After May and I got back from South Dakota, we had a day to regroup and then we headed to Maine to drop Nathan off at his Hog Island Bird Camp. We pulled up to National Audubon's location in Bremen, Maine and learned that we were required to take the short boat trip to Hog Island to meet the counselors that would be with the teen birders for the week. It's a lovely island with quaint, historical buildings, Northern Parula nests, an Osprey webcam, plus amazing instructors!
After returning to the mainland, the rest of us had over two hours driving time to reach Lamoine State Park which is just east of Mt. Desert Island, the home of Acadia National Park.
What followed was a rainy night in which our leaky tent kept May and I up mopping up dripping water. Despite putting several cans of waterproofing on this tent, it still leaks. The rain water gathers in a pool and then there's no where for that water to go except through and onto sleeping us!
We drove onto Mt. Desert island to make a reservation for the following day's Puffin/Whale watch and then headed to Wal-Mart. Elijah and I decided that we could get a tarp and rig it so that it would protect us. We also had to replace our five year old GPS unit because it utterly died while we were driving around. I felt much better once we had a working GPS and after we had gotten our tent protected from the rain.
On Tuesday morning, we got up early so that we could be at the boat dock for our Atlantic Puffin and Whale watch. This trip did not disappoint. We got great looks at Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murres, Arctic Terns and more. We were also very lucky to see Finback Whales which are the second largest creatures on the earth. It was a little choppy out there on the open ocean, making me very glad that we had all taken our motion sickness medicine at the beginning of the trip.
Wednesday and Thursday were for exploring the national park. From Cadillac Mountain (1530 feet; tallest peak on the Eastern shoreline), to the rocky seashore, to mudflats, to tide pools and gorgeous forests, we enjoyed it all. I have not been to a tide pool since I was a graduate student. We still didn't get the tide pooling experience that I was hoping for since it was so slippery on the rocks and then it started to rain on top of that. But, it made me anticipate our trip to California next summer. Both Wednesday and Thursday were drizzly and very foggy. The top of Cadillac Mountain was quite the place to be in the thick fog. We hiked a trail and had to keep close touch with the cairns that marked the way so that we wouldn't be lost on the mountain. That's more dramatic than it actually was as May reminded me that all we'd have to do is hike up and we'd be able to find the parking lot.
On Friday morning we picked up Nathan who we had all missed a lot. He was emotional upon leaving camp. He had such a wonderful experience and made some close friends just in that short 5 days. It was forecasted to be a rainy day, so we headed to Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor. As we walked in, the kids moaned about how much better the museum in Marquette is. I'm telling you, we were only 10 feet inside the admissions desk. By the end of the day, I heard May telling Joseph on the phone that she had thought she was too old for Children's Museums, but this one was fun!
On Saturday we showed Nathan our favorite parts of Acadia. Our day started with going to the visitor center where Brigham and Sariah were sworn in as Junior Rangers. The pledge includes committing to studying the wildlife and plants of Acadia and other natural areas. Brigham really took that to heart when we stopped at the Wild Gardens of Acadia, asking to bring his notebook so that he could "study the plants." The end of the day was spectacular at the top of Cadillac Mountain with strong gusting winds. The kids leaned into and played in the wind and then we got to hear bagpipes being played.
I told the kids that I didn't know when we'd be able to return to Acadia or even if we would return. Brigham informed me that he would have to return. This is due to the pledge he made. So cute.
While in the van over our camping trip the kids worked on artwork and while out hiking they did photography. There is still a lot to be done for their Young Birder of the Year contest entries.
On the way home, we stopped briefly in Vermont to try to see a Bicknell's Thrush. We are pretty sure we heard one and Nathan saw one briefly by the side of the trail. It was a beautiful hike through Woodford State Park. We were treated to many native plant species as well as the Red Eft stage of the Eastern Newt, something none of us had ever seen before. I loved Vermont and told the kids that I wanted to move there. Nathan said that he was quite shocked to hear me say it.
We also got to stop for an hour or so at Niagara Falls. That's a beautiful, but crowded place.
We were able to listen to some amazing books on CD: The Wild Trees, The Earth Moved, and now we are working on Flight Behavior. At night, I read to the kids out of the book, The Forest Unseen. The author of that book is coming to speak at the Stewardship Network conference that I'm planning on attending next January.
Upon arriving at home we learned that Nathan won a scholarship to attend the American Ornithological Union conference in Chicago in August. While he attends, the rest of us are going to the Field Museum which is a Chicago attraction I've always wanted to visit.
Remember when you accompanied my class on a whale watch and you caught a fish??
ReplyDeleteI do remember that! I caught the fish through the eye or something like that. Funny thing is that I don't remember any whales from that day, do you?
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