acadia np

[Here's an unfinished post that I'll finish, just because I'd like to finish things I start, even if it was 2 years ago since I wrote it, and over 3 since I went.]

It's been over a year since I left Acadia National Park, but I'll try to remember some stories to attach to pictures of the beautiful place.

I really enjoyed my time there, especially our first day when we took a long and grueling bike ride.

We arrived late late at night at the park and did not have a reservation for camping. I don't think I realized what a potential problem this might be (peak season for the park and all that) but it's just as well we didn't worry, for God worked it all out so beautifully. We pulled in to the campsite just before the ranger left duty which was also just in time to get the unclaimed campsites for the night. So we had a place to sleep that night after a word from the ranger that we'd have to line up before 8am tomorrow to see if we could reserve the place again for the next night (but he was NOT going to make any promises, as he reiterated loudly multiple times).

Whatever, there was no problem getting the site either the next night or the next, and we had a wonderful two full days in Acadia.

Day 1:

We took a spectacular bike ride through the park. We biked more miles than I ever had at once, and there were a lot of hills. We biked down to the coast, and then up to a beautiful garden, and then up to a high viewpoint of the water. We were entirely wiped out the rest of the day, and the following one too.

Day 2:

We were still quite worn out from yesterday's travels. We took at hike along the shore. As I recall, I enjoyed hopping the shore rocks more than Courtney. I had no idea how much she didn't like it until the next day.

That afternoon we drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and took in the view. We saw a sometimes island down in the distance and rushed down so we could walk to it before the tide took it away. I've wanted to go to a sometimes island since I was a kid and read that book. Do you remember it, Mother?

For tea time, we went to Jackson Pond where there was a tea house. Then we climbed up Bubble Rock which had both cool views and neat rocks. A seagull amused us.

Day 3:

Actually, at this point, three years later, I can't remember the day breaks. But for effect...
Just before leaving we drove out to the southern part of the island to see a light house.

This is where I learned that Courtney REALLY doesn't like rocks. I don't know how I missed this in our travels out west.

We get to the light house, but our view from up top is rather lame. I want to see the building against the rough coast. There are some rocks off the land from where I think we could have a nice picnic. I scamper down. Courtney is not willing. She makes it close, but won't make the final leap onto my rock. I am mean: I'm carrying the sandwiches. I hope this will coax her over.

It doesn't. It only means that we are creating an amusing spectacle for all the old folk behind us. They see me cajoling her. They see her refusing to take the last step to my rock with the ultimate view. And they are actually chuckling.

You can see by the last photo that I did hand her a sandwich, and she is smiling, so she'd forgiven me for pushing her and attention I had brought on us.

I thought Maine was beautiful.

entering ME

it's been so long, i've forgotten where i left off in summer-travels-posting...

...we went up to Boston, and then over to NY, and then through VT and NH...

It was raining when we left New Hampshire. We were sad to leave. We dropped off Jeremy at the Manchester airport, and the area was none too pretty. We didn't really have much of a plan, and the rain stifled ideas. We headed for the coast and starting looking for a place to camp. I think the hope was that it would be nice in the morning for a bike ride along the waterfront. Instead, we drove along 1A where we were told we'd have nice views. Which we would have had if it were clear.

And we headed up into Maine.

We stopped at the state welcome center, only to find it closed. But we were saved by a few computers that let us navigate the parks and camping sites online. So we found a few options and got back on the road, figuring we might as well cover ground so long as it was raining.

Our destination: the desert of Maine. oh yes.

We chose the spot because 1. we could find it and 2. it was by L.L.Bean which was a stop we had in mind.

So, we camped in the rain.

(hot dogs and couscous presumably. hot dog buns: side loading.)

The next morning we actually showered since we were wet and gross...
and then we had to spread e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g out in the back seat to dry: sleeping bags, sleeping bads, tent, towels, tarp, clothes....
And we went to visit the desert, since we had a coupon after camping there.

it was as you can imagine: ridconculous.
Courtney explains it here.

So we left and headed into Freeport. Here we visited the L.L.Bean outlet where I found a pair of hiking boots (to go very nicely with the socks daddy gave me, which are on my feet far more often the boots are). And then we went to the actual store which is huge and quite entertaining.











and then lunch, the most memorable: we had a lobster roll. amazing.


