Maine! (Part one)

Canons from the 1800's - protectors of Frenchman's Bay

We just got back this evening (to Chris and Don's house in New Jersey) from a few days in one of my favorite places - Maine!  We visited  Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  






The local wildlife is much different than what we are accustomed to in Colorado!  Gabi spied this tiny baby crab in the rocks when we were walking around on the beach.  Most of the beaches in that area are rocky - and a good number are sheer cliffs!








One of our favorite things about vacations is sampling the local flavors of food.  Of course in Maine, that is LOBSTER! Here we are at Stewman's Lobster Pound - Luke has his pound of Steamers, Grandma Chris has her whole lobster, and the rest of us have lobster rolls. 






Well, all except Gabi, who discovered the hot dog on the menu.  To her great surprise and delight, traditional Maine hot dogs are pink!  Doesn't she look like its the best hot dog she has ever eaten?!?  She insisted I take a picture of her pink dog as she was eating it because she was so excited!






The next morning we took the opportunity to go exploring the tide pools and visiting the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse - both of which are found in Acadia National Park.  I think this National Park has some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.  Its gorgeous.

The kids did the junior ranger program in Acadia too - and tide pooling was on the agenda.  We found rock weed, sea snails, periwinkles, and crabs.

They loved it! They were on the hunt for sea stars with no luck.  (Which was fine since they had just seen them at the DiVinci Science Center's touch table the week before!)

 I thought it was fascinating.

We also saw the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  It was working that morning because of the fog.  Normally there is a clear view behind that lighthouse into the ocean.  Couldn't make much out that morning!   In all of our travels this is the only lighthouse still in operation that we visited.  (Which of course means we couldn't go inside because someone lives there.)

Despite the fog we piled up on the rocks to take a family picture.  A small tour group came along and we grabbed one of the ladies who took this gorgeous shot of us on the rocks just as the fog started to lift.  If you come to visit us in August, I am pretty sure this will be our new family picture - and I just might never take it down....

 Here is what the rocks look like without us sitting on them.  GORGEOUS!  To get to this spot there is a short hike next to the lighthouse that ends at these rocky cliffs.  I have been waiting for two years to get back to this spot!


Following our visits to the lighthouse and the tide pools we had another adventure in Maine, one which Isa is going to help me write about tomorrow.....