Some days you need a forced time out. And yesterday was that day.
Between the sunrise trek up Cadillac Mountain and the queasy morning of whale watching, coupled with the most fresh air our family has breathed for months, we were wiped out. Rob and I slept until 9:30 AM – that’s unheard of. (We are no longer the good sleepers we once were.). The kids began to sir around 10:00 and we had a slow, easy morning of pancakes, fresh fruit, sausages, and coffee while the cool breeze fluttered through the windows.
I read a couple of chapters of my book in my rocking chair and watch Rob and Marlie head out to the beach to try their hand at crabbing. Slowly, we came to life, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather, the quiet campground, and a day without a plan in the world. My mother always hated a down day on vacation. It was always GO, GO, GO – taking advantage of every last millisecond of vacation. As an educator with precious few days of summer, I completely understand this point of view and up until recently, I also subscribed to this philosophy. However, I have come to relish a slow, sweet day to recover my energy, protect my peace, and be in the moment. Sometimes my kids don’t recognize this new version of me, but they are also learning to take vacation in stride and go with the flow. It’s good for them to not have to see me as a crazed, uptight micromanager and to settle into an easy rhythm of relaxation. What a change to come back from vacation well rested instead of needing a vacation to recover from vacation.
If you think six people in a camper sounds cozy, you are partially right. Basically, we are six (nearly) adult-sized people, and while, technically, this RV can sleep 10, it would be a terrible mistake to sleep that many people in here. The only way to politely describe the interior of the camper after a few days would be “lived in.” Frankly, it looks as though there was a struggle. It’s no one’s fault. We all just have STUFF: six water bottles, six phones, six chargers, six sets of sneakers, six sets of flip flops/Crocs, and so on. Sometimes it’s nice to just take a beat and put some things away. I sacrificed a trip to Tracey’s for ice cream to wipe down all our surfaces, put away clutter and vacuum (yes, we have a camper vacuum). The twenty minutes of quiet was just enough to recharge my battery and I felt ready to take on the afternoon having gotten my camper life in order again. All was right with the world.
We decided on a fun vacation activity for the evening, just to get out of the campground – mini-golf! Who doesn’t love the Pirate’s Cove? We drove towards Bar Harbor and selected the Blackbeard’s Challenge Course. I try to tamp down my competitive spirit during these outings, but it’s not easy. It’s really such an unattractive quality -definitely inherited from my Dad’s side of the family. Rob and I are pretty much equals when it comes to mini-golf. We are usually within 1-2 strokes of one another. Don’t let Rob make you think I am the only one who wants to win – he is also very competitive and we exchanged some playful barbs over the 18 holes. In the end, I lost. I choked on the last hole. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all and we headed to find a quick bite to eat.
After a couple of pizzas, breadsticks, and salads at Pat’s Pizza in Bar Harbor, we headed into Acadia back to Thunder Hole to see if our timing would lend itself to hearing a louder roar. It’s tough to tell if the sound was stronger than the other night, but the twilight hour found lights dancing off the water and a refreshing seabreeze coming off the waves. The evening sea was strangely calm – no swells, which also makes for quieter waters. With darkness fast approaching, we continued along the Park Loop Road in Acadia, heading back to the campground. You must observe the speed limit in the parks, and, really, on any of the back roads between Acadia and our campground. Between twilight and nighttime, there are deer that appear very suddenly – bolting across the street, grazing on the side of the road, standing in a field, or even just ambling down the side of the road. These are fairly big white-tailed deer with sweet faces and big brown eyes. Acadia is full of deer, but not moose. We were hopeful to see a moose in Acadia, but the locals say that there is not enough space for moose in the area, so a sighting would be rare.
On a whim, we stopped at Otter Cliff Overlook which offered a clear view of the coastline and some huge rocks to climb! Marlie and Alyssa climbed up the rocks over the cliff for a better, higher view, while a mouse ran over Amaya’s foot and Kai tracked it into its hole. Surprisingly, there were several other groups of late-night visitors to Otter Cliff – people making one last stop before heading back to their hotels, cabins, or campgrounds. It’s wonderful to see the amount of people enjoying Acadia, out walking or climbing, exploring and discovering. I wished we had more time to adventure down the path along the sea, but the dark crept in and when that last bit of light is snuffed from the sky, it is absolutely pitch black.
Tomorrow is July 4th – a great day to continue exploring Acadia. We haven’t done a longer hike or seen a lighthouse yet. Today was good for the soul – a day to regroup and plan for the final days of our vacation – but tomorrow, it’s game on again.
Wandering, But Not Lost 