My Favorite Hiding Spot...Greenville, Maine

Greenville, Maine is one of my favorite hideaways.  They don't have Walmart, which is exactly what I'm looking for.  What they do have is some of the most amazing scenery in the country.  This is not the shore.  This is not what some people would call Northern Mass.  This is the north woods.  There are not many people.  You don't have to lock your car.  Most things never change.  There's a saying on license plates that says "Maine, the way life should be."  Well Greenville and Moosehead Lake are the way life should be.  I can't speak for the rest.

Moosehead Lake Region has lots of lakes, lots of waterfalls, lots of dirt roads, lots of sea planes, and more moose than people.  If you've ever wanted to go and see a moose, you will there.  It's simply unavoidable.  They are gorgeous and they are all over the place in every bog that you drive by on quiet roads.

Kokadjo is where we stayed this time.  There really aren't many people there.  There are some campgrounds and some cabins.  The cabins are great.  They are like having a whole brand new house.  Ours even came with a jacuzzi tub.  The restaurant and store have no name, but they have great food and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.  Marie and Fred are great hosts too.

Did I mention the view?  It's positively amazing and that's right from the porch.

Did I mention the sunsets or the super moon?  This is not an area where you will find a spa.  This is not a place filled with water parks and theme parks.  This is not a place where you are expected to sit at a resort all day.  This is northern Maine, baby, and these folks get out year round.  This is where you can rent an ATV, kayak, canoe, boat, skis or whatever.  You get out around there.  They will take you whitewater rafting, moose watching, and flight seeing.  This is the ultimate in outdoor adventure.

 

Did I mention the wild life?  There are hundreds of kinds of birds.  There are all kinds of animals running everywhere.  It's a great place to commune with nature.

Did I mention the moose?  There are several places that you can go to see them.  Lily Bay Road which goes to the cabins in Kokadjo is one of them.  Just on the other side of the cabins is Lazy Tom Bog where the moose hang out.  They claim that there are more moose than people in Greenville, Maine.  They might be right.

One of the best things about this area of Maine is that people have a great sense of humor.  One of the things that I love about eating at the Black Frog is that the menu is the entertainment.  I love that the liver and onions may not be something that most people like but I like it and when you own your own restaurant you can put what you like on the menu.  The menu actually says that.  I also have always wondered what the question to number 6 on the ten most asked questions is, because the answer is "no."  Fun is the main thing in the north woods, and the Jackman Trading Post is no exception.  You never know what you'll find there, but it will be great and often really funny.

Then there are the waterfalls.  We went to see Moxie Falls and The Falls this time.  The area is full of waterfalls, including Gulf Hagas on the Appalachian Trail.  Be prepared to drive several miles down a dirt road and sign a waiver if you go for that one.  I've been, but didn't go there this time.

This time we climbed Mount Kineo.  This is a huge rock, about 800 feet high that is an island in Moosehead Lake over in Rockwood.  The trails aren't real good, they go mostly straight up.  The fire tower at the top is shaky and quite interesting, but the views are tremendous.  I'm really glad I did that one.

The roads in northern Maine are privately owned for the most part and Plum Creek is the company that owns most of them.  They are well kept.  The public does drive on them, they even live on some of them.  They do have mile markers, but they also tend to have gates which close in the winter.  It's fine.  It looks menacing, but you can drive on them.

So, the people are nice and fun.  The food is good.  The lodging is good.  The waterfalls and the moose are plentiful.  The mountains are rolling.  The world moves a little slower.  The view is amazing.  The sunsets are gorgeous.  There is still a B-52 Bomber crash site up on Elephant Mountain if you want to see one of the strangest tourist attractions I've ever seen.  There are a lot of places to ride ATV's, see moose, hike, boat, and raft.  It's the way life should be.

Oh yeah, did I mention all the moose?

Enjoy!

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Wanna Get Away? I Mean Really Away?

It's that time of year when I just want the whole world to go away.  I want to go so far away that no one can find me.  I want to get lost.  In the words of Southwest Airlines, "I wanna get away."  Well, I found it.  This is the most remote place I've ever heard of.  Welcome to the Pitcairn Island Group.



