Category Archives: Big Trips

Our coffee and continental breakfast enjoyed on our back deck, we prepare for our adventure in Acadia National Park.

It’s another spectacular weather day as we drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and then hike the 0.5 mile trail around the summit.  The vistas are stunning from this elevated vantage as we look out over Bar Harbor and are able to see many of the small islands that comprise this area.  Taking the Park Loop Road, we weave along the waters edge and into the forest on a beautiful drive.  A roadside stop along the outer loop, we hike out on the rocks and enjoy the crashing waves, views of Sand Beach, and rumbling echos from Thunder Hole.  Thirsty from our adventure, we continue our journey to Northeast Harbor where we enjoy a couple of lagers before heading back to the hotel.

A seat at the fire pit, we decide our evening dinner plans in accordance with our weather predictions.  We make reservations in the Reading Room at the hotel and then retire for a well earned nap.  Rejuvenated, we enjoy the sounds of the pouring rain and feel the fresh cool breezes blowing thru our windows – a great evening to dine in as the rain, accompanied by lightning, continues to fall.  We are seated along side the window overlooking the Bay and share a wonderful surf and turf fare.  With the rain subsiding, we go for a nighttime stroll along the streets of Bar Harbor.  Fudge caps off our excursion adventures this day.

The March to Martimony

The 5:30 alarm was set to begin our journey.  Needless to say, I turned it off well before its scheduled awakening klaxon and turned on the coffee pot.  Up and at ’em, loaded up, one more stop for McDonald’s coffee and we’re off to the ATL.  Smooth drive over and we found our usual Spots parking garage.  As always, the shuttle pulled up behind us as we entered our parking space – which means – grab everything quick, no time to organize, and hope everything made it onboard.  Packed to the hilt, we lumber along to the terminal – all of course heading for Delta.  We weaved our way thru the check-in line and smoothed thru security and get to our gate with plenty of time to spare.  A quick scan of our probable flight companions reveals a further deterioration in attire acceptable for public transportation.  Gym shorts and t shirt guy with his family was the prime example.  Hurry up and wait and we’re finally seated, Stevie properly sedated with my flight cocktail concoction and down the runway we go.  A great 2 hour flight and we’re able to watch live college football.  Approaching into Boston, the Bay is full of sailboats on a spectacular Saturday afternoon.  Luggage pickup is smooth, a few bumps at the Enterprise operation, and we’re off to Maine in our Ford Fusion.  Shannon’s navigating gets us out on I-95 and we cut thru New Hampshire and on into Maine.  First stop – Freeport, home of the LL Bean flagship store.  The Hampton Inn provides us with our first night accommodations and we head out for a much needed beer at Gritty McDuff’s Brewery and then head into town and find Jameson Tavern for a night cap.  Needing a really good night’s sleep, we make a stop at the CVS for pharmaceutical sleep aids to accompany our infusion of ale, and we’re out by 10pm.  9 hours later, we arise refreshed and ready for a full day – first stop – LL Bean.  When we first put Freeport on our destination list, we were a little concerned about the “over 100 outlet stores” that populate the famous town – fortunately, the town planners got it right and the quaint little town retains its charm.  The Bean store was super fun – helpful folks, bright smiles and small crowd – A couple of jackets, monogrammed toiletry case, and red duck boot shoelaces and we decided a beer was necessary to close out our stay in Freeport.  Our thirst was quenched at Azure out on the patio.  It is a spectacular sunny cool day.  Coordinates set for Belfast, we’re off again to the small port village.  A cute as crap downtown, we park and shop along Main Street.  At the Meadow,  I asked the store owner where we should go for our first ever lobster roll and he quickly called a place to make sure they did serve the tourist favorite.  Indeed they did, and with a description of what a lobster pound is (where the boats unload the daily catch!) and a west facing porch on the water, we made course for Young’s Lobster Pound.  After running back to the gas station for beer and wine, we placed our order for lobster roll in a working lobster pound!  There were crustaceans everywhere!  We settled on a table near the water looking out at all the boats moored in the Bay.  When our number was called and meal delivered, we nervously bit into the fare.  Wow, there’s fresh lobster and then there’s fresh, just off the boat, Maine lobster – no comparison.  That will definitely not be our last lobster roll.  Time to find our B&B, the Jeweled Turret Inn.  Kathy, the innkeeper greets us and gives us the tour and shows us the Amethyst Room, where we’ll lay our heads for the evening.  A bite of pizza is called for and we head back downtown and find Meanwhile in Belfast and it turned out to be delightful.  Our waiter, Steve (of course), also works in Camden and said he’ll be at Natalies Thursday nite and would love to have us for our wedding celebration.  Time for the first B & the second B starts at 8am.  Good nite.

