[today’s run: rest day]
Yesterday was a travel day. We were hobbling a bit from the residuals of the marathon on Sunday but we made it where we wanted to go, just a bit slow.
Started off with breakfast and settling the bill at the Holiday Inn in Bar Harbor. It was a nice place. We were fixed up with Day’s Inn at first, but they were closing early for the season so then were transferred to Holiday Inn. This was a generous gift from the Wingers! We decided to stay an extra day and do our shopping and just not be as rushed. A good decision, in hindsight. Holiday Inn is on the water front and we could see the ocean from our window. I did not actually go down to the water. Maybe next time.
Then we stopped in Bar Harbor again and picked up some beer and root-beer from the local brewery. And we got one last gift for a wedding present needed back home.
The brewery store was packing up all of the displays and such. The pottery store was doing the same. And the man at the Holiday Inn said that they had one more day and then were done for the year. So we helped close out the season in Bar Harbor. I was reminded of our years in Estes Park and the seasonality there. I think Bar Harbor is a bit larger, and definitely closer to the larger “civilization” than Estes. But both interesting in their way.
Then we were back on the road. We stopped in first at a combo gas-station/IGA grocery and picked up some lunch materials. Then we stopped at an outlet store where my wife bought the mother of all purses. (I told her it was worth the money if it would last for 4-5 of her normal Wal-Mart specials.) After that we went back to the Bangor airport and picked up her reading glasses which we left in the rental car when we swapped. (We had a Nissan from Hartford, CT but noticed a big gash in one of the tires. Decided that was not a good thing; traded it for a VW Passat in Bangor. Left glasses in the Altima. Glasses now recovered. Will have to wait to see if they charge us for the tire. I don’t think it was our fault.)
And then we continued up I-95, then US-2 to Bethel, ME where we are again at the River View Resort. It looks like a motel, but the rooms are suites set up like a little apartment. This was a time-share trade, another generous gift from the Wingers! (We were here Friday night before going down to Bar Harbor for the race.)
Today we are just hanging out and doing not much. I’m sitting on the back deck of our unit, writing this, going through my email. Weather is cool and I’m wearing long sleeves and my new “40th Anniv.” vest from my employer. The hills are pretty; past prime for tree color but still nice to look at. Clouds are brushing the tops of the higher hills in view.
I made pancakes this morning (“complete” mix, from a box) and we had coffee and cold milk. The maple syrup here tastes better than the stuff we buy in the grocery store in Mississippi.
We have thought about going to Mt. Washington in NH or to visit a friend of my wife’s in Vermont. Right now I’m happy just to sit here.
Picture looking east over the Androscoggin_River
