Maine Travel Maven

It’s lonely near the top

Hilary Nangle

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April 27, 2009

of Sugarloaf, that is…on a Monday, in late April, but the skiing was mighty fine. From cherry blossoms and tulips in New York on Saturday to shusshing down Gauge this morning, I think I’ve experienced every aspect of spring in about 48 hours.

Compared with when I left a week ago, the mountain is definitely looking springish. From Oh-my-gosh! corner, you can see big patches of brown, but most of those are still stitched with white.

Two lifts are running, SuperQuad and Spillway East. Sign at the base of the quad said “Most skiing requires walking.” I didn’t experience that. I took four runs before the sun came out full force and forced me to retreat, and I found plenty of corn snow. But it sure was lonely. I had each trail to myself, and often the lift, too.

Gauge: excellent, plenty of cover.

Sluice: had to thread the needle on the headwall, but nice snow other than that. Spillway is looking quite boney, but Sluice below the Headwall should hold up for a few more days.

Tote to Hayburner: Few baldies on this run; snow is good, although Peavy over to Spillway was getting interesting.

Upper Double Bitter to Skidder: Great snow, good turns.

There’s still a huge mound of snow near the SuperQuad base that can be pushed around to keep snow in that area. If the weather holds, I’ll head out again tomorrow. Tentative closing date is May 3.

New York, New York…

Hilary Nangle

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April 26, 2009

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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.

You know it’s Reggae Weekend when…

Hilary Nangle

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April 17, 2009

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• the Sheriff and the Staties have staked out their positions on Route 27 (and planning on balancing the state’s budget).

• there are bouncers at the base of the SuperQuad (Security checking backpacks for beer)

• a snowboarder drops his trousers as he passes in front of The Beach

• women in spike heels (what are they thinking) are hanging around the base

• kamikazies, suicide bombers, and cluster bombs menace the slopes

• the crowd on The Beach is most definitely not from around here

• parking is a contact sport (and it’s way too easy to be blocked)

• beer cans and bottles litter the slopes and the roadways

And it’s only Friday. C’mon, help me out, Sugarloafers…

Not too taxing a day at the loaf

Hilary Nangle

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April 15, 2009

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Because I know you don’t believe how good the skiing is, here’s proof, taken today, April 15, 2009.

Nancy on Timberline; Mt. Washington and Sunday River in background

Skier ponders, hmmm, Sluice or Spillway?

Sugar on snow

Hilary Nangle

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April 14, 2009

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Nope, not talking maple syrup. I’m referring to the conditions at Sugarloaf.

I know, I know, you’ve put away your skis in favor of clubs and rackets, garden tools and seed catalogs. Trust me: It’s worth getting the boards out of the closet.

It might be snowless where you are, but up here, there’s still snow on the trails and in the trees. Yes, it’s getting a bit thin at the base, but the upper three-quarters of the peak are mighty fine. Forecast through Friday calls for cold temps at night (20s) with warm ones during the day (50s). Now that’s a recipe for perfect spring skiing.

Today was sweet. Cold (yes, cold) at the summit. I’m thinking the ice on Gauge Ext. won’t melt for a long time. Best skiing was mid mountain: Skidway (Groomed!), Sluice, Gondy, Comp, Spillway—all were more winterish than spring. Firm but definitely edgeable. Below Spillway, surface was sugar.

Oh, and don’t forget your sunglasses.

Noodle soup and migraine tea

Hilary Nangle

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April 12, 2009

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I ventured down to Portland last week and treated myself to lunch at Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant on Cumberland Avenue. My first time there, but definitely not my last. It’s a homey hole-in-the-wall, with perhaps a half-dozen tables, each topped with a tray of garlic and chile sauces. I was welcomed with hot tea and a menu.

Noodle soup is the specialty, and I ordered chicken. A huge bowl of aromatic and flavorful soup, rich with chicken and noodles, came accompanied by a plate of basic, bean sprouts, and a lime. I added a bit of this, then more of that, and before I knew it, my bowl and plate were empty, and I was full.

Next stop, Micucci’s to stock up on staples, bread (foccacia!), and wine (I’ve yet to find a better source of good, but cheap, wine).

Final stop: Homegrown Herb and Tea. Since discovering this place a couple of months ago, it’s become a must stop. This time I was fighting a migraine, and I mentioned it to Sarah, who is knowledgeable about Ayurvedic healing . She whipped up a migraine tea, and it calmed the pain considerably. It’s pricey, but I’ll be stocking up next time I’m in town. Oh, and her lavendar shortbread alone is worth the trip to this tiny tea house on the hill.

Vietnamese noodle soup and Ayurvedic migraine tea: Portland sure has changed since the days when an Amato’s Italian defined ethnic, almost exotic, eh?

UPDATE: Huong has closed. When I’m craving Pho, I now go to either Thanh Thanh 2, on outer Forest Ave., between the two corners from Hell, or Veranda Thai’ or its new noodle bar, off Washington Ave. north of 295.

Trust me, the skiing's still fab

Hilary Nangle

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April 10, 2009

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I know there’s no snow where you are. I know spring has sprung and you’re seeing crocuses. And I know the golf courses and tennis courts are open. BUT don’t put your skis away just yet.

Sugarloaf is still wide open, with excellent cover. I took some runs this morning, and the only places where it’s looking thin are on the natural snow trails. The rest are humming, with Gondy Line being especially fine this morning.

Sunday River is still in play.

Saddleback closes Sunday (see photo, taken yesterday, April 9, 2009)

Free chocolate? Say yes to Dean’s Sweets

Hilary Nangle

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April 6, 2009

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Here’s a sweet offer: A free hand-dipped, dark chocolate truffle from Dean’sSweets.

Dean’s is attempting to brighten up the tax season. Here’s the deal: Visit Dean’sSweets Middle Street store between now and April 15, mention the Tax Day truffle offer, and one is yours. Free. No purchase necessary (but of course, one is appreciated). No strings attached.

Offer is good for one of any of 18 Dean’sSweets flavors, which include traditional rum, spicy cayenne, Maine maple, blueberry, single-malt Scotch, Tequila lime (oh yeah!), and hot coffee. All Dean’sSweets truffles are made in small batches in Portland. They have neither preservatives nor nut products.

Go, and do provide a little economic stimulus while there by purchasing at least one other truffle (yeah, like you could avoid doing so, right?).

Bethel’s loss is Norway’s gain

Hilary Nangle

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April 3, 2009

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Quick update for Moon Maine: Taste of Eden, a vegan cafe and bakery that makes almost everything—including condiments—from scratch, has moved from Bethel to Norway’s Main Street.

Portland is “America’s most livable city”

Greater Portland

Hilary Nangle

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April 3, 2009

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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.