Traveling with the Jones — Sharing Travel Discoveries

A Walk Around Bar Harbor, Maine via a Cruise Ship Visit

by Janis on August 26, 2015

On July 3rd we visited Bar Harbor, Maine during a 7-Day Canada and New England cruise on Holland America’s ms Maasdam.

As soon as we arrived into the pier via the tenders (Bar Harbor is a tender port for all cruise ships), we headed to the shore path. The path is located just to the left of where you are dropped off from the tenders, and offers beautiful views along the waterfront before looping back to the main village.

The shore path dates to 1880 and offers front row views of the “cottages” in addition to ocean views.

Signs lead you from the path to Bar Harbor’s Main Street, via Wayman Lane. The map is from the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. We followed Main Street to the Village Green, where we headed left on Mt. Desert Street.

On Mt. Desert Street, we passed by the Bar Harbor Congregational Church, St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church and the historic cemetery that is located in between them. The cemetery dates back to 1790.

Before the village name was changed to Bar Harbor, it was known as Eden. This monument is in memory of the local residents of Eden who were killed during the U.S. Civil War.

Signs throughout Bar Harbor detail the historical highlights. The public library (gorgeous inside, and worth a stop), and the Abbe Museum are across the street from the churches.

We were in search of the Side Street Cafe, which is located nearby at 49 Rodick Street. We had heard this was the place to go for the best lobster roll in Bar Harbor, but we needed to work up our appetites first.

Meanwhile, we headed to Cottage Street in search of the 2 Cats Restaurant. (During our first visit to Bar Harbor via a cruise ship, circa 1997, we had a fantastic latte at the 2 Cats, and still have a mug with the two dancing cats on it. At that time, 2 Cats was a coffee shop on Main Street, at least as we recall.) Today it is a restaurant and an inn, and had huge crowds waiting for breakfast on a holiday weekend, so we did not get to compare the coffee to what we remember.

From Cottage Street we turned right on Eden Street, where we happened upon this sign that explained the Great Fire of 1947 that destroyed much of Bar Harbor.

view from West Street, Bar Harbor, Maine

Turning right again, we headed up West Street, which offers terrific water views in between huge “cottages” and inns.

We turned left at Bridge Street, and headed to the waterfront. This is the place where you can walk across stepping stones to Bar Island during low tides. That will be on our to-do list for future visits to Bar Harbor.

We wandered around the downtown streets and shops, admiring this blue bench for two (and a place to put their wine glasses) outside a shop on Cottage Street.

lobster roll, Side Street Cafe, Bar Harbor, Maine

Having sufficiently worked up our appetites, we headed to the Side Street Cafe to consider our quest to find the best lobster roll. This one was delicious. However, it was only #4 on our list of the best lobster rolls on our Canada and New England cruise. There was tough competition from Prince Edward Island, and Sydney and Halifax in Nova Scotia.

Stuffed, we walked around some more before heading down Main Street towards the town pier where the cruise ship tenders pick up passengers. We cannot comment on the food, but we give Testa’s points for a fun sign.

Acadia National Park is close to Bar Harbor, and is worth a visit. We explored it on two previous cruise ship stops, once via a bus tour, and once via bicycles that we rented in town. One can however, have a very fun day just walking around the town of Bar Harbor (and sampling the local lobster, of course.)

As a Fitbit Fanatic, I was thrilled to tally 13,020 steps or about 6.2 miles during our day in Bar Harbor.

Have you visited Bar Harbor? What is your favorite highlight of the area? Please share in comments below.

Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:

If you are a pinner, check out our Canada and New England cruise board on Pinterest.

Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook

Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.

{ 1 comment }

Planning to Visit Alaska? Here are 27 Tips to Help You Have a Better Trip

by Janis on August 25, 2015

President Obama will visit Alaska next week. He is scheduled to visit Anchorage on Monday, Aug. 31, to speak at a State Department conference, called GLACIER, on the future of the Arctic and Arctic politics, followed by planned visits to Seward, Dillingham and Kotzebue, Alaska.

Are you planning a trip to visit Alaska?

If Alaska is on your travel bucket list, we want to help answer your questions and encourage you to visit the 49th state. We are huge fans of visiting Alaska: Mr. Jones was born and raised in Anchorage, his dad was a part of the military contingency that built the Al-Can highway during WWII, and we enjoy visiting friends, family and favorite fishing & watering holes as often as possible.

With more than posts on this blog, you might have a hard time finding exactly what you are looking for about Alaska, so we’ve compiled this guide to Alaska posts that we’ve shared:

Why Go to Alaska?

If you aren’t already convinced to visit the Last Frontier, read the 5 Top Reasons to Visit Alaska.

Log Cabin, Anchorage — A traditional log cabin serves as the Visitors Information Center in downtown Anchorage.

