The day finally arrived! On September 1, we headed up to Bah Hahbah Maine for our family summer vacation. For one week, we would relax, eat lobster, hike Acadia, take boat rides, and eat ice cream with our favorite people. We couldn’t wait. We had been looking forward to this trip all summer long.

SATURDAY:

Due to a last minute airline mess up, Caroline and I flew up to Maine in the morning and Mike joined us later that night. Jackie, who was visiting from Cali, kindly drove Caroline and me to the airport.

Here’s my traveling buddy. Doesn’t she look excited?

Somehow I managed to haul a child, carry on suitcase,  stroller, and carseat onto the puddle jumper headed to Maine. It was quite the adventure. We were in seat 8A which turned out to be the VERY LAST ROW on the plane. Due to my growing belly, Caroline couldn’t even sit normally on my lap and spent the entire flight sitting sidesaddle and putting her toddler shoes on the kind, tolerant gentleman sitting in 8B. God bless him. Thank goodness he liked her and put up with the array of baby dolls, mini marshmallows, and books that ended up in his lap.

We landed and this little lady, who had been wide awake on the plane, finally crashed. Note the adorable and appropriate Maine wardrobe selection…

Because it didn’t last long! Isn’t that just how travel always goes?? But the good news is that we got to spend a few hours enjoying the Bangor airport, waiting for my parents and Louis to land. And they had some great feature attractions, like this one that I call “Airport Zoo.”

She kills me with this pacifier nonsense! And the backpack…

We met up with my parents and Louis, loaded up our rental minivan, and immediately headed to Stephen King’s house, which was only 1.5 miles from the airport. Louis is a huge Stephen King fan and when we got there, these two cute girls let us have the red balloon they brought (a tribute to the book It). I know the red balloon thing is scary to many, but since I never read the book, I thought it was adorable how enamored Caroline was with the balloon–which lasted the entire week (both the adoration and the balloon itself).

Stephen King’s house was SO COOL. And Louis was in his element. Check out the wrought iron bats.

We drove 1.5 hours to Bar Harbor and arrived around dinnertime to our home away from home–a gorgeous, giant breezy white Victorian house a half block off the main part of town. I couldn’t believe how close we were to the action! The yard was impeccable–luscious green grass, large tables for gathering, bistro lights along the fence, and blooming white hydrangeas. I just knew we would be spending a lot of time out here. What I didn’t expect was how much both Caroline and Preston would love playing outside in that perfect grass.

Just look at those hydrangeas! Tommie and I couldn’t get over them.

This little girl never met an Adirondack chair she didn’t love, and this house had quite a few.

For dinner our first night, Tommie and Linda put together an amazing lobster boil and we enjoyed it outside. The best part was getting to interact with the food before the lobsters hit the ‘hot tub’!

Mike arrived safe and sound via an Uber driver who was a local, so all week we were treated to advice/recommendations that Mike had accumulated from his new best friend. Those two had 1.5 hours to chat on the drive and they covered a lot!

Meanwhile, Kay Kay did her best to help calm Caroline down before bedtime. Ha!:

SUNDAY:

Bright and early, we headed out to Diver Ed’s Dive-In Theater–a boat trip “interactive” adventure that promises hands-on experiences with sea creatures. It’s Trip Advisor’s #1 recommended Bar Harbor activity and it did not disappoint…especially because the boat crew and guides were funny, witty, and entertaining.

Here’s a glimpse of the man himself–Diver Ed:

Diver Ed, equipped with his go-pro camera, heads to the bottom of Frenchman Bay and scoops up goodies from the bottom and brings back the treasures for all aboard to admire, touch, and learn about. It was pretty cool–crabs, lobsters, sea stars, sea cucumbers, you name it! Caroline and P enjoyed it but P was a little nervous about some of the squishy, stinky animals and the fact that Diver Ed used some of them as hair gel on the kids. (Can you blame him for being a bit weary of that?) Caroline just wanted her snack cup.

Here’s Caroline and her new sea star friend:

Afterwards, we headed to lunch at the Bar Harbor Inn, one of the most picturesque spots in the town. Caroline was less interested in the gorgeous view than she was with that lobster bisque:

Louis was also all business as he waited for his lobster feast to arrive:

And Preston enjoyed his role as the Big Cousin:

After lunch, we played (or relaxed, in my case) in the pretty Agamont Park nearby:

This is also the spot where Caroline learned how fun it is to roll down a grassy hill and where Kay Kay took her down to the water’s edge and taught her how to throw rocks into the bay…which quickly became a favorite activity!

