QUITMAN —



My wife, Kris, and I caught a Kelly Tours motor coach from Savannah recently for a week-long visit to Maine.  Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has a variety of trips available this fall including excursions to New York City, Branson and the California coast.  See all your ABAC travel opportunities at www.abac.edu/travel.   

Here is a day-by-day account of our journey to Maine.  Meanwhile, pass me another lobster.

DAY 1—We have taken many Kelly Tours trips over the years to destinations ranging from Quebec City to Rome.  But we had never jumped on a luxury bus and headed north to the land of lobsters and blueberries.  

Riding the coach was fine with me because I had downloaded movies on my iPad and loaded up my traveling bag with books and magazines.  We stopped every two hours for refreshments and two hours later for meals.  Plus we saw some great sites along the way.

Our first night’s stay was in Fredericksburg, Va., where we chowed down on steak, salmon, chicken, and a knockout dessert.  Watching the Olympics on television capped off the day.

DAY 2—Bags outside the room at 7, a fabulous breakfast, and here we go at 8.  The Washington Monument is easily visible on our left as we pass through the capital.  The Baltimore Ravens’ stadium then shines like a beacon to the NFL season ahead as we dip into Maryland.  Sailboats dot the Susquehanna River on a blue sky Sunday morning.

On to Philadelphia where you can see the homes of the Sixers, Flyers, Phillies, and Eagles all nestled relatively close together.  Horse-drawn carriages line up in downtown for tours of one of America’s most historic cities.

There’s no charge for a spectacular view of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed.  Abraham Baldwin, the namesake for ABAC, was one of only two Georgians who signed the Constitution.  

I really liked Philadelphia but I was surprised that Rocky Balboa had almost as many souvenirs as our nation’s founding fathers.  

Sylvester Stallone’s film was a classic but Ben Franklin and his compadres made history every day.  I picked up a book on Franklin, his quotes and accomplishments.  Does America still have men like that?

I can’t pass up the original Philly Cheesesteak.  Hold the onions and mushrooms for me.  Back on the luxury liner which motors us through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut on this day.  

We nest for the night in Waterbury, Conn., where a beautiful cathedral on a hill reminds me of Europe.

DAY 3—Massachusetts and New Hampshire pass in a blur.  We roll into the idyllic community of Kennebunkport, Maine on a post card weather-like Monday. Eating outside is the order of the day with my first lobster roll.  Lobster meat on a hot dog bun. Scrumptious.

We see the Bush compound on a point that extends into the ocean.  Naturally, there’s a guardhouse but we get a clear view of the house.

One of the shop keepers said the President does come into town but doesn’t get around as well as in days gone by.

Portland, Maine is our final destination for the day but the day is far from over.  We board a boat that takes us to family-owned House Island.  There are three houses, one fort, and two deer on the island.

When our host takes the crate of lobsters from the chilly water, I reach down and grab a one and one-half pounder for a photo.  The multi-clawed rascal promptly nips me on the end of a finger.  A bit later after a lesson on how to crack open and eat the crustacean, I return the favor.  

Fresh lobster, corn on the cob, Brunswick stew, rolls, slaw, and blueberry cake under a blue sky and a gentle breeze make this Maine night one I’ll never forget.  

We sat on Adirondack chairs watching the boats in the harbor with our stomachs full and our minds at ease.

DAY 4—You have probably seen an L.L. Bean catalog. On this day, we walked in the front door of the original store in Freeport, Maine.  They ought to give seminars in customer service because these folks treat you right.

I asked one clerk about the winter weather.  He was quick to say, “it’s cold but not nearly what they get up north.”   My first thought was that the only people “north” were either Canadians or Santa’s elves.  He said it gets to 20 below zero but up “north”, the temperature is often 40 below zero.

The waitress at Linda Bean’s, our lunchtime eatery across the street, apologized for the humidity.  I told her we were from South Georgia, and she had never really felt humidity until she had lived through a hot August night with only an oscillating fan to keep you company in the heart of gnat and mosquito country.

My favorite stop on the trip was at the Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine, and reportedly, the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.  I can see why.  Everything about this spot exudes your traditional image of Maine.  

The waves from the Atlantic crashing on the rocks, the stately dignity of the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage, the fact that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was inspired by the view from his perch on these rocks…it was great.

Boats are everywhere as we pull into Booth Bay Harbor, Maine later that day.  The Tug Boat Inn serves up giant lobsters for everyone, and our party of 39 is way ahead of the game on cracking and eating this most delicious seafood.  

An Adirondack calls my name after I waddle away from the table.  Gulls, boats, the harbor, the cooler temperature, this is Maine!

DAY 5—We choose a table in the sun for a leisurely, late morning breakfast overlooking the harbor.  Board a boat in the early afternoon for a cruise around the many islands in the area.  See an eight-story tower built by the guy who invented Alka-Seltzer, just so he could have a better view.  

Lobster trap markers are everywhere.  They bob on top of the water with the traps down below on the bottom of the sea.  Some are in shallow water, others in deep water.  Each marker is distinctive to that lobsterman.  It’s almost impossible to get into the lobster business here because the available licenses are handed down for generations.

How many lobsters are down there?  “Tons,” replied the boat captain.  “They’re everywhere.”  Passengers on our vessel get mooned by a young fellow and his buddy on a joy ride through the harbor.

  We’re more interested in seeing eagles, petrels, ospreys, cormorants and seals.

We spend our final night in Booth Bay exploring the shops, which abound in this wonderful little place.  Walking across the wooden bridge to the other side of the bay brings us to the Lobster Dock, where Kris and I make it a double with twin one-pound lobsters on our plates.  

DAY 6—Fog settles on the harbor as we depart the Tug Boat Inn.  It’s a mystical setting as I recall the books of my childhood describing little fishing villages on the Maine seacoast.

Again, we touch six states in one day, passing by Hartford, Conn., a place I always think of as the insurance capital of the world.  We stay the evening in Scranton, Pa., where a casual walk to the courthouse square reveals an awesome memorial to veterans.  Scranton is called “The Electric City” because the first electric street cars operated here.

DAY 7—Gettysburg on a very hot Friday morning opens my eyes to the scope of a battle which turned the tide in the Civil War.  Statues, cannons, and monuments are spread everywhere on the site.  A guide hops on the coach and gives us a fantastic account of how the battle took place on July 1-3, 1863.

It’s easy to visualize Pickett’s Charge on a wide open vista with little cover for the men in gray. I can hear the Rebel sharpshooters as they fired from impossible distances to try to pick off the Yankees who had the high ground at Little Round Top.  

The Virginia monument with Robert E. Lee astride his horse, “Traveler”, is the most impressive one at the site.  

Despite thousands of dead and wounded, there was only one civilian casualty in the battle, a woman baking bread in her home who was killed by a stray rifle shot.  All the other townsfolk were down in their cellars.

On an earlier trip, Kris and I agreed that the Antietam battle site was one of the saddest places we had ever visited.  

When I think about how many Americans died in those three days, Gettysburg is also sad but the overall impact of this national park is one of awe and wonder at the strategies on both sides and how mere minutes made the difference in a victory for the Union.

We stay the night in Roanoke, Va., our first visit there.

DAY 8—Our Kelly Tours guide talks about the German influence on the towns with burg on their names, Gettysburg, Christiansburg, and many others.  We travel through the Blue Ridge Mountains where we can easily see the blue tint on the mountain tops.

Weather has been near perfect the entire time as we head back to Savannah with a stop in Columbia, S.C.  Lighthouses, lobsters, bingo on the bus in Baltimore, and lots of great memories on an exciting excursion where every day we saw places and people we had never seen before.