Day 9 through 11 The Cold Rainy Coast of Maine

Day 9-11

It's lonely lovely at the top.  We made it to Mt Desert, Maine today after a long 10 hour day.  We left our friends in New Hampshire around 7a. We rode the coast, route 1, ALL THE WAY here and it was spectacular.  It took us a long time to get here (we pulled into our site at 5:30p) but it was definitely worth it. We made two stops at the beach along the way and each time reminded me why I love the water so much... it is absolutely gorgeous.

Our view driving along the coast from NH to ME

The strangely beautiful rocky beach

An up close view of the rocky beach

Look how small we are against the vast ocean and sky

 We visited the Portland Headlight lighthouse in Portland, ME. The area was very beautiful. The small "museum" left something to be desired but they certainly get an "E" for effort.  I don't regret the $4 donation we gave to get in. The trail right outside the lighthouse that lined the coast was worth the trip. After the lighthouse we set out for our long journey into the Bar Harbor area of Maine.

Portland Headlight, Portland ME

A view from the light house trail

My adventurous babies

I loved driving through all the small towns and villages.  There were so many places I wanted to stop and explore along the way. There a so many, probably to many, little antique shops along the route coupled with just as many motels. It was an interesting combination. When we finally made it to our campground we were exhausted and frustrated. To top it off our rig sprung two leaks and we were really missing our friends and loved ones. We all agreed that that drive was the last leg of our trip but looking back I am sure it was our frustrations talking.

Once we were up and exploring the area we were glad that we were there. We explored the town of Bar Harbor (pronounced baa-haa-baa). We were really impressed that such a small town cared about and considered its RV traveling visitors and offered a place to park. 

Sign says "RV Parking Only"

We explored, shopped, ate, and walked our way through town for hours. After we were worn out from town we headed back to the RV and decided to explore Acadia National Park. We didn't make the entire 27 mile loop because of my fears of driving Honey around the sharp curves and steepness of the mountain. We did enjoy a nice drive and got some great shots. 

In Bar Harbor (Baa-Haa-Baa)

Along the Loop... Nay's not happy because I just made him apologize for hitting his sister

Me enjoying the views and taking a break from gripping the steering wheel of the RV as we travel through the twisty, steep and narrow roads of the Acadia Mountain Loop

A beautiful (and somewhat spooky) pond along the Loop

We slept in until 9a this morning. We decided that today was chore day and we stayed around the campground. The kids worked on school work, which was just them completing their Junior Ranger booklet we got yesterday, while I checked all of Honey's fluids and made sure everything worked properly and is ready for the road. I came in and fixed breakfast and we enjoyed our  pot of cream of wheat outside at the picnic table.  Right after breakfast we started our chores, which consisted of getting the dishes washed and washing clothes in our bucket. All three kids helped wash clothes and actually found it fun.  We swept and mopped the RV and took out all of the trash. Once we were finished with chores we decided to go for a walk down to the water. What they call the "beach" is about a quarter mile from camp down a very steep hill (we regretted having to walk back up the hill when we were done at the beach). The kids had a great time collected crab and lobster remains that had washed up on the shore. I called the place the sea life cemetery as I have never seen so many crab and lobster remains on a shore before. I joked that the kids did in fact get a science lesson in today... marine biology.

He found lobster parts

She found crab shells

We made it back to our camp and decided to get our fire started. We were trying to beat the rain, which we barely did. After five fire started and a lot of dryer lint later we got a really good fire. The fire turned out to be the best we've had so far. We followed all of the rules and did the triangle with the wood and mixed the really dry wood we got from our friend in Shenandoah with the split logs we got from our friend in Gettysburg and it turned out great. The rain put our fire out for us and we are all now huddled on the bed (yes, all four of us huddled on the same bed... which is why I know I don't need a bigger RV because where I go my kids will find a way to squeeze in) reading and playing games. I sit here listening to the kids laugh and joke and read to each other and it is wonderful. 

We head to New Brunswick, Canada tomorrow, the final stop (I think) on this northern adventure before we start working our way back down the coast. I love for once in my life not having a plan and just going where opportunity presents itself. I have met some amazing people and gotten many encouraging words. All in all the consensus seems to be to not be afraid to try new things and follow my dreams... and that's exactly what I'm going to continue to do!

Until next time, life your life to the fullest and worry about the rest later!