Wandering Maudslay

As I walked through the Wild Gardens of Acadia last weekend I started chatting with other folks who were also absorbing the beauty there. They told me about Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, and I knew I needed to visit there soon. From the park's web site:

The former Moseley family estate on the Merrimack River, this park features 19th century gardens and plantings, rolling meadows, towering pines, and one of the largest naturally-occurring stands of mountain laurel in Massachusetts. Most breathtaking are the ornamental trees and masses of azaleas and rhododendrons that bloom in May and June. An exquisite place for walking, biking, horseback riding and informal picnics.

I wandered at Maudslay this morning for the first time. I know I'll be back; this is a park that needs frequent visits. Now I have two favorite parks in Newburyport - Maudslay State Park, and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Having too many place I want to visit is a good problem to have!

More photos from today's wander can be seen in the gallery Wandering Maudslay State Park - 2011.

Field of poppies

Acadia photos? not yet...

Denise was thinking that photos would jump into her Acadia galleries by now. I told her that she was being silly, there just wasn't enough time for her to sort through the photos after work. If the weather wizard had brought a rainy weekend she would have had some "inside" time - but the weekend has been warm and sunny, good weather for riding, and good weather for taking more photos.

I told her you wouldn't mind waiting. You don't, do you?

--- Rover

Hey, it's me! at the top of Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park.

Changing flowers

Today was my first glimpse of the flowers at Stephens-Coolidge Place in two weeks, and what a change! The tulips that were still hanging on at my last visit are gone, the height of the "green" in the gardens has grown, poppies are out but staring to fade, iris are starting to emerge, flowers have popped out on some trees too. Beautiful!

More photos from today can be seen in the gallery Spring color... 2011, starting with this photo and ending here.

Marking the trails

Hiking on well-marked trails is a security blanket for me. Walk, look ahead, look around, follow a trail worn through the woods, follow a trail on solid rock.

Different views

When we turned down the Schoodic Peninsula on Saturday morning the fog followed us. Denise stopped at a picnic area just before the road turned into a one-way loop so we could stretch our legs. Looking inland it was cloudy but clear. Looking over the water there was fog.

I was looking over Denise's shoulder yesterday as she was started to sort through her photos (yes, it does take her a while, and she's not close to done yet!). I saw these three shots from that quick stop before heading to the tip of the peninsula. I thought I would share them with you now instead of waiting for the Denise's galleries to be completed.

Hmmm... I wonder if I can convince Denise we need to visit Acadia again before the autumn months roll around. I think I'm probably going to need to wait, but...

Oh! I almost forgot I wanted to tell you that we were standing in almost the same spot for all of these photos. We were standing on the ground to the right of the dock for the first two photos, and on the floaty thing at the end of the dock to get the really foggy shot.

--- Rover

Rabbit warning

A (somewhat) protected plant in the Wild Gardens of Acadia:

Pure luck

Rain accompanied me as I drove home late this afternoon, giving way to sunshine, blue skies, and pure white clouds.

The weather forecast called for isolated thunderstorms. I chose to ignore the warning, heading out for a long fast walk without any rain gear. About two miles from home I heard a loud crack, the rumble of thunder. I looked up to see the blue disappearing, shades of gray decorating the sky. Uh oh! I was sure I was going to get very wet, and soon.

I walked faster, watching the sky, listening to occasional rumbles. Just as I got home I saw sunlight on the edge of a cloud, a small remnant of white. Five minutes after I walked in the door, the sky turned black. A few minutes later the rain started, an unbelievable deluge.

Pure luck...

One last wander, a travel day

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain. This morning the ground is wet, the sky is gray, and the air is dry.

Breakfast first... today's treat was rosemary scramble (eggs!), french toast topped with a sweet walnut almond crumble, and a bit of watermelon. Evin's breakfasts always give me a good start.

Ah, time for a walk along the ocean, a last morning to absorb Acadia. An ocean walk, a quick trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain to stand inside a cloud, to feel the wind. Then it was time to head home, driving south and west.

Sometimes a quick trip is just what I need.

Rock hopping

Denise promised that we would hike Gorham Mountain today so I was pretty surprised when we started our morning with two garden visits. Our first stop was at the Wild Gardens of Acadia. I wasn't surprised by that one since it is just off of Park Loop Road - it was on the way to our hike.

Uh oh. After our Wild Gardens visit the car turned towards Northeast Harbor instead of continuing along the loop road. I poked Denise to remind her of our plans. I should have known she had something sensible in mind - we were still going to bounce up the Gorham Mountain trail, just a little later. The temperature was still in the mid 40s, and the forecast called for better weather in the afternoon. Denise thought a second garden visit would be a good morning activity. It's still early for azaleas, but we visited the Asticou Azalea Garden anyway. Even though it was early for most of the blooms there was scattered color.

It was still morning when we parked at Sand Beach for our loop hike, following the ocean path to the start of the Gorham Mountain trail, heading up the mountain, over the top, and down, ending near Sand Beach. Denise almost decided to do it as an out-and-back hike because the trail up was so wet. The "down" part is almost always wet, and with so much water on the "up" side she figured it was going to be a very wet walk down. She talked to some people on top of the mountain who were doing the loop in the opposite direction. They told her that the trail was very wet in spots but there were rocks she could use to keep her feet dry. I usually bounce along the trail with Denise, but there were a few sections where I was quite happy to ride in her pack. Bouncing between rocks is hard when you're as little as I am!

Rock hopping was hard work for Denise too. She said that her feet were very happy to walk on a smooth surface again.

Blue finally started peeking out from the clouds in the middle of the afternoon and Denise started chasing reflections. We found the first set along Park Loop Road, and the second set near the Eagle Lake carriage road parking area. Nice...

Cadillac Mountain called early in the evening. The top of the mountain is a good place to see the late day light.

--- Rover