Goodbye, Maine. Goodbye, Acadia.

We spent our last afternoon here in Maine making one last trip to Acadia for a short visit to Jordan Pond, one of the sites we had yet to visit. 

The puppies really enjoyed the path along the pond.

When deciding what to do for our last day here, we could decide between a quiet day at the house or a drive into Acadia. I wanted to be out in nature, and it was too chilly to sit outside on the deck at the house, so off we went.

We have been trying to stop at Bubble Pond as well, but missed the parking area both times today!

These little mountains in the photo here are called The Bubbles.

The pond was formed during the last glacial period. Here again we saw boulders made from rock materials not otherwise seen in the rest of the area, but that had traveled with the glaciers to create the formation of the pond.

Here at the pond there is also a lot of the red granite that decorates much of Acadia.

By the end of the two weeks here, I think we've grown a little weary of the traffic to and from Acadia, the traffic and difficulty parking at Acadia, and the long drive to and from, so by today, I think we feel ready to head home to be with others we love, see our own garden, and celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

We walked about 1/2 mile around the one side of the pond and then turned around and came back.

To walk the entire path around the pound it is a 2.5 hour hike and 3.2 miles. 

Even though I was pretty tired today and neither of us was up much for the drive, I'm really glad we went back to Acadia one more time take in this beautiful place.

It's stunning from every look out point and view.

The weather today was also a perfect, brisk, cool, sunny Fall day.

I've been learning more and more about the value of being out in nature. I'm fascinated by the concept of forest bathing, or the idea that being outside amongst the trees and keeping a quiet mind can have a powerful impact on our health--and in particular calming the sympathetic nervous system and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. 

For a girl who never found much solace in nature, I have come to find that nature is now one of my greatest joys, my greatest comforts and my greatest stress-relievers.

This trip has confirmed my love of nature, and my need to make more space for it in my life.

This is something I know Kiernan and I will enjoy together!

After one last look at The Bubbles, we headed home. We stopped to take one last look at Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands from Acadia.

In this picture you can also see a sand bar in front of the boats that reaches from the island on the left into the town of Bar Harbor. If you time it just right, you can walk from Bar Harbor to the island at low tide! Just don't get stuck there at high tide!

Tonight, we enjoyed the last of our haddock chowder, our halibut steaks, and our Morton's Moo ginger ice cream. For lunch, I finished off the last of the lobster salad.

Then, we finished packing up and settled into bed for our big trip home!

Thank you, Maine. Thank you Barbara and Paul. We have loved our time here. We have ALL enjoyed the beauty of this place, the fresh air, the sunshine, the beautiful views, the good food and the comfy house.

Blessings,

Emily

Bar(k) Harbor and Supergirl

Bar Harbor Shore Path with Balance Rock and Porcupine Island in Background

We all headed into Bar Harbor on Monday afternoon for a very big outing of shopping, walking along the harbor and eating ice cream.

Finally a Pic with ALL of us!

Like Acadia, Bar Harbor (or Bah-Hahah as it's pronounced around there), is a 45 minute drive from where we are staying. The town is known for it's beauty, restaurants, shops and coastal feel. It's part of Mount Desert Island just as Acadia is.

Balance Rock

The Shore Path stretches about 1/2 mile along the coastline, and had I planned better, we would have walked the entire path. But, alas, I had already spent too much time in the shops and really wanted to go and get some ice cream.

Along the path is this crazy rock called the Balance Rock. It is a completely different kind of rock than the other rocks on the shore and has been responsible for shaping the landscape over hundreds of years through the movement of glaciers.

I Had No Idea One Rock Could Impact a Landscape Formation so Much!

Being here in Maine has made me wish I had paid a lot more attention in Mr. Wurst's 9th grade Earth Sciences class. My knowledge of rocks, minerals, the earth's layers is being tested!

Even All of the Boats are Required to Face the Same Direction

The town works hard to live in balance with the surrounding environment. 

We've seen the porcupine islands now from Bar Harbor, the Nature Cruise and Acadia. 

My favorite shops were definitely Bark Harbor, Island Artisans, Jack's Jewelers (I loved talking to the owner of 46 years who has been working with Maine's state stone, Tourmaline, creating gorgeous pieces), a native American jewelry shop (I cannot find the name anywhere!), The Bar Harbor Tea Company.

Thankfully, I managed to restrain myself at most places and just treated myself to some fancy tea and some maple cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on toast and oatmeal. :)

Time for Ice Cream Break!

After making our way through the shops and spending some time by the harbor and on the shore path, we headed over to Mt. Desert Ice Cream, where President Obama ordered the coconut flavor when he visited in 2011. 

I had Maine Sea Salt Caramel and Coffee. Mom had coffee. 

Our verdict? 

That even though this place has been picked by Food and Wine as one of the top 10 ice cream places in America, Morton's Moo still gets our vote as the best ice cream we have ever tasted. Not that we didn't enjoy Mt. Desert's Ice Cream too, though!

Free Samples (Big Ones!) For the Puppies

While we were sitting outside on the bench, one of the staff members came out to offer us some ice cream for the puppies. So, each of our guys got a sample of the Peanut Butter ice cream.

