Rivalry in the stable?

Believe it or not, our 'Life with Westy' began (somewhat by surprise) 6 years ago this month.

Over those 6 years Dave was busy with our myriad of house renovations (you may have read about them here as I veered completely off topic for an extended period of time) and occasional small(ish) Westy-improvements, leaving no spare time to play with - much less care for - his first love, his 1965 Mustang.

I'm not sure if it was all the attention Westy received in preparation for the trip to Maine - not to mention the actual trip itself - or seeing a friend's sports car one recent evening but something triggered a sudden flurry of activity with the Mustang over the past couple weekends.

Surprisingly, it really didn't take much effort to get it started.

It's like a used car lot around here.

Dave took it out for a couple test runs and gave it a much-needed bath.

 

Now. I need to explain that since we got the Westy, this has been the parking order in the garage...

Westy in front. Mustang in back.
All is right with the Universe.

But THIS....this is how they have been parked since the weekend...

Poor Westy looks like it is in Time Out.
Stuck in the back, nose facing the wall...

There is a disturbance in the Universe.

Beer Review

Remember these?

Beer with buses and dogs on the label...awesome fun packaging catches the eye!

Our local beer store had both in stock, so we gave them a try.

Fresh Slice White IPA - Neither one of us noticed the small print on the label which states that this beer is "Brewed with a dose of coriander and a hit [yes hit, not hint] of natural clementine flavor." Now, I like white IPA. I like coriander. And we eat a lot of clementines in the winter. However, upon the very first sip, I learned that I do not like those three items combined in one bottle. Not one bit. But that's just me.

Backseat Berner - Hoppy, bitter and far more drinkable (in my opinion). But at 7% alcohol just one made me a little loopy. To be perfectly honest, I was light headed by the time I got through half the bottle (as is the case with anything, if you don't remain vigilant with your practice, you lose your edge).

Dave, being of the "Let no beer go to waste!" mind-set -- and an all-around good sport -- is valiantly plugging away at them. Reminiscing about vacation with each bottle.

Acadia

The morning after hiking/climbing Katahdin we packed up camp (in the dreary rain and drizzle) and headed for town and breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe in Millinocket. As well as generous portions of food for hungry, calorie deficient AT hikers, they provide services and lodging. It's worth a stop even on a dry day to eaves drop on hiker conversations and observe the comradery.

On the way out of Baxter SP we stopped to peak at a couple ponds in hopes of spying a moose casually breakfasting on whatever it is that moose enjoy gnawing on - alas, there were to be no moose sightings our entire trip.

 

However, in the wildlife department, we did have a pesky and somewhat portly chipmunk that was intent on trying to get into the Westy. He even ran over Dave's foot one evening during dinner - not sure who was more surprised at that encounter.

But this is a post about Acadia.

Acadia National Park encompasses about 47,000 acres of land, predominantly on Mount Desert Island, on the Atlantic coast. Our first stop was park headquarters where one of the friendlier of the stereotypical no-nonsense New Englander park rangers told us that they had broken a record this past summer with 2.2 million visitors. Being the weekend after Labor Day, Dave and I had foolishly thought that there would be very few people around. I suppose in comparison to 2.2 million the park was nearly vacant, but it felt crowded to us. Fortunately I had reserved a campsite on the "Quiet Side" of the island, in Bass Harbor. I am sure the friendly but odd folks running the campground had our best interests at heart when they parked us right next to the bathrooms and practically on top of other campers. I am also certain that when we politely requested to move to the most remote, furthest away from the bathhouse site we could find they thought we were the odd ones. We were very happy with our new-found seclusion.

It's hard to sum up Acadia, and I've babbled on here long enough. It is obviously a major tourist draw and everything I have ever imagined Maine's rugged coast would look like. There are plenty of hiking trails from easy to moderate to strenuous, and lots of biking, canoeing and kayaking options. Suffice to say that a weekend is not enough time there. If you ever go, and it's a haul from Western NY (800 miles -ish), give yourself lots of time to take it all in. Personally, I would also suggest you avoid summer and leaf-peeper seasons. But that's just me.

