Red Monkey Visits Acadia National Park

Last Sunday Maura, Jennifer and I set out on a short family adventure in the form of a camping trip to Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We left home before dawn, the car having been loaded with our gear the night before and we had the roads almost too ourselves as we made the trip to Acadia in very good time, arriving  before noon even though we took a slightly longer and slower route than we had originally planned and made a detour to purchase blueberries and maple syrup for the next day’s breakfast along the way.


On reaching the park we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up a pass for the park loop road, necessary for camping, and a junior ranger activity book for Maura. From the Visitor’s Center we headed to the Blackwoods Campground where we would be staying until we had to head for home on Tuesday morning. We took a little time getting there, stopping at the base of the Precipice Trail in hopes of spotting the resident peregrine falcons (invisible in the clouds) and taking in Thunder Hole (not thundering but still scenic).

When we reached Blackwoods we checked in and set up camp. When the necessary chores had been done and we had eaten our lunch we took a short hike down to the top of the cliffs by the shore, and then along the road until we got to Little Hunter’s Beach, where we could climb down to the water. There we heard the sounds of the beach stones grinding together in the surf and searched tide pools to find crabs and periwinkles but no sea stars. Red Monkey, who was with us at Gettysburg in the spring, was with us again and we got his picture next to the small stream that flowed into the sea across the beach. While we were at Little Hunter’s Beach we were sprinkled with the only rain to fall on us while we were in Acadia.

Looking at tidepools

Back at camp we rested for awhile and then made our supper of split pea soup with bacon. Pea soup is a family favorite and it cooked as well on a camp stove as it would at home. After supper we walked to the campground’s amphitheater for the Sounds of Acadia, put on by Ranger Todd, with musical selections by his twin brother, or perhaps alter ego, Toad. We learned how to listen to the sounds of the natural world and heard the sounds of some common birds, frogs and mammals provided by Ranger Todd, with audience participation. For variety Toad (or was it Todd without his ranger hat) led the audience in singing "Rockin’ Robin" and his own song, "Happy Earth Day". The program was fun and informative and I wish we could have attended others but the trip was too short. After the show we returned to camp and had desert, Jennifer’s creation, a stew of peaches and blueberries with dumplings of pancake batter. It was delicious and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. When the dishes were done we went to bed. It had been a long day and we wanted to be well rested for what we had planned for Monday.

What we had planned was a hike up Cadillac Mountain by the South Ridge trail, which begins at Blackwoods Campground. Our intention was to hike up and take the bus back. After our breakfast of blueberry pancakes we set out on foot from camp. We enjoyed the hike up the 4½ mile trail through forests and up the barren mountain ridges to the summit. The trail was challenging without being overly difficult and once we were above the tree line the views were spectacular. We had perfect weather with bright sun and a cooling breeze. When we reached the summit we had climbed from nearly sea level to 1530 feet, the highest point on the island and on the coast.

Maura and Jennifer at the top

At the summit we enjoyed our lunch and the spectacular view in all directions. We got more pictures to document Red Monkey at the top. When we had had enough of the summit we started looking for the bus stop. It took us a few minutes to realize there isn’t one. There is a road to the summit and many people drive up Cadillac Mountain but the bus doesn’t go there. We’d made the mistake of assuming that it did and hadn’t looked at the bus schedule. Since we had no choice we walked down. We chose the North Ridge Trail. It is shorter than the South Ridge Trail we had come up and it ends at a bus stop. It was a good thing that it did because by the time we reached the bottom we were all exhausted. Despite the longer than planned hike we had all enjoyed it, even the hike down.

Red Monkey on the trail

After the bus ride home and a short rest we headed out again, this time by car to Seawall on the other side of the island to explore more tide pools in hopes of seeing the elusive sea star. We saw a great many mussels and legions of periwinkles but no sea stars which will have to wait for a future trip.

After our return to camp it was time to make a fire and dinner. We dined on macaroni and cheese (with hot dogs and summer squash added for some extra nutrition) and then enjoyed our fire. For desert we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores, without which no camping trip would be complete for Maura.

In the morning we broke camp and headed home. I had to work in the evening and there was a long way to go. The weekend was far too short but despite the busy pace it was fun and relaxing.

