Some Downeast Vacation

As of a couple of a couple of hours ago, I’m officially on vacation. Yes, technically, I have an hour or two of work to do tomorrow, but humor me. For the next week I will not be in the office, I will not be taking calls, and I will not be blogging on anything remotely relevant to work. So don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The plan for the week ahead is still somewhat fluid, subject to the vagaries of weather and other uncertainties, but looks something like this.

Saturday

Following a quick trip into Bath to procure some necessary supplies (leaders and flys), I’ll play Don Quixote, pursuing the impossible dream of actually landing another real, live striper. If the Chops is less crowded than Fenway on gameday, I’ll try my luck there, otherwise it’s south down the Kennebec to the Lee Island flats and the mouth of the Back River. Rumor has it the bluefish are running down by Popham, but they’d chew up my plain old striper line, so it’s not really worth the trip.

Saturday evening will see me packing for Sunday’s trip.

Sunday – Tuesday

After a nice little lie in, as James might call it, I’ll be up and heading north up US-1 towards Mt Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park (check out some of the Flickr shots – wow). The hope is that the traffic will be less of a bitch on a Sunday then it would on, say, a Friday, but who knows. I’m opting to take coastal US-1 rather than the inland I-295/I-95/I-395 because, well, it’s coastal. US-1 will drop me trough Camden and Rockland, which if you’ve never been, are both gorgeous, and the mileage is actually shorter my way. I’ll try and camp in the park Sunday night if possible – they’re apparently not taking reservations at the moment – but will fall back to a couple of cheap hotels if worst comes to worst.

Over the couple days I plan to spend in the area, there’s a lot I’d like to see: Northeast Harbor, Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, Otter Cliffs, Somes Sound, the Beehive, Sand Beach, the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and – of course – Cadillac Mountain. As the latter is purportedly the first place in the US to see the rising sun, it’s possible that I get aggressive and try to catch a sunrise there, but not likely. Besides the typical sights, I’ll be spending some time on the famous carriage roads, which I understand were commissioned by Rockefeller and designed by Olmstead of Central Park fame, as well as testing the waters to see if the fishing up north is as abysmal as it is here in southern(ish) Maine.

All in all, I’m hoping for a relaxing couple of days and a couple of dozen amateurish pictures. If I’m not back by Wednesday, send out search parties. Or forward my mail. Whichever.

Thursday

Following a day or two to rest and recover from the 130 mile drive up and back from Acadia, I’ll be making a quick day trip down to Portland. The plan is to grab lunch somewhere in the Old Port, hop a ferry over to Peak’s Island for the afternoon, and then catch a SeaDogs (the Sox AA affiliate) game before heading home. Regrettably, it looks as if our top pitching prospect Clay Buchholz is on his way to Pawtucket, but maybe I’ll get a chance to see Justin Masterson throw.

Friday / Saturday / Sunday

Plans will be determined largely by weather, but are likely to involve some combination of a visit to Reid State Park, a trip up north of Skowhegan for some trout fishing, and – regrettably – a fair amount of non-work related admin. For the Boston residents, it’s possible that I’ll be paying a visit sometime on Saturday, so stay tuned.

And that’s pretty much the plan. Suggestions if you’re an Acadia veteran are obviously welcome, as I haven’t been since I went to marine biology camp there years ago. As for the work logistics, feel free to contact one of my colleagues if you need something urgent. Otherwise, Grand Central (617.395.5685) will be only too happy to hold your voicemail until I return to the office.