An Arcadia Sunrise

I finally managed to get up in time for sunrise, in fact I woke up before my alarm. Stars were still out, but I knew I had to drive and then walk before sunrise.

I wasn’t really awake as I kept finding myself just standing there staring into space.  So I took a little longer to get ready that I had planned.

I climbed into my car,  wound down the windows so I can see and drove down the main street. I hadn’t been able to find the map the barman drew for me of the secret carpark but I was pretty sure I could remember the directions.

Driving out of town, into Acadia National Park, I had someone sitting on my tail.  I wasn’t sure of the speed limit and it felt like they were pushing me.   They must have been running late for the sunrise too.

Next thing I know there is a deer in my headlights just standing there in the middle of the road. I slam on the brakes and swerve to the edge of the road. It stands there stunned looking at me for a second or two and then runs luckily in the other direction to me as I go past it.  Im still not sure if I dreamed it or not. I really wanted to see one, but one with enough time to get my camera out not to just miss him with a car. 

Obviously the fellow behind wasn’t as close as I thought.  He dropped off a little after that too.  Then he disappeared at about the same time I realised I had missed my turn.  Pretty sure he was heading where I needed to be.  After I turn onto this road I realised I had forgotten all about high beam. That might have saved me the incident with the deer. Its been so long since ive driven in the dark.

I see a carpark off to the side, just as the road tells me no unauthorised cars past this point.  Good thing about being late for sunrise is its starting to get a little light. As I have no idea where my torch is. I can just see the wooden sign posts but not that it really helps as this one is telling me that Great Head is both ways. I take the one that is heading towards where im pretty sure the sea is and stumble along.  

I come out onto a beach, sky is starting to turn orange and its really peaceful here. I think about staying but I decide the point I can see from here would be much better. I start to really hurry, which is hard with rocks in the path and a shoe lace undone. As im stumbling along its as though someone just turned on the lights.  Im almost trying to run here and then im out on the headland. Its perfect a 180 degree view of the sunrise. A cruise ship coming in and Lobster Boats heading out. As with all places in America, I cant say its peaceful as those lobster boats are noisy little things.

I sit down and watch. It wasn’t spectacular but there is always something about watching a sunrise and even better there was no one else there. No idea where the fellow from the road ended up as his or a car was in the car park.  This place was a hint given to me by my Kayak  Guide yesterday. Everyone heads up Cadillac Mountain for sunrise but if I didn’t want to be surrounded by little children crying and many people this was the place to be.

I had plenty of time before the sun rose, didn’t need to try and break my neck. After the sun had risen, the owners of the car appeared, seemed they had headed to a beach on the other side. They were very jealous of my spot.

I wander along the path towards the Great Ocean Walk. I path that I walked a little of yesterday which is packed with people during the day, Im hoping ot get to the end and back before everyone arrives.  Are you sensing a theme here?  I dislike people, which is hard with all the cruise ships coming into town this week.

Well apart from a few runners and one or two other early risers at the must see beach there is no one its amazing. I take just as long as I did yesterday to do the stretch between Sandy Beach and Thunder Head as im retaking all my shots without people in them.

Sandy Beach - Acadia National Park - Maine USA

Sandy Beach - Acadia National Park - Maine USA

Acadia National Park - Maine USA

Then I spot some Cormorants on the rock, drying themselves in the sun. I figure if I wait long enough they will hold their wings out to dry.  So I climb down a little bit closer and sit to wait.

After a while I get the courage up to get closer, and then closer. Me who is scared of falling, give me a camera and im fearless. I was clambering down rocks knowing I was going to take a while to work out how to get back up and then its on the flat rocks I slip. Somehow saved my camera and wrist from damage, but not my jeans.

This only scares off one bird and not the one that has been watching me the whole time.  After stalking them for at least 20 min I finally scare him enough that he moves a further away and at no point has he trusted me enough to dry his wings. Time to get moving I haven’t even reached anywhere I haven’t seen yet. But I don’t mind, im pretty sure I got the shot of the day and I loved every minute of it.

I continued on a little way, thinking of the fact I still had to walk all the way back and I was starving hungry. Was just about to turn back when I saw a Cormorant, in the distance, im sure it was the same one, drying its wings. I told it to stay and raced around the cove to the headland. It was still drying its wings I took a few snaps then decided to try and get closer.  He wasn’t keen on this at all and a stand off ensured.