Post-naps (for many of us), we walked about a block from the house to the Shore Path, which is a mile-long path that runs along the coast of Frenchman Bay. It was such a perfect night out–cool, no humidity, and a pretty sunset–and we made our way to Balance Rock.

MONDAY:

Hiking Day! We set off early-ish to hike Jordan Pond. Mainly because it was flat(ish) and the hike would culminate in a champagne and popovers lunch at the Jordan Pond House. Afterall, it IS vacation!

We loaded Caroline in the rental hiking backpack and stuffed it full of water and snacks.

Then we set off–all 10 of us–once a kind Maine local gave us the excellent advice to go counterclockwise around the lake.

The pond, woods, and rocks were picturesque. No motorboat activity or even fishing is allowed in the pond. At one point, we saw a few kayakers, but that was it. Our group was noisy of course, but every now and then you could catch the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. I had forgotten what real quiet sounded like.

The hiking direction mattered because the first part was a trail, but with the option of venturing out on the rocks if you were up to it. If we had gone the other direction, I think we (and by that, I mean definitely me) would have been too tired to jump from rock to rock, which was definitely a highlight of this hike.  As one would guess, Louis was all over that, as was his little rock climbing shadow, Preston–who quickly earned the nickname “Mountain Goat.”

The trail was very well maintained and along the path, you would see signs of beaver dam-building activity. Caroline spent the majority of time in the pack, but even this Junior Mountain Goat had to get out and stretch those baby legs on the trail!

Louis sustained the first New England injury and did not cause an overly-dramatic scene whatsoever about his scraped knee. 😉

He did though, turn a wooden bridge into a troll bridge and yelled at P to pay the toll to pass through. Preston LOVED this game.

Such gorgeous views:

And then we found this crazy tree and all had to pose with it…some more than others (LOUIS)…ha!:

Whew, we made it! 3.3 miles around the pond. We earned our popovers (and champagne). Shouldn’t all hikes end this way??

We headed back to the house after that for some well-deserved naps and then headed out to the Sunset Schooner Cruise around Frenchman Bay on this beautiful vessel:

It was a pretty sunset and the wind picked up a bit. Good thing we were prepared!

Preston was treated to the onboard entertainment serenading him…the song of choice was “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” P was skeptical at first but gradually warmed up to The Talent.

Caroline loved feeling the salty Maine air on her baby face…and she loved wearing her snuggly lamb fleece. Her other favorite activity was walking around the ship and meeting every single puppy on board.

TUESDAY:

We spent the morning enjoying coffee (and horsey rides–thank you Uncle Matt!!) in the yard:

Then headed out to Bar Island–straight out of our house and down to the water. It was maybe a 20 minute walk. One of the best parts about this vacation was getting to leave your car parked for many of the activities we did. It’s the transportation equivalent of staying at an all-inclusive restaurant where you never have to pull out your wallet.

Bar Island is a fantastic place for little people because at low tide, there are lots of tidal pools full of interesting sea creatures. Caroline loved spotting the tiny minnows and crabs and throwing the rocks into the water, which Kay Kay had taught her to do.

As we found out, Bar Island is also a fantastic place for not-so-little people like Louis and Matt. These two crazy boys found themselves on top of a massive hill with no easy way down. The edge of the hill looked like a sandy ski slope, except with rocks and scraggly trees dotting the landscape. We all stood below and they were so high up, they looked like tiny dots at the top. Then Matt leaped down, trying to maneuver down the slope like he was on snow skis, tackling moguls. He did pretty well! Then it was Louis’s turn…and by this time, a small crowd had gathered. He literally tumble-bumbled his way down like a pinball, bouncing off rocks, and trees, and shrubs. Eventually, he slowed to a stop on a massive rock bed. How am I related to these two?!?

P and C hitched rides on their dads back to the road, as the tide started creeping in around Bar Island. People had warned us that this happens very quickly and entire cars have gotten washed away, so to be quick!

