Travel Tip #5: Make time to hit everyone's "wish" list.
VM: The time is quickly passing. Vacation has a funny way of making you forget what day it is. And that's a good thing.
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Taller than Niagara Falls!
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We awoke early in Quebec yesterday to head to Montmorency Falls just outside the city. In keeping with the theme of the Canadian portion of our 'cation, there were two more superlatives here -- highest falls in the province of Quebec and (according to the Quebecers) 30 meters higher than Niagara Falls.
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Walking across the bridge is cool.
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It's no Paris, but that didn't stop
romantics from adding their
locks of love to the bridge.
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We decided this is definitely a state ploy to get tourists to visit what are some pretty falls, but they are not as awe-inspiring as Niagara Falls. Our family has been to Niagara Falls and we could all spend hours just staring at these falls. Montmorency Falls was a bit more like a Chevy Chase vacation spot. As JM said, "we could've done a drive-by and saved the parking fee."
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Don't know WHAT he is, but this napping furball was super cute.
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It really wasn't quite that bad, but of course, the best part for us involved an animal. As we climbed the stairs to the cable car which would carry us to the top of the falls, EM spotted a cute, furry creature tucked below the stairs. We still don't quite know what he was (beaver cousin of some sort I think) as the cable car operator was not as impressed with him as we were and spoke very little English. Clearly, this little dude was nothing new for the conductor and he assured us he was just sleeping, not dead.
After our visit, we headed to the Dunkin Donuts mecca of Canada -- Tim Horton's, fulfilling a "wish" for JM as he has never visited Canada without a visit to this institution. Maybe it was that good or maybe we were hungry, but the coffee, breakfast sandwiches and sweets did not disappoint.
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The road to Maine was extra long for HM.
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After fortification, we heading south for our journey to Maine. Now those of you who have been kind enough to follow along with us, know that HM was now on her 5th day without her mobile phone. Like an addict experiencing withdrawals, she grew desperate yesterday, jonesing for her fix. The result -- she actually had to be NICE to her little sister EM during the ride, playing Auto Bingo, taking turns playing games on EM's IPAD and even giggling a bit. It made for a nice drive.
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In case you don't know which way to go.
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The trip across the "frontiere" from Canada to the U.S. was uneventful. It was such a remote spot where we crossed over that it really made us wonder how we are able to keep this station properly manned with sharp officers who are on the lookout for those who want to do harm.
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Stopping to check out the vista from the U.S. to Canada.
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Moose country.
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Apparently, no moose wanted to cross while we were in town.
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Once we crossed, we were literally in what I would call "moose" country cause it's really terrain only fit for a moose. I'm sure many vacationing Mainers would disagree as it is an area frequented by campers and snowmobilers -- there is very little civilization in this part of the state. We kept our eyes peeled for moose, but we had to satisfy ourselves with the moose head at the genuine general store where we stopped for a snack.
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The closest we got to seeing a moose on our trek through The Forks, Maine. The Berry's General Store was also were we got to meet Arturo, who was readying for a bath.
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Fresh flowers from the garden greeted us
in our garden cottage.
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We arrived at our garden cottage in Camden, ME late in the day. Arranged by my dad, the charming cottage is perfect for our family, although JM won't be discussing politics with the owner, a staunch Obama fan. We all vegged for the evening and enjoyed sleeping with all the windows open.
Today, after a lazy morning start, we headed south to fulfill another JM wish - visiting the Boothbay Railway Village. It is an interesting off-the-beaten spot, which from what we could glean, is a passion project for a local Mainer who clearly has a bit of dough. The "village" is a collection of old buildings, classic cars and vintage train cars, including a live narrow gauge steam train which you are invited to ride.
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Built in 1847, the Boothbay Town Hall is housed at the Railway Village. It still serves as Boothbay's Town Hall and as a spot for civic and cultural events. It is also used for voting. Folks have voted for historic presidents like Lincoln up to today's presidents here.
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The engineer carefully wiped his train after every trip.
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This box car was given to the state of Maine by the French in 1949 as a gratitude gift. Box cars like these carried soldiers & horses to the front during WWI and WWII. The French apparently gave 49 of these "Merci" box cars filled with gifts to the people of the United States after the war. I like it when man is nice to man.
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Revisiting fond childhood memories.
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Best of all, the museum had a wonderful model railroad exhibit. JM enjoyed swapping stories with the volunteer gentlemen who had been lovingly working on this model for more than a decade, with JM reminiscing about the model trains he had as a child. It was really fun to check out all the details and to see the volunteers at work actually creating the model.
We ended our visit to Boothbay Village visiting with the resident goats who were none to patient with us when we had problems purchasing a snack for them due to a jammed dispenser. Luckily, HM was finally able to get them some grub 'cause they were getting downright indignant.
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Volunteers have lovingly worked on this model for more than 10 years.
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This detailed model comes complete with its own Maine lighthouse!
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The Boothbay Village had an incredible collection of antique cars. The McCartys had to bring some modern-day humor to these classic beauties.
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EM had to point out her desired auto.
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Hungry goats demanding a snack!
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We found another off-the-beaten path spot for lunch, The Watershed Tavern. Attached to Boothbay's only craft brewery, the spot had excellent beer and excellent fare, but unfortunately, very unorganized service and kitchen. We would not put it on our "would love to come back" list.
Rainy weather hampered more touring of Boothbay Harbor, and instead we decided to head back north to our cottage. We took a detour to check out one of Maine's many lighthouses -- the Owls Head Light, built in 1826.
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Spot, the Lighthouse dog, is a legend in these parts.
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While not as tall as we had imagined, our favorite part was learning about the local lore that accompanies the lighthouse. Supposedly in the 1930s, the lighthouse tender had a dog named Spot who loved ringing the lighthouse bell and barking at the boats coming in and out of the harbor, including that of the postmaster's. One foggy, winter evening, the postmaster had not returned and his worried wife asked the lighthouse tender to have Spot ring the bell. Unable to hold onto to the icey rope, Spot reportedly kept barking, calling the boats home. The postmaster arrived safely and he said it was Spot's barking which helped him navigate home safely.
Of course, we love that story.
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Lighthouses like the one at Owls Point, guide the Maine sailors home.
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HM: After a long and never ending drive to Maine, I've got to say it was worth it. The weather is "eh" but our cottage is cozy and seeing the ocean made me smile. I love the smell of the ocean especially when you can see the waves crashing on shore. It's so much fun and I can't wait for Kennebunkport. (I highly doubt I spelled that right, I apologize.)
EM: The train was cool. The light house was amazing. It is a nice place here in Maine.
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Nice words to live by...
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