We are so excited to be able to share our biggest trip of the year with you!
We set out on Sunday, August 18th, hopping an early flight from Dallas to Boston.
With a 3.5 hour flight, we were worried about how to keep Parker entertained. He was super on the flight, however, and slept for the vast majority of the time. He didn’t even really get fussy, just woke up and wanted to be busy. We packed a lot of his toys again, so we were able to play with him for the 45 minutes or so that he was awake.
When we arrived in Boston, we quickly picked up our checked baggage (everything survived!) and headed to the rental car center.
Driving out of Boston was a nightmare, traffic was pretty terrible and we kept losing cell service through the tunnels, which meant we took a few wrong turns. We finally made it out of the city, and headed to our first stop in Portland, Maine.
Jordan loves tv shows like Destination Truth with Josh Gates, so when I was searching for things to do and stumbled across the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, I knew we were going to have to stop. The museum was pretty cheesy, located in the back of a restaurant, and was a weird amalgamation of artwork, fossils, and models of mythical creatures. It was a quick, fun break from driving though, and we enjoyed getting out to stretch our legs.
From there, we were back in the car for another three or so hours to Bar Harbor, Maine. While in Bar Harbor we had arranged to stay at the Bar Harbor Inn and Spa, a gorgeous historic old inn right in the middle of downtown Bar Harbor. While pricy, the views were gorgeous and the accessibility to not only the downtown area but also Acadia National Park couldn’t be beat.
Parker had a really good time scrambling around in the room that first night, after spending much of the day cooped up in the car. He was such a good boy on our drive.
First thing Monday morning we were up with the sun, heading out to Acadia National Park after a quick breakfast at the hotel.
The weather was a little dreary, so we took a leisurely drive along the main Park Loop road, watching the fog roll over the water and waiting for the rain to let up.
By about 9am the drizzle had stopped enough for us to head up to Cadillac Mountain for a hike around the summit. It was our first time using our Osprey Poco AG pack for Parker to ride in, and he loved it! We had a great time cruising around on top of the mountain.
From there, we headed back down to see some other sights. We stopped briefly at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, and then headed over to the Nature Center and Gardens for a brief walk.
We then made it back around Park Loop road and found parking along the roadside so that we could hike Ocean Path. Sights along Ocean Path include Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Point. Parker enjoyed the 4 mile roundtrip hike to each scenic point. We were surprised that despite dreary weather Ocean Path was still teeming with tourists, it is a super popular place!
We were pretty tired after our busy morning, so at this point we decided to head back into town to find a late lunch. We ate at the Side Street Cafe, which I would highly recommend. The food was great, and it was less crowded than a lot of the restaurants on the main drag. I had the hummus and olive tapenade plate, Jordan got a lobster melt, and Parker got his very own grilled fluffernutter.
If you’re not familiar with a fluffernutter, my dad always talks about eating them when they were growing up. It’s a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, and Jordan had never had one either. He tasted Parker’s and said it tasted like a Nutter Butter.
After lunch we wandered around the Village Green and explored some of the shops. It’s very much a tourist trap, but we enjoyed window shopping. Jordan was ready for a nap, so he and Parker headed back to the room for a bit, and I went off to the fitness center for a 4 mile run.
We made dinner reservations at Jordan Pond House Restaurant, the only restaurant in Acadia, and well known for its popovers and scenic view.
We had hot fresh popovers (kind of like an inflated croissant with a pocket in the middle) with melted butter and strawberry jam. For dinner Jordan had the lobster roll, and I had the Caesar salad. Parker got his own small bowl of pasta and cheese for dinner, which he was really excited about.
After dinner we were all feeling pretty tired, so we headed back to the hotel for the evening. Parker was exhausted and went right to bed, and we stayed up a little longer to make our plan for Tuesday.
We’ll be back later with an update from the road!
jordanpluskate 