Maine 2017 – Portland, ME

8/28/17 Monday was a walking tour of Portland day. As is a bit of a theme, we didn’t have specific plans or schedule. We drove into Portland and lucked out with some free parking on the edge of town. We wandered the waterfront docks, shops, etc and then looped up… Continue reading

Maine 2017 – Acadia to Portland

8/27/17 We headed out toward Portland in the morning, opting for the somewhat more scenic route down the coast. Down the coast, in this case, meant highway between small towns instead of freeway. For the most part, I didn’t feel like it was “on the ocean” – not like California… Continue reading

Maine 2017 – Acadia Day 4

8/25/17 [singlepic id=2434 w=480 float=right] After two days of kayaking we decided to do a bit of hiking. We went back to the Park Loop and found our way to the Precipice Trail. This was reportedly the most strenuous climb and involved a lot of scrambling and a good number… Continue reading

Maine 2017 – Travel Days

8/19/17 [singlepic id=2188 w=200 float=right template=caption] We left Grand Rapids around noon on Saturday after taking a bit longer than planned to pack up (aka gather all the paddling gear). We crossed into Canada at the Blue Water Bridge, and then drove pretty much straight through to Thousand Islands National… Continue reading

Smoky Mountains 2017 Day 5 – Sunrise and Travel

Most of the last day is taken with the drive home, but we did get up early and go catch sunrise from a new spot.  This time, just after (heading to Tennessee) the Newfound Gap Overlook.  Since we didn’t do much Sunday, I’ll use this post as a wrap up…. Continue reading

Smoky Mountains 2017 Day 4 – Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls, Cade’s Cove

[singlepic id=2182 w=480 float=right] We started early on Saturday and went up to Clingman’s dome for a chilly (as expected) sunrise. After that, we headed over to the Roaring Fork Motor Trail to the Grotto Falls trail head.  It’s a moderate hike and climb at 2.6 miles round trip with… Continue reading