Ben and I are taking a stay-cation next week. I am off from work and except for a couple meetings that can be done over the phone he is off too. Other than trying to attend the event cache on the 8th we have absolutely no plans.

So my question is... What would you do if you had 9 days with virtually no responsibilities and are willing to go anywhere and try doing anything? Our only responsibility is the dog and he's perfectly happy with us or in doggy daycare.

We haven't camped since we were kids and we've never kayaked, so both of those are things I am going to look in to trying. I have a fear of outhouses and of drowning so that may be problematic, lol. I'm also a little scared of heights, but I'm getting better about that one. I'm completely willing to face any of these fears as long as there are nearby alternatives in case I chicken out.

Oh, and of course being near extra fun caches is always a plus :)

Ben and I are taking a stay-cation next week. I am off from work and except for a couple meetings that can be done over the phone he is off too. Other than trying to attend the event cache on the 8th we have absolutely no plans.

So my question is... What would you do if you had 9 days with virtually no responsibilities and are willing to go anywhere and try doing anything? Our only responsibility is the dog and he's perfectly happy with us or in doggy daycare.

We haven't camped since we were kids and we've never kayaked, so both of those are things I am going to look in to trying. I have a fear of outhouses and of drowning so that may be problematic, lol. I'm also a little scared of heights, but I'm getting better about that one. I'm completely willing to face any of these fears as long as there are nearby alternatives in case I chicken out.

Oh, and of course being near extra fun caches is always a plus :)

I know one thing you folks could do; my lawn needs to be mowed. :D

This sounds fun too:

Duckying the Kennebec River (http://www.penobscotadventures.com/Kayaking/inflatable_kayaking.html)

I linked this site only for the description. There were many listing when I did a web search.

Ah, I would love 9 days with no responsibilities . . . but alas I am trying to get my camp tore down and cleaned up and the wood shed built before snow flies . . . and in another month it will be time to get in next year's firewood.

However, I can still dream . . . and if I had the time there are some places I would love to travel to -- and all within a day's travel.

Prince Edward Island: I absolutely love it there . . . and the exchange rate is in our favor. The warm, red sandy beaches . . . heck I even liked the Anne of Green Gables set up (even if I never read the books.) The last time I was there my wife (a non-camper) stayed in a hotel, but if I was to go alone to do some caching and camping (I also did not cache at the time) I would most definitely pick one of those campsites which are located right off the ocean.

Campobello Island: The next best thing to PEI . . . and within easy striking distance of Hermon. Starz has placed some great caches on the island -- it would take you a day or two just to do those . . . and that's not counting caches in neighboring Lubec. The hikes and scenic views are great . . . plus stopping at FDR's "Cottage" is a must . . . and Fishermen's Friend offers up some tasty eats. Usually when I do the island I camp in "nearby" Cobscook Bay State Park -- if you plan it out far enough in advance sometimes you can get some wonderful camp sites which look right out on to the Bay and you can see the famous tides of the area.

The County: The County offers some great places to hike and cache or to ride an ATV or sled if you are so inclined (sledding is a bit rough this time of year.) Perhaps the best part of the County for me however is the County Spirit embodied in its people -- very nice folks who will do just about anything for you . . . except for that one clerk at the Crown Park Inn in Caribou . . . but that's another time and another story.

If I was to just hang out at home I might consider a few day trips . . . caching perhaps . . . or maybe just do a few side trips. I've always liked taking the ferries to the islands (Vinalhaven, Monhegan, Islesboro) and biking around the islands.

Perhaps going down the Penobscot on the "new" replica steamship in Bangor . . . or going to Greenville for a ride on the boat on Moosehead Lake.

Of course there is always the tried-and-true Acadia National Park . . . but instead of going to the usual tourists-filled locations try hiking some of the off-the-beaten path trails . . . and whenever I'm in Bar Harbor I can't help myself . . . I always end up in the candy shop, Alexander's Clock Shop -- not the "new" clock store (I like old clocks and I like the smell of the guy's pipe -- very old world with the smell of the pipe and ticking and tocking of the clocks) and of course I invariably wander over to Bar Island if the tide is out -- another nice place for a short hike.

Speaking of Bar Harbor . . . have you ever done a whale watching cruise . . . a few years ago I did a favor for a guy and he bought me a couple of tickets. I really enjoyed doing the cruise and seeing these creatures up close and personal. Very memorable.

LOL, as appealing as lawn moving sounds...

The ducky trip sounds way more fun :) http://www.riverdrivers.com/ looks pretty cool... they offer camping too so we can do both things. I'll give them a call today for details! Thanks for the suggestion!!!


I know one thing you folks could do; my lawn needs to be mowed. :D

This sounds fun too:

Duckying the Kennebec River (http://www.penobscotadventures.com/Kayaking/inflatable_kayaking.html)

I linked this site only for the description. There were many listing when I did a web search.