Caroline’s sporting the “island hair, don’t care” look:

That afternoon, Matt, Tommie, Louis, and Mike rented scooters and zoomed around Acadia (Park Loop Road). They had the very best time and came back from their adventure all pumped. I was sooo jealous! They went to Thunder Rock and Bubble Rock, among other spots.

Mom and I hung out at the house that afternoon, just chatting in the gorgeous yard, after putting these two monkeys down for naps.

Nothing like cousin love!

Later, we all headed to dinner at Stewman’s Lobster Pound. It was a gorgeous spot right on the water in downtown Bar Harbor. As soon as we walked in, we saw a guy holding up the biggest lobster I’ve ever seen–later we learned it was FIVE POUNDS…which is a whole lotta lobster!

From there, Mike, Louis, Matt, Tommie, and I went on a not-so-scary Ghost Tour of Bar Harbor homes. Our guide was less than stellar in this role so it gave us lots of good material for later when we were gathered around telling stories and playing games. We got to enjoy this gorgeous sunset en route, though:

And then later we got ice cream…not the lobster kind, which–don’t worry, they sell–but the delicious kind at the shop just around the corner from our house. My favorite flavor was called “I Still Don’t Know What I Want” and it had everything delightful in it–cookie dough, brownie chunks, fudge swirl, you name it!

WEDNESDAY:

Wednesday morning was the day we said we’d do it. Wake up super early to drive up to Cadillac Mountain to catch the sunrise. Thankfully, Pa volunteered to stay at home with the sleeping children. Sunrises aren’t his thing, and my guess is Caroline would not have been a delightful sunrise-watcher. P woke up though, as we were getting ready to leave, and insisted on coming. So glad he did! He was a pleasure to be around.

They say that for parts of the year, Cadillac Mountain is the first place you can see the sun touch the United States. How cool is that?

Here’s the view at 5:45 am:

Then 5:47 am:

And then right around 6:00 am:

This is overlooking Frenchman Bay and the Porcupine Islands. We could spot a cruise ship pulling into port, too.

Here’s (almost) the entire early morning crew…Linda came too but was busy getting the best angles with her fancy camera. Plus, we were kinda loud…who said sunrise is supposed to be a quiet event??

This little guy was such a trooper!

By 6:05 am, the sky was perfectly light out:

We snapped a shot of the baby bump:

And Tommie and I showing off our yoga ‘tree’ poses:

And then off to breakfast for some coffee and pancakes at the Cafe This Way. I don’t know what these two are talking about here, but this just so perfectly sums up their relationship. We were home just as Dad was getting up, and Caroline was still sleeping.

After a brief siesta for the early risers, our entire group headed off to the day’s big adventure–bike riding around Witch Hole Pond in Acadia National Park! We selected this loop because it was listed as “kiddie-friendly,” had “minimal elevation changes,” and because the Obamas did it when they went to Bar Harbor back in the day.

We all got properly fitted for bikes, helmets, a baby seat for Caroline, and a tag-a-long for Preston. Here are these two navigating the bike rental place with their newly-adorned headwear:

And we were all smiles as we set off!

The ride was beautiful–and for the most part flat…except when it wasn’t. I was surprised how much I had to huff and puff on some of those inclines. I was very glad I didn’t have baby or small person on the back of my bike! Preston loved it. He wanted to beat everybody and Matt fed into it, calling out “Power 10!” which means you take the intensity up a few notches in order to get a greater lead. Well I couldn’t have that little shaver beating me so I powered 10 right back…which worked in the short game, but this was definitely more of a marathon than a sprint!

We even saw a few glimpses of fall foliage along our route:

Louis, in true Louis form, performed a variety of bike stunts that left kind strangers on the loop concerned about his safety…those of us who knew him just brushed them off as typical Louis stunts…like pretending his bike was out of control and crashing into some trees. Preston would laugh hysterically at his crazy antics…and let’s not forget Kay Kay’s, either!

We stopped to do a little rock climbing at one of the many (16!) classic Rockefeller stone bridges, aptly named in honor of the family that financed their construction:

And you can’t exactly tell from this picture, but it took some actual rock climbing to get up here…and P did it, no problem! Matt spotted him the whole time, but the Mountain Goat didn’t need any help!

Meanwhile, this little lady didn’t climb any rock walls, but she did get a diaper change 🙂 Oh that hair.

We continued on the trail:

Until we completed the loop. Sugar Bear was beat. That’s a lot of work on those baby muscles! (Or maybe she just skipped naptime).