I don't think they will ever look at their kefir or yogurt snacks the same again.

One of my favorite parts of this trip has been how dog friendly this area is. You can take your dogs almost anywhere--even to some of the restaurants. There was only one shop in which the dogs weren't allowed.

Otherwise, we were able to take the dogs into all of the shops, where they got lots of attention, especially at Bark Harbor, where they folks were excited to meet a breed they had never heard of before. I explained that Gershwin's brother, Buddha, had been to the shop just last year and picked out a stuffed lobster to take home!

The puppies love all of the attention from folks, and we get a lot of inquiries about the breed and their names. And lots of compliments on how cute these two are!

Mom snapped this video (click here to watch it if you are in email) of the puppies eating their ice cream. Gershwin is being a total goof about his ice cream.

The Guys are Having So Many Adventures!

We were out and about for about 3 1/2 hours yesterday in Bar Harbor (not counting the drive to and from). For me, that's a REALLY big day, especially because it was shopping and standing. 

I literally did shop and walk until I dropped. With only a couple of breaks to sit down, most of my afternoon I was standing, shopping and doing a little walking along the shore path. While I didn't have the strenuous path like we did the day we did the Ocean Path, I still put 1.7 miles on my FitBit in addition to the standing time. Victories. 

It was a bit overwhelming (Bar Harbor is pretty crowded) and definitely exhausting. But, I didn't feel sick until afterwards. 

I really do feel a bit like a rock star. Or Supergirl. Or just, well, like the woman I'm supposed to be.

I didn't sleep that night, but I honestly think part of that was staying up and watching the horribly stressful debate!

It's hard to believe tomorrow is our last day here. We haven't decided yet whether to make one last trip into Acadia or to stay put. We'll decide based on how I sleep tonight and how I feel when I wake up.

Thanks, Bah Hahbah, for being another part of this big adventure called a vacation.

Blessings,

Emily

When In Maine...

#frontierwomen

Yesterday, I blogged that we planned to head into Bar Harbor for the day, but I didn't get more than a few winks of sleep last night, so I just wasn't up for a major outing. Somehow, I was still able to feel well enough to enjoy the quiet day.

Fall is officially here in Maine and we did what you do in Maine and on when on vacation.

We learned how to light a fire in the wood stove.

T: Vacationing is Such Hard Work

We took rests and took in the view.

So Very Hard

G: Thank You for Leaving This Blanket for Me

We got cozy from the warmth of the fire.

I'm Very Comfy Here

Lobster Traps Galore

We took a short outing to a nearby harbor, Hancock Point, where we saw lobster traps,

A Lobster Boat at Hancock Point

a lobster boat, and best of all,

Rainbow at Hancock Point

this incredible rainbow.

Usually, When I See A Rainbow, I am Not Somewhere That I can See it Fully!

Too bad the rain was coming in on my lens!

Fresh Lobstah!

We ate haddock chowder for lunch fresh from the local seafood joint. 

And had fresh lobster for dinner!

Lobster Night at Lion's Maine

So far we've had lobster stew at Ruth and Wimpy's and made our own lobster rolls, but tonight we made sure to tackle whole lobsters. Lots of fun.

Ruth And Wimpy's Lobster House

Steaming Lobsters!

This Stuff is the Real Deal
Small Batches. No Junk.

We topped off our dinner with some Morton's Moo ice cream.

From Simon's Farm--Our Favorite Place for Food

And fresh strawberries.

This Stuff is Divine!

Why didn't anyone tell me that Maine is known for it's amazing ice cream? Holy cow!

We live in a place where people go crazy for the ice cream places, but I have to admit, I have discovered a new level of ice cream goodness. 

This stuff is to die for.

I have surely put on five pounds in ice cream weight since arriving here.

Morton's Moo Wild Blueberry Ice Cream with Wild Maine Blueberries and Canadian Strawberries

Here's a pic of the Maine Blueberry. Tonight, we tried the ginger ice cream. Wow! I have never had either of these as ice cream flavors, but both are amazing.

Wild Maine Blueberries Taste Amazing!

We've been so fortunate to find a farm stand just 10 minutes away where we are able to get all sorts of local produce from lettuce to peppers to wild Maine blueberries (incredible!). We've found so many delicious local foods (lots of maple syrup and wild blueberry items) to try. The stand has fresh strawberries coming from Canada. They have local meats and cheeses.

One of my favorite things is discovering new foods, trying new things and learning what's native to wherever we are staying. 

Perhaps the several pints of blueberries I've eaten balance out the ice cream?

Today was a wonderful day filled with the warmth of a fire, two snuggly pups, a visit to the Hancock Point, a surprise rainbow, a walk in the brisk Fall air, peaceful views out of the windows of Lion's Maine, a seafood stew for lunch, lobstah (as they say in Maine) for dinner, a glass of La Crema Chardonnay, and Morton's Moo ginger ice cream for dessert.

It's hard to believe we only have three days left in the little place here in Hancock, ME.

Blessings,

Emily