that Maine is "a love affair between earth and water". And everyone, who has been here can say amen! Maine, the most northeastern State of the USA, has more than 2.000 lakes, 5.000 rivers and a rugged coastline of about 5.500 Km. And in the fall there is an additional 'love affaire', the very beautiful 'Indian Summer', the impressive feast of the colours of the trees. About 90 % of Maine consists of woods, though not longer the origional real native forests  They were cut down for the paperindustry and shipbuilding till the end of the 19th century.  Well, I will not give you a comprihensive story about Maine, but hope to show you with pictures, how beautiful and lovely it is.If you want to see it with your own eyes, you should come to Maine in the first 3 weeks of October. Then you can follow the course of the 'Indian Summer' from north to south.

       The best thing to do, is flying  to Boston and renting a car, unless you want to explore Maine in a RV camper. We arrived in warm Boston on September 27 and stayed the night in a hotel close to the airport. Next rainy morning we drove to friends in Harpswell. Beautiful view here over the bay and islands. I could live here, when the winters would not be so cold and long.
29 September on route 1 to the north, visited pretty Camden, and drove further to the splendid  'Acadia National Park' the Mount Desert Island. Some miles before Bar Harbor we stayed 2 nights in a motel. Recommendable!! Here it is very beautiful, splendid, marvellous etc. The second most frequently visited park of the USA!  Well, this might be true, but now in fall,  that we are here, actually quite quiet! From the highest point, the 'Cadillac Mountain', 1350 ft., you have a marvellous view of 360 grades over the whole surroundings of the park and Bar Harbor. Breathtaking!  We also did 'whale-watching' and saw indeed a number of small and bigger whales. You must have done this at least once in a lifetime. We drove along the shore, walked on the cliffs and along some lakes etc.I even saw a snake swallowing a frog. See picture!  Nature started to change its colours, especcially the native maples.
        Bar Harbor is a nice town, also for those who can spend a bit more.From here you can do whale watching trips or enjoy sunset from a boat and do some shopping. On the day before we were here, the 'Queen Elisabeth II' was here, so the town was chocked full with passengers. In 1947 there has been an enormous forest fire, which layed in ashes the woods and parts of the town, which you  can still see in the mountains.
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        Especially the coastline of this  'Acadia National Park' is very beautiful and diversified. Kliffs, a for here unique sand beach, the 'Thunder Hole', that produces a rumbling boom when the surf crashes through it, etc. There even is an azaleapark, the 'Asticoupark'.
We did by far not see  everything, we should have stayed at least a whole week for it. Very recommendable!!
        From Bar Harbor you can sail with a superfast catamaran-ferry, the 'Catferry' in 3 hours to Yarmouth on Nova Scotia, Canada. We planned to visit friends in Antigonish, about 5 hours drive on the eastern part of the maine island. Nova Scotia is a peninsula with a very interesting coastline of about 2.500 Km. Certainly the small harbour villages, bayes, peat-moors- and bogs  are very worth seeing. We have been here before in 2000, so we stayed here now only 2 days. On monday October 4 we made a day-trip to the southeastern part of the island, the 'Canso Bay', and here I collected seeds of the so called 'Pitcherplant', a bog plant with rare red-brown flowers. And Cornus canadensis and cranberries etc. Among other plants there are also several kinds of 'Wolfs-claw'. 
          On Tuesday, Oct. 5, we drove to the north, first through the rain, to the Canadian province 'New Brunswick', where we stayed the night in Baie-Saint-Anne, not far from Miramichi. On Wednesday through the inland woods to the Capital Frederickton. And thereupon to Maine again on Oct. 7, across the border, where the customers told us to drive carefully because there were moose on the road. Well, that sounded very exciting, but we did not see any.  May be because of the regularaly  'passrumbling' logging-trucks. We stayed the next 3 nights in an inn north of Millinocket, south of the 'Baxter State Park'. This region is very beautiful - the fall colours start to get their best show!!
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        After a night's rest, that started already at 8, early out of bed and up to the 'Baxter State Park'. Here, early in the morning, it is an oasis of peace and natural beauty. We walk on a trail to the 'Sandy Stream Pond' and see some hugh rocks on the edge of the lake. After a while we share the rocks with more photographers and shoot pictures to one's heart's content of the lake, the other side with colourful wooded mountain slopes en far away the highest mountain, the 'Katahdin', 5,268 ft. about 1.600 m.  
Here it is impressively beautiful, especially when we see some moose at the other side of the lake. It looks as if they wash themselves and have fun playing in the water with their  horns. Unfurtunately the reach of my camera is not further than 200mm, but they are well visible. Then 2  white-tailed deer follow and walk along the bank. Oh, boy, it is such a pleasure to see all this. We all are impressed and quiet, because we don't know what will follow. But alas, after a 'showround' of half an hour, the moose and deer disappear into the woods.We walk around the lake, but don't see  moose or deer anymore.
We drive further through the park, photographing and canoeing on a lake somewhat later in the afternoon. And we enjoy the marvellous colours. What a shame that we don't have these colours in Europe (?) So far, this was our top-day!!
         Saturday, Oct. 9. We will explore the surroundings southwest of the 'Baxter State Park'  On unpaved wide roads, where on workdays 'logging-trucks' are driving. Along lakes, like the  'Upper Jo-Mary Lake' where we see a deserted camping site. It is so wonderful here! And so quiet. And so we continue the road, getting narrower the further we go, and we meet some  'birdwatchers', who are driving in a pick-up through the woods, looking for birds, which we hardly see. It seems, that they have more fun, crossing through the woods and having a nice cold beer! When I suggest, that this is like a boy's dream that comes true, they all confirm!! Oh, yes, when I would live here, I knew what to do too!! We saw no moose, but enjoyed the colourful nature and driving around through 'mother's nature'.

