02 | August | 2020 | The Cannon Family's travel blog

One of the most entertaining things about sleeping in a king sized bed is seeing how far apart we are when we wake up. Today we had at least two pillows between us – which may explain why I slept so well. 😉 Breakfast was part of the package so we made our way out to the lobby to order vegan oatmeal (GF option) and sweet potato and chicken hash. The morning was beautiful and we enjoyed the sunshine on the deck while we were eating. Then it was time to head out. We couldn’t leave Mount Desert Island without a visit to Acadia National Park.

Car packed up and top down, we made our way to the crown jewel of the National Park service. I was reminded of the Longfellow poem I learned in 7th grade (thank you Mr. Heffernan): This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain where we had spectacular views of Bar Harbor and all the smaller islands. It was breathtaking but I confess that we were less impressed than would have been the case if we hadn’t already seen great views from the top of several other mountains that we had hiked to the top of. We did make a note that this was a destination we would need to revisit as we didn’t feel the flying visit was sufficient.

Part of the reason for the short stay was Frank’s increasing concern over the angry swelling on my leg where some unidentified insect had bitten/stung me after our hike on Big Moose Mountain on Friday. While I felt the painful sting, I had no idea what had climbed/flown up my shorts and assumed it was no big deal. Until the large hot painful welt arose, I didn’t think much of it. When that welt developed blisters today, that was the last straw – I would seek medical care. Period.

We made our way to a walk in clinic in Ellsworth (outside Bangor) and 90 minutes after my arrival I left with instructions to use higher doses of antihistamines and watch for infection. While I felt like the stop was unnecessary, I was very cognizant of how lucky I am to have had the ability to be seen without worrying about being able to afford it.

And then we were off again! We made a quick trip to Augusta to visit the capitol building (part of a plan to take selfies at all state capitols!) and continued toward today’s destination: Old Orchard Beach. A place I haven’t been since I was in high school, I wanted to have a few days of the stereotypical New England summer vacation. We stopped for a quick lunch at Five Guys in Waterville before rejoining I-95 and the bane of every convertible driver: lowering clouds. Although the day started bright and sunny in Bar Harbor, grey skies were now prevalent and the occasional drop on the windshield gave us pause.

But there would be no capitulation! Frank truly believes that if you own a convertible the top should be down ALWAYS barring downpours. Speeding down the freeway with Thin Lizzy Radio playing on Pandora (we finally get consistent signal!) we outran the worst of the rain arriving at the Beachwood Motel at about 4pm. This is the quintessential beach motel: two levels of exterior doors overlooking the pool and just steps from the beach. Our King Partial View room (we can see the path to the beach) is STUPIDLY expensive but the location is great and the place is immaculately clean.

We unloaded and wandered around to explore and get some groceries (we have a kitchenette) and figure out our plans for the rest of the day. The skies were still grey although there was no rain so we enjoyed a quiet drink at our little table and chairs outside the room while we watched the kids swim in the pool. Then we wandered next door to The Shack where we indulged in the stereotypical steamed lobster dinner. A little more wandering about town (the people watching is AMAZING! I think Frank is the only person in this town with no ink! And that may include some of the kids!) and it was time for a nightcap. Again, we sat outside and watched as the hotel put on a light show: playing music while flashing the lights of different colors somewhat in time with the tunes. Very entertaining! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

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