First Acadia trip of the year Part 1

Oh hi. So we decided on a whim to take the kids up to Mt Desert Island for an overnight trip. We seem to always do this on my April vacation. So, once again, we did it this week. We went up Thursday morning and came back Friday afternoon. Our beloved Seawall Motel was closed (Dave and Vicki were themselves traveling out of state) so we stayed at a place called THE ACADIA INN which was very nice--it was directly across the street from the College of the Atlantic--but it was, of course, no substitute for our beloved Seawall. The hotel where we stayed was right in the heart of Bar Harbor proper, so our visit focused more on the downtown and the surrounding park loop road (which the kids have actually never done....which means that Sally and I havent done it in 6 years!!) instead of the quiet/Southwest Harbor/Bass Harbor side of the island....

The kids, more than anything else, simply LOVE just staying in hotels. Seriously, we could go to stay at the hotel connected to Governor's Restaurant, and the kids  would consider it a vacation. The hilight, for Maira, was the little mini fridge in the room, and she kept both a glass of water AND her peanut butter crackers in the fridge to 'keep them fresh' and such....

On Thursday, when we got there, it was freezing and VERRRRRY windy (Gale-like almost)...and it was pretty rainy: A typical Downeast kind of day! We took a walk through the campus of COA, and then we meandered around downtown Bar Harbor. Each of the kids were allowed to pick out either a book, coloring book, or puzzle at Sherman's Bookstore OR they could pick out a Christmas ornament at the Christmas store in town. Since 'all the things you let us pick out at Sherman's are WICKED BORING, Maira and I want to pick out an ornament.' So they did. Then we had a nice dinner at Geddy's, which is a wonderful pub by the water where they serve the kids' meals on frisbees. And Callum, thank goodness, got a blue one (his fave color now)

Bedtime at the hotel! If I had a panoramic camera you could see the 16 stuffed animals CS brought with him....and the zero that Maira brought. Maira is a minimalist when it comes to sleeping: No stuffed animals. No pillow. No people. I like her style. After they were asleep, Sally and I played a couple of games of cribbage. I love cribbage....

On Friday morning, we headed into the park. I will post and write more about the part tomorrow...but we stopped to show the kids one of our favorite hikes: The Precipice. It is the backside of Champlain Mountain, and, as you can see if you blow up the picture, it is extremely treacherous and technical: iron rung ladders anchored on steep cliffsides...steep drop offs...ropes to climb up steep boulders...and more are all the name of the game for this hike (actually, it is more like a climb). It is closed (like it often is) because Peregrine Falcons nest there and they, like all the illegal immigrants in this country, are protected and taken care of by the government.  But we stopped to talk to one of the park rangers there about the birds, and the kids liked that....

Maira at sand beach......very photogenic little lady...

And Callum and I looking out to sea off of sand beach. The island near the top middle is often times resplendent with seals. The water here at this beach, at its 'warmest' point in late August, has never topped 58 degrees.....

...me and this hot chick I met by the ocean......the cliffs in back of us have trails on them,, and that is where I asked Amanda to marry me.....