Wednesday in Acadia

Tuesday night the rain clouds moved in and we were really glad we were sleeping in our new tent. We didn't have any leaks. It rained most of the night, so I didn't get much sleep. It was still raining when we woke up on Wednesday morning.

We ate a quick breakfast and got in the car to find something to do in the rain. We saw there was a nature center by some hiking trails so we decided to check it out. The nature center was very small, but we learned a little more about Acadia while we were there. The trails behind the nature center are beautiful. Many of them begin with stone steps that were put in place by the early summer vacationers. They are very impressive. They aren't small steps. They are wide and many are high. The ranger thought the steps might be a little tough for Austin, but with our help he was just fine!

By the time we started hiking the rain had almost finished. It just sprinkled on us a little. The rain made for some pretty scenery though. I love the look of the forest after a rain storm! Every several feet the forest would open up and we could see the valley below. It was so pretty. I had to tell myself to stop taking pictures at every turn.

Instead of taking pictures of the view I focused on the trail and found the beauty there. The forest is so amazing. Everywhere you look is a masterpiece.

As we were hiking along the trail Trevor was itching to climb rocks. Most of the rocks were unreachable, but he was able to find a few he could climb and he took full advantage. I think it was one of his favorite parts of the day!

When we made it back down the trail we were in the marsh. To allow everyone to enjoy the beauty of the marsh a wooden walkway has been erected. We decided to check it out. It was a very pretty walk. Although, the boys decided to turn it into a run at the end!

After going through the marsh we headed back to the nature center. Just to the side of the center is the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Earlier in the week we visited the Visitor Center and signed the boys up for the Junior Ranger program. One of the things they received was an activity book. It lists several things you can do to become a junior ranger at many of the sites in Acadia. At the Wild Gardens we were told to look for the meat-eating plant.

The garden was beautiful. We enjoyed walking down the path looking at each plant and finding out it's name. We looked all over, but we couldn't find what we were looking for.

It wasn't until the end of the garden that we finally found the elusive meat-eating plant. Kaden was the first one to find it. It looks so kind, but watch out flies - it's out to get you!

After a successful hunt, we decided to check out a beaver dam a ranger told us about. Unfortunately, we could only see the dam from the road. We didn't see any other way to get there. It was kind of anti-climatic.

Since we were already on the Park Loop Road we decided to do take a better look at all of the views and there were no shortage of views. I don't know that it was the boys favorite part of the day, but Chad and I enjoyed it!

After driving the loop we ended up in Bar Harbor and we decided to look for possible souvenirs. We told the boys to look for souvenirs they might want and then we would come back at the end of the week and get them. We enjoyed going in and out of the quaint shops and the boys found many souvenir options.

As we were shopping we also stopped at another ice cream shop. This time it was the Jordan Pond Ice Cream Fudge Shop. It was delicious! I got blueberry again and it was sooo good. Just outside the shop the boys spotted a machine that turns your penny into a souvenir. Trevor really wanted to try it, so we gave him a penny and the boys watched the machine do it's magic.

As day turned into night we started looking for a place to have dinner. We were on the lookout for a good restaurant that served lobster. We decided on Stewman's Downtown. The restaurant is right on the water, so it was a fun atmosphere. It was pretty chilly outside and most of the furniture was still wet, so we were seated in the "garage" on the lower level of the restaurant. We were a little leery at first, but it turned out to be good. They call the area the "garage" because all of the walls can be opened during good weather.

Chad and I both ordered the lobster pound. The meal started off with clam chowder and it was delicious! The lobster came next, served in a big black pot with corn, potatoes and mussels. The lobster's were huge! I had never eaten lobster this way, so it was a bit of an adventure. The boys saw our lobster and wanted to try some. Most of them liked it. The last part of the meal was the delicious Wild Maine Blueberry Pie. When we left the restaurant our stomachs were very happy!

The boys' meals were served in old looking pots. It was a fun atmosphere. The boys did so well at dinner that our waitress brought them each a "Whoopie" pie. It is a local favorite in this area. It looks like a cookie, but it is really chocolate cake and the filling is whipping cream. They were good, but a little messy.

Before we left the restaurant we visited the lobster tank. They told us the lobster were all caught fresh daily and that they get their red color as they are cooked. The boys got a kick out of watching the lobster crawl over each other in the tank.

We also had to stop for a lobster photo-op! Thus ending another awesome day in Acadia!