Portland

While in Portland, we stayed at the Westin Harborview. We picked it because we thought it had a concierge lounge we could visit, and that we might get upgraded. It didn’t, and we didn’t, so the room was a little cramped. 

Monday morning we went on a trolley tour of Portland. We drove around downtown and some of the nicer neighborhoods nearby while the driver gave us some history of the city.

It then took us out to Fort Williams park and the Portland Head lighthouse, where we got off and walked around a bit. 

After the tour we walked back to our room, and stopped to get some lunch and look at some stores. Yesterday morning we walked down to the bookstore that had sponsored the event in Bangor, and Jenn signed some stock and visited with the owner. 

Last night we flew home. We had a layover in Detroit, and had dinner at the Delta Lounge there. We got bumped up to first class on the flight from there, which was nice, but the flight was delayed leaving Detroit, so we got in pretty late. 

Bangor to Portland

Yesterday morning, while Jennifer and Susan signed and sold books, I visited the Cole Land Transportation Museum. The Cole family started a trucking company in Maine more than a century ago and after they sold it in the early 90’s created the museum. I stayed about an hour and a half, seeing all the vehicles and reading about them and the Cole family.

After that I drove about a half hour south to visit Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory State Park. Fort Knox was constructed in the 1800’s to guard the Penobscot River against incursions by the British or other nations, but never saw any combat. The Penobscot Narrows Bridge opened in 2006 to replace an earlier over the river and included a an elevator that goes up 40 floors for views of the river. 

I spent about two hours wandering around the fort and going up the elevator for the views of the river and the town of Bucksport across the river, then headed back to Bangor. 

This morning I dropped off Susan and Jenn at the book event then went back to the hotel to check out. The event ended at noon, and after we packed up we headed south on I-95 to Augusta, where we stopped so I could take a photo of the Capitol. 

I also visited Old Fort Western. It’s $15 for a guided tour that lasts about an hour, but I had a guide to myself so went through in about half the time. The fort was built in 1754 by the English to defend against the French and Indians, and became a private home and store in 1767. It remained occupied until 1919, when the Gannett family restored it and turned it over to the city as a museum. 

We continued another hour south to Portland, and after checking into our hotel, walked down to the harbor and had dinner at the Ri Ra Irish Pub. The food was delicious and the upstairs dining room had a nice view of the harbor. A storm came in while we were eating, so we took a Lyft back to the hotel.

Bar Harbor

From Sieur de Monts we drove north into Bar Harbor to look around and have some lunch. It’s a cute town but very touristy. There are no chain restaurants and most are pretty pricy. Plus all the street parking requires payment, although the cost wasn’t too steep. 

Last week I made a reservation to drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, and after lunch we did that. We walked around the summit enjoying the views, and could have stayed longer but it was cold and misty, so we finished driving the Loop Road and headed out. 

We stopped for an early dinner at the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound, and got dessert at the Ice Cream Boat next door. 

This morning after breakfast we drove around Bangor a bit. We stopped to see Stephen King’s former house. He still owns it, but lives mostly in another town in Maine, and in Florida. 

We then went to the Cross Insurance Center to set up Jenn’s table for the book convention. There’s a statue of Paul Bunyan out front. In the afternoon we went to lunch with another author and her husband. We ate at Mason’s Brewing Company in the town of Brewer, which is across the Penobscot River from Bangor. It was pretty good. 

Maine

On Sunday, Jennifer and a friend drove down to Fort Lauderdale for a book event. She and another author spent the afternoon selling and signing books at a brewery, while several other authors did the same at a few more. She drove back Sunday night. 

Yesterday morning Susan, Jennifer, and I got up early and headed to MCO and boarded a plane for a trip to Maine. We had a long layover at JFK in New York, so we had lunch and hung out in the Delta Lounge. In the afternoon we boarded a smaller jet headed to Bangor. We got upgraded to first class for that leg. 