Educate Yourself Before You Go

A little advanced planning before heading to a new destination often improves your travel experience. Learning interesting Alaska facts, and some potential trivia answers in 22 Fun Facts You Might Want to Know. We’ve also compiled “Fun Facts” on these Alaska destinations:

We like to “Get in the Know” by reading about a destination. Here are 5 Books to Read on Alaska.

If you are on Pinterest, you might want to check out our Alaska board.

You also might want to register for the Free Official State of Alaska Vacation Planner here, which you can download immediately or have sent to you via snail mail. If Anchorage is on your itinerary, and it is for most visitors, sign up for the Free Anchorage Alaska Vacation Guide here. Again, you can choose to download immediately, and/or get a printed copy via the mail.

sailing into Glacier Bay, Alaska by cruise ship

Visiting Alaska Via Cruise Ship

We love cruising as much as we love Alaska.
A cruise is a great way to experience Alaska, while a cruise tour will give you a more diverse visit to the largest state. Learn more in Visiting Alaska by Cruise Ship? Answers to Your 6 Top Questions.

If you choose to cruise, here’s 10 Tips for Planning Your Time in Port.

Exploring Alaska from a cruise ship does not mean you cannot venture past the standard shore excursion. Check out our Spectacular Do-It-Yourself Port Day in Haines, Alaska that involved renting a car and having one of the best hamburgers of our lives at mile marker 33.5. If you take a land + sea tour, your itinerary might include the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Alaska, which is very near Mr. Jones family’s favorite fishing hole for more than 50 years.

What to Pack for Alaska?

What to pack is generally one of the top questions that travelers planning a trip to Alaska ask. For a summer visit, you most likely won’t need a down parka but you might appreciate these 10 Tips on What to Pack.

For those adding a land tour to their cruise, check out Packing Advice for a 2-Week Land+Cruise Tour to Alaska.

Visiting Anchorage

Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city and top destination for those arriving to the state by air. It’s our most often-visited Alaska destination so we have multiple posts on the city — ranging from information about Captain Cook to Binky – the infamous-but-deceased polar bear – to lots of insider tips from local residents. Read them to learn insights such as how to avoid the high airport tax on rental cars:

Wildlife and Glaciers

Two of the top reasons people want to visit Alaska is to see wildlife and glaciers. Wildlife sightings are unpredictable, unless you visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Awe-inspiring glaciers cover much of Alaska but our favorite glacier destination is best seen from a cruise ship (be sure your itinerary includes Glacier Bay, National Park and Preserve, Southeast Alaska.)

Homer, Alaska

Homer is a funky town at the end of the road — known for its artists, halibut fishing, and for being singer Jewel’s hometown.

Homer offers great food 5 Delicious Places to Eat and Drink in Homer, Alaska, an interesting museum the Pratt Museum, a world-famous bar: the Salty Dawg Saloon and a winery that makes wine with a combination of local fruit and grape juice from wine destinations around the world. Learn more about it in Words of Wisdom.

The People

One of the very best things about Alaska is the people that live there.

Check out this “Travel Chat” with James Minton of Visit Anchorage: “I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet ….” A Travel Chat with an Alaska Insider.

What else would you like to know about Alaska?

Share your comments or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

{ 0 comments }

Highlights From Our Visit to Prince Edward Island Via Cruise Ship

by Janis on August 24, 2015

During late June we visited Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island via a 7- Day Canada and New England cruise on Holland America’s ms Massdam. While Mr. Jones had visited as a child, it was my first visit to Prince Edward Island, allowing me to add another destination to my progress on The Travelers’ Century Club List of 324 Destinations.

Wanting to make the most of our visit, we rented a car so that we could explore the island. We walked about 15 minutes from the port to the Avis car rental location at 215 University Avenue in Charlottetown. To avoid the crowds heading to Cavendish for the Anne of Green Gables farmhouse and related attractions, we headed to the Eastern Coast of Prince Edward Island. We were in search of lobster rolls, but not many establishments serving them are open at 9:30 am.

Our first stop was at the Point Prim Lighthouse, the first and oldest lighthouse on Prince Edward Island. Built in Built in 1845, it is open for tours during June – September. We arrived right as it was opening at 10 am.

I paid the $3.50 admission to climb to the top of the lighthouse. The three levels of steps get steeper the higher you go.

On the second level, you see how the light keeper likely lived.

Level 3 offers an amazing view.

I had to take a selfie to remember the view from the top of Point Prim Lighthouse.

Getting back down is a little trickier than going up. The steps are steep.

The Point Prim Chowder House looked like a fabulous place for our first lobster roll, but it sadly wasn’t open until later in the day. We got back in our car and headed out to explore more of the Eastern Coast of PEI.

The island is beautiful everywhere you look, including the wildflowers blooming along the roads.

We drove through the backroads, taking in views of the farmland, with its iron-heavy reddish soil known for growing potatoes.

Prince Edward Island is lush and green in the summer. Judging from the tightly-wrapped hay bales, the winter landscape and weather is likely very different.

We were ready for a lobster roll. After finding several places not open, we headed to Souris in search of a lobster shack that we’d read about.

