Vacay 2015

Where has the summer gone??  It seems like last week, I was celebrating surviving another school year, but here we are, starting the another one already. UGH!!  I didn't think that I could hate the first day of school any more than I did when I was just 8 years old, but this one is the most dreaded. New location with 2 districts, one of which is very high maintenance.  bring on the Ibuprofen!

In spite of dreading this since we got out on June 5th, I managed to have some good times over the last few months. Sure, there was racing and riding bikes, but there were also cookouts, bonfires, weekend excursions, and of course, VACATION!

As  I usually do, I headed to Maine for another week hanging out on the shores of Penobscot Bay in the Midcoast region of Maine.  To say I love it there would be an understatement.  I always look forward to the next trip because I know I can always count on having my batteries recharged while I am up there and this year was no different. And I really needed recharged this year too.

72 hour prior to our departure, I was racing in the ACA Masters field when another rider made a dumb mistake, crashed, and took me out in the process. As I was hurdling towards the earth, so many thoughts raced through my mind, including how it was going to affect my trip North. Among other things, I said a quick prayer to not hear the sound of bones crunching.  I hit the pavement with my left sidae and thankfully didn't hear THAT dreaded sound.  I wasn't injury free, but no known bone breaks... just bumps, bruises and road rash.

Add caption

The elbow turned out to be the worst of it all. Still, it aches a little from prolonged use or if I bump it wrong. But other than needing to change the bandages a few times through out the drive, had very little impact on our trip. We left at 3:30 in the afternoon on the last day of July and arrived in Licolnville Beach, Maine at a few minutes past 4AM, just in time to watch the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean. 

The elbow kept me from my goal of 400 miles (I actually only road 25 because I was sore) but we still managed to find something new to take on every day.  The first full day, we hiked up the Maiden Cliff Trail on Mount Megunticook and got to enjoy the breath taking view of Lake Megunticook below.  When I used to spend the whole summer in Maine, I don't think I ever went more than a week or two without making the trip up. 

We also took a drive up to Bar Harbor and visited Acadia National Park.  We got up on top of Cadillac Mountain early, but still had to park in one of the lower lots and hike to the top because there were so many people visiting that day. And while the view is spectacular, I only visit every few years, because battling the traffic and tourists just isn't worth the headache.  Everyone HAS to visit it once in their life and Amber and Mackenzie can officially check it off their bucket list.

Cadillac looking towards Bald Hill

One of my favorite things to do while we were in Maine was to go to Thomaston and shop at the Maine State Prison Showroom. This is where the inmates who work in the woodshop, get to sell the crafts, furniture, and artwork and make a few dollars to buy the incidentals that help make prison life bearable. I don't know that I have ever come back home empty handed either.

We also stopped by the nearby Owls Head light.  Its very short when compared with other lighthouse people are familiar with from the coast of the Carolina's, but that's because its sits high about the water on a prominent bluff.

And of course, we ate AMPLE amounts of seafood.

Cappy's Chowder House Crab Roll

Fresh lobster on the back deck of The Whitecap

Another lobster, this time accompanied with fresh steamers and mussels

And LOBSTER ROLLS with a can of Moxie. Nothing says Maine like this meal.

We've only been home for 3 weeks now and I am already dying to head back up. I can't wait for JR to put out the new road race schedule so I can start planning.  Let me know if you want to take it all in with us!