Camping Near Gettysburg, or the Adventures of Red Monkey

Last week was April vacation for Maura so we took a family trip. We chose Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as our destination. I had always wanted to go there and see the place where the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. It also had the advantage of being close enough to drive to for a long weekend but far enough south that it was likely to be warmer than here in Massachusetts. We knew we wanted to camp, because we all enjoy it, but local campgrounds aren’t open yet in April, with good reason.

We left before dawn Thursday morning and made good time. Our route took us through six states. We were in our third state before we stopped for breakfast and in Pennsylvania already by the time we stopped for lunch. We reached Caledonia State Park, on the western slope of South Mountain, in plenty of time to make camp and dinner before nightfall. We set up our new tent and constructed a shelter over the picnic table with a tarp and some rope tied to trees, with a few spare tent poles to keep the tarp above our heads as we cooked and ate our meals. Desert we made over the campfire. No camping trip is complete without roasted marshmallows when camping with a seven-year-old.

On Friday we drove over the mountain to Gettysburg. We followed the auto tour of the battlefield. For me the highlight of the tour was when we stood on the top of Little Round Top, where the Union forces had arrived in the nick of time to keep the Confederates from taking the high ground that dominated the Union lines, thereby perhaps winning the battle on its second day if they had succeeded. Then we went to the High Water Mark of the Rebellion, where Pickett’s charge briefly broke the Union line, only to be driven back by a counterattack, turning the battle into a Union victory. In my mind’s eye I could see the progress of the battle and almost smell the powder smoke and the blood. I have a better appreciation now of the incredible courage and fortitude shown by both sides.

Along the way during our tour we stopped to take pictures, featuring Red Monkey, won in a carnival game the day before we left on our adventure. We have pictures of him at the Peace Memorial, on Little Round Top, at the High Water Mark, and at the top of more than one observation tower. There is even a shot of him in the barrel of a cannon.

While I could have explored every corner of the battlefield and stayed there for our entire trip, Maura and Jennifer were both a little tired of military history by mid-afternoon and we decided to spend some time in town. We wandered around the streets of Gettysburg for a while reading historical plaques and doing some shopping. Before we headed back to camp we visited the David Wills House, a museum in the home of the man responsible for creating the Gettysburg National Cemetery, at the dedication of which Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln stayed there the night before he gave his famous speech and we had the opportunity to learn more about the cemetery and the Address on our visit to the museum.

On Saturday we took the morning off from history to enjoy nature for a while. We hiked on the Charcoal Hearth Trail, and a few bits of other trails to connect it to our camp. The trail climbed Graeffenburg Hill through mixed forest of hardwoods and pines resplendent with the greenery and flowers of high spring. Despite the few rain drops that fell on us before we made it back to camp it was a wonderful hike. The trail was steep, rugged and long enough to be a challenge, but not too much of one. We felt like we had accomplished something when we arrived back at camp but we still had enough energy to enjoy the rest of our day.

After a rest in camp, a shower, and change of clothes we headed back to Gettysburg for a few hours before dinner, which we planned to eat in a restaurant in town. On the way from camp we visited Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, billed as the largest elephant museum in the world. The museum houses Mr. Ed’s personal collection of elephants—carved elephants, plushy elephants, elephants in photographs and elephants on circus posters. The museum is free, and a lot of fun; and it is attached to a candy shop that sells wonderful homemade fudge.

Arriving in Gettysburg a few hours before dinner time we took in a bit more of the town before we ate. One place we went was the Shriver House Museum, a house restored as much as possible to its appearance in 1863, when the battle was fought. On our tour of the house, led by a guide in period costume, we learned about the experience of the people who lived there and of their neighbors during and after the battle. Though only one civilian died during the battle it produced much danger and hardship for the people of the town. Maura particularly enjoyed the Shriver House because the family had included two little girls, about her age at the time of the battle, and their story was part of the story told on the tour.

Though we couldn’t get a table at either of the restaurants we had planned to eat at we had a nice dinner in the Springhouse Tavern in the basement of the Dobbin House tavern. The food was good, as was the atmosphere with colonial décor reflecting the construction of the building in 1776. The spring gives the room its name bubbled in one corner. The tavern also had the advantage of being less expensive than the main dining room, probably a good thing for us.

After dinner we headed back to camp and went to bed. We were tired and planned to hit the road early in the morning. During the night heavy rain fell but fortunately our tent was up to its job of keeping us dry. We hit the road early as planned, stopping for a delicious diner breakfast on our long trip back to Massachusetts.