Yesterday was just too busy to post. I started to write something up last night only to fall asleep in the middle of it and ended up waking up to 6 paragraphs of $$$$$ so had to scrap that one. Our day started out bright and early with a 6:30 am wake up knock. Seriously. Like my father wrapping his knuckles against the wall between our two rooms as hard as he possibly could for a good 10 seconds. Lovely way to be awakened from your first semi-solid non drug induced sleep in days.
We headed over to the breakfast room around 7:30 where Mom remarked how empty it was. I had to throw in a snide "That's because most people on vacation sleep later than they do during the work week." But my snideness fell onto her deafened retirement ears and I stumbled around the 'deluxe' breakfast buffet choosing pre-cooked 'omelets' that resembled flat footballs, something that might have been sausage, some canned fruit salad and stale bread etc.... I bypassed the bananas that were way passed their prime and the "french toast" that was kept with the other breads and bagels. Dad attacked the buffet with a voracious appetite making about 3 trips and making us wonder if eventually the nice lady who kept refilling the microwaved omelet tray would ask him to leave some for the other guests. Fortunately, she did not.
We had our first Nigro moment of the day over how and when to get to downtown Bar Harbor for our Olli's Trolley tour of Acadia. Mom wanted to take the free shuttle bus that runs from the resort area where we're staying on Route 3 directly to the Village Green. Dad wanted to take the car. So at 8:30 (for a 10am tour mind you) we trudged to where we were supposed to wait for the bus. Note that our hotel is not a designated route but you can 'flag' the bus down and it will stop for you. Right - flag it down going 50 mph coming over a hill and around a blind turn. WHOOOSH was the sound the bus made as it flew passed us! Dad won and we took the car.
I found parking easily enough because it was still before 9 and most normal people were probably just waking up to their deluxe buffet breakfasts at that point. Ignoring the fact that the lot said '3 hour parking' only I was determined to leave the car there all damn day. We picked up our trolley tickets and also booked ourselves a 'Nature' cruise for the afternoon. Dad was less than thrilled. Mom figured we only had limited time in Bar Harbor so might as well do as much as we can. Dad grumbled, Mom won. Score is now tied at one a piece.
Acadia was beautiful and we were all in awe at the top of the Cadillac Mountain. The entire trolley ride was punctuated with my Dad's mellifluous tones snapping out "TAKE A PICTURE!" "OPEN THE WINDOW!" "CLOSE THE WINDOW!" Mom continually insisted on having deep meaningful conversations over what a good daughter I was (ha...for like 30 seconds anyway. If that sentiment makes it through the whole trip I guarantee within 10 seconds of being back I'll be back to my usual four or five letter names....). I continually shushed them both. Up up up to the top of Cadillac Mountain - then rush around for 15 minutes trying to take pictures from every angle. Quick - back on the bus. Down down down to Siur le Mont Springs and the Wild Gardens. Another 15 minute dash around to take photos. Back on the bus passing Dor Mountain and Champlain Mountain (and watching the hikers on perilously steep paths with nothing but rungs embedded in the bedrock to hold on to). Dash over to Thunder Hole which refused to thunder and then back into downtown.
Exhausted, we stumbled off the bus and into the West Side Cafe. A delightful little place that is next to the water but also some unfortunate construction. A lobster BLT and good clam chowder fortified us and we shopped around a bit before our nature cruise. Unfortunately for Dad getting anywhere required a sharp walk up hill but he was a trooper...and complained minimally (every 8 seconds instead of every 5) while making the climb. During our shopping I insisted that they pick up sweatshirts or windbreakers since even though we had brought them on the trip - I was the only one who had mine that day. Mom insisted that she'd be fine on the boat in a tank top and shorts and Dad agreed. Now it was in fact hot on land but I knew we'd be freezing by the time we hit the water. I grabbed my fleece out of the car as I tossed theirs in the trunk shaking my head the whole time.
