New Painting by Lucy Packert - Out to Pasture

Lucy Packert - Out to Pasture, Jonesport, ME, 9/24/09

New Painting by Lucy Packert - Boathouse at Spednic Lake (6/09)

Spednic Lake is one of the Chiputneticook Lakes, a chain of lakes that form the border between Maine and Canada, located roughly halfway between Calais and Houlton. Spednic is one of the largest lakes in Maine with over 100 miles of shoreline that for the most part remains wilderness but for the occasional house or camp; much of the surrounding forests are paper company owned. Spednic feeds the St. Croix River from a dam at Vanceboro, the St. Croix continues the international border until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean south of Calais.

A Must Read Acadian Journal - The Foley Island Blogs

(Photo by Don Foley, 2009)

Our first renter of the 2009 season, the Foley family has beautifully documented their Acadian vacation on a website that is loaded with great photography, and lots of great descriptions of their week on Mount Desert Island. The degree to which they achieved full immersion in Acadia National Park and the general area is inspirational. And the degree to which they've employed the iPhone to enhance their vacation experience is very cool too. After reading about their Maine vacation, check out the rest of their website for lots more great photos and descriptions of their special corner of the world near Cape Canaveral, FL. Don Foley is a well published illustrator and has done a fabulous job creating a website to share his family's joie de vivre; it's a must-read.

Foley Acadia Vacation, 2009.
The Foley Island Blogs.

Wesley Avenue Cottage - Photo Tour

For rental information on Wesley Avenue Cottage, click here.
















Living room & kitchen.


















First bedroom (queen bed).




Second bedroom (queen bed).




Third bedroom (bunk beds).




The loft.


Loft bed.


Loft bed.


Laundry.


Bathroom.

For complete rental information on Wesley Avenue Cottage, click here.
Email wkates@hotmail.com for reservations and questions.

New Painting by Lucy Packert - Bass Harbor Head Light (2009)

This will be a familiar sight to frequent visitors to Acadia National Park, the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse.

Moonrise Over Machias, 5/25/09

About 8:40pm tonight the moon appeared to be just a tiny sliver of light but it looked as if the entire dark side of the moon was visible, so I stopped for a few pictures which bear that out. Have a look.

Hiking Kebo Mountain, 5/24/09

There's nothing better after arriving in Maine late on a Saturday night, than getting up Sunday and going for a morning hike before breakfast, and I use the terms "morning" and "breakfast" loosely. Today I didn't let a little light rain deter me from hiking, and even though I've been on most every mountain in Acadia at one time or another, I realized that I'd never hiked Kebo Mountain, and I use the term "mountain" loosely too, being that the summit is a mere 407 feet. Nevertheless, with questionable weather, the length (short) and location (near Bar Harbor) were both favorable, and the hike was quite enjoyable. There aren't spectacular views from Kebo, but after only a few steps up you start looking down on Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands, and when you do reach the summit, you get views of and can continue on toward Dorr, Cadillac, and Champlain Mountains if you're of a mind to.



The North Ridge trail starts from the Park Loop Road, not long after it becomes one way going toward Sand Beach from the Cadillac Mountain entrance. There's no parking area, you have to park in the right lane of the Park Loop Road. The hike up is one of the shortest in Acadia, three tenths of a mile. Continuing down the other side of Kebo to the trail junction has many ups and downs and makes for great exercise; despite it being 53 degrees, the activity and the humidity combined to make the flannel shirt I started out wearing totally unnecessary after only a short way. If you go left at the first trail junction, you're on the Strath Eden trail, another left turn takes you back to the Park Loop Road. Going the other way will take you on a short hike to Sieur de Monts Spring. The walk back to the road is a quite pleasant and mostly level walk through the woods at the base of Kebo. It's not a major hike but it's a nice way to reacquaint the hiking muscles with the trails of Acadia after some time away. Here are some photos from this morning's hike.


















If you don't watch where you step, it might be all over for this guy.


Kebo "summit".


One of the Porcupine Islands.


Here you can look down on the world class golf course that takes it's name from Kebo.


This view looks further east towards Schoodic Peninsula across Frenchman's Bay.


Dorr Mountain on the left, and Cadillac on the right.


Champlain Mountain.












Water on the rock.


Near the Strath Eden trail junction, an unmapped carriage road.









Back at the Park Loop Road.