I finally gave up and wandered back to the car. On the way I met a few red squirrels.  Yesterday my Guide had said the noise I thought was a cricket was a chipmunk turns out he was wrong and its red squirrels and they are vicious little things.  He was throwing acorns out of the tree and making a real racket. He must have thought I was going to steal them cause he came running down the tree chattering at me and started to come towards me. You should have seen me telling him to stay back probably exactly what he was saying to me! I was convinced he was going to come running at me and bite my ankles or climb up my legs.  I backed off pretty quickly but not before I got a few good shots in. He ran circles around me to make sure I left.

The next one I ran into I liked much more it was too interested in eating its acorn to worry about me.

I returned home for a much earned Lobster Benedict. I felt after being up for 5 hours I was allowed this treat.

Here i go.. on my own again...

And yes that title was meant to remind you of the song by white snake it was the one i had going through my head when i drove off on my own.....

So today I started the part of the trip where I drive around by myself. Its 8.30pm and im in bed already, not because im bored but because I am sooo tired, and also because this town stops at 7pm!

Last night I stayed in a hostel, it must have looked very funny I walked out of the marriot and down the street into the boston hostel.  I spent the whole evening trying to work out where I was going, not for the whole trip but just for today! I was trying to find some accommodation not wanting to leave it to chance, I could hear mum and dad saying make sure you have accommodation organised so you;ll be safe. Well I didn’t find anything, I finally had to give up having got so caught up in it id forgotten my washing, luckily someone had put it into the dryer and not in a heap on the floor!

Being by myself was odd, I didn’t know what to do, so used to having Cathy around. I made friends with an Italian girl in my dorm and we went out for dinner. Reminiscing about Italy and discussing the strange creatures of Australia.  I then went back and tried to plan. I did not succeed. All I had was a rough plan of where I was to go and where I wanted to stay.

Bed at 12 when I wanted to be up at 6.45 before a day of driving was probably not a good idea.  I didn’t sleep all that well, its been awhile since I slept in a hostel.

Breakfast was one of the best I had seen in a hostel, toasted bagels, coffee, yoghurt, fruit and cereal. I could only stomache a little bit of fruit and a coffee. I think I was nervous about getting to the car and how I was going to go driving on my own. I hadn’t done too well in the driving department with Cathy. She preferred to drive than put up with my driving! It was a huge boat of a car, horrible thing.

Got my car, I never thought I would be happy to see a ford, but a ford fiesta is a nice little car, the guy tried to make me upgrade, they had a deal on apparently he was surprised when I vemently said no I want the small one!

No problems on the driving part, I think the driving of the big car made this seem so much easier. At least I  feel like I fit in the lane!

 My first stop was easy to get too and in 40 minutes I was there. Timing was going good, it was only 10.15. lots of the day to go and the polace opened at 10.

Louisa M Alcotts house in Concord (Massachusetts)  that was my first destination. I couldnt believe I was standing in front of the house that she had written and based Little Women in.  It is in a tiny little leafy town and as I opened the side door to enter I had to duck to get through the door.  I was greeted by a lovely little lady who informed me a group of elderly women had  started the tour and were in watching the introductory video. She was sure they wouldn’t mind me joining them and I hadn’t missed anything yet.  As I walked in I was conscious of my cargo shorts, hoodie and boots. I felt disrespectful but after the video when the lady started to tell us the stories of the place and family as we toured the rooms. I started to remember the type of young girl Louisa or Jo as she is known in the book was and I felt more comfortable in my attire. One of Jo’s quotes from Little Women is; “It's bad enough to be a girl anyway, when I like boys' games and work and manners! I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy; and it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with Papa, and I can only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman.”

It was quiet emotional to be standing in front of the desk her father had built her (against all custom of the time), where she later wrote Little Women.  In the room where she had passed away not too many years later.

Her sister May who was Amy in the book, did become a very well known artist in her own right and actually mentored a young boy who went on to later sculpt the Abraham Lincoln memorial in Washignton DC.

At the end of the tour after we had all examined the gift shop and after I had finally escaped the clutches of the elderly women. The lady let me out the front door of the house as though I had been a guest. (I had helped her carry the couple of chairs she provided for the women to have a seat while she was talking, to each of the rooms we had visited.)  She thanked me for coming and said she thought Louisa would be very proud of me for what I was doing and also very jealous that I lived in a time where I could do the sort of things I was.  I felt that Louisa was there saying goodbye as well.