We arrived in Bangor after a fairly short flight. Bangor is a fairly small airport, with only a couple of baggage carousels right next to the rental car desks. We picked up a rental car and drove a short distance to the Townplace Suites, our hotel for the next four nights. After checking in we had dinner and did a little shopping. Maine is the 46th state we have visited, and the first new one since 2015.

This morning after breakfast we drove a little over an hour southeast to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Our first stop was the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, just north of Bar Harbor. This is the main visitor center for the park, but there’s no film here and no displays.

We then drove part of the Park Loop Road, stopping at Jordan Pond and Sieur de Monts. The nature center at the later doesn’t open until next month, and the Abbe Museum is closed for renovations, but it was interesting to learn that the spring there had a big impact on the area becoming a national park. 

Cast Previews

 

Next week Disney is reopening two rides after they were refurbished and revamped, and last weekend Cast members got to be the first to experience them. On Friday Susan and I and the kids got to see the new Soarin’ Across America movie at the Land in Epcot. It was nice but nothing spectacular, but I am looking forward to Disney rotating through the now existing three Soarin’ films, or even creating more.

On Sunday we got to ride the revamped Rock and Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios, now featuring the Muppets instead of the band Aerosmith. It’s still the same basic premise and the same coaster, but the change should make it less dated, as the Aerosmith version had been going for over 25 years. 

It sounds like the ride will now be more like Guardians of the Galaxy, as it will rotate through several songs instead of featuring a montage of Aerosmith songs like the old version. This should allow them to change out the songs to feature new artists and new hits.

We were supposed to go to Epcot afterwards for another preview of Soarin’ afterwards, but instead decided to grab a drink and snack at BaseLine Tap House, which opened during the run up to Galaxy’s Edge but we had never been to. It was pretty good; we shared some pretzels and flatbread. 

I also checked out the progress on the Animation Courtyard, which is also scheduled to open next week.

Clearwater

Friday morning Susan and I drove to Clearwater to visit the aquarium there, which was the home of the tailless dolphin Winter from the movie “Dolphin Tale”. The aquarium had an odd layout, apparently the result of being expanded several times over the decades, and the oldest sections are pretty dated. 

We only spent a little over an hour there, although there was a theater that shows multiple short films that we could have watched, and lots of things to read that we skimmed. While the dolphin tanks were nice, and the aquarium does good rescue work, I would not recommend paying full admission. 

In the afternoon, we met Jennifer and a friend and set up for a book signing with about 20 other authors. I then headed home, while Susan and the girls stayed the night to attend the book event on Saturday. This weekend Jennifer also released her 15th book. 

Yesterday, Jenn went to Epic Universe with Bryan and a friend. She got to ride all the things we didn't get to do a year ago when we went, like the Harry Potter ride, Donkey Kong, the Werewolf coaster, and Stardust Racers. She was not a fan of the Werewolf coaster, as it's short and spinny, but said the other three were pretty good, but not great.

Islands of Adventure

While I was in Arlington, Jennifer was meeting readers and, occasionally, other authors. Saturday afternoon she and Susan continued signing and selling while I hung out at the hotel. They finished up in the evening and we packed up her booth and went to dinner. Sunday we made the long drive home.

Yesterday evening Susan and I went to Universal’s Islands of Adventure with Jenn and a friend. We figured we’d hang out for a few hours and use our after 4 pm express pass to go a few rides, but when we got the found out the parks were closing at six for Grad Bash. 

We quickly went on VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Motorbikes and headed out. In Lost Continent, the Sinbad stunt show, which has been closed since before the pandemic, and the Poseidon walk through, which closed three years ago, were both behind construction walls. 

In CityWalk, the Epic Universe preview store has been converted to a Universal Legacy store. 

Arlington

Yesterday morning we set up Jenn’s booth, and in the afternoon I wandered around National Harbor and the hotel while Jenn and Susan signed and sold books. When they done for the day we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant.

This morning while they were signing and selling again, I visited Arlington National Cemetery. I took an Uber there, then boarded a tram tour. I got off at three stops to look around, the first being the gravesites of JFK and his wife Jackie. Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee, is on the hill above.