Meanwhile, Mom had a different plan for recovery:

Some of us headed back to the ranch, but Matt, Louis, Tommie, and P stayed to do another 7 miles of biking! God bless them. When they got home, Louis declared the additional loop was an “engineering marvel really…uphill in both directions, and all the way around.” Happy but exhausted!

Preston never seemed tired. He was always ready for more.

These guys relaxed after the bike ride with beer and pizza. And Apple Fritter Man (Louis) turned Pizza Man.

That afternoon, Mom and I headed out on the Park Loop Road to do some exploring of our own. We started off at Sand Beach, which is named appropriately since it is actually a sandy beach–a rare find in rocky Maine! We had a picnic lunch on the rocks here.

And saw the most gigantic seagull EVER on top of a car in the parking lot. This picture doesn’t do this giant bird justice. It was massive.

Then we headed to Thunder Rock and Bubble Rock:

Where Mom was convinced one of these seagulls was a puffin. She kept saying “if I had a better zoom…” like that would magically turn the seagull into a puffin 😉

NOT a puffin. But good try!

At Happy Hour, we all gathered in the fabulous yard, poured some drinks, and relaxed.

And then Kay Kay brought out the red balloon to really get the party going!

We smacked that balloon all over the yard. I can’t believe it sustained all of that passion.

Matt and “Little Miss,” as he and Tommie call her, got to snuggle together. I realized on this trip that I always knew I would love playing with my kids, and I knew how much my parents would love playing with my kids, but I never realized how much I would love watching my brothers love on my little one. It was so wonderful to watch.

We went to dinner that night really late, at this delicious restaurant that had a gorgeous outdoor setting and live music too! Dad got a beer (one in his flight) called “Lawyer Up!”

And here is Preston in his fancy shirt (check out those cuffs!), working hard on his picture.

We stopped for ice cream on the way home, because that’s what you do on vacation in Maine.

THURSDAY:

Thursday morning, we played in the yard again while enjoying coffee and the BEST blueberry muffins that Matt, Tommie, and P had discovered.

Matt enjoyed being The Entertainment for these two:

Then we headed out to Sand Beach so the kiddos could run around and dig in the sand and so Louis could try out his new wind up bird toy, which was pretty impressive! P and Caroline chased it all over.

These two made friends with other kids on the beach–kids who had actually brought sand toys. So smart.

The water was 62 degrees, but Caroline didn’t mind–she still ran in up to her knees, laughing and squealing.

Mom and Louis climbed all over the rocks along the beach.

And then an innocent game of Kay Kay chasing Preston quickly went south and resulted in a very soggy Little P!

Caroline also got soaked and was super sandy…everywhere. So Tommie, Linda, and I became intimately familiar with the Sand Beach bathroom as we dried P’s shirt under the hand dryer and changed Caroline into non-sandy attire. This is one of those moments where I think “will she ever have any idea of ALL THE THINGS I did for her??!”

Did I mention it was 1000 degrees in that bathroom? Now that’s love.

Our next stop was lunch: a BBQ place called Mainely Meat and the adjoining Atlantic Brewing Company. We got to meet up with Mike’s godfather Tommy and his wife Joyce there. It was great spending time with them–they come here from Newburyport, MA to camp in this area every year, so they know all the hidden gems to check out. The food was great here and so was the beer.

They even had a playground, so we took full advantage. And by “we” I mean Kay Kay. And the little people 😉

Mike’s cousin Tommy happens to look exactly like a certain man in a jolly red suit. He also plays the role during the Christmas season and is a trained professional. Naturally, P had a lot of questions for him but was a little nervous to ask. He mainly just stared at him, wide-eyed. You could tell P thought he might possibly be in the presence of greatness–I mean, just look at his respectful stance here:

That night, we had Tommy and Joyce join us in our yard to relax and have Happy Hour. We also debuted “Grass Stain”–Caroline’s Maine souvenir–a stuffed doggie on a stick. Mike named him after watching her dragging him all throughout the yard.

Preston cautiously playing with Caroline, knowing at any moment she is going to wreck his game. (He isn’t wrong…)

For dinner, we had one more lobster feast! Think Mom is excited about hers??

These bibs mean serious lobster business is about to go down.