Board the boat, climb up to the top deck and it's already feeling cool and breezy. Within five minutes of pulling away from the dock I put my fleece on and zip it up. In another 3 minutes Dad gives up and goes down to the warm indoor cabin. Mom insists she's fine even though I can barely hear the narrative over her teeth chattering and she keeps trying to climb inside my fleece. Eventually the guide reminds us that there are blankets up front if anyone wants one and I swear I've never seen my Mother move that fast. Wrapped in a slightly skeezy woolen blanket that God knows how many other tourists have wrapped themselves in, we proceeded on our tour. At first I was sort of pissed because they only thing we "saw" was a bald eagle in a tree and I'll be damned but there was no bald eagle that I could see.
But it was a beautiful ride and the wispy fog from the morning was still there gently enveloping some of the islands. We passed gorgeous summer "cottages" and saw many of the sites of Acadia from the morning from a new angle. I fell deeper in love with the place then I'd been before. Suddenly I noticed the fog getting a bit thicker....and thicker still. We turned in the boat and were heading out toward the Eagle Rock Lighthouse in the middle of Frenchman's Bay and the fog was rapidly closing in on us. I spotted a harbor porpoise off the port side of the boat and was rewarded with a compliment from our naturalist guide for my sharp eyes! This made up nicely for the whole eagle fiasco. The fog continued to thicken although still fairly open though we could just make out the island and...yes...SEALS! I LOVE Seals!!!! Honking and flopping around on their tiny little flippers. There were harbor seals that were just lounging on the rocks and grey seals that were still fighting over mates. There were also dozens and dozens of harbor ducks - all babies with their mama's and one lone male who was either lost or perhaps trying to buck a trend. Who knows.
As we turned from the lighthouse to head past Ironbound Island the fog had completely enveloped us. I knew the island was there because you could see a dark hulking shadow through the fog but that was about it. With nothing more to see our guide chattered on inanely about lobster fishing in the area and the life cycle of lobsters. Occasionally our fog horn would blow and you'd see a distant boat slowly creeping through the pea soup. Eventually we emerged through the fog and could see the harbor, under a clear blue sky. I love shore weather!
We filed off the boat and poured ourselves into the car. All of us were exhausted and ready for a break. We drove back to the hotel and within twenty minutes the phone rang and it was Mom asking where we were having dinner. So much for that rest and relaxation. I forced another twenty minutes or so for a hot shower (my teeth started chattering even through my fleece on that boat) and then we headed out to dinner. Not wanting to battle the parking in downtown again we stayed up on our hill near Cadillac Mountain and find a little place called Jack Russell's Steakhouse and Brew pub. Another good meal in our bellies (although the blueberry pie left a little to be desired) and we crawled into bed. I put on TBS, watched a few back to back episodes of Family Guy, attempted to write a blog post and fell sound asleep.
Only to be awakened to what I first thought could only be an explosion. And then I realized it was probably the most insane thunderstorm I've ever heard. Lighting slashing across the sky in multiple strikes and thunder that was explosive and cracking and rolling and simply amazing. I lay there in bed with the covers pulled up to my chin and watched through a crack in the curtains. The rain came down in sheets and the lightning seemed like it would never end. Slowly, after a few thunder claps that shook the place it began to move off to frighten some other folks along the coast and I drifted off back into a deep sleep dreaming of blueberries and lobsters and lightning strikes.
The only instructions I gave my parents the night before were DO NOT KNOCK ON THE DAMN WALL AT 6AM! We're heading to Rockland today and there's no rush to get there so I figured we could all sleep in. 7:16am...I'm awakened to a knock on the wall. 7:47, a phone call to say they're going to get breakfast. Even now, as I sit here post breakfast at 9:07 am after giving them explicit instructions to RELAX, I can hear Dad loading the car up outside. What was that I said about a restful vacation in Maine? And....we just got another knock on the wall. 3 of us left on this trip...how many will return depends on how many more rooms we have next to each other.....
Survival Tip: Get a room between you and your parents so they cannot knock on the walls and remember to unplug the room phone before you go to sleep at night. This should buy you at least another 5 minutes by the time they call the lobby and insist they break your door down because you're not answering the phone....
No comments:
Post a Comment