Acadia - Cadillac Mountain

Before we left D.C., Nathan warned me that it would probably be $20-$30 in toll roads going up the East Coast. Now in Alabama, we don't have toll roads (at least not anywhere that I travel), so this was a new experience for me. The first thing I learned is that toll roads are cash only, so find yourself an ATM. I was woefully unprepared with around $30 in my pocket. There are also two kinds of toll roads, one where they just randomly set up a toll booth and charge you a few dollars. At the other you get a ticket when you get on the road and then you are charged based on how many miles you travel on that road. The New Jersey Turn-Pike is an example of the latter, where it cost about $10 to get from one end of the State to the other. The George Washington Bridge which welcomes you into New York City is an example of the other. "Welcome To New York City! That'll be $15" (imagine it with a strong Bronx accent). All "tolled"- it cost almost $60 to get from Maryland to Maine.

But enough complaining-There was one good thing about driving in the Northeast, practically every exit had a Dunkin' Donuts. Yes, I must confess I probably had a few too many Dunkaccinos. At one stop, I asked Stacy to buy one for me. She thought I wanted a hot one when I really wanted it frozen. I fixed the situation by buying a frozen one and drinking them both. I did take a wrong turn in Connecticut which ended up routing us through Providence, Rhode Island and costing us 2 extra hours of drive time. That is the first time that taking a wrong turn ended me up in the wrong State. I can now say I have been in every Northeast State except Vermont. We finally got to our cottage after 10:00pm, but they left the door unlocked so we went right in and quickly got to bed.

Tuesday morning, we found ourselves on a beautiful island in the far north. We started the day at the Acadia National Park Hulls Cove Visitor Center. We watched a short video about the park, where they introduce the history and give a glimpse of all the sights. There are trails for everyone. The Bar Harbor Shore Path for people who want to pretend they are hiking. The Beehive trail with its cliffs and iron handle bars to keep you from falling. We opted for the more moderate Cadillac Ridge North Trail, a pleasant 4.4 mile trail that was neither too steep or too flat. From a distance, the most distinguishing mark of Mt. Desert Island is Cadillac Mountain. Although hardly a mountain by normal standards with an elevation of 1,529 ft, it provides a gorgeous view of the entire area.

When we started driving to the trail-head, it started raining, so we took the park loop around the mountain. By time we got back around the rain had stopped. The trail was basically climbing on rocks the whole way up. This of course was the best thing a kid could ask for and all three of them loved finding the next good looking rock to climb on. Given the nature of the trail, we went fairly slowly. We eventually made it to the Summit and got a great view of the island & ocean. There was also a road up to the top for wimps, who just wanted a picture without taking in the true experience.

After the hike, we went to Mt. Desert Ice Cream. Now if you want vanilla or Rocky Road, this is not the place for you. However, if  "Callebaut Chocolate Wasabi" or "Mango Jicama Habanero" sounds like a flavor you want to try, then you have found your new favorite ice cream store. None of us were that adventurous, I probably got the weirdest flavor "Girl Scouts Gone Wild", which tasted exactly like a York Peppermint Patty. I tried to tempt Stacy with "Cereal Milk", which is supposed to taste like the milk after you have eaten all the Captain Crunch out of the bowl. But for some strange reason, she wouldn't take the bait.

We got back to the cottage at around 4:00pm, leaving us plenty of time to make use of the kayaks that were provided for us. Our cottage was right off a little bay, so Matthew, Elisabeth, and I took out 2 kayaks and paddled around the bay for about 1 1/2 hours. The kids had a 2 seat kayak, and were pretty terrible at getting the kayak to go where they wanted it to go. Elisabeth entertained (or annoyed) us with her song about going the wrong way, which they did -- frequently. After a very enjoyable time in the water, it was time to go back. This is where it got difficult. Our dock was in a small bay that narrowed to a choke point and then opened into a large bay. The problem was that the tide was going out, and it was nearly impossible to paddle through the choke point because of the water rushing out to sea. I knew the kids couldn't do it, so I tried having Elisabeth hold a rope attached to my kayak. I paddled with everything I had, but managed to only stand still. The next thing to do was run aground and carry the kayaks around the choke point. We did that with Matthew Jr. doing an excellent job of carrying a very heavy kayak. Once we had done that, we were able to paddle to the dock. Then we had a second problem-the water no longer went all the way up to the dock. Matthew and I had to carry the kayaks again. This time through the muddiest water I have ever seen. It was a trick getting your foot out of the mud without leaving your shoe behind. Elisabeth for her part was soaking wet and miserable. Matthew was a trooper through the whole thing. He was an immense help and I couldn't have done it without him.

We got back to the cottage exhausted. I just hope Elisabeth will go kayaking again some day.