Day 8 and Day 9

Day 8 - Acadia:

Acadia! By far one of my favorite National Parks that I have been to. We had a whale watching tour booked for the afternoon, so the morning was spent doing essentials- like showering and laundry Hadley's Point Campground - charges 50c for 7 minutes of a shower. At least the showers looked newer? We had planned on going to bike the Carriage Roads around Jordan Pond, but we were not going to have enough time once we were done.

But hey, there was a winery across the road from the campground so… 

Bar Harbor Cellars

We headed into town and stopped at the store to grab some food for the tour, and as we did, the tour got cancelled due to incoming inclement weather. 🫤

That is the second time I have been out here and the tour got cancelled. Might be a sign, or might be 3rd time is the charm? Let's hope so! I was looking forward to coast to coast whale sightings this summer! (The boss and I saw blue whales on our San Diego conference/adventure - amazing!).

Stopped by the beach on our way through the park - different during the day than it was for our stargazing attempt:

Sand Beach

Since the tour was cancelled - we went riding on the carriage trails. I haven't been on a bike in awhile, and it showed. Very cool and different way to see some of the park that we would not have seen otherwise - the carriage roads are for walking, biking, or horses only. We did the 8ish miles around Jordan Pond. Some great views on the roads!

Bubbles

Jordan Pond

My face when I think I'm done with uphill biking.

Thankfully I had a change of clothes in the car because between the biking and the humidity, I was a hot mess, quite literally. We met Hayden for dinner at The Parrilla, which was a recommendation from the winery staff. This was Hayden's birthday dinner, and he approved. He also tried oysters for the first time and he loved them I struggled to watch because oh my do I have texture issues with food, and oysters are at the top of that list. We walked around Bar Harbor after and of course stopped in the bookstore for books and puzzles - part of Hayden's birthday present. 

But because rain was in the forecast, again, we called it a night and headed back to the camper for some cribbage and a movie. 

Today's Lessons:

1. Anyone who says "it's just like riding a bike" has not done the Carriage Roads after 2 years of not being on a bike.

2. Ibuprofen is officially the pregaming party of my 40's. And biofreeze might be the after party. My body is older than brain likes to think it is.

3. After watching the ebikes fly past us while I was gasping for air on my way uphill, I am reconsidering my bike choices. 

Today's Miles: 42, 50 including the trail. 

Day 9: Acadia and back to NY

Met the birthday boy (no longer a teenager, so birthday man?) for breakfast with a friend of his. This Way Cafe - the food was so good. So, so good. There was also some great artwork and small libraries scattered throughout the restaurant. Hayden picked out our hike for today, and we made the hour(ish) drive to Schoodic Peninsula to sit by the waves, then hike for a few miles.

The weather did not cooperate for the views at the peninsula or on the summit, but the hike was beautifully mossy. 

New summit for Hayden!

On our way out I spotted dolphins! And apparently a sea lion! Perfect way to end our time in Acadia.

Not a great picture, but there were 2 of them - super cool.

And then we departed to may our way back to Wisconsin, leaving Hayden to celebrate without the adultier adults cramping his style.

Today's Lessons:

1. I am out of shape, especially for someone who enjoys hiking these trails.

2. Schoodic is really 3 trails in one loop, and it is in fact uphill both ways. 

3. No matter how old he gets, it is still hard to leave him. 

Today's Miles: 550 plus trails - about 2 more miles that felt like 5.

The rest of the day was spent driving as far as we could make it (near Albany), then getting a hotel room and ordering food at midnight. 

Up next: Lake Erie and Lake Michigan on the journey back home. 

🎈