#195 Maine Windjammer Association

"Sparkling Penobscot Bay, a standout among Maine's 3,500 miles of pristine and craggy coast (the largest stretch of shoreline in the forty-eight contiguous states), is dotted with some 3,000 islands and has been a maritime center since the 17th century.  Little wonder, then, that its waters are home to the nation's largest fleet of traditional wooden schooners, historic late-19th- and early 20th-century ships that specialize in ... sailing adventures, always withing the sight of the pine and spruce covered coastline."


"Going where the wind carries you through America's quintessential cruising grounds ... and enjoying impromptu stops at tiny deserted islands to enjoy a feast of lobsters, plucked live moments before from a passing fisherman's boat."


"Accommodations aboard are generally small and spare, and nightlife is nonexistent except for counting the shooting stars."


This was... an interesting experience.  I'm so glad I did it.  I do not feel the need to do it again.  I sailed on the last sailing of the season on the Stephen Tabor and what I'll probably remember most was how cold it was.  Every night, I'd go to bed fully clothed (including jackets [yes, multiple jackets], hat, and gloves) and still would shiver for a long time before going to sleep.


So, here's the the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The UGLY:

• There was a TV production crew that sailed with us.  They were just always in the way.  The cameraman would film the food (in the most minute detail) at every meal.  Dude, just get out the way, we want to eat.
• Did you want to take a picture?  Too bad, that camera guy was always there blocking your shot or just generally in the shot.
• We did a bunch of stuff that seemed designed for them to get the footage they wanted for the story they want to tell.  
• I'm really curious how the piece will actually come out and will update with a link if I find it.  (They interviewed me because they thought the "why" of me being there was interesting, but I have no idea if they'll use any of it.  I hope they don't.  I looked homeless because I'd been sea camping for a week.)
• There was one other guest who was super annoying.  SUPER. ANNOYING.

The BAD:

• Cold, so cold - there is no heat.  The only place with heat is the galley because the wood burning stove is there.  Also, we were sailing during a Nor'easter.  
• They are not kidding about the spare accommodations. (I was in cabin 4.) There was precisely one 2x2 foot square where I could stand upright in my cabin.  Even in the bunk I couldn't sit upright.
• Stairs? No, we have ladders.  You will not be able to comfortably take things above or below deck. (Unless you're the crew - they are like sea-gazelles or something.)
• No seating - especially at meal times.  The seating is pretty limited, in general, on deck, and during mealtime they co-opt most of it to lay out the food and the washing up line.  The one meal we ate in the galley was so crowded I thought I might have a panic attack from being trapped.
• The head.  Just no. nope. don't wanna do that again.

The GOOD:

• The crew was amazing. Seriously, they were all just fascinating and friendly and super competent, and worked so fucking hard the entire time.
• Captain Noah, first of all - he inherited the schooner/sailing legacy from his parents and all I can say is - they named him Noah - of course, he was going to end up on a boat.  All of the crew talked about what a great captain he was and how he was different from other captains they sailed with previously.  
• The food.  Did I mention the wood burning stove?  That is all they had to cook on.  Everything was prepared by our fantastic chef and done with serious space, equipment, and refrigeration limitations.  Add to that that we had a vegetarian and non-dairy eating guest (and me with the shellfish allergy), and she was masterful in that galley.
• Wine and Cheese.  Captain Noah told us that they made a legit decision to spend their print marketing budget on cheese this year and it showed.  A full blown cheeseboard, from local shops, every night and bottles and bottles of wine to pair.  
• The other guests (except really annoying guy and the TV people).  I have nothing personal against the TV guys.  They're fine, but they are not there because they really wanted to vacation there, and they weren't on vacation -they were working.  But everyone else was seriously so interesting.  
• We had a blind guy on our ship.  A blind guy who was sailing for, like, his 33rd time (or something outrageous like that).  
• There was a couple on their honeymoon (she'd been a PeaceCorp volunteer in Africa, and he was on his 3rd marriage [at least!]).
• There were a couple of Minnesotans - he was a landscape architect before retirement.
• A retired doctor (like brain surgeon doctor) and his Finnish wife.  Both fascinating.
• There was also a travel nurse from Ogden, UT who was there by herself.  Trust me, she will be heavily featured in the TV piece.
• And because it was the last sailing of the season a couple of the crew had invited their moms.  And they were both bad-ass ladies.

#194 The Balsams

"This lavish 1866 grand resort hotel sits on a remarkably isolated spot 12 miles south of the Canadian border, amid a landscape its owners describe as "the Switzerland of America," on the banks of Lake Gloriette, in a U-shaped mountain pass surrounded by 800-foot cliffs."