The ducky trip sounds way more fun :) http://www.riverdrivers.com/ looks pretty cool... they offer camping too so we can do both things. I'll give them a call today for details! Thanks for the suggestion!!!

That will give you a chance to do our "Kennebec River Gorge (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=1a9ac654-c48b-4ee8-8f84-ce262cc50f98)" cache! LOL!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have looots of ideas now. Trying to get through this week is gonna be rough. I want my staycation to begin NOW! lol


Ah, I would love 9 days with no responsibilities . . . but alas I am trying to get my camp tore down and cleaned up and the wood shed built before snow flies . . . and in another month it will be time to get in next year's firewood.

However, I can still dream . . . and if I had the time there are some places I would love to travel to -- and all within a day's travel.

Prince Edward Island: I absolutely love it there . . . and the exchange rate is in our favor. The warm, red sandy beaches . . . heck I even liked the Anne of Green Gables set up (even if I never read the books.) The last time I was there my wife (a non-camper) stayed in a hotel, but if I was to go alone to do some caching and camping (I also did not cache at the time) I would most definitely pick one of those campsites which are located right off the ocean.

We love, love, LOVE PEI! We went there last year and spent 4 days in a cute little B&B. We love lighthouses and were so excited to be able to see like 30 new ones on that trip... and that was only half the island. I'd love to go back and get the other half, especially now that we are cachers.

I'm not sure we'll be able to go there next week, though :/ Staying at a hotel wouldn't be practical for this trip because we'd like to bring our dog with us if we'll be away over night. I haven't been camping since my Girl Scouts days so I think it may be wise to experiment locally before trying it out that far away.



Campobello Island: The next best thing to PEI . . . and within easy striking distance of Hermon. Starz has placed some great caches on the island -- it would take you a day or two just to do those . . . and that's not counting caches in neighboring Lubec. The hikes and scenic views are great . . . plus stopping at FDR's "Cottage" is a must . . . and Fishermen's Friend offers up some tasty eats. Usually when I do the island I camp in "nearby" Cobscook Bay State Park -- if you plan it out far enough in advance sometimes you can get some wonderful camp sites which look right out on to the Bay and you can see the famous tides of the area.

Oooh, Campobello is a good idea! We went there last year when we participated in the Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge so we could see East Quoddy Lighthouse, but we didn't get to spend much time on the island.



The County: The County offers some great places to hike and cache or to ride an ATV or sled if you are so inclined (sledding is a bit rough this time of year.) Perhaps the best part of the County for me however is the County Spirit embodied in its people -- very nice folks who will do just about anything for you . . . except for that one clerk at the Crown Park Inn in Caribou . . . but that's another time and another story.

LOL! This sounds like a story I'd like to hear :) I know there is a cute downtown area up in Calais and a really pretty old library, but we haven't done much up there. I don't believe we've done any caches up there yet, so that would also help us get some DeLorme maps.



If I was to just hang out at home I might consider a few day trips . . . caching perhaps . . . or maybe just do a few side trips. I've always liked taking the ferries to the islands (Vinalhaven, Monhegan, Islesboro) and biking around the islands.

Ben suggested Monhegan. We'd get a DeLorme map, see a lighthouse we haven't seen before and be able to spend the day there.



Perhaps going down the Penobscot on the "new" replica steamship in Bangor . . . or going to Greenville for a ride on the boat on Moosehead Lake.

Of course there is always the tried-and-true Acadia National Park . . . but instead of going to the usual tourists-filled locations try hiking some of the off-the-beaten path trails . . . and whenever I'm in Bar Harbor I can't help myself . . . I always end up in the candy shop, Alexander's Clock Shop -- not the "new" clock store (I like old clocks and I like the smell of the guy's pipe -- very old world with the smell of the pipe and ticking and tocking of the clocks) and of course I invariably wander over to Bar Island if the tide is out -- another nice place for a short hike.

Um, yeah, we're gonna have to do that clock shop. Clocks aren't my thing but Ben would LOVE that place. I had no idea it existed. In fact, I'll be honest, we haven't really explored Bar Harbor very much at all :/



Speaking of Bar Harbor . . . have you ever done a whale watching cruise . . . a few years ago I did a favor for a guy and he bought me a couple of tickets. I really enjoyed doing the cruise and seeing these creatures up close and personal. Very memorable.

We did the lighthouse cruise out of Bar Harbor when we moved up here 3 years ago. We saw TONS of dolphin on that trip but we haven't done a whale watching cruise. We actually have two gift certificates for the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company... maybe we can use them for a whale watch cruise and then spend the day around Bar Harbor.

Or.....head out to Vinalhaven to get the cache needed for the Delorme Challenge.:)

That's right! We haven't gotten a cache on Vinalhaven yet... and I think there are THREE lighthouses there we haven't seen, lol.

Hmmm... it's starting to look like I'm going to need more than 9 days :/ lol