We headed back to the house and played the hilarious game What do you meme? which is kind of like Apples to Apples but you’re matching pictures and captions. We also played an old Betancourt favorite, Scattergories–because I forced everyone to play 🙂

FRIDAY:

On Friday we headed out to the Southwest Harbor town of Maine to do a little more hiking–we headed for Flying Mountain trail, since the loop promised “a steep hike to the top of a small mountain with spectacular views of Somes Sound and descends to a quiet ocean cove with a rocky beach.” Perfect for our crew!

Here we are after doing the steep climb part:

And here is P setting up the selfie stick–he took his job VERY seriously:

After that, it was steady elevation, shady, and woodsy.

We knew we’d stay on the right path because the Mountain Goat in front had a good eye for the trail markers:

We reached a little plateau area with gorgeous views and decided to open up the snacks and adult beverages for those hard working hikers.

Caroline didn’t waste any time devouring her peanut butter and jelly sandwich while pointing out the view and pulling Kay Kay this way and that on the flat rock.

These two. I just can’t even stand how sweet they were together. Caroline idolizes Preston. And he is so good with her.

We had to use the cliffs to take some classy shots as well…here are three very distinct styles!

We then made our way down to the “quiet ocean cove with a rocky beach” although some of us took a snooze on the route. I won’t name names.

It was picturesque, quiet, and serene. We climbed on rocks here and just enjoyed the air and the Maine-ness of it all.

Eventually this little lady joined in the fun.

And more adult beverages were enjoyed. Doesn’t Caroline look like she is judging Matt here?? This kid better get over it!

Eventually, we headed back to the cars…with Louis sporting a new hair style.

And made our way to Beal’s Lobster Company for lunch! They had giant (4-5 pound) lobsters here:

And drinks for all:

Our food was delicious and we basically had the place to ourselves.

After lunch, we headed down to the docks to see what kind of mischief we could get ourselves into…and fortunately a lobster boat had just returned and the crew was so excited to see us on the dock, all ready to “help” get the haul off the boat.

We even saw a seal in the water!

Next, half of us went to a flower garden and the other half went to check out the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse was set atop a very rocky cliff, and in order to get a good shot of it, you had to climb out fairly far on the rocks. Mom, Louis, and I were up for the challenge while Dad lovingly stayed with Sugar Bear in the car, since it wasn’t really a toddler-friendly endeavor.

Here is the view from far away, without climbing any rocks:

Here is Louis, deciding to climb out on the rocks as far ans possible, before scaling the cliff and climbing out right at the base of the lighthouse….and this is why he is the original Mountain Goat.

Louis out far on the rocks:

And here is the cliff he scaled to get to the actual lighthouse. See that little speck of him there? Crazy!

And one more, with no Louis visible…although he’s probably in the bushes, haha:

We headed back to the house for some afternoon naps and to prep for our big night out! When we booked this week in Maine, we had no idea it coincided with the Acadia Night Sky Festival, which is a series of cool astronomy-like events designed to teach people about the night sky. We had all (except Dad, bless him, who volunteered to stay home with P and Caroline) signed up for a trip called “Under the Stars” that took you out on a jet-powered catamaran to “cruise over the ocean looking up at the darkening night sky while listening to a selection of enjoyable celestial themed music pieces including the theme to Superman, ET, Bolero by Ravel and Star Wars by John Williams.” Professors from the University of Maine were aboard to point out constellations to the passengers and to tell Native American tales about using the night sky for navigational purposes.

Here was our view as we pulled out of the port:

And the boat itself:

We did hear our fair share of somewhat wacky Native American tales, and it got COLD out on that water, but the classical music was delightful, the boat ride was smooth, and the dark night sky was amazing. The professors used lasers to point out constellations and we saw the Milky Way! I also saw at least four shooting stars. It was a great last night in Maine!

SATURDAY:

No one likes departure day! We had to be out by 10 and we were leaving in two shifts. The morning was a flurry of cleaning up, tossing out, and finishing up…which included a few beers left over. Look at these guys, taking it for the team!

Caroline seemed concerned about such early morning drinking that wasn’t milk or mimosas…

And spent some time with her favorite buddy P. These two wouldn’t see each other again for a long time, which made me sad…but they had had such a great week together.

As did we all! We hope to return again soon, Maine! Thanks for a wonderful week!