It was an early morning today followed by a fantastic fun-filled day.
Little One woke me up extremely early his morning – 5:35am to be exact – complaining of teething pain and I couldn’t go back to sleep after. Instead, I listened to the rain pitter patter on the tent roof while the waves crashed in the distance.
We boondocked at Seawall National Park last night after an exhausting time of convincing Miss Drama camping by the sea is perfectly safe and a tidal wave is not going to come along and wipe us out. She was in full on tears and hysterics convinced the sea would wash up over the rocks and drown us in our sleep.
Little One woke me up extremely early his morning – 5:35am to be exact – complaining of teething pain and I couldn’t go back to sleep after. Instead, I listened to the rain pitter patter on the tent roof while the waves crashed in the distance.
We boondocked at Seawall National Park last night after an exhausting time of convincing Miss Drama camping by the sea is perfectly safe and a tidal wave is not going to come along and wipe us out. She was in full on tears and hysterics convinced the sea would wash up over the rocks and drown us in our sleep.
The wildlife on this side of Mountain Desert Island is quite incredible. We saw several deer as we drove to the park last night including two bucks with 6 and 8-point racks respectively. One was meandering across the road causing us to stop and wait while the other ate grass in someone’s front yard! We haven’t seen any bear or moose since we’ve been in Maine, but the kids are still hopeful. I on the other hand could go without seeing either.
After everyone woke up this morning, the kids got out their Junior Ranger books and got to work on them. I think this is their 6th or 7th badge so far. While they were exploring the seashore and searching for items to tick off their bingo sheets, a woman approached me to talk about our camping set-up. She was older, retired and she and a friend were on a road trip. Each in their own vehicles they had left spouses, who were not interested in camping in the back of a car, and were traveling around together seeing the sites. We had a wonderful conversation and afterwards I felt encouraged about this journey the kids and I are on and the far-reaching impact it will have on our lives long after it’s over.
It didn’t take the children long to complete the necessary bookwork and we packed up camp to head to the Ranger station so they could be sworn in. I have been awed by their dedication and hard work to achieve this recognition time and again. They are not only learning about the nature and history of the places we are visiting, but also gaining the knowledge and tools to know how to leave these places in a better way than they found them.
After everyone woke up this morning, the kids got out their Junior Ranger books and got to work on them. I think this is their 6th or 7th badge so far. While they were exploring the seashore and searching for items to tick off their bingo sheets, a woman approached me to talk about our camping set-up. She was older, retired and she and a friend were on a road trip. Each in their own vehicles they had left spouses, who were not interested in camping in the back of a car, and were traveling around together seeing the sites. We had a wonderful conversation and afterwards I felt encouraged about this journey the kids and I are on and the far-reaching impact it will have on our lives long after it’s over.
It didn’t take the children long to complete the necessary bookwork and we packed up camp to head to the Ranger station so they could be sworn in. I have been awed by their dedication and hard work to achieve this recognition time and again. They are not only learning about the nature and history of the places we are visiting, but also gaining the knowledge and tools to know how to leave these places in a better way than they found them.
On a totally different note, why are children so fascinated by public transportation? Acadia National Park has a bus service running from the visitor’s center to popular destinations throughout the park. And ever since the kids first saw the buses all they have wanted to do is ride them.
Needless to say, after receiving their badges, they wanted to hop straight on a bus. We’d planned to hike around Jordan Pond today, so I agreed we could take the bus to get there. Only thing, as soon as we made it down to the parking lot the bus to Jordan Pond was already parked and getting ready to leave. The kids started running for the bus, while I ran to the truck to drop off their books and badges because there’s no way I want to carry those on a 3.3 mile hike. I made it back over the bus stop where the kids are yelling “Hurry up, Mom! Come on! It’s gonna leave without us!”
We all pile on and the bus drives off. That’s when several things occur to me at once. Number one – it’s almost lunch time, I’ve left all the food in the truck, and we’re about to embark on a 3.5 mile hike. Number two – there’s no way Little One will make this entire hike on her own and I’ve just left the stroller and Ergo carrier in the truck. Number three – we have no water bottles with us either, they’re all in the truck too. Huh, let’s hope for the best because we are woefully underprepared here.
