searcyf@mac.com – Page 96 – Travels with Fred

Cross Country Trip – Day 77

4 June 2018

Thank goodness the rain has stopped and the fog has lifted. I was getting a little moldy! I was finally able to get a look at the lodge sans fog.

I also discovered there was a patio which overlooked the valley below. I wondered why there was a row of rocking chairs facing windows. However, when I took the photo, the fog was still in the valley.

View from the patio of Big Meadows Lodge

I debated which hike to take today. There were several choices. I knew I wanted to hike the Lewis Springs Fall trail but the park information warned the rocks were slippery. I was debating whether to hike that later in the day and then decided the rocks would never dry out enough to be safe. Caution to the wind, I embarked on the supposed 3.2 mile hike (my gps said 3.73). The first stop was Blackrock Viewpoint, the highest point in Big Meadows at 3720 feet. It was a short 0.2 mile walk that started about 2680 feet so you were not walking up a big, steep hill.

The view from the top was pretty nice.

As I started to walk the rest of the trail, I met a hiking companion. Actually, he was a little shy and decided to run ahead on the trail.

From there, you walk down the trail that goes past the view point and merge with the Appalachian Trail (AT) as it traverses the Shenandoah. I haven’t actually been on the AT in years and it was kind of nostalgic to get back on it even if for a short segment.

The trail is marked with white blazes. The Lewis Springs Falls trail is marked with blue blazes (actually both are paint splotches on the trees).

The AT parallels the lodge and then the Lewis Springs Falls trail veers left and down. And down. And down. You drop 1247 feet to the falls. The path was indeed rocky, and slippery and I had to be extra careful of the footing. Thank goodness for my walking stick!

As you travel downward, you sometimes have to follow the trail that has water running through it from all the rain the past week. It was shallow enough you could simply walk through the water and still not get your socks wet.

Lewis Springs Falls Trail showing cliff face above you.

On occasions, you got a get view of the valley below.

The falls were roaring with all the runoff. I noticed two hikers below me trying to get better views of the falls. The falls are actually 81 feet hight but you can’t see the best part of the falls from the trail. If the falls were not running so fast, you could take a side trail that would take you below the main part of the falls for a photo but today would have been suicide to try that.

Lewis Springs Falls (hiker trying for a photo)

The hike back up to the top was very short (0.8 miles) but also very steep. I must be getting into shape. I was able to hike the 1247 foot elevation with only one brief rest stop! Bring on Mount Everest!

After making it back to the top, I rested at Blackrock View Point and then got to the jeep and drove to the visitor center about a mile away and purchased my passport sticker. Lunch was a sandwich at the Wayside Restaurant next to the visitor center and then I decided that was enough hiking.

Tomorrow, I head to Greensboro, NC for a visit with my cousin Jimmie and her husband Stephen. They are great hosts and treat me too nice. I may have to get them to have their neighbors make a lot of noise like its been at the motels this trip so I can sleep.

Actually, last night was not too bad. The couple from the night before left and someone new came in above me and they went to bed soon after I did. I slept very soundly.

So, it’s been a great trip! Here’s a review of national parks, national monuments, and other sights visited:

Guadalupe Mountains NP
Carlsbad Caverns NP
Saguaro NP
Petrified Forest NP
Painted Desert at Petrified Forest NP
Meteor Crater (private)
Death Valley NP
Channel Islands NP
Pinnacles NP
Lassen Volcanic NP
Redwoods National and State Parks
Mount Rainier NP
Mount St. Helens NM
North Cascades NP
Craters of the Moon NM
Great Basin NP
Capitol Reef NP
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Great Sand Dunes NP
Theodore Roosevelt NP
Voyageurs NP
Isle Royale NP
Cuyahoga NP
Acadia NP
Shenandoah NP.

I’ll continue to post on the blog a few things for the next few days but the national park part of the trip is finished! What an experience! I encourage everyone to get out there and get traveling!

Cross Country Trip – Day 76

3 June 2018

I know you are tired of hearing me complain about hotels/motels. Today, you get to hear me complain about lodges. I assume all national park lodges are run by outside companies. For example, Xanterra runs Old Faithful Inn. Big Meadow Lodge is run by Delaware North. I’ve never stayed in a Delaware North run facility and hopefully won’t again.

