Maine

Our year would not be complete with our annual trip to the Maine coast.  And this year was just about as perfect of a combination of friends, family time, nature, beauty, and fun as we could have asked for. 

• Day One-  On Saturday, we drove to the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, NH where our friend's, the Dormer's (whom we'd stayed with the week before for the wedding) were staying.  They invited us to swim in the pool and enjoy ourselves before they checked out.

Carlota had arranged for all of us to stay in a condo outside of Jackson, NH that evening..... however, she got news from the owner that the most recent tenant had had a child with a lice outbreak.  John and I were just too creeped out by the thought of spending our vacation itching our heads, so had a back up plan to stay with Claire and Kevin Mahoney in Freedom.  Fortunately, Carlota was able to get another condo-- without lice, so we went with our original plan which included:

Dinner at the Shannon Door

with lots of fun dancing

Jackson had to postpone fireworks, so we even got to see fireworks (turns out Hazen hated them)

• Day 2-- Family hike along the Peabody River near Mount Washington (we managed to skirt around "Storyland"-- the amusement park and enjoy nature instead)

By early afternoon, the kids were pooped and we got in the car to drive to Camden Hills State Park for the night.  Cally asked how far it was and I told her if she slept, it would feel like we got there sooner.  Both kids slept the 2.5 hours it took to drive there!

• Day 3-  John's old friend, Hodding Carter, who organized the Viking Adventure from years ago,  lives in Camden with his family-- three teenage girls and a 10 year old son.  They invited us over for a great pancake breakfast and we were happy to escape the rain.

We hit the road late morning, got to Seawall Campground in Acadia National Park by 2pm and jumped on our bikes to enjoy the bit of sunshine that was left .

Hazen at Bass Light House

Hiking back up to the "ride"

The kids were happy to be pulled around by their dad!

Enjoying "cocktails" at the Seawall

• Day 4-- Rain came in overnight, so we decided to hit the Dorr Natural History Museum in Bar Harbor before heading out on a hike around Great Head.

Hanging out in a whale's skull

The rain did stop, so we headed to Sand Beach and did a couple mile hike around Great Head with a picnic:

sand between the toes!

Cal has become quite the little hiker!  She showed us all the great foot holds and ways to scramble up the rock.  I call her our little "mountain goat"

Day 5:  Rain in the morning, so Cally and I went to see the Acadia Repertory Theater do a performance of Cinderalla.  It was really entertaining!

Even during a grey day, the kids managed to have a great time scooting around the campground

Best pre-camping trip purchase:  a bug screen

We spent the afternoon riding around the quiet side of the island.  It was a great nap adventure for the kids:

Day 6:  We met up with fellow Vermonters for a sunny day of adventure!  First was a hike up to Bubble Rock with six kids and six adults.  Then a ride on the carriage roads.  Followed by a swim in a gorgeous secret lake.  And capped off with a wonderful cocktail hike around Cadillac Mountain.

Day 7-  Sun was shining, so we packed up our camp and headed out on a hike up Beech Cliffs near Echo Lake:

The mountain goat scampered up rock staircases and five sets of ladders

After some time swimming and playing at Echo Lake, we drove an hour down the coast for our annual gathering known fondly as "Bates Burning Man".  This year, we returned to Nicolas and Ruth's beautiful farm in Castine, ME.  

This gathering of friends has become one of my favorite events of the year.  Over 30 people convene for a wonderful celebration of friendship and community.  Kids ranging in age from 2.5-18 hang out with adults who spent their formative years together.  Folks come in from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, and New Hampshire.  Meals fall together like clockwork, kids play together like they've are old friends, and fun is had by all.

• Day 8-- Sunshine, beach time, and work projects:

Day 9:  Beach day at Bakeman Beach followed by a 7 hour drive back to Vermont.

What a trip!  The kids continue to amaze us with their ability hang out with so many different people, to sleep well in different places, and contentedly hanging in the car for long durations.  Vacations, these days, don't lend themselves to a lot of relaxation...... but we do all sleep very well when we put our heads down.