The bus pulls up to the Jordan Pond visitor center and guess what? There’s a café inside and a food/beverage cart outside! Score one win for us – thankfully I remembered to grab my purse and didn’t leave it in the truck along with everything else.
Needless to say, after receiving their badges, they wanted to hop straight on a bus. We’d planned to hike around Jordan Pond today, so I agreed we could take the bus to get there. Only thing, as soon as we made it down to the parking lot the bus to Jordan Pond was already parked and getting ready to leave. The kids started running for the bus, while I ran to the truck to drop off their books and badges because there’s no way I want to carry those on a 3.3 mile hike. I made it back over the bus stop where the kids are yelling “Hurry up, Mom! Come on! It’s gonna leave without us!”
We all pile on and the bus drives off. That’s when several things occur to me at once. Number one – it’s almost lunch time, I’ve left all the food in the truck, and we’re about to embark on a 3.5 mile hike. Number two – there’s no way Little One will make this entire hike on her own and I’ve just left the stroller and Ergo carrier in the truck. Number three – we have no water bottles with us either, they’re all in the truck too. Huh, let’s hope for the best because we are woefully underprepared here.
The bus pulls up to the Jordan Pond visitor center and guess what? There’s a café inside and a food/beverage cart outside! Score one win for us – thankfully I remembered to grab my purse and didn’t leave it in the truck along with everything else.
Everyone was able to get a drink and a giant muffin the size of a man’s fist. I hoped it would tide everyone over until after the hike. After eating it was now just half past noon and I came to the realization we were facing a time crunch. I wrote yesterday how we missed our reservation time to drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain and then consequently lost Mr. Stubborn. Well, I’d rebooked to drive up to the summit today at 3:00. Yeah, I guess I didn’t really plan that out very well. It means we now had a little over 2 hours to hike the 3.3 mile loop around the pond, catch a bus (which only comes every 20 minutes) and make it back to our truck in time to drive up the mountain by 3:00. Hmm… at this point I’m sensing I may be facing some disappointment again regarding Cadillac Mountain, but decided to not worry about it and just enjoy hiking with the kiddos.
The hike ended up being fantastic and easy with potentially challenging parts for those who were looking for it, which #2 definitely was. The first part of the hike was along a boardwalk. Little One refused to be carried, but also refused to walk as well. If I tried to pick her up, she screamed and kicked. If I set her down, she started crawling. Why was she crawling you might be asking yourself? Because the boardwalk was made of 2 planks each about 8” across and they were joined in such a way as to leave a small gap of about 1-2 inches between them. To Little One, the gap was more like 2 feet and she was petrified she was going to fall through the gap.
The second section of the hike was full of boulders and inclines for #2 and Mr. Stubborn. The two of them love clambering up and over big rocks. While us girls stuck to the path, the two boys spent this part of the hike jumping, climbing, and scrabbling over any and everything they could find.
We made it halfway around the “pond” (I use the term loosely because I don’t think a pond should have a 3.3 mile perimeter, I’d say a 1 mile perimeter would be pushing my limits of classifying it as a pond) and came across another awesome animal. Well, we didn’t actually see the animals, but we saw evidence of them everywhere. There was a giant beaver lodge and several gnawed-on tree stumps edging the path.
The pond’s water was another amazing sight. It was crystal clear as far out and down as you could see. The pond is one of the only fresh water sources on the island and is used to provide water to the local community. For this reason, there were several signs warning against entering the water for any reason including no swimming or even wading. The kiddos were disappointed by this one.
After we had rounded the halfway point Little One asked to be carried and promptly fell asleep. Not long after, Mr. Stubborn started to give up and began trodding along at a snail’s pace. We made it about three-quarters of the way around the “pond” when we started discussing Cadillac Mountain. I told the kids we would likely not make it because by this point everyone was starting to tire and we only had about 30 minutes and a little less than a mile left before we needed to catch the bus. Miss Drama and #2 immediately put up a fuss. They both felt bad about my not getting to drive up the mountain the day before and were intent on us getting to accomplish it today.
They started encouraging Mr. Stubborn along by challenging him to short races in which they let him when. They kept saying things like, “Come on, we can do this!” and “Let’s go guys, we’re almost there.” It was a nice change for me seeing as how I’m usually the one trying to motivate everyone.
