1: Rockland, Maine
2: Lewiston, Maine
3: Bethel, Maine
Our next stop was Sunday River located in Bethel Maine. The main attraction here was the Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course and the spectacular scenery (really :).
May is a transition time for ski resorts, such as Sunday River and Sugarloaf: too late for skiing, too early for summer activities. Apparently things pick up after Memorial Day. So when we arrived at the resort I counted 7 cars in the parking lot. I’m not sure if any of them belonged to staff, but needless to say, it was quiet. To say this is good or bad depends on what you’re looking for. For us, it was good. It was relaxed and with no stress.
We did the appropriate touristy things, like visiting the covered bridge. Linda wanted to see a covered bridge. I’m sure she has seen them before, but I can understand why. They are quite an engineering achievement. When I was 16 we rented a cottage on Fitch Bay, a bay off lake Memphremagog. About a mile (I can say mile because in those days we had not yet converted to the metric system so for historical accuracy it is important that I say mile rather than 1.7 kilometers) down the road was a working covered bridge. In those days they still used them. I think it is out of use now. The concierge at the hotel said this bridge was the most photographed one in Maine. We added a few more to the counter.
It turned out that the golf course was between the bridge and the hotel, so rather than go straight back to the hotel we stopped off and check out the course (and hit a few balls along the way.) It was raining when we left the bridge, but a little while and a coffee after arriving at the course a ray of sunshine made its way through the clouds, offering promise for the day ahead.
For dinner we tend to avoid the hotel restaurants, in preference to the local cuisine. And Bethel offers something unique in BBQ Bob’s. Hosted in a converted trailer, Dave (the owner of BBQ Bob’s) slow-smokes ribs, beef brisket and chicken. While all are excellent, Linda preferred the brisket and ribs over the chicken. I tend to agree. The meat is served with the beans as a side dish, which we accepted but we both avoided for dietary reasons. “Al’s last stand” is written on the side of the trailer. I ask Dave why the reference to Al, and he told a rather long storey about how he bought the trailer from Al and modified it for his purposes. We never got to an explanation of the Bob reference. May be next time.
Photolog
A couple of shots from early-morning Samoset before leaving
Another picture of BBQ Bob’s trailer.
A shot from the golf course. I was impressed with the architectural detail in the landscaping. Note how the mounds (by the driving range) complement the mounds of the surounding landscape.
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