Karen and I headed off on our annual "decompression" vacation to Ogunquit, Maine. This year was a bit different. Our normal hotel, the Norseman, had jacked up its prices so high that it was unaffordable at $1280 a night -- in the off-season! So instead we stayed down the street at Ocean Acres on Route 1. It abutted Ocean Street, which with a ten minute walk led directly to the beach. When we arrived at about 2:00 pm, it was cool and cloudy with a distant fog. Fortunately, that would be unusual during our stay. For most of the time, the weather was sunny and in the 70s. We checked into the hotel and then took a stroll along the beach. A major storm had slammed into the area last winter, and damage was still evident. The grassy dunes that used to slope down toward Ogunquit Beach were now steep cliffs. For dinner, we drove the short distance to Mike's Clam Shack on Route 1. We had never been there before. It was a really nice place. Karen got a shrimp salad and I got a veggie burger. The food was quite good. And then we headed back to the hotel for the night. The next morning was bright and sunny. We drove over to the Ogunquit Beach parking lot. It cost $40 to park for the day. There were no longer any parking attendants. Signs recommended downloading an app to pay for parking, which was cumbersome. I payed at one of the kiosks with my credit card. Interestingly, there was no ticket to put in our windshield. Everything was monitored electronically. We took another stroll along the beach. Then we made our annual pilgrimage along the Marginal Way and over to Perkins Cove, to one of our favorite restaurants, the Lobster Shack. Karen of course got a lobster roll. I got a tuna roll with cole slaw. The food was really tasty as usual. After that filling lunch, we walked back along Shore Road until we came to Sweet Pea's ice cream shop. We each got a small dish of blueberry pie ice cream, which was delicious. We then walked back over to the section of Ogunquit Beach by the Norseman. It was pretty crowded. We sat in the Adirondack chairs overlooking the beach and relaxed. After about an hour, we got back in our car and headed out for a drive. Karen wanted to check out the many antique stores in the area, so we spent the rest of the afternoon doing that. The following morning we walked down the street to the Omelet Factory, another dining establishment that we hadn't previously visited. The staff there was very friendly and the food was good. I was surprised and delighted that they offered real maple syrup at no extra charge. Karen got a veggie and cheese omelet, which was huge. I got one blueberry pancake, and I'm glad I did because it also was huge. We also got home fries, which were the pre-packaged kind. We had promised our brother-in-law that we would pay a visit to the famous Congdon's Donuts. I got a cinammon donut and Karen got a honey-dipped and they were tasty. From there we headed someplace that Karen had discovered the night before, the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, advertised as the largest and oldest trolley museum in the U.S. In fact, this was its 85th year of operation. When we arrived, the weather was a bit drizzly. The entrance road was lined with ancient trolleys. The main museum was a modern building and we parked in front of it. To the right was an old tin trolley station that had been relocated from another city. We entered the museum lobby. In the center was an old ticket booth. To the left was a large gift shop where you purchased your tickets. They had an interesting system. They gave you a large trolley ticket which was punched for the day you were there. Other activities at the museum would be punched as you did them. To the right of the building was a large room containing a history of trolleys. Included with admission was a ride aboard one of the museum's own trolleys. So Karen and I exited the back of the lobby. There was a big yellow trolley, the Connecticut, awaiting passengers. A tour group was allowed to board first. Karen and I sat in the back. The interior of the trolley had been beautifully preserved. There was a conductor, engineer and a historian, all volunteers. The historian had a little megaphone and spoke about the history of trolleys and the museum as we rolled along our two mile trip. At the far end was a turnaround. We paused there to allow some pedal cars to pass by along the same route. We then returned to the station. Karen was curious about the pedal cars, so she asked about them in the gift shop. They told her to go talk to the people in the orange shirts. We found them without a problem and chatted. The next ride would leave in about 40 minutes, and Karen wanted to give it a try. It was $60 for the both of us, which wasn't too expensive. So we signed up. To pass the time, we explored some more of the grounds (which were vast). There was another smaller tin building which used to be a station in Boston. There was so much to see, the time passed quickly. The pedal cars were run by