In the end their motivation and encouragement worked and we made it back to the visitor center parking lot to catch the bus. In fact, we made it back 5 minutes earlier than necessary and were able to catch an earlier bus back and easily made our timed reservation to drive up Cadillac Mountain.
At the top of the mountain we got to enjoy some fantastic views, the weather was perfect (I was kind of glad we hadn’t made it the day prior as the weather was a bit overcast and I don’t think the views would have been as spectacular), and there were rocks to climb.
They started encouraging Mr. Stubborn along by challenging him to short races in which they let him when. They kept saying things like, “Come on, we can do this!” and “Let’s go guys, we’re almost there.” It was a nice change for me seeing as how I’m usually the one trying to motivate everyone.
In the end their motivation and encouragement worked and we made it back to the visitor center parking lot to catch the bus. In fact, we made it back 5 minutes earlier than necessary and were able to catch an earlier bus back and easily made our timed reservation to drive up Cadillac Mountain.
At the top of the mountain we got to enjoy some fantastic views, the weather was perfect (I was kind of glad we hadn’t made it the day prior as the weather was a bit overcast and I don’t think the views would have been as spectacular), and there were rocks to climb.
After spending the day hiking and exploring, we spent the evening relaxing at an Irish pub and relishing in the amenities of a KOA campground.
Leary’s Landing Irish Pub in Bar Harbor seemed like a lovely place to dine, but all the children were disappointed. #2 ordered the bangers and chips, but declared they were nothing like proper sausages. Mr. Stubborn ordered fish and chips, and the fish came out way overcooked. Miss Drama had a burger and decided fast food ones tasted better. I was the only one who enjoyed my meal – a Maine staple – the lobster roll. Lesson here – when in Rome do as the Romans do or in this case, when in Maine, eat what the Mainers do.
After dinner, we stopped by CJ’s Big Dipper for some ice cream – they had an entire cooler dedicated to dairy-free ice cream for the boys. Everyone enjoyed this, especially Little One. I’d say she’s getting a bit spoiled because whenever we go for ice cream everyone always shares small bites of their ice cream with her rather than getting her an entire scoop of her own. She’s for sure going to struggle choosing a single flavor whenever she does gets older and is allowed her own cone.
We finished our night off at Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA. We don’t often stay at KOA’s, so it’s a special treat when we do. The children all love the amenities they have on offer. This one sported a breakfast café and huge playground with basketball hoops and basketballs. I will say the upside to the tent sites at this KOA was they had a small lean-to type shelter at the site with counter space for cooking and with both water and electric hookups.
All in all, today was a phenomenal day especially since we finished it off with marshmallows roasted round the fire. Tomorrow we’re continuing our loop around the New England states by heading to Boston. Here’s to a good night sleep for all.
Leary’s Landing Irish Pub in Bar Harbor seemed like a lovely place to dine, but all the children were disappointed. #2 ordered the bangers and chips, but declared they were nothing like proper sausages. Mr. Stubborn ordered fish and chips, and the fish came out way overcooked. Miss Drama had a burger and decided fast food ones tasted better. I was the only one who enjoyed my meal – a Maine staple – the lobster roll. Lesson here – when in Rome do as the Romans do or in this case, when in Maine, eat what the Mainers do.
After dinner, we stopped by CJ’s Big Dipper for some ice cream – they had an entire cooler dedicated to dairy-free ice cream for the boys. Everyone enjoyed this, especially Little One. I’d say she’s getting a bit spoiled because whenever we go for ice cream everyone always shares small bites of their ice cream with her rather than getting her an entire scoop of her own. She’s for sure going to struggle choosing a single flavor whenever she does gets older and is allowed her own cone.
We finished our night off at Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA. We don’t often stay at KOA’s, so it’s a special treat when we do. The children all love the amenities they have on offer. This one sported a breakfast café and huge playground with basketball hoops and basketballs. I will say the upside to the tent sites at this KOA was they had a small lean-to type shelter at the site with counter space for cooking and with both water and electric hookups.
All in all, today was a phenomenal day especially since we finished it off with marshmallows roasted round the fire. Tomorrow we’re continuing our loop around the New England states by heading to Boston. Here’s to a good night sleep for all.