Summer Touring in Maine - an Eclectic Review - Page 13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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It really does amaze me how captains can navigate boats (let alone ships!). I've tried steering a houseboat for a minute, and that was already nerve wracking!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Wonderful shots as you pull out of Camden. Is that a black cocker seeing you off along with your neighbors? Looks like a perfect day. Love the shot of Natasha looking straight at the camera-- what an adorable face!
I hope your Macbook recovers from its bath!
Yes, Laurie - that's an older female cocker. Quite calm compared to our little monster. The laptop is working again - only when it's connected to the power cord, but that's better than I expected!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Such beautiful shots, especially of Natasha suited up - she's adorable.
Thanks - she seemed to enjoy being out on the water.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great pics!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlandmom2
It really does amaze me how captains can navigate boats (let alone ships!). I've tried steering a houseboat for a minute, and that was already nerve wracking!
It does take some practice - and patience.
Getting ready to upload Part 2 of the cruise photos now.
We continued out into the bay. Our destination was Seal Rock - where the seals are known to hang out. The whole purpose of this cruise was just to check out systems and make sure everything was working, so we didn't go too far.
Here's a nifty little place that sits at the edge of the inlet as you come into Camden Harbor. I can only imagine what it's like in a storm.
An island where people like to anchor
Coming up to the seals on the rocks - this island just sits out there in the bay, and the seals have taken ownership.
A closer look at the seals. I should have changed to a longer lens, but it was a bit rough out there, so figured I wouldn't be able to focus with the bigger lens.
After the seals, we turned around and headed back to Camden, seeing lots of sailboats on the way. The large boat in the back is the one our friend Emily is on - she's heading to Castine.
Curtis Island Lighthouse - I know Laurie will recognize this landmark
More sailboats ...
The large Schooner, "Mary Day," stowing her sails before heading back into dock. She is celebrating her 50th birthday this year. She was built in Maine, and sails only in Maine - taking passengers out for 3 and 6 night cruises. This is one of the few schooners built purposely to take passengers, so it is supposed to be fairly comfortable.
We passed some of the young sailors as we came into town
Going down the channel towards our slip, we got a good view of the town. The Harbor is wide enough here that boats are docked on both sides, and in the middle - with small passageways to get through to the end.
The town docks are surprisingly empty of boats, everyone must be out enjoying the day.
A good view of the Library and part of the Park:
We followed the "Mary Day" - this turned out to be just a little exciting, as they had some trouble getting her turned around. She has to make a 180 degree turn and back into her slip, while avoiding other boats.
Here she is, starting her turn. Note the small dinghy pushing the stern of the boat - that's the main way they have to control the turn.
Whoopsie - getting very close! In fact, we did hear a bump and there was some rocking - I imagine they placed a fender between the "Mary Day" and the smaller unsuspecting victim boat, so no damage was done.
You can see a second dinghy speeding for the side of the schooner, to help complete the turn:
Well, that added some excitement to the day, but all was OK. We've come very close to having one of the schooners smack into our boat when we were docked in a different location last year. We have our own excitement to worry about - we have to make our own tight turn without hitting a boat or the railroad tracks (I'm taking this photo from the front of the boat, that's our anchor to the left)
The railroad tracks are there so they can bring small boats in and out of the red storage shed:
We made the turn, and Lou executed a perfect landing - much to the relief of our neighbors and helpful hands
That was our exciting morning. I'll leave you with a few more Natasha photos taken during the cruise:
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A trip down memory lane for me again! I've been on the Mary Day many times-- I've had friends who crewed or cooked over the years. My dog (Border Terrier) used to love sailing-- sniffing the salt air, ears back in the wind.
As I type this I'm looking at harbor seals bobbing in the water in Skagway harbor!
Thanks! Laurie - glad the pics brought back some more memories for you.
Today's update continues with a somewhat real time update. The photos I'll be including here are from our drive on Saturday from Camden, due west to Rangeley. Rangely sits near the western border of Maine, and is a favorite vacation spot for many - both in the summer and winter. There is a large lake, and many smaller ones, for water activities, and then there's snow mobiling and such in the winter.
Our internet access is limited, so this update will just show some photos from our drive across the state. We passed through lots of rural areas, and the only two cities were Augusta (the capital of Maine) and Farmington.
As you can see, things began to look stranger and stranger as we approached Rangeley. Here is a photo from one of the overlooks in town of Lake Rangeley - will get some better photos during the week, hopefully.
The cabin we're renting for the week - it overlooks the mountains on two sides, unfortunately, it also fronts the hwy. But, it is just outside of town, and is pet friendly. Friends from Florida, who also summer in Maine, are here with us.
The view from the "good" side of the cabin:
Natasha enjoys some fetch time in the cabin ...
Coming up next - some of the local sights around Rangeley.
I have to preface my comments by reminding you that I was born and raised in Southern California...but all those pics look like movie sets! They look almost too good to be true! Gosh I love how natural everything looks!
Neat cabin you've rented. I absolutely love the shots of Natasha! Have a wonderful time this week!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
I love the inland shots of Maine. It's so funny how you see beautiful pastoral things like those glorious wildflowers, and then the very weird yard decor, too. I remember seeing a sign once that said, "Used fish for sale".
I fell behind on this but once again you've included many beautiful pictures - please don't stop including them. I love seeing where you've been, even some of those "odd" sights you saw (love the garden gnomes "home")
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