Nothing says "Downeast Maine in August" to me as well as the little Maine Blueberries. This year, Maine expects the biggest crop in twelve years, so there are already plenty to be had, if you go far enough to get them!

Ellsworth is far enough, though if you get as far as Ellsworth you really ought to visit Bar Harbor. We did, and as usual it was worth the trip for the unparalleled view from the summit of  Cadillac Mountain.

"Far enough" is pretty far. It's 300 miles from Plymouth to Ellsworth, and much of that is on the slower, more scenic Coastal Route 1. It's a pretty ride that I never regret. Some people prefer to save half an hour by taking the highway all the way to Bangor and then cut down boring roads to Ellsworth, but I'll take the scenic route! Our usual adventuring car, the Green Malibu, was in the shop, so we took my trusty Tan Malibu. Just before the new bridge at Verona/Bucksport we passed 222,222 miles on that car and it still runs like a champ.

We got a quart of blueberries at a garden center, and another at a roadside place that sold moose antlers. My quart went into a pie, shown here beside the conqering hero. Annette got a quart too, that I think she made into a blueberry crumble. I should have bought another quart (or 2 or 3...) because they all went into that pie and it won't last long!

Coming soon: the return trip, exploring the craft brewers of Maine.