We like to go on vacation with the boys every summer. It's difficult to plan around the hay harvest when you buy plane tickets in January, am I right?! But it worked out beautifully this year.
Day One
We took a 5:00 a.m. direct flight from Detroit to Boston. I remember I used to hope the boys would sleep in the car and they never would. Not a problem anymore! They definitely can sleep on the road. We rented a car from Alamo and parked in the underground parking garage at the Boston Commons to start our trip on the Freedom Trail.
There were lots of people getting tours along the Freedom Trail from enthusiastic people who my kids certainly didn't want to hear from. We read the plaques and checked the internet and made our way across the interesting trail, and we stopped at Faneuil Hall and walked to the waterfront to see the pretty scene.
We walked to the TD Garden, and the Celtics had won the NBA championship the night before! The town was full of happy fans, everyone was wearing and buying Celtics gear, and we soaked in their joy.
We ate at Tavern in the Square, and it was so hot we had to sit inside, which is rare. It was about 91 degrees and super sunny. We cooled off and ate and Max practiced his Boston accent on the waitstaff and knocked over his stool. Always an adventure.
We drove to Portland, Maine, which was two hours away. It was a really working place, and you could see all of the lobster traps and boats. There were lots of downtown shops and places to eat, but no way to get to the water, since it was pretty industrial.
We checked into our Ramada, where people were tailgating in the parking lot and it was in a questionable neighborhood. We made lots of jokes, but it was ultimately fine.
Wanting to get away from the city, we went to Two Lights State Park and found what we were looking for - getting right to the ocean. We went to Lobster Shack and ate right on a cliff over the water, and played on a beach right next to it. Beautiful, lovely. We swam in the hotel pool, worked out in the hotel gym, and Ty got bitten by an earwig when he got into bed.
Day Two
We drove to Acadia National Park, which was another two hours. We parked in the Echo Beach parking lot and hiked the Canada Cliffs hike. Nice hike, pretty views, good time. It was 2-ish miles.
We swam in Echo Lake, which was surrounded by beautiful rocks, but my kids didn't like that there was stuff in the water. I realized my kids have been spoiled by Lake Michigan.
We drove to Bass Harbor Lighthouse and climbed on the rocks, all around there like mountain goats. This is what I remembered Acadia looking like (Kris and I went a long time ago when we lived in Connecticut) and I loved showing the kids. While we were there, I realized that 25 years ago that day was when Kris and I met! Who knew that day what we'd be doing 25 years later - going to Maine with our three boys!
Our kids made us laugh a lot this trip. To me, that's one of the incredible joys of vacation with them - I don't have to tell them to do anything like homework, feeding the animals, or picking up after themselves! Cole asked if there was a shower in the hotel room, and I realized that even though we try to show them lots of things, they don't take a lot for granted.
We went into town to a rooftop restaurant and ordered lobster waffle fries for the boys to try lobster for the first time. We thought we were really giving them the best chance, as the lobster chunks were mixed with fries, cheese, something green, etc. None of them really liked it. Good thing, as fresh lobster isn't the easiest to get in Michigan!
Day Three
We got up early and drove up Cadillac Mountain. After I got up and showered I looked at the reservation I made to go up Cadillac Mountain, and I had chosen the sunrise reservation, which was at 5:30 a.m. That time had passed, so I was able to quickly make another one for right then (6:30 a.m.) and we went then. Whew! We walked around the top there and looked at the views from different places.
We went to the Beehive Hike - pretty much the reason we went to Acadia! It is an iron rung hike, and it was the only iron rung hike open of the four they have due to birds nesting. By iron rung, it means it goes straight up, so you have to use the rungs drilled into the rock and if you make a mistake you fall to your death. Doesn't that sound fun?! Yes, to me too! The boys are the age that I never worried about them one second - and of course I never worry about Kris - and it was SO FUN! This was a highlight for sure.
We went to Sand Beach and swam in the ocean. (The boys loved the waves, but still didn't like the salt as much as they like Lake Michigan without salt.) It was 91 degrees outside and the water was 45-55 degrees, but it didn't matter! It was so hot the water felt awesome. There were rocks to climb on and sand (obviously) and we all loved it here.
Despite the heat, we then went on the Great Head hike, which takes you on rocks around the point. This hike was also great, and because it was so hot, there were barely any other people. The views, the rock scrambling, the climbing sheer cliffs to and from the water - loved it all. Plus, we knew that when we ended this hot hike where we all got burnt despite wearing sunscreen, it ended in...the ocean again! We all plunged in and cooled off.
We drove the rest of the loop as the boys fell asleep in the back, and then we went back to our hotel. I don't normally "love" a hotel, but I loved this one because it had a heated outdoor pool. It was glorious and nice. It was the Acadia Hotel - Ocean View. They had breakfast, coffee, free drinks all the time, a bocce ball set, you name it. We swam in the just-the-right-temperature pool and got ready for dinner.
We went into town and stopped at the Atlantic Brewing Company, and then Side Street Cafe. An amazing storm blew up and it absolutely poured while we ate dinner. It cooled everything down. We walked around and skipped stones in the water, and went back for more swimming and bocce. From our hotel, you could see the ocean and mountains.
Day Four
Kris and I let the boys sleep and went to hike the Bubble Divide ourselves, and it was wonderful! Just a short hike to a giant rock, ready to fall on your head. This was a memorable hike!
We drove to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to have lunch and show the boys a little of NH. This was a cute tourist town, and we walked all around their market square, which was perfectly set up for people to visit. We walked on the waterfront and enjoyed their bridge and romantic locks, and we ate outside at the Thirsty Moose Taphouse.
We checked into the Inn at Woburn, and then visited Harvard. It started pouring, so we hit up a grocery store for dinner and headed back to the hotel, and the boys worked out in the gym. We watched a little of the Olympic trials and went to bed early, because the next day we had to leave the hotel at 2:00 a.m. to make our 5:00 a.m. flight! When we got to the airport, the TSA line informed us they didn't open until 4:00 a.m. Something to note for next time!
I love, love going places with Kris and the boys. Here's to summer and hotels with showers!