Your adventure is the trip on this one.  You need to make your way to Tahiti.  That's where it starts.  You will have to take a small plane to Mangareva.  That's a small island in the French Polynesia group.  Then what?  Well, then it gets difficult.  There isn't much of a way there.  Every three months a ship travels from New Zealand to Pitcairn with supplies.  The good folks of Pitcairn have worked in cooperation with the ship to turn it into a vessel for travelers.



The MV Claymore II makes up to 8 trips every three months to the island of Pitcairn.  The accommodations are nice.  They have staterooms and lounges and a dining hall to eat in.  It takes a while to get to the island, and you may have to wait to get back, so make sure you don't have to be back at work.  This is the most remote place on Earth that I've ever heard of.  That says a lot.





Pitcairn Island has only about 50 inhabitants.  There have only been two babies born there in the last 15 years.  They do speak English as they are a British Overseas Territory.  They have a Mayor for local government and a Governor in New Zealand that is their liaison with Great Britain.  They do have a town square where they set up markets for the tourists.  They have a school and a museum.  They have a health center and a post office.  There are accommodations that include some rentals and home stays.  It's a real culture mindbender.  It's quiet, it's far away, it's beautiful, and it's one of the more famous islands of the Pacific.  That's right, it's famous baby.



These days, Pitcairn Island is most famous for it's postage stamps, but in the past there's a huge history.  The original inhabitants of this island are from the Bounty.  That's right that ship that had the famous mutiny in the Cook Islands.  Turns out that Pitcairn was once inhabited by Polynesians, but that came to an end.  When the whole mess went down with Captain Bligh, things got rough for the mutineers.  Fletcher Christian set off with a few men, some women, some Tahitian slaves and a baby.  They went looking for a place to hide and they found the mismapped island of Pitcairn.  Christian was pretty sure that the British couldn't find it since they'd mapped the area wrong, so they settled down on the at that time uninhabited island.

 

That group formed the base of today's entire community.  They started a new society that was peaceful and spiritual.  The modern day Pitcairners are Seventh Day Adventists and a very traditional people.  They enjoy a wealth of natural resources, abundant wildlife, moderate climate, and amazingly beautiful landscapes.



I know that it doesn't sound like a thrill a minute to be on Pitcairn, but think about it.  Sometimes you just want some peace and quiet, and this is the spot.  The most common cause of death on this island is old age.  Beat that.  The capital is Adamstown and it's the only town there.  It's great.  You have a chance to meet the locals, experience their lifestyles, and enjoy some beauty and space.



There's lots of hiking and beaches to lay on.  There are a lot of handicrafts to shop for and a lot of locals to talk to.  But this island has something strong and that's it's history.



Pitcairn and it's other islands are volcanic.  There are some gorgeous rough rock shores.  Bounty Bay is really the only landing spot on the island.  Boats stop there and tourists are brought ashore by wooden boats that are sent out by the locals.  Some cruise ships do stop at Pitcairn, but only if the weather is good.  The only way you can count on getting there is on the MV Claymore II.  If you want to go by another means, you must sail there yourself.



But, why would I tell you about this as an adventure for anyone?  Well, the fact that it is one of the most remote places on Earth is definitely an adventure, but my main purpose is to tell you that you should go there to see the Bounty.  That's right, the ship.  You don't follow?  Well, neither did I.



So, it turns out that Fletcher Christian and company burned the Bounty when they settled on Pitcairn so that Captain Bligh's men couldn't find it.  And it's still at the bottom of Bounty Bay today.  You can go out with a snorkel and see the Bounty for yourself.  You can also climb up the cliff over the bay to Christian's Cave where he stayed temporarily.  Or, if you don't want to do all the legwork you can just stop in at the museum in town.  However you wish to put it, the place is a piece of history.  It's more than worth the trip for any history buff.



 So, you wanna get away?  It's actually harder to get to Pitcairn Island that it is to get to Antarctica or Easter Island.  This is an adventure.  This is a beautiful spot to spend some time.  This is a cultural mindbender.  You will love this if you love to travel.  If you just like being a tourist go to Disney.  If you really love to travel, stop off at Pitcairn Island.
Enjoy!