       October 10 - we move on to the city\village Dexter. Very easily, because it is not far driving.The weather is sunny with a strong blue sky. We make stopps in different places, photographing villages like Brownville Junction. Pretty places, white houses and dito churches and houses with 'Halloween-displays'. And the colours at their best.Just click on some pictures below. Did I say too much? I don't think so.......
        October 11. After a delicious night's rest and breakfast in the 'Brewster Inn', we move further to Bethel in the west. On route 2, which is crowded  now and then. Yet, we are quite fast, and in Mexico we take route 17 to the north. Along the Swift River. It is wonderful here! Some cataracts and the winding river invite to take pictures. Many pictures! Good for me, and for every photographer! It is still sunny, but more clouds show up.
Route 17, a very pretty route, which leads us higher and higher till on the left hand we see the large 'Mooselookmeguntic Lake'. What a wonderful view!! Even now, though it is getting more cloudy. With some others I take pictures of the fantastic view on the lake and the island in the middle. Then somebody tells us, that about 4 miles further we have an even more impressive view on the 'Rangeley Lake'. Indeed, I seldom saw a nicer view and scenery of certainly 200 degrees over the lake and far surroundings. What a pitty, that there are many clouds now. We must come back on a sunny day!
We turn to the left and drive on route 26 to the south to Bethel, where we arrive short before sunset. Bethel is an elegant place, with especially in winter many tourists. But now it is rather quiet. 
        Tuesday, Oct. 12 is a real rainy day. So, what to do? We drive towards New Hampshire and take route 113 to the south through the 'White Mountain National Forest'  With sunny weather this must be a wonderful route! We continue to North Fryeburg and Lovell along the  'Kezar Lake'  and via route 5 and 35 back to our hotel in Bethel.
        Wednesday, oct. 13 is a bright day. Now we take route 26 southwards. This route should be wonderful, but not that much, so we turn to the route 17 again, where we were already on Monday. It is a fine 'Sunshine-photo-day'!  I photographed again the 'Rangeley Lake' and we take the route 4 to Rangeley itself and further to the south. Along lakes, through the exuberant colourful nature, and villages, like Madrid, Phillips etc. Here are many places with foreign names: Peru, Sweden, Norway, Paris etc. . In Rumford we find a big  'Wallmart', where we try to consume a far too big portion of food. Nice, but so much....Back in our hotel we find a bouquet for us at the desk. From the people of the  restaurant "Taste of Eden". Thanks, Sonya and Micheal!! Boy...what a long time, married for 32 years.....   
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        Thursday, Oct. 14 - What  a good luck: we have again  very sunny weather. Further to the west it is rainy.  We take route 26 again, but now northwards along the 'Bear River'. After visiting some cataracts we arrive on a parking place in the 'Grafton Notch Park',  from where you can hike on some trails through the mountains, the 'Old Speck Mountains Trails'. Old Speck - they mean hiking to lose weight? We drink somewhat in our car and then a parkranger draws our attention and tells that there are some young moose along the parking place. So, I quickly take my camera and  some pictures.... 
Then further north we turn to the right onto a road without number to Andover. On our way we stop to walk along a creek and up to some cataracts. So beautiful. Even more when we go further to a rather big lake 'Ellis Pond'  It  is breathtaking quiet here. Many people have left for Florida already, leaving their houses. We talk to a lady, who walks with her pretty Siberian Husky. She tells us how cold and windy it can be here in winter, till -30C. Brr, most  of the residents are gone by then. Very lonely and isolated - as in prehistoric times! How interesting and fascinating must it be to live here then for some days or weeks! I take a lot of pictures of the lowstanding sun on the lake, and Reini and I enjoy the serene quietness and the spectacular view!!
          Friday,  Oct. 15. We leave the wonderful Bethel and drive to our friends in Harpswell. It is rainy, and after  making a detour to and through Portland we arrive at the home of Anne and John Perry. She is such a good cook, and he a good narrator. It is a good thing to have fine friends.
          Oct. 16 Saturday. After a delicious breakfast we are going to a restaurant in North Yarmouth, where I will have a slideshow for the regional Rhododendron ARS chapter.  After the official part of the annual meeting we have a nice show with a match who knows most about Rhododendrons etc. Tom York wins the match and receives a White Pullover with the emblem of the American Rhododendron Society. In green 'nickerbocker' trousers and an ARS T-shirt, I try to show and tell about Rhododendron -parks -gardens and -nurseries in western Europe. We have a nice social afternoon and a delicious meal after. Mrs. Anne Perry receives a new award from Holland "the Dutch Delft Blue Rhodo Award", a pendant of the world known Dutch Windmill......Just to get the idea.....
          October 17 is a quiet day with some trips through the surroundings of Harpswell and a visit of the rhododendron-garden of the regional chapter. It is not easy to maintain rhododendrons in the harsh climate here, but most did well.

