Monday, September 18, 2023

This morning we left the Paul Bunyan Campground in Bangor, Maine around 9:00am. This campground was fine for the night, but there was no reason to hang around town for long. We were not big fans of the city of Bangor. In our minds, Andi and I thought it was going to be a great town with lots of outdoor recreation and a beautiful downtown area. What we really saw were people high on drugs on seemingly every street corner. Sadly, we’ve had to have several conversations with Tory and Aden on this trip about drug use & its effects after witnessing these actions in broad daylight in some of the towns we’ve visited. It’s good to have these conversations with our kids, but who expected that to be such a theme on this trip?

Anyway, Andi booked us a campsite on the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park for tonight. We planned to arrive at a decent time today because there’s more rain in the forecast this week. More rain! Also, we’d like to enjoy as much time in the national park as possible this week.

Along our drive from Bangor to Winter Harbor (the town where Acadia NP’s Schoodic Campground is located), we visited Jordan’s Snack Bar for lobster rolls. Eating a lobster roll was high on our list of foods to try on this trip & now that we’re finally reaching the coast of Maine, it was time. Jordan’s Snack Bar had just opened their walk-up ordering counter when we arrived at 11:00am, and it’s a good thing, too. There was quite the process for ordering a lobster roll which tells me that it gets crazy busy here.

Andi and I ordered two lobster rolls, plus a cheeseburger and chicken tenders for the kids. We also split a big order of French fries. The lobster rolls from Jordan’s Snack Bar were really good! The lobster meat was cold which I didn’t expect, but it was piled high and tasted fresh. The meat was served on top of a Texas toast roll shaped like a hot dog bun. We ate our lunches inside the RV and then continued driving toward Winter Harbor.

The closer we drove to the coast of Maine, the more quintessential the towns became. Big lobster traps and buoys were piled high in people’s front yards along with their fishing boats. The area had a foggy, coastal feeling as the narrow two-lane roads weaved along the ocean.

Acadia National Park is located in two different areas along the coast: the Schoodic Peninsula near the town of Winter Harbor, and Mount Desert Island where the town of Bar Harbor is located. The two areas are about an hour’s drive away from each other, though as the crow flies they’re only 7 miles apart. We chose to stay on the Schoodic Peninsula first and then make our way to Mount Desert Island tomorrow.

First thing we did when we arrived to the Schoodic Campground was check in to our campsite and get a new national park pass. Since Aden is a 4th grader this year, he is eligible for a free national park pass this year as part of NPS’s “Every Kid in a Park” program. Perfect timing, too, since our national park pass from last year just expired. Not only is this pass good for admission to national parks, but also national lakeshores, seashores, monuments, and other federal fee areas around the country.

Next, we found our numbered site in the campground and unhooked the Jeep from the back of the RV. This campground is relatively new and very well maintained. There were only a few other campers parking in spots and oddly enough, we saw four other Winnebago Views here! Not very often that we see a camper just like ours. Normally, it’s pretty difficult to snag a camp spot in one of Acadia National Park’s campgrounds, but the news of last week’s Tropical Storm Lee must’ve caused some visitors to change their plans. It’s also mid-September which generally brings fewer visitors than the busy summer months.

After we got the RV settled, the four of us hopped into the Jeep to explore the Schoodic Peninsula. RVs are not allowed to drive on the Schoodic Peninsula Loop Road, so biking or riding the park’s Islander Explorer bus would have been an alternative option. We were glad to have the Jeep though so we could take our time exploring at our own pace. Andi purchased the Acadia National Park audio tour from a company called Guide-Along that we like to listen to when visiting national parks. It’s a great way to learn about what we’re seeing while driving through the park.

Our first stop along the Schoodic Peninsula scenic driving loop was a pull-off to see the Mark Island Lighthouse. Perched out on an island in the distance was one lonely White House with a lighthouse attached. It looked moody and beautiful on this misty fall day. Immediately, all four of us were in awe of the rocky cliffs, wild ocean water, and pine trees lining the coast of Maine.

The kids wasted no time running down to the water to hop and jump along the rocks. “Wow!” was all I could say. This view was exactly what I imagined when I pictured the coast of Maine — trees, rocks, lighthouse, a fisherman’s boat cruising by us in the water. It was a magical scene which we had all to ourselves.

Back in the Jeep, we continued our drive along the Schoodic Peninsula Scenic Loop Rd to Schoodic Point. Here, there were a few other cars of people also enjoying views of ocean waves crashing into the rocks. We learned that Samuel Champlain, the same man who founded Quebec City, was the first European explorer to map this coastline. This shape of this point makes the perfect habitat for marine life as the warm and cold Atlantic ocean currents meet.

We continued our drive along the scenic loop road, stopping at various points along the way. As we drove, the rain continued to pour more steadily. Andi drove the Jeep back to our campsite and we hunkered down there for the rest of the evening. It rained… and rained… and rained all evening long.

Luckily, we had a fairly open sky view in this campsite so we were able to set up Starlink. It’s not very often that we camp in a national park and have internet access too! The kids hung out in their beds and watched iPads while I blogged and Andi worked on his computer. This is the first time since we left home two weeks ago that we’ve stopped adventuring. Typically, our days are full from early morning until evening.

Using the RV awning for rain protection, Andi grilled chicken breasts for dinner. We ate dinner inside the RV together, and then all snuggled together in Mom & Dad’s bed to watch the movie, Mooseport, which is set in the fictional town of Mooseport, Maine. One of my favorite parts of RV travel is all the family time we spend together. Never would we all curl up together and watch a movie at home, but for some reason living and traveling together in this environment causes to slow down and spend a lot more quality time together.

Tomorrow, the sun is suppose to make an appearance again. We’re hoping for a sunny, warm day to explore more of Acadia National Park.