Gary Strait's Eastern US

New England

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park occupies much of Mt. Desert Island along the upper Maine coast. I stayed in Bar Harbor, the largest town on the island (the town is not part of the park). The pictures are:

A lighthouse on the southwest corner of the island (not part of the park).
The rocky coastline from the park loop road within the park.
Boats moored at Northeast Harbor (also not in the park).

Some of my activities here included:

A whale-watch boat trip well out to sea, where we saw about 6 whales, right alongside the boat.
A bike ride through the park (about 20 miles) on the excellent carriage road system within the park (no cars allowed on these roads, they're great for bike riding) - I made a nice stop for lunch at the Jordan Pond house (where I had to wait a while while they served the throngs who came by car), and rode to the top of Day Mountain (only about 500 feet, but the view from the top was good).
A kayak ride on Eagle Lake (within the park), with a former member of the US Olympic rowing team and owner of McKay Cottages Bed & Breakfast (where I stayed).
A tour of the park roads, including Loop Road and Cadillac Mountain (the two best and most visited parts of the park), and some of the less visited western parts of the park with rough gravel roads.

Mount Washington, New Hampshire

This is the Mount Washington Cog Railroad, built in 1869 to climb the highest mountain in the northeastern US (6288 feet). It uses old style coal burning steam engines that climb slowly to the top (the original engines burned wood and had vertical boilers, these horizontal boiler coal burners are actually newer than they appear). This is the oldest cog railroad in the world. Two months after I rode this one, I rode the 2nd oldest cog railroad (2 years newer) in Switzerland (the modernized Rigi Kulm railroad that runs electrically rather than with coal and steam). These coal burners make lots of steam and smoke, and are likely to leave you covered with soot by the time you complete your trip (depending on the wind). These trains really look like a lot of work to operate (with coal shoveling and complicated manual switches and a stop for a water refill on the ascent). For more information, you can visit the Mount Washington Cog Railroad Home Page.

Washington DC

Washington, DC is one place all Americans should visit. There's plenty of famous sites to see and so much important to the making of our nation. The Government buildings (White House, Capitol, and branches of government such as the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where money is printed) are all things to see in person. There are also many monuments, such as the Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln Memorials and other things like the Vietnam Veteran's memorial that you should see. The Smithsonian is excellent (and free), and worth several days (at least) itself.

If you go here, unless your hotel is right downtown with a parking garage, it's best to leave your car at one of the outer subway stations and ride in on the subway. The Washington Metro is one of the country's best subways, and will save you the difficulty of finding a parking place downtown.

Florida

I've been to Florida twice, which is fewer times than I've been to Germany. I took lots of pictures in Florida, but I won't bore you or burden your modem with more than a few.

I've been to Walt Disney World (hasn't everybody?). This is a picture of Cinderella Castle in the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. It was interesting the first time I was there, but after having been to Europe and seen the real thing Disney's artificial European attractions don't excite me so much anymore.

[Roller Coaster] This is a roller coaster at Busch Gardens in Tampa. This park has some good rides, especially a couple of the roller coasters. But the best ride I've ever been on anywhere is the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios in Orlando.

[Cypress Gardens Sunset] Florida also of course has more relaxing attractions, such as it's beaches and Cypress Gardens, shown here at sunset. I made a much too quick visit to the Keys, which were also nice. Someday I've got to go back and spend more time there.

One other "must see" is the Kennedy Space Center, good for a day or perhaps two if you want to take all the tours and see the movies and demonstrations. The movie The Dream is Alive is absolutely excellent.

Created June 9, 1996
Updated June 27, 1998
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