The second time I got off a tram was for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Memorial Amphitheater. I got to watch the changing of the guard, and looked around the small museum. I then boarded another tram and got off at Arlington House. Besides the house, there’s a small museum to General Lee, an NPS gift shop, and great views of Washington. I then rode a tram back to the visitor center. I spent a little over two and a half hours touring the cemetery. 

Next I ubered to Alexandria. I requested the Alexandria Marina but instead it routed me to downtown, so I had to walk down King Street, which took about 15 minutes. The next water taxi to National Harbor was in 20 minutes, so I didn’t have time to look around Alexandria or get something to eat.

Once on board it took the water taxi a little less than a half an hour to cross the Potomac and dock at National Harbor. I was able to join the girls for lunch during their midday break.

Washington DC

Today, while Jenn and Susan went to book panels and other events, I did a trolley tour of Washington DC. The “trolley” picked up at the Gaylord at 10 am and drove to Union Station, where I boarded another bus and waited for the tour to begin. A little after 11, we headed south past the Capitol then west down the south side of the Mall and around the Tidal Basin. It wasn’t easy to get good photos from the trolley, and we spent a fair amount of time waiting for lights, but I enjoyed hearing about some of the things we drove past.

At the Lincoln Memorial, we turned east and went up the north side of the Mall and past the White House. Around 12:15 pm, we reached the Hard Rock Cafe, where I got off and had lunch. This was the 50th Hard Rock Cafe I have been to. 

After lunch I got on another trolley and went back to Union Station and waited for the loop to start again. Around 2 pm it reached the National Air and Space Museum, and I got off and looked around. It would be easy to spend several hours looking around this museum, but I had to be back at Union Station before 4 pm for my ride back to the Gaylord, so I was only able to spend an hour. I went quickly through all the rooms, and stopped only at a few things that peaked my interest, like the original model of Star Trek’s Enterprise. 

I then walked back to Union Station, stopping to check out the Eisenhower Memorial and the Grant Memorial in front of the Capitol. When we went to Washington DC back in 2005, we had spent almost all our time on the west half of the Mall so it was nice to see the East, although I didn’t have time to walk by the Supreme Court or the Library of Congress. 

I got back to Union Station, the second largest train station in the U.S., with just enough time to wander inside and look around for a few minutes before boarding the bus back to the Gaylord. Traffic was bad on the way back though, and we didn’t get to National Harbor until after 5 pm.

National Harbor

This weekend, Jennifer is an attending author at a book convention at the Gaylord National in National Harbor, which is in Maryland just south of Washington DC. This is the third year she has attended, and the second as an author.

We left Tuesday, and after stops at the Buc-ee’s in Daytona, Brunswick Georgia, and Florence South Carolina, made it to Rocky Mount North Carolina, where we stopped for the night. 

We arrived at the Gaylord this afternoon, and Jennifer and Susan checked in with the convention then went to a mixer for authors and their assistants. I walked around the hotel. The Gaylord National is a big hotel, but not as impressive as the ones in Florida or Texas. 

We got upgraded to a suite with a view of the Potomac River and Alexandria. After putting our stuff in the room we went out to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant with a couple of Jennifer’s friends.

Universal Orlando

The two weeks on either side of Easter are some of the busiest times at Florida’s amusement parks, so we stayed away when not working. Last month though, Susan and I decided to get Universal annual passes again after a year’s hiatus, and Thursday evening we went to the Studios to activate them. 

Jenn and a friend went with us. At the front of the park they’ve completed the removal of the Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster, and starter work on a new coaster. Once in the park, we rode the Mummy, then headed into Diagon Alley. 

We had a snack and looked around the shops. We were going to ride Gringott’s but it broke down right after we got in line, so we headed out, stopping at a couple more stores on the way. 

Last night we went to Epcot to see Berlin at Garden Rocks. They played four of their biggest hits plus a cover of White Rabbit, then ended the set with a “Disneyfied” version of their first hit. Afterwards we had dinner at Regal Eagle.