Spyglass and Pebble

Finally, the first day of golf arrives and we quickly pack from the Monterey Plaza, head to a Brad and Cindy breakfast place in downtown Pacific Grove and then depart for the famed 17 Mile Drive!  With some apprehension we approach the gate and softly proclaim “We’re checking in!”  Pride swells as this results in a placard bearing our name with the Pebble Beach logo that soon adorns our noble steed.  The 17 Mile Drive starts through soaring cypress trees and winds along the peninsula – majestic views fill our eyes.  Arriving at the Lone Cypress, we pose for selfies and reciprocate snapshots with an Australian couple who share our wonderment of the scenery.   Spyglass Hill, the driving range is the certain antidote for nervous anxiety – not today!  I hosel rocket my third swing and after loosening up a bit, I end the warm up session shanking my sand wedge across the practice tee – confidence is nill, I repeat, confidence is nill.  The first tee sets up a stunning dog leg left par 5 that bends towards the Pacific –  assured that adrenaline is good for the swing, I dutifully nod to the Gods of Golf and begin my routine. I draw back my weapon and coil to release the thunder only to feel my right leg quiver like Bambi’s first steps!  My first Mulligan restores my hope with a high towering drive straight down the middle.  Shannon splits the fairway and off we go.  She bogeyed with wonderful up and down and I scrambled a par out of the green side bunker.  The greens keeper mowing the fringe liked what he saw so he stayed with us – helped me read a 20 footer on #3 that I sank for birdie and then graciously helped my look for my PBF drive on the next hole which barely cleared the tee box and into the scruff.  My vocabulary is ill-equipped to describe Spyglass Hill, I can only say it was a most magnificent golf experience!  We challenged the shoreline on the front and on the inland back 9, the fog rolled thru with a blanket of clouds.  My 78 was aided by liberal application of the rules but what the heck – most importantly, I shared this day, this incredible place, with the woman I love and for that, I am most grateful.

 

 

My bucket is now lighter – Pebble Beach Golf Links – check!  On this spectacular of St. Patrick’s Day mornings we are paired on the first tee with Killian and Noll – a couple of lads from Ireland – surely the luck of the Irish has been bestowed upon us.  With some encouragement from Tom, our starter, we crack our drives and off we go!  I tried to keep score scratching bogeys on the first two holes but after that, the sheer beauty and magnitude of Pebble Beach has overwhelmed our senses and rendered our golf games unconscious – so what!  Getting through 6, 7, and 8 perched on the precipice of the cliff is indescribable.  The panoramic views of the ocean and beach below is simply breathtaking.  We finally get around to 16 – come on Steve, let’s finish strong.  A striped drive off the tee leaves only 140 to the green.  A chunked 2nd and 100 yards still remains to the dance floor!  A 30 footer for par finds the bottom of the cup.  Next up, 17, where two of the most famous US Open shots have occurred and Shannon and I did our best to replicate each!  What you’ve seen on TV can’t convey this hole properly as the ocean behind seems boundless.  The winds have picked up and my 5 iron finds the back left bunker far away from the front right pin placement.  My Bonnie-lass smacks a towering “Nicklaus-ian” iron shot off the tee that finds the Irish green only 10 feet from the pot of gold!  Knowing Johnny was up in the booth saying this guy, standing not far from where Watson once stood, has got no chance, I dig my feet in and with a full lash, blast my trap shot that caroms once and then sits like an obedient dog only 3 feet from the hole!  “That’s good” offers Killian – at least that’s what I think he said as I pick up my par! Shannon narrowly misses her birdie putt and taps in for par. The 18th at Pebble Beach – all week, I said if I can just par 18 all is good.  The tees are back and after striking Jack’s pose on the fence I attempt to emulate him on the tee.  A good drive down the right side avoids the fairway tree. The nerves and realization of where and what I was doing hinders my second shot – as did the fairway bunker just ahead!  Fortunately it kicked out into the fairway but still several football fields away from the green.  With the wind dead into us, a well struck 3 wood ends up just short of the greenside bunker and tree.  Shannon has engulfed the experience and strolls triumphantly down the fairway soaking in emotions and appreciation for where we are.  A deft little chip over the trap leaves me with 10 feet.  10 feet separates me from my goal, my dream, my hope, my story to tell!  My stroke is pure and as if to champion how wonderful this whole trip has been and with a leprechaun smiling, the white ball disappears into cup – Par!