We got back in the car and started driving; we hugged the coast on Route 1 passing through Camden.

It was here I believe that we found a grocery store to buy some dinner - some fillets of fish and gnocchi. We were looking for a place to picnic, and found a state park where we drove up Mt. Battie for this lovely view of Penobscot Bay.
But the park was closing, and I had my heart set on picnicking by the water. We figured we'd stop for dinner, and then spend the evening driving all the way up to Acadia. So we drove onward looking for a nice spot on the road. We came across a small public beach, and proceeded to unload the car of the necessities for cooking dinner. I think this is probably where the photo of me in the back of messy Scout comes from. I can explain: besides the wet things drying in the back seat, we had our bikes on the back of the car. This makes using the trunk a huge ordeal. The result is that we would pull things out through the back seats, creating serious disorganization in boxes of foodstuffs and bags of clothings. And when the wet tent and sleeping bags weren't in their pouches, well, it was a bit like a volcano of camping gear had exploded in the back of Scout.

Anyway, we set up the stove on the beach and started cooking our food, enjoying the water and sand. But the folks there sure thought we were weird. We got sideways glances, and heard stern warnings to their kids to stay away from us. Beats me. We had such a nice meal of our salmon and gnocchi. And then got back in Scout, heading for Acadia NP.

our trunk, ME

i'm sorry i'm so slow about posting.
i know i oughta post about maine, so here's a little something to whet your appetite:

me and scout: the condition of the car after a rainy night camping

this was hysterical, as i recall

moving on

in new hampshire

cont'd: July 20

We picked up Jeremy to join us on our travels
(and I let him drive Scout occasionally - because Scout is so much fun to drive, and she is kind enough to oblige him)

First of course we drove through Vermont.
The Green Mountains are pretty nice, I guess...

Then we went to New Hampshire, straight to the town of Hanover. We were very excited to arrive. We went drove through town to the home of Jeremy's friends and popped out of the car. Jeremy's friends greeted us like they had seen him just the other day and known us all our lives. Turns out it was Mrs. Park*r's birthday.

The Park*rs, who extend their home to all like no one I've ever seen before, invited us to dinner, but we had other plans. Jeremy and Courtney had picked out a restaurant for a birthday dinner. They gave me cards from my friends throughout dinner. Angie's card made me smile a lot. She made me a book of pictures.

Here I am, like the birdy.
(he he - it still makes me chuckle)

The next morning we got a tour of Dartmouth.

Where Jeremy liked to study.

I was very disappointed that we couldn't have tea in the library.
But we played frisbee on the lawn. And visited Robert Frost.
(we had stopped and visited his gravesite too in a little town in Vermont) (check out the weather vane)

We then rented a canoe and went out on the Connecticut River. We first paddled downstream past a dock with a few sunbathers and swimmers. Then past a rope swing with kids lined up to jump off. We saw two guys fall out of a canoe.

And then we stopped at a little island with a tiny beach. The sun was nice and warm: the water was freezing. I wasn't sure I really needed to get in the water. And certainly I needed to warm up first.

But I would be a fool to think I wouldn't be getting wet...and of course eventually I did. We made several attempts to get a picture of us all in the freezing river.

First I (quite willingly) got out of the water to set up the camera on the the picnic table. But I was not deep enough for Jeremy's content. so we went further out while he set the self-timer on...only he didn't make it all the way back to us before the shutter released... More shenanigans involved Jeremy paddling away leaving us stranded on this island...

Naturally he came back for us, and then we had the rigorous battle upstream against the wind. That afternoon we had tea, did a grocery run, and then hung out at the Park*rs. We made our dinner of corn and hot dogs. And then actually slept there, leaving our tents lonely at the camp site a quarter mile away. (ridonculous. but we did have a nice time hanging out at the Park*rs. and two of us were glad to shower. i'll leave it to your imagination which two of us. i'll give you a hint. i wasn't one of them.)

We drove to Vermont the next day to go to church in Woodstock, where the pastor preached the gospel with a boldness and directness I have never seen before.


That afternoon we went tubing down the White River. The Park*rs and friends were going out, and it was awfully nice of them to let us join them for some good times. We piled in a couple of vehicles, one which held our tubes. Then one car was left at a bridge where we'd end.

