Acadia National Park 2019

We were able to spend another beautiful weekend with great friends in one of our favorite places in the world; Acadia National Park. The other family that usually comes with us couldn't make it this year and we missed them, but we are very grateful that we got to spend so much time with Anita, Steven, Jacob and Max.

The first evening was super foggy. It had rained all day and we were grateful that it was dry when we put the tents up. The boys were on their bikes pretty much the second they stepped out of the car! One of their favorite parts about camping is the freedom to hop on a bike whenever they want and go everywhere.

Their other favorite part is making s'mores over the campfire. This year the kids decided to take turns telling spooky stories with dramatic lighting. It was super fun and creative.

Hiking Gorham Mountain and Champlain Mountain

For our family, this hike is part of our annual tradition. It is the first part of the hike we took the day Robbie purposed to me on Champlain Mountain with a dandelion ring back in 2006 (?!). I also think the hike from the Bowl up to Champlain is one of the most beautiful hikes there is; the views are stunning the entire way.

There was lots and lots of wild blueberry treats in the park this weekend.

The ground was covered in a blanket of fog on our way up Gorham Mountain. It was pretty cool!

Meo is really into climbing EVERYTHING. So he enjoyed hanging out on the edges like a mountain goat. 

Link is also really into climbing everything...

Steven told stories from his life to the boys on his way down and they were completely absorbed in listening.

Sand Beach and Thunder Hole

We finished the hike by walking down to Sand Beach, which is a pretty famous spot for people to visit in the park. The water was ice cold...it took my breath away to step into it. Meo and Link had no interest in touching their water, though the other two boys somehow managed to swim in it. They just wanted to play on the rocks. When Meo asked if he could "play on the rocks" I assumed he meant the little ones that dotted the boundary of the beach that Link was exploring. After I put my tired feet in the water I looked around and couldn't fine Meo. Of course he mean the massive cliff. Oh there you you are, Meo. 

We walked up Ocean Path to get back to our cars at the foot of Gorham Mountain, and stopped at Thunder Hole on the way. We were treated with some pretty massive booms and epic splashes (Meo got soaked)!

Mini Golf

We ended the evening after some relaxing time at the campsite...

...with a fun round of mini golf at Pirate's Cove. The four boys played their own game together. We have no idea who won, but that certainly had fun and managed to stay mostly out of trouble.

Anita won the adult game, and amazed us with her mini golf skills. It was a great night!

Campsite fun

Bike rides and Asticou Azalea Garden

All 8 of us had our bicycles this trip and we were excited to do a big bike ride. Acadia is a mountainous region, so all the bike trails are quite hilly and challenging for the little guys. This first one we tried was basically biking up a mountain. We didn't realize we had gone the wrong way until we were a long ways up! But my tire decided to burst while we were waiting for everyone to catch up and we ended up all going back down and into town to buy me a new inner tube. 

We decided to have a lunch break and walk around the beautiful Asticou Azalea Gardens before attempting another round of biking. The garden was gorgeous and well kept as always.

The boys spotted a tadpole and a frog that they were eager to catch.

Then we did a bike ride around Witch's Hole. This was a really cool trail and I enjoyed it immensely. There was quite a few hills but all the boys made it and were really proud of their accomplishment at the end. Little Link amazed me...he was the leader of the pack and was super determined and resilient. 

Bar Harbor

After our bike ride adventures we headed back to camp and took the bus to hang out in Bar Harbor. The kids LOVE riding on the bus (can you tell they are homeschooled?).  We had dinner, played frisbee on the green, walked around the shops and had yummy ice cream.

Back at the campsite we played a couple rounds of Sleeping Queens and went to bed. Our friends were more ambitious and went to Jordan Pond for popovers. We were too tired for that though!

Schoodic Peninsula

On our last day, we decided to visit a part of Acadia National Park that we had never been too before, the Schoodic Peninsula. This part of the park was so much quieter than the rest, but still very stunning. We enjoyed a walk along the coast. The trees were very dense, the ground soft as a mattress, and there was fungus and moss galore. 

We also checked out the Schoodic Institute in the beautiful Rockefeller Building.

On the way home we stopped for take-out at the Pickeled Wrinkle. They have a tiny kitchen and it was a super long wait but we passed the time with games and riddles. I ate far too many deep fried pickles on the way home, but it was very tasty.

Thank you for another great trip Anita and family! We love you guys, and we love Acadia!

Here is a video of why Link loves camping so much: