Maine State parks and passes

Hilary Nangle
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With temps expected to push well into the 80s later this week and a holiday weekend on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about lakes and beaches. And that means Maine’s state parks and public lands.

No matter where you are in Maine, there’s likely a beach or lake with a park within easy reach. That makes the Maine State Parks pass, which provides access to more than 30 parks statewide, a smart buy. With one purchase, you get a summer’s worth of recreation, and many parks offer activities such as guided walks, birding festivals, and other outdoor-oriented fun.

• A $105 Day Pass provides entry for one vehicle and all occupants, making it the best choice for families, couples, and neighborhood car-pool drivers.

• A $55 Individual Pass allows only the individual pass holder free day-use.

• Age 65 and older receive free day use with proof of age.

Even better, of course, is free access, which is what you get at Maine’s Public Lands.

Many state parks provide camping for a reasonable fee; at many public lands, it’s free.

Check out the Dead River Historical Society

Hilary Nangle
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We popped in to the Dead River Historical Society, in Stratton, to check its hours, and found Pat Simpson, a local with deep, deep roots, bustling about and awaiting a cleaning crew. She let us pop in for a quick look-see, even though the museum doesn’t officially open until Memorial Day weekend (thereafter, Saturday and Sunday only, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

For fusty museum fans, this place rocks. It’s chock-full of artifacts and memories from Stratton, Eustis, and the lost town of Flagstaff, now buried beneath the lake that bears its name.

Get Pat talking about her memories: She started collecting her finds at the dump more than 30 years ago, when she realized the town’s residents were discarding them. There are pieces in here that would make an Antiques Road Show appraiser’s eyes pop. We’ll definitely return when it’s officially open, after Pat and her crew of volunteers have cleaned up and organized it for the season.

Moose Mainea

Hilary Nangle
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Moose Mainea

IMG_3520Wanna see a moose? This is the best time of year to do so, and the area around Moosehead Lake is prime moose-spotting territory. Head to Greenville, mid-May to mid-June for the annual Moose Mainea celebration. Stop by the chamber to pick up maps and info sheet about the gangly critters and where their favorite grub and gossip spots are located. Then arm yourself with a camera, and go shooting. Among Moose Mainea special activities are a photo contest, canoe race, craft fair, kid’s fun day, famous moose tales, and quest fest.

Be sure to stop by Northwoods Outfitters if you want to arrange a guided hike, moose safari, cruise, or other outdoor adventure.

Where to stay:
If you can swing it, splurge on a room at the Blair Hill Inn, an elegant, architecturally stunning hillside mansion with expansive views over Moosehead Lake.

Far less pricey, yet with a location that’s practically in the lake is the Chalet Moosehead motel; pets are allowed in some units. Rates include use of dock and paddle boats.

IMG_3533For an authentic Maine experience and the opportunity to catch a breakfast trout or view a moose swimming from your room, check into West Branch Camps (image right), a traditional Maine sporting camp. Don’t expect luxury; this is a few steps above camping, but not to be missed. Fourth-generation owner Eric Stirling is slowly fixing up the late-19th-century lodge and cabins. Rates include all meals (food is terrific!), boat, firewood, and linens. It’s pet-friendly.

Want your own cottage by the lake? Take a gander at Wilsons On Moosehead Lake, a collection of one- to five-bedroom housekeeping cottages that rent by the day or week. All have screened porches (remember, it’s black fly season), fireplaces (evenings can still be chilly), kitchens, and Wifi.

 

Miss Portland shines and scores

Hilary Nangle
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My new favorite breakfast joint is the Miss Portland Diner, on Marginal Way (between Franklin and Forest). The restored original Worcester Lunch Car Company #818 shines not only in its gleaming metal surfaces but also in its service and food. (For the story on its rescue, go here)

I sat at the counter, soaking in the flavors and sights. There also are booths in the main car, plus more booths and tables in a pleasant addition (but really, go for the original diner, if seats are available).

The Miss Portland scored points on many fronts. For starters, the help: It’s rare to be waited on by such clearly just-happy-to-be-here folks, people who enjoy their jobs and make it a point to make their customers feel right at home, with genuine warmth in their greetings and chatter.

Second, the food: Although the setting is authentic, the menu reaches beyond the usual diner classics. My Greek omelet was fat with fresh spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta cheese. It came with a generous portion of homefries (my own preference is for crispier, but the flavor was good), and an order of toast. I had the Italian bread—I figured, Hey! that’s close to Greece, it should complement the omelet, and it did.

Third: Cleanliness, no greasy spoons here, no sticky counters, either.

Fourth: The adjacent free parking lot.

I’ll be back to try lunch and dinner.

Bermuda dreaming

Hilary Nangle
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Bermuda dreaming
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Love that Bermuda Blue!

If Crayola doesn’t have a color named Bermuda Blue, it should. Nothing compares with the brilliance and depth, the clarity, or the dreaminess of Bermuda’s vivid, bluesy sea.