The river was freezing but the black tube was so nice and warm. We floated along calmly, but I would be lying to say there wasn't some shenanigans too. And we came across some rapid-y places too - more rapid-like than anything I've ever done in a tube. It was exciting (if you've only ever been tubing in the Chattahoochee as far as you can remember). When we arrived at the bridge, Mr. Park*r, Garrett and some others went bridge jumping, which is a regular hobby of theirs. does one call it a hobby? It's a regular activity. Courtney, Jeremy and I watched.

On Sunday afternoon we drove up into the White Mountains to eat at Moosilake, which is apparently tradition for Dartmouthians. (?) We had a family-style dinner there, all quite good, and wandered around a bit. At our table were a few others who, as it turns out, have a mom living in Acadia, our next destination.
he he...i like setting up the camera to take self-timer photos. We were very glad, however, when some friends came along to take the above one, which I think is a nice picture. Courtney wouldn't want her camera to fall off the ledge into the creek.


















On Monday we drove into Vermont to see Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. Took the tour and got our sample at the end. And of course, in keeping with our trip's motif, we had to visit the cemetery..

I made them pose. Jeremy doesn't look too obliging.
and Courtney wasn't feeling that well.

maybe we were just feeling sad about leaving.

here they rally their spirits tolerably.

It was on the rafting trip, while waiting for several bridge jumpers, that I found a pet. It was a teeny tiny black thing which wiggled in the water like a tadpole. I might add that several of us thought they might turn into tadpoles. We put some of the White River inside an old water bottle we found and scooped up a few of the leettle creatures. And the pet joined us on our journeys through Maine.

a photo album of Windham

With siblings spread across two continents, it's not often that we all get together. Elizabeth and Milan were returning to Prague, and we decided to have a family reunion in July 2007 before they left. All my siblings, their spouses and children too, with my parents total 15 now. It was a long time since we were all together, and that certainly before several of the chillens were born. We stayed in a lovely large cabin in the Catskills that a family friend lent us.

We had a few day outings, and hung around at home lots. Here we went to a little pond with a sandy beach where we were not permitted to swim and geese poop littered the beach. We didn't stay long, but I enjoy these pictures.

On another day we drove out to a state park and had a picnic by the lake. We put my dad's little red kayak in the water and all took turns. The kids did a bit of swimming and playing in the sand. Here we all are eating lunch.

After lunch we went on a bit of a hike. (Isn't Daniel just so cute? How many more years do I get to say that?)

Anna is too (and I bet I have lots of years before she'd mind me saying that). Mary made her wreaths of daisies on short walks from the cabin.

You can see the table all set for dinner. As with all family occasions, it seems much time is spent preparing food or sitting at the table enjoying it. But the rest of our laying-around-time was primarily spent in playing games. My birthday was on Friday, and at the start of the week Mary gave me the game Settlers of Catan. We all became addicted to it, sometimes even playing games back to back....

Here's Ruth, Radu, Carol and Elizabeth playing (teamed with Daniel). Milan is reading in the background.

(Radu likes it even though he doesn't like other board games.)

And since only four can play settlers, the rest of us read.

Or play Backgammon. I dare say Mark always looks cute in pictures. You gotta click on this next one to get a bigger image of his face.

Another day the big kids went on a hike. It was long and rigorous. It had rained and I recall wet flora sticking to my feet. Everyone else will recall that I wore Chacos... And I recall that Mary kept a very fast pace on the steep climb. Then we came to a fork and didn't know what to do. We didn't have cell reception to call and ask. We managed to find our way back to the car.

One evening was dedicated to old family slides which I enjoyed getting out and going through. On another evening we watched a movie.

We used the opportunity to take several whole-family pictures.
This one is my favorite: And of the others on the back porch, I've picked my favorite shots of various people:

I really like Elizabeth in this one.

David and Jodi.

The Zubas (with Daniel scrunched in - isn't that splendid?)Daniel and Anna. I like this one of Mary, Carol and Daddy especially. But there are me and mother, completing the 15.


Friday, July 20 was the last day of our reunion, and after a morning birthday celebration with family, Courtney and I headed out toward New Hampshire.