Maine

I've only written one post since I've been her which is a pretty poor effort but it turns out I actually have to work pretty hard. My classes started just after I wrote my last post and I've not stopped studying and "doing homework" ever since. The education system here is completely different so although the content is generally easier I have 3 or 4x the amount of coursework to do throughout the semester. I've already taken my midterm exams (I've sat two exams already for one class) and written countless assignments and research reports. Because of this I'm just getting round to writing this blog, and I have about 2 or 3 months to catch up on! 

My classes started 26th of August and I had a week of lectures before I got the following Monday off for Labour Day Weekend. I have no idea what this holiday is but apparently everyone goes away for it so Max's family decided to take us up to Maine. We drove up on the Friday morning, taking most of the day to reach Acadia National Park in Maine. We stopped for dinner and then headed to our Motel to get some sleep.

Our Motel Room

Feeling like a proper American on "Vacation"

The following day we were up bright and early to grab breakfast and beat all the tourists to drive on the loop road of the Park.

Driving around the Park

It was pretty chilly and there were lots of low hanging clouds when we first set out. Instead of ruining the views it made all of the scenery look even cooler. We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and stopped at plenty of view points along the way.

Early morning mist over the pier

We had to compete with a swarm of Japanese tourist to get this photo at the top of Cadillac Mountain

Dave and Max admiring the views

A Park Ranger at the summit

By mid morning it started to warm up a little and we stopped at a small beach to do a short hike. Max still had his brace on but he managed to scramble up the rocky path from the beach. We (very carefully) scrambled down to some rock pools during the hike to look for crabs halfway before making our way back across the beach.

The beach where our hike started from

Max beating us to the top with his leg brace on

Exploring

After our hike we jumped back in the car and continued on the loop road to Thunderhole, a blowhole where the waves are shot out of an opening in the rocks. We stayed behind the fence to watch it but we spotted some tubes sitting on top of the undercut ledge above.

   

Really though?

We stopped for lunch on some rocks looking out over the water before driving back to the Motel to pick up our bikes. I'm not the world's best cyclist and Max's knee was still recovering so we did a shorter trail on some carriage roads while Dave and Lori did a more challenging bike ride. Max and I biked around Witch Hole Pond, which was full of dead trees and lily pads.

Witch Hole Pond

Heading back to the motel

When we got back from the bike ride we went out for tea in town. We were staying in Bar Harbour which is really touristy so we went to a cute little diner and then walked around the shops. After our meal and the stroll around town we drove to Dave's friend's house for dessert. After such an active day I was falling asleep so we headed back and got some shut eye before waking up the next day and driving South to the town of Boothbay Harbour.

The drive took longer than we thought so once we got into town we made some sandwiches in the car park before rushing to a little shop to meet our tour guides for a wildlife kayak tour. We stopped halfway on a small island for some snacks and checked out the views. There was an osprey nest above us so we all took turns with the binoculars to have a look. We got back in the kayaks and headed back towards land.

Boothbay Harbour was a really nice little town so we had a wander before stopping at a waterfront restaurant called McSeagulls (really) to get some food. After tea we drove to another town for ice cream before heading to our next Motel.

Chilling with a moose

Monday was Labour Day and we woke up to a torrential downpour of rain. We had some waffles at the motel and tried to avoid getting drenched while packing up the car. We set off for Freeport to do some shopping and rich people spotting. After browsing expensive outdoor gear we had lunch sitting on a balcony overlooking the main street before jumping back in the car headed for home. There was a lot of traffic and the drive was awful but luckily Max and I slept through the whole thing and we arrived back in Connecticut feeling very well rested.

Using the waffle maker at the Motel