The MoBiles

Bar Harbor, Maine (State #27)-Mt. Desert Narrows RV Resort

JULY 26-AUGUST 9, 2015

Two weeks was not long enough here! There is so much to see! I suppose if you weren't working 8 hours a day, that might be long enough but we can definitely see ourselves coming back here in the future and spending a month or so.

We stayed at Mt Desert Narrows Campground in Bar Harbor. It's located about 7 miles from Acadia and is on the shuttle route to the park (which is FREE). We had a nice grassy spot near the pool and playground but we did not reserve early enough to get one of the few sewer spots. That meant hoofing it to the showers which were hot most of the time but not always.

The kids and I spent a lot of time at the pool during the day while Greg was working. It was heated to a very comfortable temperature and it had a slide!

The playground was immediately behind our RV so I could easily keep an eye on the kids while they played.

And one night, we were able to watch the magic show that happens once a week.

Greg even got to try some FRESH Maine Lobster. The first was at a restaurant or lobster pound as they call it.

The second time he cooked it himself. (And no, I did not eat any! No way!)

Only a mile away was the Mount Desert Island Oceanarium. We really enjoyed it. When entering, you are given a schedule to attend three different educational programs. We first visited the lobster hatchery where we saw a female lobster with thousands of eggs under her belly (5000-6000 are typical)! We learned that she would be pregnant for TWO years, carrying the eggs inside for one year then outside for the next.

This mother is regrowing a claw! And if you look closely, the black area on the lobster, just above her left hand, are thousands of tiny eggs.

Only 1% will survive to adulthood in the wild. At the hatchery, the survival rate is 50%. In case you are wondering why it's only 50%, it is because the little guys will try to eat each other!

And that is why they keep the baby lobsters in bubbling tanks like these! It helps to keep them away from each other (the floating specks are lobsters).

From there, we went to learn about lobster trapping. The man giving the presentation was funny but oddly he just didn't smile much when he cracked a joke. That made it even funnier! Haha. Jacob learned how to band lobsters (I thought it was to keep from getting my fingers snap but really it's to keep them from attacking each other)

and we got to see a one-in-a million BLUE lobster.

Then we were off to the touch tank. We got to touch and learn about all sorts of cool animals. We had seen plenty of sea cucumbers in Florida but on this day we got to hold one. Thankfully, it did not get stressed because one of its defense mechanisms is to vomit out all of its' internal organs!

There were also starfish, snails and a big horseshoe crab (the girls are bigger)

Check out the kids' eyes!

Another fun outing with just the kids was to the SPCA. The kids have been begging for an animal (they will not win) so I figured it would be a good way to get some animal time in. I knew the Austin shelter allowed kids to come in and read to the cats and so I contacted the local one in Maine and they welcomed us. They had three cat rooms. Both kids were so proud to read the cats a story and then they played with the more lively ones.

And not too far from the campground was the Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf which was really cute and fun. We had to check that out one evening.

Most evenings and weekend days would of course be spent at Acadia National Park. Our first visit was to Thunder Hole. We went twice trying to time the tide correctly so that we could hear the thunderous clap of the waves against the rock.

There were so many boulders to climb on and explore along the waterfront. So one evening we headed off in one direction

and in the other direction the next evening.

But after that second time our rockclimbing and hiking would be postponed...

While out on the rocks, Greg took a step down from one level to another when one knee buckled and the outstretched ankle twisted. The result was a torn tendon. Poor guy had to hike back across the rocks and out of the area and then endure the jostling, bumpy ride back home. And of course the instant ice pack in our first aid kit had gone bad. So we had to take it a little easier for about a week before healing enough to get back out on the hiking and biking trails.

Our weekend plans changed a little due to the injury but we still found some awesome adventures. On Saturday, we went on a whale watching boat. It was mighty cold out on the water and very choppy but we made it to the feeding grounds and were totally rewarded. We saw AT LEAST 6 whales and it was awesome! The boat captain said there were about 12 out there but I can't really tell them apart ;)

Many of them showed us their huge back fins and we could see moms and calves swimming alongside each other. I also saw one blowing far out against the horizon.

On Sunday, we drove to Schoodic Point. This place was breathtaking which why I have to put so many pictures. We took our lunch and just sat on the rocks for a long time. The kids played on the rocks, watched the waves crashing and checked out some of the tide pools.

On our way back home that evening, we saw a sign for Tidal Falls and decided to go check it out. It was so cool!

The rushing water was beautiful itself but then as we got to the edge of the water we found even cooler stuff. There were so many starfish and mussels! Jordan even found a sea cucumber. The kids (and us) thought it was just awesome.

Other things we did at the park were:

lunch and popovers at Jordan Pond House

bike ride around Echo Lake and then to the Upper Hadlock and Cedar Swamp Mountain Loop on one of the carriage trails

hiked to the South Bubble Summit (absolutely gorgeous)

(Doesn't it look like this is ready to fall at any moment?!)

hiked around Jordan Pond

went to Cadillac Mountain (when the fog was abundant)

(fortunately, it cleared a little to give us a peak at the grand view)

and explored Little Hunter's Beach

We REALLY enjoyed our stay here. And we even found some of the BEST ice cream I have ever had (Sorry BlueBell!) at a little place in the town of Bar Harbor called Jordan Pond Ice Cream.