The Balsams closed in 2011 after being purchased by new owners. The original intent was to renovate the property, and in 2014 another heavy-weight joined the redevelopment effort.  From everything I can gather, the redevelopment has been mired in a variety of delays including, financing, permitting, etc.  Right now, they are marketing condos or residences in the property.  

The resort is still visible from a public road, but many of the roads to the resort have been blocked and closed.  Maybe someday it will be a grand resort destination again.  

#193 Northeast Kingdom

“In 1949, a former US senator from Vermont, struck by the timeless beauty and isolation of his state’s three most northeastern counties (Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia), dubbed them the Northeast Kingdom, and when the foliage flames each autumn, they could very well be the most beautiful place in America.”
Lake Willoughby is often compared to Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne...it was beautiful and the water was so clear.



St. Johnsbury is the unofficial gateway, and I think I read that 90% of the fall foliage pictures you see are from this area, but just keep driving until you get lost and enjoy the fiery mountains, valleys, maple farms, and cheesemakers.


I stopped at 2 different Cabot Cheese houses.  One was the original in Cabot, VT, and the second was sharing a parking lot with a distillery and chocolatier I was planning to visit.  Both were disappointing, but I took the opportunity to eat a lot more of the Tuscan Cheddar samples because that cheese was so good. 

Also, Ben & Jerry's HQ is in this general area, but I'm not a huge B&J fan, and it always seemed crowded.  But if you love ice cream, you should definitely visit.

I was there on a weekend where it seemed every tiny town I drove through was having some sort of festival or fair or something. Basically the whole state looked exactly like a Norman Rockwell painting, and exactly what you think of when you picture Vermont (albeit way more crowded).

Also, I was having dinner one night and my server (who coincidentally looked so much like my cousin that I had to ask her if she had family in Utah) asked why anyone would vacation in Vermont.  I was a little stunned because Vermont is universally known as an amazing autumn vacation spot.  But I guess when you grow up with something as just your normal, everyday - you may not appreciate it as much.

#192 Stowe Mountain Resort

“Beginning at the Massachusetts border and continuing north along the rugged spine of the Green Mountains, the winding 2-lane Route 100 is Vermont’s country road and main street. At the road’s northernmost reach, toward the Canadian border, lies the Stowe Mountain Resort, the queen of the Northeast ski resorts and one of the oldest in the United States, created in the 1930s.”

There were numerous signs warning gondola riders that there are no beginner trails from the top of the mountain.  Also, all the gondola warning signs were first in German and then in English - which I thought was interesting.  

The top of the mountain was beautiful, but so crowded - probably because it was a perfect autumn day in Vermont.


“The Trapp Family Lodge, the country’s first-ever cross country ski center, [was] created in 1968.  This is where the Austrian family of Sound of Music fame settled in 1942 after crossing over the Alps to escape the Nazis.  The quality of Tyrolean coziness, old-world service, and promise of a mean wiener schnitzel and spaetzle in the lodge’s restaurant make this chalet-style lodge one of the loveliest around.”

My lunch was good, not great - and the service was pretty slow, but I stopped at the Kaffeehaus for dessert and my pastry was out of this world delicious. Mostly, I spent the afternoon trying not to burst out into "The Sound of Music" score.

#191 Shelburne Farms

“On a bluff overlooking 100-mile-long Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks beyond, the Inn at Shelburne Farms sits on 1400 aces designed by great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who laid out New York’s Central Park.  You’re the lord of the manor at the red brick, Queen Anne-style country mansion, built in 1899 as the largest home in Vermont by Lila Vanderbilt and her husband William Seward Webb.”




“The farm was conceived by the Webbs and embellished by their great-grand-children as a nonprofit environmental education center. In addition to being a rural marvel, it produces an excellent Cheddar cheese, compliments of the Brown Swiss cows grazing within site [and smell].”

#190 Adirondacks

“The largest park in the continental United States – larger than Yosemite or the entire state of Massachusetts – the 6 million-acre Adirondacks State Park is legally protected to remain “forever wild.”  Surrounded by primeval forests, mountains, and more than 2,500 lakes and ponds…the [lakefront great camp compounds] blended luxury and rustic charms, usually native, minimally worked logs, branches, and decorative twig-work in what’s become known as the Adirondack style.”


I opted to drive the Veteran’s Memorial Highway near Lake Placid and stop by Lake Placid Lodge.  The leaves are just beginning to change, but the weather was a bit glum so the pictures are all a bit muted, but it the spectacular scenery of the great north east is just beginning.