When I found the room, I noticed it was hard to open the door with the key. Once in the room, I kept noticing little things: the previous tenant had left some garbage in the wardrobe, the lavatory basin was dirty, the floor felt gritty, and the ice bucket was filthy.

Then last night, the couple above me came back to the room around 12:30 am. The good news was I went to bed last night at 8:30 pm so I got a good 4 hours of sleep before they came in. They kept moving chairs, opening and closing doors, and in one weird experience, kept turning lights on and off. I know because you could hear the light switch. Apparently there is no sound proofing between rooms and floors – they even mention this in the lodge information folder.

I immediately decided I needed to see how to run the heat (which kept turning on and off every few seconds) to run the fan exclusively. With the fan running on high and my white noise app, I was able to drown out their conversations. I don’t think they realized you could hear them. I must have dozed off around 1:30 am and waked around 6:30 am.

This morning was the worse. I prepped the coffee maker before I went to bed and enjoyed two cups of coffee. I try to clean out the coffee pot, remove the coffee grounds, and get it ready for the next morning wherever I stay. As I was cleaning out the pot, I noticed something in the bottom of the pot.

Upon closer examination, I discovered it was a fungus. I had drunk two cups full.

Before going into the dinning room for breakfast, I stopped at the front desk and let them know I was less than satisfied with the cleanliness of the room. They called housekeeping and by the time I got back to the room, they were getting ready to go in. I asked them to come back later. It’ll be interesting to see if they do anything other than make the bed.

Fog and rain are forecast at 100% today, so I decided to do no hiking. Instead, I drove to the nearby Byrd visitor center to buy the park stamp. Just as I was about to pay for it, the rangers told the couple in front of me they couldn’t sell anything from the ranger station. The concessionaires were flooded out and could not make it into the park.

The northern Dickey Ridge visitor center 50 miles away is open and selling things, so I decided to drive the 50 miles. Around 7 miles along the Skyline Trail, the fog got worse so I turned around and returned to Big Meadows.

It was then that I struggled again with the lock for about 5 minutes. I walked back to the office and told them something was either wrong with the lock or the key. He gave me a new key and I’m about to try that out.

Tomorrows forecast is sunny – for one day – and then more rain and fog. I overheard one of the staff tell some guests that the weather had been foggy and rainy ever since they opened weeks ago. Hopefully it will clear up enough to go for a hike. I would go anyway in the rain but all the views are obscured by fog and all the plants are beaten down by the rain.

If it clears a little, I may walk around the area some and I’ll amend the post later today.

Cross Country Trip – Day 75

2 June 2018

As I was leaving the motel hell today, I told the manager about the couple in the room next to mine and told him I only got two hours sleep. He was very apologetic and took $20 off my bill, but that was not the point. He said he understood he couldn’t give me back my sleep but he really wanted to do it. Oh well.

From Stratford to Washington, DC, the traffic was stop and go. There was only one time there was an accident, otherwise, it was people merging and causing the slow downs. Several times on I-95 we were dead stopped. It made me feel closer to home!

It was kind of a thrill passing all the historical places as you drove down I-95.

I got to Shenandoah National Park around 4 pm. I’ve seen some dense fog in my days but nothing like the fog today in the park. The speed limit in the park is 35 mph and I had to drive around 20 mph just so I could see a few feet in front of me.

Not only the fog, but my Sirius let me know I was in a flash flood warning zone. Nothing like traveling the path of a tropical storm.

It was so foggy, I drove past the lodge and had to ask two people where it was located. I finally found it and checked in.

The view from my window which overlooks the mountains is spectacular.

Dinner tonight was Osso Buco made with pork. It was in a bed of stone ground grits. I have to admit, it was pretty good.

I think I’ll have a Jack Daniels and branch water and hit the rack. After two hours sleep and 8 hours of driving, I’m all done in.

Tomorrow is another day.