Here's our view while we sat and ate that delicious ice cream.

We will definitely return to this amazing place one day!

For now, we are heading to Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire.

Quebec, Canada-Camping Transit Campground

JULY 17-26, 2015

This week, we returned to Canada, but this time we took our RV and stayed at a campground in Quebec! Greg was off of work and we had a great time exploring Quebec together.

Fortunately, nearly everyone we met spoke English and it was funny that all we really had to say was one “Bon Jour” and they would reply with “Ah! English!” But it was a really fun experience. It was cool to see how much we could read and figure out on our own. But comprehending anything spoken was totally different because the pronunciation seemed so different than what was written!

We spent two days in Quebec City. Each time we took a ferry. The first day we toured the city on the guided Red Line double decker tour bus. The tour was just okay for us. We could not sit up on the top until the loop was almost complete so there was much that we didn't get to see as well as we liked. On the positive side, it was a nice introduction to the city.

So after the bus ride, we grabbed some lunch and set out on our own to explore the city. It was so quaint and pretty!

(Le Chateau Frontenac)

The second day, we walked along the walls of the city and then visited the Citadel, where we took a guided tour.

And here's the pretty view from the Citadel

We found a nice little restaurant with some delicious crepes and cider and then hunted for some live music but sadly never found the exact location.

The weather was cloudy and rainy for most of our stay in Quebec. On the day that it was to rain the most, we thought going to the Quebec Aquarium would be a nice option. And it was a fun place to go to but I did not realize how much there would be to see outdoors. It was more like a mix between Sea World and an aquarium. So we still had to put up with the rain a little.

They also had a fun playground, splash pad and a ropes course for the kids.

On another day we visited Montmorency Falls. It was gorgeous but I wish the day had been sunnier. The falls are taller than Niagara but not as wide. We took a cable car to the top.

Then we crossed the bridge at the top of the falls and walked DOWN the stairs. NOT advisable to do in reverse! ;)

From there we drove to Ile d'Orleans (Island of Orleans) checked out some of the beautiful scenery. The entire island is a National Historic Site of Canada and nicknamed the Garden of Quebec.

We checked out a local brewery and bakery then went berry picking for strawberries and raspberries.

And I saved the best for last! About an hour from the campground was Parc National de Jacques Cartier. It was absolutely gorgeous!

We took our bikes and rode a ways along the main road of the park then ventured down one of the trails that followed the river.

Afterwards, we went to hike the Les Leups (fox) trail. Not long after we started our UPHILL hike, it began to sprinkle. Then it began to rain. So after 40 minutes, we decided to turn back unsure of how much further it was to the observation tower and what kind of shelter it would provide. The trip back down was about 20 minutes and wouldn't you know that when we reached the parking lot, the rain stopped!! But we decided to call it a day.

BUT we also decided that we just had to see more of this park. So two days later, we returned! This time we took a rafting trip down that gorgeous river. The views were breathtaking but sadly we couldn't really bring one of our cameras along. Fortunately another rider had her waterproof one and emailed us this shot!

When we signed up for the trip, I had no idea it would involve so much paddling!! In my mind, I guess I was thinking about tubing down the Comal river in San Marcos. You just float and ride the rapids! That's not how its done apparently. We rowed for a solid one and a half hours (as per our guide's instructions)! Well except for the time we had to get out of the raft and CARRY it past some rapids! It may be filled with air but it is seriously heavy!

Despite all that, I loved it. Rafting through the rapids was easier than I expected and it was just so beautiful.

Then we tackled the Les Leups trail again. We were happy to discover that the observation tower was NOT just around the corner from when we turned back the first time. It took an hour to make it to the tower and we were moving a bit faster than we were during the rain.

And the reward was beautiful, a little hazy but still breathtaking.

We left the park wishing we had more time to spend there. We didn't see any bears or moose but we did see a couple of foxes and the largest crow I have seen in my life! And we saw a porcupine! The first we have ever seen in a natural setting.

It was a GREAT trip!

Next stop is Bar Harbor, Maine

Plattsburgh, New York-Cumberland Bay State Park

Our home for this week was Cumberland Bay State Park. It is located right on the water of Cumberland Bay, which is part of Lake Champlain. At first, I was not real impressed with this park but with each day, I liked it more.

We had an electric site (one of the few) that was a very short walk to the beach and playground. The park had some buildings that were a little run down but the rest of the park was pretty with green grass and many trees. There was even a laundry room there! The one and only negative was the showers. They were a little too cold for my liking but still warmer than many of those that I experienced last year.

The park is located in Plattsburgh, which is a pretty good size but I did not find much to do there except for the movie theater and a children's museum. We ended up not going to the children's museum though because the kids met Henry, who would be their playmate for several days.