Inside they sell three items: lobster dinners, lobster rolls and oysters. There is no indoor seating and the outdoor picnic tables were being revarnished.

We sat on a bench nearby and enjoyed this view while we ate our food. While we did not venture into the small town of Souris, we later learned that it was founded by Acadians as a fishing settlement in 1727, and it has several well-preserved historical buildings. The early settlers named the town Souris — the French word for “mouse”– after experiencing several plagues of field mice in the surrounding areas. Souris is also the departure point for ferry service to Quebec’s Magdalen Islands.

We will remember Souris as the place for fresh lobster. Mr. Jones’ had the lobster dinner (served with a unique plastic lobster pick.)

I went for the lobster roll, which was a great decision. Later, we rated this as our #1 best lobster roll of the entire Canada and New England cruise.

Back in the car, we headed to St. Peter’s Bay, in search of Rick’s Fish ‘N’ Chips, another food establishment that came up during our advance research. We nearly missed it, but noticed the crowd of vehicles in the parking lot as we passed by. After turning around, we had to park across the road as the parking lot was full.

While our mission was to find the best lobster roll, we couldn’t resist trying a few other things on the menu, starting with this locally-brewed Gahan Blueberry Ale. It was tasty, especially with the seafood we tried.

The lobster roll and the clam strips were good, but star was the curried seafood chowder, brimming with fresh mussels, shrimp and other seafood. The huge platters of fish and chips seemed to be very popular, as did the giant bowls of steamed mussels. Plus, Rick’s Fish N Chips has free Wi-Fi, always a nice addition for those of us who like to stay in touch.

Stuffed, and back on the road out of St. Peter’s Bay driving back to Charlottetown, we once again marveled at the views.

Look closely and you can see the mussel beds in this photo.

We were happy that we allowed plenty of time for the drive back into Charlottetown, as we experienced several significant construction delays as we got closer to the capital city.

After returning our car, we explored downtown Charlottetown briefly before re-boarding our ship just before departure. It seemed that many cruisers wanted to stay in PEI until the last minute.

You could have a great visit just staying near the port, but if you get the chance, try to explore some of the more rural areas of Prince Edward Island.

Here are some resources to help you plan your visit to Prince Edward Island:

Trails of Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island – Road Map

Or reminisce about being on Price Edward Island with these:
Color the Classics: Anne of Green Gables: A Coloring Book Visit to Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island Dreams (3 Book Series)

What’s your favorite spot to explore in Prince Edward Island?

Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:

If you are a pinner, check out our Canada and New England cruise board on Pinterest.

Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook

Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.

{ 2 comments }

Discovering a New Place to Take a Hike in Parkville, Missouri

by Janis on August 23, 2015

Making new destination discoveries doesn’t mean that you have to travel to another part of the world. You can make new discoveries close to home.

Since I’m a Fitbit fanatic who’s also trying to get in more steps, I wanted to find a new place to take a Sunday hike. I googled “best hikes in Kansas City” and found a link to the top eight hiking trails on Yelp.

#1 on that list was the Parkville Nature Sanctuary with five hiking trails, and it is located in Parkville, Missouri, only six miles from my home. I’d never heard of it before.

I convinced Mr. Jones that we needed to check it out, and off we went.

It turns out that much of the land that is now the Parkville Nature Sanctuary was once the Park College Farm where students did farm work to offset the cost of their education. They milked cows, tended to bee hives, maintained an orchard, and grew wheat and vegetables. The food harvested was served to Park College students. There was a mule named Old Kate that delivered water to the campus buildings by pulling a wheeled water-barrel up and down the campus hills. We decided to hike on the Old Kate Trail that is a .9 mile loop that passes through forests, a waterfall and a meadow. The trail passes over a streamside boardwalk. It is a moderate hike with some hills, but definitely gives the feeling of getting close to nature in some spots.

The other hiking trails at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary include:

White-tail Trail, a 1.5 mile trek up an old road and rocky switchback trails through a hickory forest.
Bluebird Trail, a .3 mile flat trail that winds along White Alloe Creek.
Butterfly Pass, provides a .1 mile shortcut from the west side to the east side of Old Kate Trail
Paw Paw Path, a .2 mile path along White Alloe Creek that connects the Nature Sanctuary to the east side of the Park University Campus.

The Parkville Nature Sanctuary was founded in 1989 with a gift of 46 acres of land donated to the City of Parkville by the original Riss Lake Development Company. In the mid-nineties, the Missouri Department of Conservation purchased 69 acres of adjoining woodland which became the White Alloe Creek Conservation Area.

Located at Highway 9 and 12th Street, the Parkville Nature Sanctuary is open 365 days a year from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset.

What local destination discovery have you uncovered lately in your home area? Please share in comments below.

Other Kansas City discoveries to check out:

If you like hikes, you might want to check out our “Let’s Take a Hike” board on Pinterest.

Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook

Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.

{ 0 comments }