Katahdin

Located in Baxter State Park, at 5,267 feet high, Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin is the highest peak in Maine. For hikers choosing the south to north route, it is the terminus of the Appalachian Trail; a very long walk, 2,155 miles (give or take), requiring 5+ months to complete. Named by the Penobscot Indians, Katahdin means "The Greatest Mountain."

I am certain somewhere, along with that dignified definition, one can also find these words: Serious. Intense. And, last but certainly not least, Slightly Terrifying.

The trail we hiked from our campsite to the top is known as the Hunt Trail. It is 5.2 miles (one way) with a 4,150 foot elevation gain. There is no warm up, you pretty much start gaining elevation right out of the gate.

Camp
It took two eight-hour travel days in the Westy, over lots of mountainous roads, to get to our campsite. A nearly 800-mile trip through Vermont and New Hampshire, every mile was gorgeous. Westy did great except for the final push at 20 mph on dirt roads through the park (Westy doesn't like slow speeds, it tends to overheat) but we made it and everything was fine.

Happy Camper

...a little while later.

The Hike - Off We Go!

The rocks are the trail.

Little did I know, this was the easy part of the trail.

The Boulder Fields of Hunt Spur and The Gateway

Somewhere in the middle of the scariest parts of the boulder "field" on Hunt Spur, I recall informing Dave that all of his future vacation choices would be much more closely supervised.

I don't think I have ever seen such a big smile on Dave's face.

 

 

 

The Tableland
While relatively flat, the Tableland was a one-mile walk across varying size rocks through a landscape that was silent and looked otherworldly.

 

At the Top!

Mac 'n Cheese - thru-hikers we met on the trail, finished on day 169

The Knife Edge

Descent
What goes up...

We were very fortunate to have clear skies and perfect weather (despite the forecast) for our day on the mountain. We met quite a few AT thru-hikers who were finishing their journeys, they all have our greatest respects, it was a powerful thing to bear witness to. We feel extremely grateful to have been physically (and mentally) able to do this hike and carried a sense of awe with us for the rest of our time in Maine.

Greetings from North Woodstock, NH

You don't get this kind of service at Name Any Big Chain Hotel

Apparently this place is quite the tourist hotspot in the summer. Five miles off the Appalacian Trail, they get hikers in town stocking up on supplies and looking for a place to shower, sleep a night, etc. Right now, post-Labor Day and mid-week, it is quiet. First impression after walking up and down the half-mile "strip" a couple times: kind of a crunchy-granola, hiker, hippie vibe - I like it - with a bit of Redneck/Hill People and Tourists thrown into the mix. It's...interesting.

They lured me in with pretty gardens.

The beer was good.

The food...well, the food did it's job.

A Westy & a dog on beer packaging?? We HAVE to try it!

Just read "Hop on the Bus!" on the pack on the left! Didn't notice that before. That's funny!

The Birthday Bus did well by us today - lots of mountains.

She deserves a good rest.

'Til next time!

Resurfacing from a long absence...

In an effort to get back to the topic that this blog was originally intended to cover...we are celebrating Westy's 30th Birthday!

We hosed a couple years' worth of dust and spiders off the old girl.

 

Safety took a little holiday.

And have been making preparations for The Big Birthday Adventure - Taking Westy to Maine!

In addition to checking fluid levels, new wiper blades and kicking the tires, Dave added a second battery for auxiliary use and purchased an electric cooler to use in place of the stock refrigerator (which are notorious on Westfalias for being finicky and not working properly).

New cooler ~ Stock refrigerator now a pantry ~ Win/Win!

 

Always test your work before hitting the road.

Installing new aux battery.

The plan is to hike Katahdin along the Appalachian Trail to the summit (Baxter Peak, elevation 5,267'), explore Acadia National Park for a couple days, and then drive south along the coast before heading inland across New Hampshire and Vermont on our way home.

We'll keep you posted - when access to internet allows!