Motel Hell

2 June 2018

Yup, I can pick ’em! Two hours sleep, I think, last night. It was partly my own fault. I went to bed at 10:30 pm and tossed and turned because the motel was busy with people still checking in. Also, I-95 is right outside me window.

Traffic noise doesn’t bother me. What bothered me was next door. I think there was a couple in the room but people kept coming and going all night long, whether it was the couple or others. I finally dozed off around 2 am after I used the white noise app on my phone.

At 4 am, someone, I assume either on the other side of them or someone below them pounded on their door. It got quieter then but I was up at 5:30 am and someone left the room again.

It would have been easier if they had put in a revolving door. Whether it was a young lady of the evening entertaining or whether someone was selling drugs out of the room, or whether they had nicotine fits and had to have a smoke break every 10 minutes, I don’t know but the motel staff was strangely uncurious. There are cameras in the hallway so they surely knew of all the commotion.

If I can stay awake on the drive to Shenandoah, I intend to go to bed early tonight. Stay away from Quality Inn in Stratford if you like your sleep.

Cross Country Trip – Day 74

1 Jun 2018

I was up and out of The Yellow House by 6:30 am. It was a fairly short trip over fairly decent roads through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The only strange thing was to be on interstate highways the whole way and having to pay tolls. I paid cash to the tune of $7 total for Maine and New Hampshire. I have no idea how much the Massachusetts tolls will be since they do it only by tag.

When I was at Niagara Falls, they gave you a web site you could log onto and pay the toll. There was no ability to do that for Massachusetts. I have to wait for an invoice. That has to be expensive. I’ll probably owe $100 for tolls.

I made it to the so-so Quality Inn in Stratford, Connecticut and immediately started a load of clothes. I think I’ve washed more frequently on the trip than at home, but then again, the hiking clothes need washing after one use. They don’t pass the sniff test after a hike – then again, neither do I.

It was overcast the whole trip today with intermittent rain showers but nothing to hinder the travel. I think Massachusetts drivers are the most impatient of the states I passed through today. Speed limits are obviously only suggestions to state residents.

After washing clothes, I wanted to hit a Subway for dinner (and keep the half left over for lunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, TripAdvisor was not up-to-date and the Subway shop was no longer there. I then opted for the #1 recommended restaurant in Stratford: The Lazy Dog Tavern which was bar food. That means fried and I’ve about had it with fried food – a horrible thing for a Southerner to say.

As I pulled up to the tavern, I noticed a Polish sandwich shop and opted for their selection. I chose the meat lovers sandwich on a Polish roll. I now have half left over for lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I wind my way to Shenandoah National Park and Big Meadows Lodge. I really do like staying in national park lodges when possible. Hopefully, the weather will hold so I can do some hiking. The ankle brace seems to be working its magic and I haven’t had any twinges with the ankle today. Keep your fingers crossed!

Cross Country Trip – Day 73

31 May 2018

It was a busy day! I also had one of the highlights of the trip today. More about that later.

Breakfast at The Yellow House has been excellent. They start out with a small bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola. Then they bring the entree. The first morning it was French toast with orange zest and almonds. Today was a leek frittata with home grown herbs and a great orange/cranberry scone (home made). I may delay my start tomorrow in order to get their breakfast.

My goal was to hit the visitor center before any hiking. That turned out to be a problem. The main highway into and out of town is ME-3 and it’s under construction and one way for part of the way in and no way on the way out. The problem is the visitor center is just off ME-3 and it’s the “you can’t get there from here” story. You have to take alternate roads.

After about 45 minutes, I finally found the correct road, and then found the visitor center. It pretty much was a waste of time. I usually like to get the park map (already had that) and their newsletter which amazingly, is pretty informative. This national park doesn’t produce a newsletter.

Off I went to start my first hike. I decided to try to hike The Bubbles. Both the South Bubble and North Bubble are short hikes (0.5 miles each) and I was wearing the ankle support under my boots, so I thought it would be no trouble. It wasn’t. My ankle held up fine but the problem came when the trail split to each bubble.

I decided to hike the South Bubble first and then retrace my steps to the split in the trail to the North Bubble.

