Always wanted to visit New England in the fall. So, we booked a timeshare in Bar Harbor, Maine for Oct. 8. At Midway we asked if we could bring live lobsters back on SWA. The answer was no – even if we named them the somewhat annoyed clerk answered my question. She told us about the man who tried that week to smuggle turtles from Chinatown in his luggage – they were found, placed in a pool of water until animal cruelty could take charge. One didn’t survive. The fall colors along the highways from Manchester, New Hampshire to Bar Harbor were beautiful. We mostly drove Highway 101 along the ocean. Spent the first night at Ocean’s Gate and ate at Robinson’s Wharf and Tug’s Pub, a great place for lobster dinner. The special was a two-pound lobster dinner including dessert and all the trimmings for $25! It was delicious. Met a couple from North Carolina whose son was in Jimmy Johnson’s NASCAR pit crew. We thought about them Sunday when Johnson won the race. We ate at the bar overlooking the water – my favorite dining view. I have found that when traveling the best way to find great and reasonable restaurants is to ask the locals! We spent the night there - our room had a wonderful waterside view. It was amazingly quiet, you could see so many stars – even the Big Dipper. Next morning we took a train ride on a narrow gauge railroad at Boothbay Railroad Village. Sometimes, they have Halloween rides or train robbery events for charity. At at Wayman’s Lobster Pound across from the airport. They cook the lobsters in big outdoor pots and we sat outside on picnic tables enjoying the warm fall day. Our timeshare was three levels with a patio and decks on each level to view the South Harbor bay – and I was treated over morning coffee to spectacular views of the sun rising over South Harbor Bay. The time share manual warned not to go out on the deck without unlocking the door behind you. What a stupid thing to have to remind people we said. That is, until we were both on the second floor balcony and the door slammed shut – it was locked! So I waved frantically to a dad with his kids on the playground about a quarter-mile away. He came over and fortunately we had left the front door open so he was able to come in and free us from our patio prison! He told us another guest had done the same thing and had to climb from the second floor deck to the third floor to gain access! We were staying at the Harbor Ridge timeshares on Mount Dessert Island. Turns out our unit was haunted – even though management denied it! First morning the light is on in unused bedroom and alarm clock goes off. Two days later it goes off again. We heard scratching sounds in the unit. The last night, I hear someone in the kitchen banging cabinet doors. Think it is Phil going for a midnight snack but he is still in bed! He wakes up and asks if he should go down and investigate – I told him no – it’s just the ghost and went back to sleep. Funny thing, also, took photos of outside and inside of the time share (digital). None of the inside shots were on the camera – it just skipped five numbers! After several nights of lobster, we decided we wanted steak – so again asked the locals. They suggested Jack Russell Restaurant iand Brewery n Bar Harbor. They were right – the filet mignon was grilled to perfection, loved the hot pretzels with mustard sauce, the grilled shrimp with horseradish sauce and great deserts. We went back. We enjoyed lunch at Stewmans on the bay – crab cakes, clam chowder and lobster bisque. We booked a sunset plane ride over Bar Harbor in a Cessna piper cub. What a panoramic view of Mt. Washington, Bar Harbor, the bay, fall colored trees and lighthouses it was plus nature’s spectacular sunset show. We even flew over Martha Stewart’s Maine home. Took a bay tour on a lobster boat where we watched the captain pull in a trap and explain everything we ever wanted to know about lobsters. Viewed Seal Rock, the Dessert Island Lighthouse and Jackson Labs, where they are currently working on the use of stem cells to grow back limbs! They have won a Nobel Prize for their work. It was a brilliant sunny day - the sun dazzled on the ocean like a chandelier of flickering candle lights. The captain recommended West Street Cafe for a lobster lunch – so we tried it and were not disappointed. In Bar Harbor, we tried blueberry pie, lobster rolls and lobster macaroni and cheese. Loved the first two, mac and cheese I could pass on. We took a day trip to find Stephen King’s home – just wanted my photo in front. I had heard so much about the wrought iron fence with spiders and gargoyles. A friendly police officer gave us directions and I was not disappointed. The house looked like something out of Amityville Horror. Didn’t see Stephen but got my photo. He, liked many Maine residents, flees the bitter cold and snow for Florida in the winder. We took a bus tour through Acadia National Park and the town. An October trip out east would not be complete without a trip to Salem, Massachusetts. Took a candlelight haunted and historical tour in the pouring rain and fog. Such tall tales our guide, who had his Irish ancestors gift of gab, wove. They called the witch trials Witchysteria. He talked about ghostly incidents involving Nathaniel Hawthorne and how Houdini escaped from their new “escape proof” jail. He said the men and women were killed for political reasons or because they just embarrassed the town. Bridget Bishop, the first victim, cursed the sheriff, he said. And since then all sheriff’s have died in office. He pointed out all the haunted buildings as we passed and told the ghostly tales. Found out Halloween in Salem is like New Year’s Eve in Disney World – totally packed. The colors on our ride from Salem through New Hampshire to the airport were brilliant – the best of the week. Locals in Maine said their colors were a bit subdued due to the hurricane. Well, can cross off New England in the Fall from my bucket list. I’m thinking Europe is next!
