Jesse and Abbie the Dog climbed Bald Mountain (1,280 ft) with me today. It was a fantastic day for a hike, and it was awesome! Sometimes I forget that there’s really good hikes nearby, and I don’t always have to go to Acadia! The best part is Abbie loves a good adventure outside. She definitely earned her Wendy’s chicken nuggies. I took a panorama from the top, and I was super excited with how it came out!
I made a responsible choice today. I took part of the day off so I could go play in the woods, and had originally planned to drive up to Caribou or something. Instead, I decided that Abbie the Dog and I would go to Beech Hill in Rockport just 20 minutes away. I’ve been to Beech Hill quite a few times, but none recently. Usually I go up the dirt road path that’s more popular and more scenic. I thought it would be cool to go up the back way through the woods. It ended at the same place, a fantastic stone hut that overlooks the Camden Hills in one direction, and the hazy Atlantic Ocean in another.
I think by now we all know how much I fancy a good mountain - whether it’s climbing it or enjoying it’s beauty from the top of a different hill - so this was a good choice.
Abbie the Dog is also pretty out of shape, since usually she runs with Heather and it’s been a while. I didn’t want to make her do something like Bigelow (I didn’t want to make myself do something like that…). That was also a good choice, because she is totally pooped right now. She did master the art of walking on the little, plank boardwalks over mud after a few tries. Genius!
Lucky for us, there was not a single other car at the trailhead. It was a narrow trail up the hill, only wide enough for a single file line. Some of the leaves on plants and trees were starting to turn - but there wasn’t that pop of foliage that just appears one day in September. We definitely need to get out more during the week and do more of these quick hikes. It might keep my brain functioning.
Mom and I drove down to Boothbay to visit the botanical gardens today. It started off as a rainy, crappy day - but we went out anyway. We figured, as we drove South, at least the rain would stop and we’d just get clouds. By the time we had arrived and eaten our lunch at the on site café, not only had the rain stopped - the clouds burned off and cleared out for blue skies! It was entirely unexpected.
The gardens were huge, with bright, summery flowers in every direction. There were also herbs, shrubs, and different trees too! Of course, there were bees and bugs and hummingbirds lurking too. It was a perfect opportunity to play around with my macro lens! I hadn’t played with that in quite a while. I ended up with over 600 photos, but narrowed it down to 70 or so worth keeping.
I would totally recommend this place to others in the area. It was a nice walk, even in the clouds we had for the first five minutes, and a pleasant adventure. The gift shop has quirky items made locally, and the café has fantastic sandwiches and desserts.
