Ellingston, Acadia National Park, Scarborough

10-24-09

The rain came earlier than the Internet weather report stated. When we woke up, the rain was there. But we were so close that we went to the Acadia National Park anyway.
The park is the largest rock-based island on the Atlantic coast. The coast is supposed to be very picturesque but we could not see it. No use to drive up to Cadillac Mountain (1,530 foot) per the Park Ranger. It is the highest point on the Atlantic coast.

It was very windy and it rained hard. The roads were beautiful - full of yellow leaves. The color is stronger in the rain. At one point - Thunder Hole - there were stone steps down to the water. It was a very wet walk but I had good clothes and was fine. Jalil stayed in the car. That was the only sight of ocean I had.

Well, we were soon on our way to Bangor where it was raining but not as hard. We walked around a little bit until we found an old Irish restaurant Paddy Murphy's where we had lunch. The lobster bisque was delicious. I also had little English sandwiches with cucumber and dill. Jalil had pulled pork and soda bread with honey butter. I wanted some Parry tea that we had had in the Irish place in Niagara-on-the-Lake but the waitress had no idea what I was talking about.

Once on the freeway we listen to NPR - an interview with Zaid Jovrani ? - a Jordanian young musician who goes to people's homes to perform and support peace - Roads to You. It was now raining so hard that it was hard for Jalil to see and control the car. This freeway had toll booths at odd spots. They have shown up very occasionally in Wisconsin and Illinois. Further south they are more frequent. They always charge a different amount so you do not know, when you get to the booth, how much you need to pay. In New Jersey you pick up a ticket in one both and when you get off the turnpike, there is another booth where they figure out how much you owe. Going to Ellis Island, we had to pay $1 for driving one exit on the freeway! We have paid 35 cents, 60 cents up to $4.90.

We did not see any Volvos in the middle of the country. They reappeared in Vermont and increased in Maine and Massachusetts. Why?

Have I talked about the old cemeteries? I noticed them first in Vermont - small, very close to the highway with very old stones that you can barely read. I see them all over New England. They fascinate me for some reason. Jalil thinks I am weird.

We drove to Scarborough south of Portland, Maine and found a motel in the dark. The rain had stopped by now but it was nice to find a home for the night.