My next stop was the aptly named Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to see Authors Ridge where the Alcotts and their literacy friends are buried. Concord attracted many of the authors of the time and many of them are buried on Authors Ridge.

By this stage it had decided to start raining so I thought I would give it a miss but then I thought rain is an appropriate setting for a visit to a grave.  By the time I entered the Cemetery, by car (as per America everywhere is drivable),  and found the path to Authors ridge . The Heavens opened. I have never been so wet In my life. I found Louisa and her familys graves and paid my respects as well as their family friend Henry David Thoreau an Author in his own right.  I couldn’t find Ralph Emerson the family’s closest friend and reason for them settling in Concord though and it was too wet to hunt any longer.

I then decided to leave town to go to Fruitlands, the property about 16 miles out of town that Louisa’s father moved them to, to try and set up his own sustainable Utopia. They almost starved to death there till their Mother put her foot down and moved them back to town.  It was still raining cats and dogs and I was thinking to myself I should just wander the little main street and have something there, see the town instead of heading out to Fruitlands in this weather when I took a wrong turn and ended up heading back into town. Decision made for me.

I was soaked again by the time I found a nice little café. There I overheard the ladies next to me complaining about the fact that no-one understands they just want to walk sometimes. One of them said she tried to walk home one night and got asked about 15 times if she wanted a lift. Finally she said yes because she couldn’t be bothered anymore!

I got talking to them, when one of them said she knew the secret to knowing which side your petrol cap is on. Something I needed to know!

They recommended a few places I should see in Vermont and told me Fruitlands was difinately worth a visit. By this time the rain had stopped and so off I headed. I made it out of town ok and Fruitlands was  just alittle way off the highway in the direction I was going. I found it ok. Closed on Tuedays., glad I had lunch before.

I was conscious of how much time I had lost in Concord. It was now 2.30. I wanted to make it to Shelbourne by about 4, to make sure I could find accommodation. The drive was uneventful, some awesome fog along the way.  

When I finally made it I drove through town, one street of lovely looking little shops and out the other side. No b&b’s or any signs for b&b’s. Id seen signs for the visitors centre, so I parked up and went looking. I found it. It was closed.  Hmmm… coffee shop, they always know whats going on..nope, the girl serving was an out of towner.. but n she asked another girl and they knew of one along a side street. Serves me right for going to the funky looking coffee shop.

So I wandered up to the b&b and they weren’t answering. I stood on the porch wondering what to do. With Dad’s voice in my dead saying “find accommodation… I told you to find accommodation.” It was going to cost me a fortune to ring them, I had never got around to getting that US cell phone.  As I was standing there a lady drove by who I recognised from also looking at the visitors centre. I waited for her, and she called them for us. No answer. We left a message and called a few others outside of town off a map she had managed to find somewhere outside the centre. Then we decided to wander and wait to see if anyone called back.

I always had the holiday inn 20miles back up at a bigger town as a back up.  But I really wanted to stay here so I could photograph the bridge of Flowers in the morning light.

As we were wandering down the main street we met a lady outside her gift store who was surprised the b&b was not answering so she rang them for us on their personal number and booked us a couple of rooms.  

So we wandered the town or should I say village and the bridge of flowers,  as they prepared our rooms.

We agreed to meet for dinner at about 7… wrong move, there are 5 places to eat in town and 2 are closed due to being the day after the labour day weekend.  And 2 others closed at 7.  All business’s in New England use this time as the break between summer and Fall Foliage season for renovations or their holidays.

We ended up at the diner outside of town.. I was very dubious of this place, It didn’t ooze a sense of good food. Wrong. I we both ordered the egg plant parmesan and it came on a bed of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Delicious one of the best sauces ive tasted.. but we should have ordered one between us! Giant Oval plates filled with spaghetti and sauce, with a bowl of salad on the side. I didnt even know it came with spaghetti!

It started raining as soon as I got back, still hopeful though I have the alarm set for 6am to take photos of the bridge in proper photo light.

Home in bed by 8.30, so tired from driving and sleeping in the hostel. Not sleep though, I needed to tell you about my day!  

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!

Thats right folks... i toured the Ben and Jerry's factory and got myself a free ice cream!

the hall of fame..

The Flavour Graveyard for the unsuccessful icecreams..

Just a couple of my favourite gravestones:

One of my favorite flavours.. devastated.