Thankfully, the weather was much nicer on Friday during our second day in Maine. We needed to wear winter coats for part of the day for the first time in months, but it didn't rain at all. We spent about seven hours in Acadia National Park. It was the first time in Oliver's life that he spent the night on an island as our motel was in Bar Harbor which is also on Mount Desert Island. After we got the Junior Ranger booklets from the Visitor Center, we first went to Sand Beach and then walked to Thunder Hole. That site is best to visit at high tide, which wasn't possible for us as we were asleep during the first high tide and eating dinner in Augusta during the second high tide of the day. Our next stop was Jordan Pond. I thought that Acadia wouldn't be overcrowded since it was September. Well, it took a very long time to find a parking spot anywhere near Jordan Pond. It honestly felt like a miracle that we finally got a spot. We weren't able to try a popover from the restaurant there due to really long lines, but we were able to hike the 3.2-mile trail around the pond. Some parts of the trail were easy to walk - walking on boards or a pretty smooth trail. Other parts of the trail were far more challenging - scrambling over rocks, etc. After that hike, we drove to Cadillac Mountain as I had a reservation to go up the mountain at 2pm. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. We hiked short trail around the summit. We probably would have spent more time up there, but it was VERY windy up there. After we came back down the mountain, we returned to the Visitor Center to get the kids' Junior Ranger badges. According to my phone, I took over 20,000 steps that day. We then drove to Massachusetts. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Augusta on the way. Oliver and I both ordered a sweet potato, Ian had chicken nuggets and applesauce, Nadia had a salad and pulled pork, and Paul had a steak dinner. We all enjoyed the complimentary rolls.
I used credit card points for our two-night stay at Hampton Inn. The breakfast was excellent. On Saturday morning we didn't leave until about 9:40am to head to Lowell National Historical Park. Nadia was hoping to sleep in, but she couldn't because the five of us share a room. I usually am up before 6am, but I am quiet until at least 7am. The boys are not quiet once they get up. The kids earned a badge at Lowell, and we rode a trolley and also a boat ride in the canal during a 90-minute tour. Because of COVID, our boat wasn't able to go through the lock because no one is manning the lockhouse. Our second stop was at Minute Man National Historical Park, which was one Paul was particularly looking forward to visiting. First, we took a guided tour at the site of the North Bridge Battlefield in Concord. Then we attended a program at the other visitor center in Lexington. This site had an extremely easy way to earn a Junior Ranger badge. Our last stop was at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House where we had a guided tour. Nadia had requested that we include that stop in our trip. I certainly didn't object as she was one of my most favorite authors when I was in fifth grade. Of all the places we've visited on trips in May through the present, it was the first place where we were required to wear face masks. We then attempted to have dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which would have been a first for us, but the restaurant was SO understaffed that we were waiting for a long time in the lobby (along with many other people) and during that time an employee never came to put anyone's name on a waiting list. There were many, many empty tables in the restaurant, but they were so short staffed that they weren't seating anyone at the tables. We opted to have dinner at Subway instead. Now that we have a gift card for Buffalo Wild Wings, we'll definitely have to go there at some point in the future. It was nice not to spend much time in the van today. We'll be doing more sightseeing in and around Boston tomorrow and Monday.
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