Once you got to a certain point on the South Bubble trail, it had a sign that indicated “Bubble Rock”. This was pointed out to me on the tour yesterday and I wasn’t interested in seeing the rock again, so I continued on the trail.

The trail started down to a section described as the Bubble connector. It wasn’t. It was also some of the most difficult downhill I’ve done because it was over a boulder field. Once at the bottom, you were no where near where you thought you’d be. Instead, you were at Jordan Pond.

My choice was to either go back up the boulder field or circle around the pond to a short trail back to the parking lot. I opted not to climb the boulder field. After getting back to the jeep, I found I had meandered 2.4 miles. It was beautiful along Jordon Pond with a great breeze.

My next stop took me to the southwestern end of the island to Bass Harbor and Bass Harbor Light. There’s a steep set of steps that lead you down to the water’s edge where you can get a partial view of the light.

You can then backtrack and walk to the base of the light. As usual, all U.S. Coast Guard lights are now automated. It would have been cool to have been the light keeper with the view of the Atlantic from the lighthouse. This ended up as 0.4 miles.

My next stop was Ship Harbor which seems to be an area open to the ocean that some small ship could possibly get into. I think a better name would have been smuggler’s cove. It looks idea for rum running.

There are some stunning views of the cove and then of the ocean. I clocked in at 2.0 miles on this hike.

My last stop of the day was the best – and not for the hike. The trail is called Wonder Land and it turned out to be exactly that for me. The loop was 1.5 miles and there is some great coastland but what made this significant for me was I finally, finally got to see a pink lady slipper in bloom.

I have been looking for lady slipper orchids my entire trip along the northern tier of states and had given up hope of seeing one in bloom.

Pink Lady Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium acaule Aiton)

There, on an outcropping (and fenced off by the park service) were several in bloom in an area I would have never expected them. To be honest, the entire trip of 81 days has been worth it for me just for this find . I’ve looked for these orchids for years, as a graduate student, a college professor, and as a hiker these last four years. Finally! Life is good!

Total mileage today was 5.9 miles. My ankle began to act up and I decided to call it a day after the Wonder Land hike. I actually found my way back to Bar Harbor with little difficulty.

Tomorrow I head for Connecticut for one night before I hit Shenandoah National Park!

Cross Country Trip – Day 72

30 May 2018

Today was my first full day at Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I decided to do the tourist thing and take Oli’s Trolleys for their 2 1/2 hour trip along the Park Loop Road and Cadillac Mountain Road.

I walked down to the waterfront from the B&B and purchased my ticket and then walked to the departure point on West street. I was 45 minutes early and fell into a conversation with Andrea who works with the trolley company and who proceeded to show me on the map great hiking areas within the park. The 45 minutes went fast with pleasant conversation. Andrea moved to Bar Harbor from NYC four years ago and laughingly related she saw her very first moose on a trip to Yellowstone this year. The moose is the state mammal of Maine and there are plenty on the island.

Bar Harbor is called Bar Harbor because of a sand bar leading to Bar Island that is exposed at low tide. You can actually drive across it if you are 1 1/2 hours before and after low tide. Woe unto you if you get stuck in the sand or caught with the incoming tide. Todays tidal surge is listed at 11.7 feet so you, you vehicle, and your cargo box would be underwater.

Perhaps an apocryphal story is a lobster fisherman noticed a kayak afloat. Upon investigation and trying to get it out of the water, he found a car attached. Andrea was very insistent it was not a good idea to try to cross other than walk across.

The tour guides (Sindy and Gary) said you were ok 2 hours on either side of low tide and encouraged everyone to drive across it. I think I’ll stick with Andrea’s suggestion.

The trolley made three stops: Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain. All three were interesting. Sindy was breaking in as driver and tour guide and you could tell she had trouble memorizing her spiel but she was game and kept at it. Gary filled in when she drew a blank. It was a little disconcerting but the talk was full of history of the island.

John D. Rockerfeller was a major mover and shaker on the island and there are miles of carriage trails (he hated automobiles) still in use today. You can stop at the stables within the park and take a carriage ride through the park’s trails.