          October 18 is our last vacation day in Maine. In the morning I pulled in a rowing boat  through the bay and around many islands  near the house of the Perry family. Impressive, the views, the peace and space. Very nice to do!! In the afternoon we visit the nursery of Tom York in Bath. He also has such a hoby that went out of hand.....I know what it is....So, I am not the only one! Tom, thanks for showing us around and the cuttings!!
We also thank the Perry-family for housing us and the great hospitality! And the wonderful food. And that we are welcome another time! So, good-bye.
And good-bye 'Indian Sunner'; we enjoyed you very much!                      to main page travelling                              Album 033 Indian Summer 2004

Tips and information:

Finally I have some recommendations and tips - and the following websites:                    www.mainetourism.com  www.gotravelmaine.com  www.midcoastmaine.com  www.bethelmaine.com  www.westernmaine.org  www.rangeleymaine.com  www.themainehighlands.com  www.katahdinMaine.com  and many more. As you know, from one website you will easily come to another. 
About the Indian Summer itself: www.yankeefoliage.com  or  www.mainefoliage.com  

For accomodation I have 2 recommendations:  www.brewsterinn.com  a fine and comfortable inn and a warm ambience! In Dexter. And say hello from us to  Ivy and Michael Brooks. www.acadia.net/robbins   to get  very payable accomodation (without breakfast) in cabins, clean,  proper for  $ 38 in Sept.\Oct.!! 3 Miles before Bar Harbor on route #3
For further touristic information, the American Automobil Association, the AAA, Tourbooks for every State. Available at every AAA-location. Internet  www.aaa.com  Show your own membership of your automobil association, with on it: "show your card". Everything free, so go for it........
Maps are also available with the AAA, but a very good and detailed atlas for Maine is from Delorme: "The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer". Not for sale in Holland, so buy it in the USA.

And last, but not least the following books\broschures etc.:

In German, in the series 'Reise Know-How':  "Kanadas Osten\USA Nordosten"  very recent June 2004!! More than 700 pages!!  www.reise-know-how.de  or  www.reisebuch.de  
"TourBook" Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont,  www.aaa.com 
in German: "HB Bildatlas Nr. 46 Neuengland\Boston", ISBN 3-616-06446-5  Book\papershops, Germany