Vacation on Mount Desert Island with Friends

We just had a most fantastic little vacation on Mount Desert Island with some wonderful friends! As it is a several hour ride to get there, we stopped midway at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to see their amazing flowers, enjoy our picnic lunch, and allow the boys to run around and stretch their cramped limbs.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

They were both so happy; I think it's impossible not to run around with a big smile when you are immersed in sunshine and beauty.

Not only are the gardens wonderful to walk around in, but they have a great childrens garden full of all sorts of fun plants, activities (chickens, water pumps, sandboxes), books to read, and events (like puppet shows and fairy bubble dance parties in the maze).

Needles to say, the boys had a exceptionally great time, and completely wore themselves out for the remainder of the car ride.

We got "A Camping Spree with Mr. MaGee" at the gift shop and Meo loved it so much that we read it several times a day throughout our camping trip.

Seawall Campground on Mount Desert Island

Normally when we camp on MDI, we camp at Blackwoods Campground. But when me and my friend tried to make reservations last month, they were booked until fall. I hesitated to book a site at Seawall because we've had such a great tradition of going to Blackwoods, plus Seawall doesn't have showers which worried me with two little boys who constantly play in the dirt. But we decided to give it a try. I'm glad we did, the campsite was really lovely and we got on just fine for 4 days/3 nights without bathing.

Our friends Amy, Chris and Marilla went camping with us and I think that really is what made the trip so wonderful. They are just the best, and we had a relaxed weekend of hiking and exploring (well as relaxed as one can be with a baby, toddler, and preschooler running running around).

One cool thing about Seawall is they have an amphitheater and a ranger puts on a little talk there every other day in the summer. We took a walk over there our first night and listened to a talk about animal adaptation along edges of habitats, which was very interesting. We had to leave early because Meo got nervous as the sun disappeared and darkness engulfed us. On the way back to our site we had a close encounter with a deer though which was pretty awesome considering we just learned about why deer are adapted to living along forest edges.

Gorham Mountain

The best part about MDI of course is all the hiking. We chose a low key hike that still offers breath taking views and a beautiful alpine environment...it's a hike we like to do every year as it can be extended into a longer hike depending on how things go. This time we stuck to just going up one side and down the other because we took a while to get up. This is because my little Link, on his 20 month birthday, climbed up the entire mountain!

Mattimeo obviously is a much more seasoned hiker than Link and naturally climbed up at a faster rate. So he got to spend some quality time hiking with Chris, Amy, Marilla, and sometimes Robbie as I stayed behind and had a leisurely hike with my little Linky-Loo.

But when the boys did hike together, they were pretty cute.

I don't really get a lot of opportunities to be one on one with either of the boys so it's always a treat when I do. Link is really a sweet boy full of enthusiasm and curiosity and he melted my heart when he reached for my hand on tricky parts and smiled joyfully as he explored the beauty that surrounded us.

Here we all are on the summit!

"Hooray! We did it!"

Marilla is going to be quite a little hiker too...she is just starting to take steps and already she's ready for rock climbing.

On the way down, we wore our tired boys. Link passed out almost immediately after some initial complaining on Robbie, and Meo chatted contentedly the whole hike on my back. I always get a kick out of the conversations we have while I wear him.

Sand Beach

To finish off our hike, we stopped at Sand Beach, just because it's beautiful and its fun to dig your feet in the sand and dip your toys in the ocean.

Meo does not like to be sandy. Wait, let me rephrase that. Meo does not like his shoes or clothes to be sandy. However, he does not mind if his body is sandy. Thus, to Robbie's horror (he's a very modest papa), Meo decided to strip naked and run on the beach in the nude. All I could do is laugh at his fearlessness.

I allowed him to be wild and free just long enough to splash in the water then convinced him to at least wear his underwear, which he agreed to.

Link was sleeping the whole time we were on the beach.

After the beach, our guys were getting quite cranky so Robbie and I decided to take the bus to Thunderhole then walk to our car, while the others walked the whole way. Meo loves taking the bus so it cheered him up quite a bit, and then we had fun playing hide-and-seek on the ocean cliff path before getting back to our car.

Campsite Fun

hammock nursing

Meo's bike tire went flat so we borrowed a pump at the ranger station. Unfortunately it wasn't doing the trick. One of the rangers asked Meo to help him fold the flag though and that was really cool.

Link's first (and second and third and fourth) kisses went to sweet little Marilla.

The Wild Gardens of Acadia

This is a great spot for a leisurely stroll on a rainy day. All the ecosystems found on the Island are represented in this garden so it's a great place to learn and explore. Plus it is connected to several trails, one of which we wondered down for a while.

Link loves dogs. Link and I share a dream of having a puppy very soon. Robbie and Meo both say they want a puppy too, but Link and I NEED a puppy. This is a sweet dog we met on the trail in the gardens and Link got to pet him ever so gently.

Lunch in Bar Harbor

Frisbee in the Park

Ice cream!

Walk to Bar Island

For about an hour and a half before and after low tide, you can walk to Bar Island in Bar Harbor. Robbie and I did this on our honeymoon, and it was fun to venture back there. Link managed to sleep through it...he started off with Daddy, but woke up demanding Mama milk and spent the rest of the walk with me.

Meo enjoyed trying to skip rocks.

Marilla was sleeping for some of the time as well.

On Bar Island, they built little rock towers.

peeking

The Wells family continued on to explore the Island, but Meo was getting tired and cranky so we went back early so that we could make a little dinner before bed.

Meo was so tired that he transformed into a Meo-cycle. He built up momentum, then took off with is "wheels" every which way.

Last Night Camping

Amy and Chris brought stuff to make s'mores and were kind enough to share with Meo. Meo loves roasting marshmallows! Poor little Link wanted to do it to and found a tiny stick. Then he rushed at the fire to "roast his marshmallow" and almost fell right in if I hadn't snagged him by his hoody in the nick of time with my superpower (fast reflexes). Fortunately he only got a little burn on his hand that did not blister, and some cool water, mama milk, and quiet time in the tent with Mama was all he needed.

Going Home

In the morning we were all hungry and didn't want to make breakfast at camp after four days; we were just ready to be served and go home! So we stopped at Two Fat Cats for breakfast. But Link was impatient and started to fuss in his high chair, so I nursed him and that calmed him down. While the waitress was taking our orders he started to climb out of his high chair so she found some awesome toys for him to play with, and that worked for a bit but then he got cranky again and pushed the toy off the table (which hit a lady) and knocked down the juice I offered him all over the floor. So I took him outside and Robbie texted me when the food was ready. Then we came in to eat breakfast. When Link was done and started fussing again, Robbie took him outside and I took care of the check and Meo. We have never had to deal with bad restaurant behavior quite like this before, but Link is a lot different than Meo and he is going through a busy phase. The food was AMAZING though, and worth the trouble. Needless to say, we gave the waitress a very good tip.

We nearly all went home a little more beat up. I had a bruise on my knee and road rash on my hand from tripping in the night going to the bathroom. Meo had a scratch on his nose and cut on his lip from Frisbee and a couple skinned knees. Link was covered in bruises on his legs, one skinned knee and a little burn on his hand. Somehow Robbie came out unscathed.

And even though we were all very tired and very glad to be home (there is nothing more satisfying than a shower and clean sheets after camping without bathing for several days), we truly did have a most wonderful vacation and can't wait to do it all over again. I'm so glad we got to spend so much time with our good friends in  one of the most beautiful places there is.