The rich and super rich made this their playground in the summer and built “cottages” for them and their friends. The cottages, of course, are small castles. Sindy used the term “conspicuous consumption” over and over on the trip.

Thunder Hole was the first stop but unfortunately for us, it was not thundering. The ocean was fairly calm and there was virtually no wind so we didn’t get to hear anything.

Thunder Hole – which was not thundering today – too calm

View of the Atlantic from Thunder Hole overlook

Next was Jordan Pond which is a massive freshwater lake that provides drinking water for Northeast and Southwest Harbor. It is also sometimes called “The Bubbles” for two mountains at one end of the lake. I’m surprised, with the French influence in this area from French explorers, they were not called Les Grandes Tetons!

Our last stop was the most impressive_A Cadillac Mountain at 1530 feet above sea level. You got expansive vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, Cranberry Island and Little Cranberry Island, Sutton Island, Greening Island and Baker Island in one direction and in the other direction, Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor.

The weather was cooperating and it was crystal clear so you view was only limited by line of sight.

After the tour, I walked to the local post office and sent off some post cards, then purchased a wildflower book on Acadia National Park (very well done) and then headed to Galyn’s again to partake of Holley’s suggestion of a blueberry martini.

Gayle, the bartender, said I had two choices: Sky blueberry vodka or a locally brewed vodka of native Maine blueberries. Of course, I opted for the local version.

I think I mentioned before I had been in the Boundary Waters canoe area three times in the past. My first trip happened to hit the height of blueberry season and we had blueberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I got tired of them. Only recently have I been able to eat fresh blueberries with cereal in the morning and don’t ask me to try a blueberry muffin, pancake, or bagel.

To my amazement, the martini was excellent. I was the only one in the bar so Gayle and I had quite the conversation. I may even order another for happy hour when they are half price.

In exploring the downtown area, I found Cadillac Mountain Climbing, a sports store. I walked in and was just looking and ran across an ankle brace for the left ankle. I decided to spend the $40 for the brace. I got it back to the B&B and was about to try it on when I found an antitheft device still attached. Strangely, the alarm did not sound when I walked out of the store. I had to trudge back to the store to get them to remove it. The brace seems to work and I can fit my shoe over the brace. I’ll try it out for the day and see if it helps my ankle.

Tomorrow, I intend to head to the park visitor center, pick up some information, and perhaps do some short day hikes around the areas I saw from the trolley. I then may head to Southwest Harbor – where Martha Stewart has a house – and do some short hikes there. Maybe I’ll get to meet Martha!

Cross Country Trip – Day 71

29 May 2018

Damn birds! They roused me at 4:30 am. I was on the road by 6:30 and in Bar Harbor by 4:30 pm. I can tell you that upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire need to spend some money on their roads.

I programmed the gps to omit toll roads and it took me the back roads through back country, small towns, hamlets, and villages. I didn’t know they still called places hamlets and villages but it’s in their name.

Norman Rockwell country is very much alive and well. Sometimes I think I could see myself in one of these little hamlets but then again, I think I would go more stir crazy than I already am in Fort Lauderdale.

I’m staying at the Yellow House B&B about 300 feet from the harbor in Bar Harbor. Why it’s called the Yellow House, I have no idea.

Yellow House Bed & Breakfast – Bar Harbor, Maine

I’m on the ground floor with my own little private porch. The bedroom is huge – I think it must have been the dinning room at one time and the bath is equally large.

Jack’s Room at Yellow House. Haven’t found Jack yet.

Chris was sitting on the front porch and greeted me as I drove up. After a brief introduction to the inn, and a brief survey of the town, places to eat, and trolleys to take, I decided to do a walk-about. That’s basically Main Street.

I found a Chris recommended restaurant called Galyn’s and had their carrot-ginger soup and a $20 lobster roll. To be honest, Kelly’s Landing in Fort Lauderdale is better and much cheaper. However, I was seated on the glass enclosed patio and had a perfect view of the harbor.

Galyn’s on Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine

I then decided to walk the 1/2 mile shore path that traces the shoreline of the harbor. All the rich muckity mucks who own property on the shore agreed to allow the path to be made for tourisms’ sake.