The evening is enjoyed in Carmel – what a beautiful little town with wonderful shops and restaurants.  These are our people!  We stroll around on this beautiful evening buying gifts and memories to enjoy.  Dinner is at Portabella’s – a cute little Mediterranean style restaurant that reminds us of a scene from our favorite movie – Love Actually – you know the one where Jamie comes to the cute little bistro where Aurelia works and proposes to her.  Well, we didn’t recreate that part – but it was a fitting end to a magical day and a week we’ll never forget.

 

Hump Day

Hump Day is the term we typically use with a bit of excitement in our voice.  Its the home stretch, it’s rounding third.  We can see the weekend and we begin to make plans.  Unless you are on vacation.  Then Hump Day is the day you realize you are headed back to reality sooner rather than later.

We have reached Hump Day.

We decided to keep things low-key and piddle around Monterey.  Opting for travel by foot rather than car was a good choice and kept us fairly close to the hotel.  A few cups of crappy hotel coffee started the day and we decided to just throw on some layers and strike out for a morning adventure.  I think we got our first taste of “regular” weather.  A little cool, grey and foggy.  It doesn’t make for a great hair day, but it was nice.  Different.  A quick stop in a cafe for more daily fuel and we were headed to Lover’s Point.  The City of Monterey has a great pedestrian and bike path that hugs the coast for miles.  It is a great way to see the city without too much navigational effort.  Every turn offered a different view of this beautiful coast line. It’s so odd to see the otters and seals napping in what must be the coldest water in the world.  Of course, now that I have seen the warning signs for Great White Sharks, I will only be imagining the temperature of the water. We were enjoying the stroll so much, we just kept going.  The paved bike path turned into gravel but stayed right on the water’s edge through a beautiful neighborhood in Pacific Grove.

After a quick clean up, we wanted to take in a super touristy lunch and do some people watching.  Off to the Wharf.  You know the Wharf, the Strip, the Pier… every coastal town has one.  A few t-shirt shops, a fudge shop and seafood restaurants that serve triangle shape fish.  The grey morning had given way to a sunny warm day.  A big fish sandwich, a few cold beers and lots of people watching while we soaked up the afternoon sun.  Note from the author – If ever you see Me and Mr. P having lunch and drinking a beer in the sun, and you walk by in a ridiculous outfit or with a ridiculous dog in a ridiculous outfit, we are certain to talk about you.  More otters and seals and even some little tikes at surf school (guess their parents don’t read signs) joined us along the beach at the Wharf as we took in our fill of the touristy scene.

It was time for some digital therapy so we found a cigar shop with WiFi.  Mr. P worked on his blog post while I posted some pictures on social media.  Let me take a brief moment to describe my relationship with social media.  One a scale of 1-10, I would rate myself about a 4.  I have the accounts and I scroll through them most days.  Post pictures of my kids, my dog and of course Mr. P.  And maybe watch a cat video.  That’s about it.  Now, let me take another moment and tell you what I hate about social media.  The Perfect People.  Posting everything about their perfect life.  Food, children, husbands, decorations, crafts, and even gym pics.  And then there is the daily affirmation, my favorite.  This is where they assume we must feel crappy about our lives compared to theirs and they feel obligated to share some hope for us.  I say all of this because for this one week I have become one of the Perfect People.  I have posted more pictures, said things like great and beautiful so many times its nauseating, but I can’t help it.  I have a one week pass to Perfect People land and I am going to use it.

Back to Hump Day.   The day was coming to an early end at a great local sushi bar called Crystal Fish.  Nothing fancy just a little bite and some wine.  We need to rest and focus.  It all begins tomorrow.  The journey to Shangri-La.  The Holy Land for my Mr. P.