Revolution Rail Company, which started in the Adirondacks and had branched out to other areas. One of the workers gave us a little talk about what we were about to do. He seemed really enthusiastic about his job, and really meticulous. That made us feel a bit more confident, since we'd never done anything like this before. Finally it was time to be get in our car. We adjusted the seats and strapped ourselves in. We were in the middle, with a lead car in front and a trailing car in case anything happened. They reminded us that there was a 2 percent grade uphill, and it might get a bit tiring. Once the trolley returned from another round trip, we started on our way. Pedaling was remarkably effortless, even going uphill with no gears to shift. The ride was really peaceful, with the route mostly heavily forested. When we reached the end of the outbound leg, one of the workers commented on how well we did. We waited at the turnaround while the crew used an ingenious homemade turntable to reverse the direction of the cars. The trolley made another circuit, and once it was back at the station we began our own trip back, which was much easier because it was all downhill. For much of it we could simply let the car glide on its own. Even though there was a light rain along our route, we had a lot of fun. By the time we returned to the station, the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. We continued our exploration of the grounds. There were several large trolley barns with vehicles in various states of repair. One barn had several historic vehicles, including one from New Zealand. Most of the displays had informational plaques. We also visited their restoration shop where a large trolley was undergoing a complete rebuild. We also got to visit a brand new building that hadn't actually opened to the public. Its grand opening would be the following day. It was the Maine Central Railroad, a large H0 scale railway that the museum had inherited from an area couple that had built it in their basement. Crews were still frantically working on finishing touches for the opening, but much of it was operational and it looked great. It was a nice addition to the museum. And with that, we bid the trolley museum farewell. That was an unexpected highlight of our trip. We headed back to our hotel, took another walk along the beach and then retired for the night. We packed up the car and then went for one last walk along the beach. Then we started out toward our next destination, Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco. As we started out, Karen noticed the small sign along Route 1 for Webhannet Falls. Ever sinc we began coming to Ogunquit, we had noticed the sign and the little path next to it and always wondered what it was. So finally we parked nearby and followed the path into the thick brush. We could hear the falls, but couldn't see it until we peered through the dense overgrowth. In the distance was a natural rock wall with two thin streams of water flowing over it. Apparently, this wasn't a big tourist draw since it appeared to be neglected. There was a lone chainlink gate off to the left with a sign proclaiming that there was no trespassing but fishing was allowed. At least we finally saw the falls. After that underwhelming experience, we continued on our way. We arrived at Funtown at about 10:15. The park opened at 11:00. The weather was perfect, with blue skies and mild temperatures. Normally we wouldn't have gone to a park on a Saturday. But last year we went on a Friday and encountered dozens of buses filled with schoolkids. The park was so crowded that we couldn't even get a ride on Excalibur, the park's excellent wood coaster. So we figured we'd be safer with a Saturday visit. The parking lot was nearly empty when we arrived, but within a few minutes crowds were lining up. We purchased two senior tickets. The attendant asked if we instead wanted to come back on Monday, when seniors had free admission. We declined. Besides, you still had to bring a paying guest with you to get that discount. There were several people in line with large coolers. I had forgotten that the park allowed guests to bring their own picnic lunches. At 11:00 we entered through the gates and headed toward Camelot Bridge at the far west end of the park to ride Excalibur. The queue line was empty, so we headed for the front seat line. A train was just leaving the station when we arrived. We chatted with the friendly ride operator who told us that the park had replaced a lot of track on the ride. The train came screaming back into the station. We sat in the comfortable seats and strapped ourselves in. Within a few minutes, we were gliding up the lift hill. From the top, we could see a lot of new wood along the layout. We made the gentle left-hand turn off the lift and then plummeted down the first drop. It was remarkably smooth and fast. We barely slowed down as we flew up the second hill, sharply turning to the right. Excalibur had one of the most disorienting