Turquoise in the sandy shallows, a seaworthy marine in deeper waters, shimmering like a jewel under sunny skies, but blue it is, an unmistakable, undeniable blue as true to Bermuda as its pink sand.

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View from a balcony at the Fairmont Princess in Bermuda ©hilary nangle

I spent the last five days on this Atlantic island, exploring it from St. George’s on the East End to Dockyard on the West, walking much of it on the Railway Trail, with detours off to the sights along the way.

I’ll detail some of my adventures over the coming days. In the meantime, check out the view from my room at the Fairmont Southampton Princess.

UPDATE: Go here for my spa review.

New York, New York…

Hilary Nangle
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…it’s a wonderful town.

Sorry for the silence, but I’ve been in the Big Apple attending a couple of  conferences. In between, I managed to get in a few sights and tastes:

• Central Park, where spring has sprung. The Conservatory Garden up around 106th street is alone worth the journey. My friend Margie showed me her favorite parts of the park. Loved the Alice in Wonderland statue, the Delacorte Music Clock (timed that right), and Margie’s bench.

• Lunch at the Comfort Diner. Retro, loud, bustling, fast, cheap. Diner fare (great chicken noodle soup and a pretty decent chocolate chip cookie) plus a few surprises (pistachio-crusted chicken in a salad).

• Yet another lunch with a friend at Pret a Manger, a Britain-based chain of healthful fast food outlets with an emphasis on fresh and organic.

• Got a taste of feelin’ groovy while walking part way across the 59th Street Bridge (while of course singing the Simon & Garfunkle tune of the same name).

• Zipped over to Roosevelt Island on the tram to take in the great views of the city at night.

• Skyline views of New York from Amtrak’s Acela train en route home.

• From Boston to Maine, I played the two-degrees-of-Maine game with my seatmate. Learned that he’d help construct Sugarloaf’s Redington development,  that he owned the home and gallery across the street from the house we’d rented in Southwest Harbor two summers ago, and all sorts of other parallel lives coincidences that always happen when you get chatting with another Mainiac.

Portland is “America’s most livable city”

Hilary Nangle
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So says Forbes.com. I say, tell us something we didn’t know.

Okay, here’s something I didn’t know, according to Forbes, the population of Metro Portland is 513,000. Uhm, really? Well, yes, if you include the Biddeford area in the definition, which Forbes did. I suppose as the sprawl spreads, that’s possible, but it doesn’t fit any local definition of the city’s reach.

Still, no matter how you define the terms, it’s another feather in Portland’s cap.

Ski bunnies in Rangeley

Hilary Nangle
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Karen and I are officially members of “The Mad Whittler’s” Bunny Club (which is a far cry from Heffner’s Bunny Club). Renowned woodcarver Rodney Richard carves teensy rabbits and hands them out to girls of all ages, along with his card. Karen and I were having a post-ski pot of tea at the Parkside & Main, in downtown Rangeley, when Richard came over and handed us each one. “I’ve got more than 25,000 of these worldwide,” he told us. “I even received a thank-you note from Nancy Reagan.”

Accepting the bunny rabbit comes with a requirement: “Any girl having one of my personally handcarved bunnies must give 10 minutes of her time doing something nice for someone else.” Nice touch!

By the way, most of the woodcarvings you’ll see throughout the region were carved by Richard, including a few up at the mountain.

Rangeley’s gen-u-ine American hero

Hilary Nangle
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Do yourself a favor next time you’re in Rangeley, and order a meal at Thai Blossom Express, smack downtown on Main Street. This li’l gem is owned by Sam Sriweawnetr, a gen-u-ine American hero. Way back in 1979, he was a chef at the American Embassy in Tehran. He was instrumental in helping lead five hostages to freedom. He paid dearly for his bravery, and spent three years in hiding, before managing to sneak out of the country. He opened an acclaimed restaurant in Boston, and after a few other stops, made his way to western Maine. There are copies of stories detailing his feats on the walls, but the best source is Sam himself. And the food? Fabulous.

Sunday River opens sugar shack

Hilary Nangle
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How sweet it is, as the Great One used to say.

Just because you’re planning on skiing this weekend doesn’t mean you can’t take part in Maine Maple Sunday. Sunday River today opened a sugar house at the base of the Sundance trail, in the South Ridge area. Stop by for tours, demonstrations, and free maple candy and syrup samples.

Local maple syrup producer Bob Milligan, of Andover, designed Sunday River’s sugar shack. Nearly 3 miles of tubing connecting 950 taps flow syrup to the shack. Each tap should produce a pint of syrup per season. The Rivah can store 2,400 gallons of the sweet treat. (I think there’s one of those strike-fear-in-me mathematical word problems in there, shudder).

So, if you’re heading for The Rivah this weekend, see if you can sample a li’l bit ‘o sugar on snow. The sugar house will be open daily through mid-April.

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