Bah Habah (Bar Harbor), MAINE

The week of our 9th anniversary, Shyler and I took a getaway to Maine. My mom and 19 yr. old sister, Haley, were gracious enough to come and stay with our little people for the week.

(This picture is pretty hilarious. We're all squinting because the sun was so bright and Dashle is wearing Shyler's water shoes).

This trip, for me, was highly anticipated. I've spent the last 4 months researching the area and putting the trip together so we wouldn't waste any time once in Maine trying to figure out where to go and what to do. My excitement wasn't merely a consequence of the devotion I gave to planning. It had more to do with FINALLY being ALONE with the hub for more than a few hours during the week.

Many of our friends here asked if we had family in Maine. Why else would anyone go to Maine? We did stop off in Lebanon, NH to visit Shyler's sister's family, but we thought Maine sounded like a great new adventure. And let me tell you it was our best trip YET...well, maybe second only to our honeymoon. Har. Har.

This will be a 3 or 4 part series. Shyler said if I put everything on one post no one would read it. So, here's to all of you short attention span people! Happy to cater to your lack of patience and perseverance!

We saved the best for last in Maine, but I'll put it first here.

Sea kayaking

brought out the adventurers in us so much that we added it to our "something we want to do frequently in the future" list. Shyler promised me if we have a cabin some day I can paint the outside red and we can own kayaks. Doesn't it sound dreamy?

We kayaked in Frenchman's Bay just off of Bar Harbor, ME. Bar Harbor is located on an island called Mount Desert Island in the middle of Acadia National Park. The scenery was breathtaking and the best way to enjoy it, in our minds, was out on the water during a morning kayak. The weather was perfectly mild and the water was as smooth as glass. The day couldn't have been lovelier.

One of the coolest parts about the trip was that we started paddling off a sandbar that was covered by six feet of water an hour after we returned. Bar Harbor locals told us more than once that visitors have left their cars on the sandbar in the morning thinking it to be a very open parking lot only to go back hours later to find their vehicles underwater. Whoops.

When the tide is low and the sand bar visible/tangible tourists walk across it to one of the Porcupine Islands. Many unknowingly stay on the island too long and find when they are ready to return back to Bar Harbor that they'll either have to swim across the bay or wait until the tide lowers again which takes about 7 hours.

I am so factual today! Think of how full of useless information you'll be after reading this post! When you're scanning your brain for a great conversation topic during a 7 minute awkward silence you can talk about the changing tides in Bar Harbor, ME. As opposed to your abnormally shaped and discolored mole which graces your left posterior cheek. You're welcome.


During the second half of our trip around the islands Shyler got brave and pulled the camera out while on the water. This allowed me to do all the paddling while he snapped a dozen pictures of the back of my head. He also kept saying, "Keep paddling! We're falling behind the group!" Nice.


This little fella was actually deceased, but I put his parts back together for an "almost alive" effect. I wanted to pack him along for the trip home so the kids could examine him. Unfortunately, his death was a little too fresh and we weren't planning to develop his scent into a Plug-In entitled "Sweet Ocean Mist."

We kayaked nearly six miles and stopped off on a small island called Rumkey Island. People would boat out to this island and hide their Rum during Prohibition (1920-33). What people will do for their liquid pleasure!

Part of our route was around a group of islands called Porcupine Islands. You can see them nestled in the bay in the picture above. Each individual island was named "sheep" island or "cattle" island because ranchers would walk their livestock across the sand bar when the tide was low. When the tide was high the sand bar was covered so the livestock had to stay on the island. The animals couldn't run away and they were safe from predators.

AND the highlight of our kayaking adventure had to be on Rumkey Island when nature called and Shyler was supposed to be on the lookout. Well, he was looking...THE OTHER WAY as a fellow kayaker came around the corner from the other side. I've never had to finish my business and look appropriate so fast in my life. I even suffered a few mild scrapes and bruises from the scramble to appear as if I were soaking in the picturesque view instead of soaking the island rocks.

CUE throaty, nervous laugh.