layouts of any coaster I'd ridden. I never knew where I was within the structure. There was plenty of airtime, but the hallmark of this coaster was its sharp turns with strong laterals. We came blasting around the final corner and into the breaks. All of the trackwork paid off; what a terrific ride! After that we needed a little breather, so we headed over to the ride we missed the previous year. It was supposed to be opened, but it got delayed. I was excited about it because it was going to be the first new dark ride to open in New England in decades. Last year I thought the ride was going to be called Katbattikus, because those were the t-shirts being sold in the gift shop. But it turned out that Katbattikus was a character in the ride's story. The ride was called the Whispering Pines Hotel. I knew we were in for something special as we entered the queue line. There was a lot of attention to detail, plus an animatronic character at the start of the queue who told the story of the hotel and why we were there. It was the typical ghost eradication plotline that we had seen a dozen times before. But this take on it was unique. The dark queue twisted through the building over a carpet with dizzying maze-like patterns in it. We sat in one of the small cars that featured a small color LCD screen that faced us. That would keep our scores. The "eradicators" were unusual rectangular wands with a single button on top. We were dispatched through the entry doors. An animatronic of an elderly woman begged us to remove the curse from her hotel. Throughout the ride there was a clever combination of digital projections and animatronics. Some of the effects were pretty stunning, like a wall that suddenly began oozing eyeballs. There were also some effective practical effects, like moving walls and tilting furniture. One memorable room was filled with tiny colored lights and small mirrors. In the end of course the hotel was saved -- or was it? Karen and I were both really impressed with the ride. It was better than many of the dark rides at larger theme parks. Kudos to Funtown for doing such a great job with it! We walked across the midway to the antique cars. All of the ride attendants were extremely friendly and talkative. Although the ride's layout had been shortened a bit, it was still a refreshing and scenic ride. When we exited the ride, I noticed the nearby Wild Mouse. For some reason, I'd never bothered riding it. It was made by Maurer, and I assumed it was a stock model that was like all the other versions I had ridden. But for the heck of it, I queued up for it since there weren't many people in line. I was swiftly dispatched up the short lift. From off the lift, I immediately sensed that this was going to be different. The track sharply turned right with a slight outward banking, tossing me violently to the left. Every turn was like that; I was tossed like a rag doll from one side of the car to the other. Then came the first big drop, and I flew out of my seat as the train rose up to the next hill. I was shocked -- a wild mouse with airtime! The subsequent bunny hops were the same, filled with airtime. The ride was a surprise and a delight. I was glad I took a chance on it. We then headed to the opposite end of the park, to the little miniature midway accessed by stairways and ramps. The carousel there had a Stinson band organ that sounded great, although it was playing a collection of 1950s rock and roll tunes that didn't quite translate well to that instrument. We queued up for the Barney Oldfield Roadsters, the park's other antique car ride. I wondered how many people understood the ride's name (from Don Knotts' character on the old Andy Griffith show). Although this ride too had been truncated, it was still an enjoyable ride. By then it was after noon, so we headed back to Mainly Fries, next to the Whispering Pines Hotel. They served veggie burgers. Last year they didn't have any. But this year they did. So we each ordered one, along with a side of French fries. Strangely, they didn't offer the "baskets" that most other parks offered, where you get the burger, fries and a drink combined. We took our food to one of the nearby shady picnic groves. The food was good, if a bit lukewarm. When we finished eating, I filmed another walk-thru of the park. When I finished we stopped by the Heritage Gifts shop, which always had a nice selection. Karen picked out a colorful glass wind chime. By then it was after 1:00 and we needed to begin our journey back home. Funtown always brought a smile to our faces. It was clean, with colorful buildings, beautiful landscaping and friendly staff. Excalibur was the most underrated coaster in New England. The Whispering Pines Hotel was one of the best dark rides we ever experienced. Although there were lots of locals at the park the day we were there, I felt the park deserved more national recognition. It really was a gem, and I was certain we'd be returning.

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