Our final stop in the park was the Jordon Pond House. Famed for their popovers this restaurant has long been one Jeanine wished to visit and we were not disappointed. Most of us enjoyed popovers a la mode which is easily the most yummy dessert I have ever had. This was the perfect way to end our time at Acadia National Park, a destination we will surely revisit as we barely scratched the surface of activities to enjoy here.
The waters in Maine at this time of year run abut 57F. Each child brave enough to venture into the chilly waves demonstrated their own technique for minimizing the shock from contact with the ice cold water at Sand Beach.
Next we returned to Cadillac Mountain, this time with the boys. Despite high winds, the kids spent over an hour scurrying over the rocks and helping to locate the geodetic marker identifying the top of the mountain.
After breakfast we watched Germany destroy Argentina in World Cup soccer. Immediately after the game another epic soccer battle was contested resulting in an equally humiliating loss. The competition was a test of first touch accuracy. The ball was served from a distance of 10 yards and the receiver tried to direct it into a recycling bin (mini goal) with their first touch. To their utter disbelief and consternation I soundly spanked all 4 teenage males in this test of skill. Demands for a rematch could be heard across the bay and I will happily beat them again next year after they have had sufficient time to hone their technique.
With this mornings kayak run we succeeded in getting everyone on the water. Maya was able to handle the 18 footer with no problems and was also good enough to get a photo of me in the kayak I built. Rose and Sophia were alternately chauffeured be their dad and would have been happy to stay on the water all day.
Later in the morning Jeanine and I made a 12.5 mile bike tour of the Schoodic Peninsula, a non-contiguous portion of Acadia National Park. The coastal views were stunning as were many of the interior scenes. In our excitement to commence the ride, neither Jeanine or I thought to bring water or our wallets with us. Fortunately the sun was kind to us and Jeanine located a drinking fountain at the end of our loop.
Each night, two of us are assigned dinner preparation. Mark and Nico prepared a wonderful scallops and linguini dish, Rory and I did rigatoni in a marinara meat sauce and this evening we were treated by Kyle and Maya to corn fritters (a family favorite) and fire roasted brats and S’MOREs.
With all the activity I have found little time for artistic photography but managed to find a few minutes this evening to experiment.
While Jeanine took the kids to an ocean beach, Mark and I made a one-hour drive to visit the School of Wooden Boat Building located in Brooklin. Mark has often considered attending a week-long kayak building class with his sons, and this was a great opportunity to check out the facility and talk to one of the instructors.
This morning Kyle, Nico and Mario joined me for a kayak run. Rather than heading out into the ocean, we ventured up the estuary which empties into Sullivan Harbor. Here we discovered something I have never seen before, reversing tidal falls. Near the bottom of the falling tide, water travels through this constricted section of the estuary with such speed that is forms a white water rapid over the rocks. When the tide begins rising the same thing happens but the rapids are running in the opposite direction. The site of many shipwrecks, the unpredictable currents are treacherous to navigate. We paddled upstream near the shoreline where the eddies helped us and then peeled off one at a time to shoot the rapids. No one capsized but everyone agreed it was better not to tempt fate with a second run.
When we arrived at the outermost Porcupine Island our captain donned a wet suit and Scuba gear and with a very nice video camera dove to the ocean floor. We watched video aboard the boat as he searched for and interacted with a vast array of sea creatures, many of which he returned to the surface with. He had a 3 inch tall miniature diving buddy on a string named Little Ed who fearlessly investigated and was frequently attacked by the claw bearing bottom dwellers. The whole thing was quite hysterical and the kids really enjoyed the experience.
While cruising to our dive location we encountered a seal, harbor porpoise (not pictured), natural sea arch, and an immature loon.
When everyone was awake and dressed we drove to Bar Harbor where we had a quick breakfast before making our way aboard the Starfish Enterprise. Our 3 hour Park Ranger led tour was fantastic. When the ship’s captain (and diver) enlisted one of his two Newfoundland dogs to demonstrate proper use of a life vest it was obvious we were in for a great adventure.
An early morning departure was needed to catch the tide on our first kayak outing. I was joined by Jeanine in her single and Rory and Maya in a rented tandem. We made a four-mile round trip to the nearest major island. It took the two youngsters some time to synchronize their paddling, but they eventually mastered the skill.