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Delaware Water Gap...That's in Pennsylvania

Anyone who has ever met me knows how much I love waterfalls.  Let me tell you a story.  I don't do this very often, but it's a pretty good one.  A long time ago when I was first dating my husband of almost 20 years, he had fear of commitment.  We dated for a while and then he would dump me.  I would go on with my life like I would never see him again.  He would show up again for a while.  Then he would get freaked out and dump me.  After a while he finally decided to marry me, because he couldn't figure out what else to do with me.  It all turned out well.  What I would like to tell you about was an amazing discovery that I never would have made if my now husband hadn't been an idiot and dumped me all those years ago.

So, it was the week before Valentine's Day, and my now husband had just dumped me.  I was feeling a little lonely, a little angry, and a little pent up.  I get that way in the winter.  I'm not much of an outdoor person in the winter, but after a rough few months like that year had produced, I wanted to get out and didn't care how much snow there was lying around.  By the way, there was a lot.  It was a very snowy year.  It was 6 am on Saturday, and I had all weekend with nothing to do and no one to do it with.  I hated to feel sorry for myself, so I decided it was time for a road trip.

I got out an atlas, and started to look for a place where I could go hiking and take my two little dogs; a Lhasa Apso and a Toy Poodle.  I love waterfalls, and they look really cool when they're frozen.  I looked all over the place for a new waterfall that I had never seen.  What I saw was a little road on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey where there was a waterfall called Dingman's Waterfall.  That sounded so silly to me that I just had to see it.  I packed my two little dogs and some snow boots in my car and we took off.  It was better than feeling sorry for myself and being depressed.

It was a glorious day.  Me and the dogs had a great time, and I found a whole new wonderland for waterfall lovers.  First, Dingman's Ferry is the name of a whole town in that area.  Deleware Water Gap is the area and the road is Pennsylvania 209.  You get off I-84 in Metamoras, drive through Milford, and then you get to the Water Gap National Recreation Area.  There are trailheads for hiking and some of them go to some really great waterfalls.

The first turn off that you come to for a waterfall is for Raymondskill Falls.  This is the tallest waterfall in all of Pennsylvania, which is a feat, because there are a lot of waterfalls in that state.  The falls is in three sections, with the middle being the most impressive.  The hike is short but straight up and down, so take your time.

Dingman's Falls is a park with not only that falls but Silver Thread Falls which is one of my favorite waterfalls.  The best part about this place is that it is almost completely flat and most of the trail is a boardwalk.  You could take a wheelchair back in there if need be, so it's accessible for anyone.  There also are restrooms there and a gift shop and information center that is open a lot of the time, but not in the middle of winter.  Trust me.

Deleware Water Gap has great camping, biking, hiking, climbing, and scenery.  It's a great natural area, that's not far from NYC.  In the summer time it is crowded with New Yorkers.  That's the fact, but it's worth it.  The scenery is beautiful.  There are also resort hotels in the area that have fabulous accommodations, including some that are set up for honeymooners.  It's a fun place to spend your time.  But the best part isn't part of the government park.  The best part is the privately owned spot.

Bushkill Falls is a privately owned gorge park.  It has all kinds of activities like pedal boats, mini golf, mining stuff for the kids with a maze to run around in, camping, resort hotel, shopping, snack bar, museum, and a gorge with amazing boardwalk walkways, and several gorgeous waterfalls.  You do have to pay to walk the trails, but it is so worth the small fee.

The boardwalks, steps, and bridges hang off the sides of these gorges like some kind of scaffolding project.  They are amazing.  Now, this isn't necessarily for anyone.  You do have to be able to climb stairs.  There are several trails, some short, some long, between less than one mile and three miles.  They have stairs.  That's just how it is.  But this is a great adventure for almost anyone, and I keep going back, because it's just so pretty.

The waterfalls at Bushkill are amazing.  The trails are astounding.  There's no place I've been quite like it.  I am an authority on waterfalls.  I give people pointers all the time.  I've advised book authors on certain areas.  It's something that I've been passionate about most of my life.  I once went to Iceland to see a waterfall.  I once hiked down into the Grand Canyon to see a waterfall.  This place is great.  Hands down.  It's a great place to take the kids.  It's a great place to spend a weekend.  I can't say enough good things about the whole Delaware Water Gap, but Bushkill is it's shining star.  Visit Bushkill.  It will make you a waterfall lover too.

If you have impatient teenagers or little kids, there are a lot of things to do in New Jersey too.  There's Wild West City, the Franklin Mines, train rides and so much more.

Enjoy!

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