I confess to walking down to the rocks below and looking for rockweed – the genus Fucus about which I taught for 34 years. I loved this particular alga and got off on talking about how it reproduced based on the tides of the harbor. I also had students come back from trips to Maine and tell me how it was indeed very slippery when wet. It secretes a slime coat over the surface to protect it from the sun’s rays and desiccation at low tide. For the first time in my life I got to see it in its natural habitat. I take my joys where I can get them.

The darker material is rockweed attached to the rocks at low tide.

Rockweed – the genus Fucus. It has air bladders that hold it up in the water during high tide. At low tide, it collapses on the rocks and the reproductive structures are extruded. When the tide comes in, the sperm are released and swim in the water to fertilize the eggs.

I’m debating whether to take the Chris recommended 2 1/2 hour trolley trip of Acadia for $40. I probably will. I’m not sure I want to do a lot of hiking in this park but I do have my eye on one or two short hikes. I figure the trolley trip may be a good way to get an overview for the first day and then hike the second day. Then again, I may just chuck the trolley tour and do the hiking the first day.

Apparently the weekend was a massive tourist splurge. Most people have now left the island and it is much quieter now. I think I passed have the Memorial Day tourist trade as I was coming in and they were on their way out.

Early to bed tonight because of the damn birds!

Cross Country Trip – Day 70

28 May 2018

First, a salute to all us veterans!

OK, I lied, they have WiFi. I didn’t ask earlier and after I returned from dinner, I found out they do have it.

Today was a banner day. I checked two bucket list items off: Niagara Falls and the Adirondacks.

I was directed by gps to shuffle off to Buffalo. I had no intention to go to Niagara Falls but it is only 20 miles out of Buffalo and I decided it was too close not to go. The same thing happened the first time I visited the Grand Canyon. I had no intention of visiting the Grand Canyon but at a conference in Scotsdale, I determined it was stupid not to go.

There’s a pot of gold at the end – the only problem is you have to go by barrel.

When you get to the city of Niagara Falls, you are guided to the state park. Appearances can be deceiving. Finding a parking space is tough. Once you are close enough to the falls, you are directed towards a money making garage at $20 a car. I found street parking for $3.

Niagara Falls (American falls) and Maid of the Mist

Everything is well done. It no longer looks like the movie version Niagara with Marylin Monroe, Jean Peters and Joseph Cotten. I love that old movie. Instead, everything is up to date and ready to take your money.

I did the cheap tour and simply walked to the falls overlook. I didn’t pay for the observation tower or the Maid of the Mist. I stuck to the American falls, mainly because I didn’t bring my passport. I understand the Canadian falls are much more picturesque but I was satisfied just being able to see the American falls.

To be honest, I expected them to be a little higher than they were. Still, I wouldn’t want to go over them in a barrel.

The drive up to and through the Adirondacks was great. I passed places that looked like they could have been the set for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House with Cary Grand and Myrna Loy. I also saw places that looked like they could have filmed Dirty Dancing.

The Adirondacks have fascinated me since my days as a Boy Scout at Camp Kickapoo outside Clinton, Mississippi. They had a secluded area in the camp for special occasions called the Adirondack shack. It was a simple three sided shed for camping.

Then, there was The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.

Later, I was introduced to Adirondack chairs. Much of the area does remind me of parts of the Smokeys as well as areas of Camp Kickapoo. Let’s just say I am an avid “tree eater.”

I pulled in to the Alpine Homestead around 5:15 pm and met Barry and Peggy, the owners. I’m in the Tannery room with a king bed. My private bath is down the hall. There is no breakfast with the B&B but that’s OK since I need an early start tomorrow for Bar Harbor. It’s a 9 hour drive.

Alpine Homstead B&B – owners Peggy and Barry

Tannery Room at Alpine Homstead B&B – private bath down the hall.

Again, I’m amazed at the accuracy of the gps. It’s self corrects along the way, but eerily, it seems to provide an accurate estimate as you begin even though it cannot predict the stops. Perhaps it has learned my bathroom breaks.

No Signal

Olmstedville has no cell signal and no WiFi. Will post tomorrow from Bar Harbor.