When we started thinking about our travel plans for the summer of 2017 we immediately thought of New England. New York has been our lifelong residence yet we never really explored the northeast. We decided it was the perfect time to meander around New England and the eastern provinces of Canada.

We started our trip northeast after picking up our Coach from its annual maintenance appointment in Connecticut. We made a two day stop in Salisbury, MA followed by a three day stop in Saco, ME. which is just south of Portland. Our three sons drove up and met us at the Saco campground. The next morning we set off for the Bar Harbor Woodlands KOA in Bar Harbor, ME. This is a nice wooded campground on Mount Desert Island which is home to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. With an area of 108 square miles, Mount Desert Island is the 6th largest island in the contiguous United States. It is the second-largest island on the Eastern seaboard, behind Long Island. We quickly set up camp and headed out for a 27 mile drive on Park Loop Rd. This is a beautiful ride which loops through Acadia National Park.  After the drive we set off on a mission to find a local Lobster Pound to feast on some fresh lobster. You can’t travel to Bar Harbor and not eat lobster!  We also found a local ice cream shop and enjoyed some dessert. The next morning Dee and the boys went to Acadia to hike some trails. The trails were above my level so I stayed back and relaxed. They came back hungry so we searched and found a great local barbecue place called Mainly Meat . We ordered a platter which came with huge portions of pulled pork, barbecued chicken, hot sausage and ribs. It also came with beans, potato salad and slaw and it was delicious.

Our plan for the next day was to get up at 2:00 AM and head to Cadillac Mountain. Our son Alex planned to do a 2.5 mile early morning hike up to the summit. He loves hiking and this would be a nice challenge for him. He spoke to the park rangers and they gave him the OK.  We planned to meet him at the summit to enjoy a beautiful sunrise together.  Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. We woke up and it was extremely foggy with on and off light rain. We decided to go back to sleep and drive to the summit later in the morning. Visibility was zero as we drove up the mountain.  We stopped at the summit visitor’s center then took a short quarter mile walk to the summit marker. The weather cleared a little and Dee and the boys went for a three mile walk around Jordan Pond. We ate lunch at the historic Jordan Pond House which is famous for its tea and popovers with jam. Yummy! We then headed into the town of Bar Harbor for some sightseeing and dinner.

Alex finally got to hike up the mountain on our final day of the stay. The weather was still foggy but it improved enough for him to walk the trail. We dropped him off at the base and two hours later he appeared at the summit. We were glad he made the climb. We drove back to the campground and the boys packed up and headed off on their eight hour drive home. We all had a great time and it was wonderful having our three sons with us. We broke camp the following morning to continue our journey through New England and Canada.