Maine

Maine is wonderful!  Maine is beautiful!  Maine is a really far away…

Back when we bought the “King of the Road” we knew we wanted to get everything working so that we could take at least one longish journey this summer before we really take the plunge next summer.  We’ve never been to Maine, but always wanted to take a vacation here and thought it would be unlikely that we would be able to work in a trip this far north and east of our home next summer. We did a little research on the various regions, decided on the mid-coast area near Acadia National Park, found a campground and made a reservation.  THEN, we put the address into Google maps and found out we were facing about a 13 hour drive.  We decided our best strategy would be to put the boys to sleep the night before right in the motor home so the husband and I could just roll out of bed and get going early in the morning.  Great idea, right?  Except, we didn’t count on the excitement and exuberance of a 7 year old boy about to embark on an adventure.  He did not want to go to sleep.  Could not be bribed or convinced to go to sleep.  And by 10 p.m. the middle child was in our room, complaining loudly that his brother was keeping him awake by making farting noises and tickling his feet.  Ugh…we were off to a rough start. 

Lucky for us, they did all finally fall asleep.  We were up at 5 the next morning and on the road by 6.  It was a phenomenally long day of driving but, with only a couple of stops we made it to the campground by about 8 p.m.  No engine trouble and no jumper cables necessary!  We do have a few things to fix this week though and had to find an auto parts store this afternoon for some supplies.  We seem to still have a headlight problem, although not related to the previous electrical problems as they were working at one point, and one still is.  Also, some of the electronics in the central console did not get hooked back up.  The radio doesn’t work, nor does the plug in for the GPS.  Its battery died about 4 hours into the trip and we had to go old school and buy a paper map. 

But, we’re here and today was a glorious day.  Warm, sunny, with a light ocean breeze.  Right after breakfast we headed down to the beach for some swimming.  The husband planted his chair on the beach and decided he wasn’t moving…even for high tide.  When the water hit our ankles I had the good sense to move my chair back.

But the husband stayed put.  When the water reached the seat of the chair the boys went over to investigate.  Still, he stayed put.

The tide moved in pretty fast and was soon up to his waist.

Yet there he sat, until the water reached his chest and it was time for lunch.  Refreshing!

The boys LOVED the beach and spent lots of time looking for sea life in the tidal pools as the tide went back out.  They found a few things, but the highlight of the day came when we headed back down to the beach with our flashlights after dark!  They found LOTS crabs in the pools and at the waters edge.  They were everywhere, some big, some smaller than a fingernail.  The boys had a blast picking them up then watching the crabs bury themselves in the sand when they put them back down.  It was really interesting to see how well they blend in with the surrounding sand and rocks too.  Once they were buried in the sand you could only see them if they moved.  Here are a couple of the larger ones they found.

So, today was a great day!  We have lots more to see and do while we’re here.  We’d like to do some sea kayaking and are looking into a whale watch!  Hope the sun stays out and the rain stays away!