Acadia National Park

We've heard so many amazing things about Acadia National Park that we decided we needed to see it for ourselves!  When the Mr. had 3 consecutive days off (for the first time in many months!) we took advantage of it and drove right up!

We hiked Cadillac Mountain.  What a gorgeous view!

Standing atop a mountain brings out dance moves you've never seen before! :)

My kids follow the life motto "Dance like nobody's watching".....

Then we soaked in some rays at Sand Beach (aptly named)

It's amazing how burying people in sand never gets old....these kids can do it for hours!

The water was COLD but that didn't stop The Mr, Grins and Angel from diving right in!

Angel spent hours creating sand sculptures

Next, we went to see Thunder Hole: at high tide, the water rushes in with a loud crashing BOOM!  It's quite incredible!

We enjoyed some more breathtaking views off the rocky coast.

And got close enough to touch this little guy:

Then, it was back to the campground....

where we swam....

....and jumped off the dock into Somes Sound.

Even Wiggles jumped in!

Then the Mr. taught us all how to fish:

Wiggles cozied up in the kayak...

Then it was back to the campground for foil dinners and s'mores!  Yum!

Then we kayaked out into the sound!  It was BEAUTIFUL and so serene!

This is the beautiful quarry in our campground. 

When fishing in the sound proved unsuccessful, we tried our luck in the quarry.

Lots of sitting and waiting.  Fishing is a good activity to teach children (and adults, for that matter!) patience!

We paddled around in the quarry for awhile - so fun!

And - to our great surprise, we caught a fish!

A very proud Grins holds his catch up for all to see!

Wiggles wanted to hold it and then said "That's gross, right?!"  Angel was so excited that we'd caught a fish - until she saw The Mr. killing it, and realized he'd caught it for food, rather than to keep as a pet.  She was horrified and her sensitive, animal-loving nature was traumatized.

Finally, we hiked the pathway around Jordan Pond.  It was the perfect family walk!  Those mounds over Angel's left shoulder are "Bubble Rock".  We hiked to the summit of the right most one - that was quite the hike!

The Jordan Pond is a watershed area, so we kept reminding the children not to touch the water.  Grins made it all the way out to the end rock, but then slipped on some algae on the way back and fell into the water.  He quickly jumped up, ran back to me, and asked if a Ranger would arrest him.  It was adorable!

Wiggles was a trooper and did most of the walk/hike on her own two feet - but this is how she looked by the end.

This is us, halfway up the Bubble Rock hike.

It's hard to appreciate just how steep it was from this picture - but believe me - it was steep!

The summit of Bubble Rock!  We made it!

Angel, pretending she's falling off.  What a jokester. :)

We couldn't believe the elevation was only 238 meters!  It seemed so much higher! :)

Near the end of the Jordan Pond Pathway, there was about a mile of walkway all made from logs.  It was neat!

The children kept making crude comments about what Bubble Rock looked like to them.  Here is Grins demonstrating.  Why is toilet humor so hilarious to children?  When do they outgrow it???!!!

We directed them to, instead, point to the peak we had climbed.

What an amazing view!  Next time we'll have to bring a photographer with us!!!

The hike proved successful in wearing us all out, as evidenced by this photo of the drive home:

Is there anything better than enjoying one of the most beautiful places on earth together as a family?  I think not!  The Mr. and I commented that, while most people are out spending thousands of $$ on Disneyland resorts and theme parks, there is no place we'd rather be nor enjoy more than the simple beauty of nature!  What an incredibly breathtaking world we've been blessed with!