Summer Travels: Maine

We took our first family trip to coastal Maine in July.  I really, really loved it - I do hope to return someday soon.  We stayed in a small cottage about 100 feet from the ocean.  We were on the eastern side of the Schoodic Peninsula, adjacent to the mainland portion of Acadia National Park. "Our" part of Acadia was mostly just us, the locals, and little fishing villages in every bay.  I will say that my one big disappointment was missing out on the wild blueberries - we saw lots of bushes, but no ripe berries.  Oh, well, just another reason to return!

I was able to make all of our food ahead of time, frozen, and then we were happy to return back to our cottage every evening to a yummy meal!  We did find a great organic farm and splurged on bacon, eggs, bread, jelly, and in season strawberries.  On every trip we try to find a farm and load up on seasonal produce (and in Rob's case - local honey, always).

We enjoyed lobster rolls, lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, maple candy, and local baked goods.

We brought kayaks and bikes and enjoyed an active week.  We biked along the entire Schoodic Peninsula and kayaked during high tide and low tide in one of the Acadia bays.  We did venture over to the main part of Acadia National Park, but realized we loved our little quiet side so much more!

We explored, ate, relaxed, played games, and enjoyed being together as a family.  Settle in for a ton of pictures. 

our favorite meal - flat iron steaks with corn

perfectly stocked cottage kitchen

the kids loved playing clue

local strawberries

we lost power for a couple of hours, so we collected rainwater

a coffee break on an early morning bike ride - pure bliss

breakfast with local eggs and bacon

mmmmm, chicken enchiladas!

pretty eggs

having lots of fun while biking

tidepools

packing up the food for our trip

lots of little snails

cutest cottage ever!

Mt. Desert Island

Sand Beach on Mt. Desert Island

the top of Cadillac Mountain

Kate

brrrr.....

gathering rainwater to boil for coffee - what a guy!

Mandala Farm

kayaking in Acadia

he's totally flexing here :)

gorgeous views at every turn

Emma loved finding lobster buoys

we loved kayaking!

backside of the cottage

our early morning date - riding bikes around the peninsula

view of Frenchman's Bay

best way to see the park

my kids and I

they love exploring

love this guy

our date to see the sunset on Grindstone Neck

I can't recommend this trip enough.  This may be my favorite place in the U.S. I loved the small town feel, the ocean views at every turn, the quiet rugged beauty and the smells in the air (equal parts pine forest with briny saltwater).  I loved the food, the people, and everything about coastal Maine.