The Great Detour

Breakfast at the Ten Inverness Way B&B brings our fellow travelers from Massachusetts and Austin, Texas together.  With a slightly perceptible judgement that Shannon and I were “related”given our home town revelation, the affable conversation soon turns to progressive proclamations – “Austin isn’t diverse enough!” is only TRUMPED by “Barack Obama is my hero!” – time for Stevie to depart and with confederate pride in check, I excuse myself from the table.  Packed up again, our mighty Toyota steed carries us along California Route 1 to Stinson Beach.  Life is full of forks in the road and the inevitable wonders of what may had the other direction been chosen…… then again, alternate routes occur in our existence that we don’t even realize – our plans to follow the curvy glorious coast soon screech to a halt by a bright yellow Detour sign.  Obeying the command, we turn left and begin a leeward tack required to scale the mountain.  Stopping at each interval, our view of the ocean and the distant coastline  grows more remarkable as the elevation escalates.  From the top of precipice we begin a roller coaster ride through soaring trees and edge along cliff drops that threaten certain oblivion.  Reaching the end, a bag of chips settles our stomachs and highway 101 and San Francisco await.  Siri and Shannon navigate us through the Robin Williams tunnel that ends with a visual crescendo of the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground.  Onward we push through until Route 1 appears again that steers us towards the coastline.  The weather continues to amaze and offers scenic stops at beaches along the way.  Repelling stairs is required to reach the sand  and the crashing waves in the coves.  We’ve enjoyed seeing many of Cali’s fruits and nuts during this journey and the beach offers another version as Shannon soon queries, “is he naked?”  Adorned only in a large hat that protects his scalp leaving Big Jim and the Twins exposed to the ravages of the sun, one of the local indigenous personnel proudly exhibits his tanlineless physique!

Half Moon Bay is our lunch stop and the Ritz offers a beautiful respite.  A walk outside afterwards reveals the golf course that teeters on the edge of the crashing surf below.  The trip continues through Santa Cruz traffic and pea-soup fog until Monterey soon looms in the near distance.  The Monterey Plaza is a beautiful hotel and after a 5K run to stretch and explore, we dine in and end the day with growing anticipation of what lies ahead.

Napa and Point Reyes

The adventure begins early on Saturday with a drive to ATL – nothing initiates (nor signals the end of) a wonderful journey more than warm southern genteel hospitality of Hartsfield International’s award winning customer service. The drive over and parking go smoothly and soon we are at our gate with time to spare. We gamble on an aeronautical cocktail that Shannon has devised for me to help ease the flight. After a brief flight to Charlotte and a couple hour layover, the long haul begins with a five-hour flight to SFO. The medical concoction is a success and we touchdown in Frisco, our luggage comes tumbling down the shoot early and off we go in search of the car rental place. After two escalator rides, an elevator trip with Wang et al, and the blue line shuttle tram, we finally meet Austin who directs us to our Toyota chariot. With siri barking coordinates and Shannon adeptly navigating, we zip along over the Bay Bridge thru the city. Hungry and thirsty and clueless as to what the local time is, we choose a six-pack of bud light and taco bell drive thru to quench our nutritional desires. Day 1 comes to a close at the Fairfield Marriott.

We are awakened by the light emerging thru our curtains as Shannon gently eases them open to determine the luminous source. Joyously, we are met by a gloriously radiating full moon that seems only just outside our touch! A crappy cup of hotel room coffee and a plan is devised to hit the Starbucks for proper fueling and then a brisk walk thru a nearby park that is simply wonderful.   This begins to provide vistas that will soon become our destination. Napa is today’s. With coordinates entered, off we go. My expectations are undetermined but it’s a requirement to attend! We’ll visit the downtown area for lunch and shopping before our winery tour – only problem is there wasn’t the downtown as you would expect but we found a cute little market and kick off the epicenter of American Wine with a cool draft beer! With the recommendation from a friend we head up the mountain to go spelunking for grapes. The weather is perfect – I mentioned to Shannon that if it’s this nice on the first tee at Pebble of Friday, I will probably weep! We are gated in to our winery and walk up to the cave entrance – a cave entrance! The Jarvis Winery was a real treat with Tom taking us thru the cavern. With uncertainty as what to expect, I’d have to say Napa was not what I expected,

Starbucks again fuels our plans as we prepare for Point Reyes and day two. Off we go. As we head towards the lighthouse, the anticipation grows and we round each curve and crest each hill to the joyous site of the Pacific. Cows guide us along the way, as the terrain becomes treeless fields of rolling green. Finally, peeks of our excitement begin to emerge and soon, our peripheral is engulfed with blue as far as our ocular lenses reveal. Our perfect timing continues as the parking angel provides us with the last spot in a tiny lot for the lighthouse followed by the sign that says the lighthouse is closed Tuesday thru Thursday!. Our digitally chromatic instruments and compositional efforts will not convey this experience.  Holy cow – beautiful cliffs with crashing surf surrounded by the far reaches of sight. The lighthouse fog alert calls out twice each minute with a gentle moan that this day beckons a few whales instead of heeding  warnings to wayward sailors. We check in with Kai at Ten Inverness Way B&B and grab a few beers at the market to enjoy a refreshment at the local landmark – a beached trawler!