Arcadia

 

The word Arcadia can mean "idyllically pastoral" or "idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled."

But the National Park along the coast of Maine named Arcadia,  that I had high expectations of visiting was anything but.

We arrived at the park after some heavy holiday traffic back on the road only to find the visitors center parking lot full. Well no worries I thought we can just take the park loop road around to Jordon Pond House   get some lunch and explore from there. 

Wrong again. The parking lot at the restaurant was full, and the park service has stationed rangers to make sure that people do not park where they feel like it. I even asked the fellow in the cool hat if he could make room for a couple of motorbikes, and the answer was NO.

Well no worries I thought we will just ride over to the other lot, and we did only to find it full also. Further down on the loop road all the pull offs were full. There was no room at the park for us.

Bar Harbor Like Traffic

Bar Harbor proved to be just as inaccessible and busy as the park. Fortunately, we had arranged to stay on the other side of the bay at Northeast Harbor.

Our lodging at the Harbourside Inn was adequate. The Inn itself is a old house converted nicely into a B&B but with a very minimal Breakfast. Our room was clean and comfortable, high up on the third floor, and even had an air conditioner, that we used.

The lodge is walking distance to the village of Northeast Harbor, where food and libation were easily found.

The thing you have to eat in Maine is Lobster, and the best way to have it is right out of the ocean and onto your plate, and that is why we traveled to Thurston's Lobster Pound and waited for almost 1 hour to sample the best Maine has to offer.

The meal proved worth the wait. The lobster was steamed perfectly, and only put up a minimal fight getting the tasty flesh out of the shell. The corn on the cob was fresh, the sourdough roll was excellent, and the service was great.

The Steamer At Thurston's Lobster Pound

The View From Thurston's

There probably is not a more picturesque place than the coast of Maine, but it was time to begin our westward migration and so we headed west towards new Hampshire and the mountain road known as the Kancamagus Highway.

In  the fall this road with the fall colors would be full scenic overload. In the summer it would be a peaceful two-lane road through New Hampshire tallest mountain, with some great scenic overlooks. We however got to ride it in the wake of hurricane Elsa, that hit Florida a few days ago and then tracked up the east coast.

Fall View Of The  Kancamagus Highway.

We had started out the day in the rain, so we were suited up, but by the time we reached the Kank the rain from the tropical storm was in full wash. It was a downpour, and it was great because it was raining hard enough to keep the windscreen clean enough to see the road in the low light. It rained all the way over the highest mountain in New Hampshire and did not let up until the town of , Lincoln where we stopped to catch our breath and watch the water drip off our rides.

Later that evening at the hotel it was wash day, and I could not figure what was clanking so loud in the dryer, and when the cycle was over it was discovered that I had washed and dried the only fob to Ohms.

 Carefully and quietly I approached Ohms with the fob in hand fully figuring that in the morning I would have to use the turn signal switches to input the code that the fob carries, but alas the motor company fob is fully capable of being washed and dried and will still work as long as like me one is pure of heart mostly…

 

Thanks for reading…