Vermont:

We have had a very relaxing time in Vermont! Lots of reading, sleeping, watching movies and eating Ben and Jerry's!

We did not do much our first few days here, so I don't have too many pictures. However, we were sure to go on a tour of the "Ben and Jerry's" factory in the nearby town of Waterbury, VT. Apparently, they have had some "Haagen Dazs" spies so they don't allow photos to be taken inside! :) It was a fun tour and we got to watch a short video of how Ben and Jerry built their business from nothing to what it is today.

We have also spent a lot of time in the pool with Levi. They have a water slide that Nick LOVES, he waits in line with all the other little kiddos who are eager to do the slide;)  There's a little shallow, kiddy pool that we have been hanging in with Levi. Nick also has let me go lay in the sun while he stays inside with Levi during nap time...what a guy! ;)

We've tried to do a few hikes, which I'll show pictures of at the end of this post. Yesterday, we climbed down to Bingham Falls which is in Smugglers' Notch State Park. It was beautiful...a little scary at times climbing down slippery, wet rocks. Nick carries Levi on his back for all of our hikes, as I'm shouting out behind them..."Be Careful! Go Slow!" The falls were really pretty and there was a nice spot at the bottom where you could swim or play in the rocks, as Levi did:)

We also took the auto road up to the top of Mt. Mansfield, which is the highest point in Vermont. The road up was daunting as it was really high, steep and only 1 lane at times. It was well worth the drive though. We got to the top and hiked from the "Nose to the Chin"...which is the summit of the mountain. In truth, Levi and I only hiked half-way because it literally turned into a mountain climb where Nick had to scale some rocks to get to the top of the summit. He left us behind while he finished the climb to the top. Many people stopped to talk to Levi and me, and I think they thought it peculiar that this pregnant lady and a 1 year old were sitting alone on top of 4, 393 foot mountain! :) Levi was amused by the rocks while daddy finished the hike.

If you ever get a chance to come to this area of Vermont, you must drive Route 108, which is a road that goes straight through "the notch". It's a windy, steep, one lane road at times, but it's amazing with all these boulders just sticking out on the road. It's pretty cool, yet not great for a my car-sickness!!!!

Here are some pictures:

 Bingham Falls:

Trail down to the falls

Rocky!

We had snack time at the base of the falls, then Levi played in the rocks. We made the mistake of taking his clothes off after he got soaked!

The fresh spring water was a tad bit too cold for him

Hiking on top of Mount Mansfield

Headed to the summit. The water you can see in the distance is Lake Champlain and the mountains in the background (hard to make out) are the Adirondacks in New York

 It was extremely windy at the top

 Our kid has been on lots of adventures in his short life:)

Amazing views!

Nick at the top of the summit

Okay, that's it for now:)

Catching up on blogging!

I guess it's obvious that I have not done a very good job on the blogging front. In my defense, we did go without internet for a good few days, but lately, I have just been slacking. We have been at Smugglers' Notch Resort in Vermont, where my sister and brother-in-law have a great condo. It's been a relaxing time and it's been so nice to have access to a full kitchen to finally be able to cook our own food!

We wrapped up exploring Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine last week and then drove on over to Vermont. We had a lovely stop just across the border in Gorham, New Hampshire and made an attempt to drive up to Mount Washington, which is the highest point in the Northeast, at over 6,000. However, the auto road up was closed:( SO, we just had dinner by the foot of the mountain.
The weather in Maine was not really that great for us, so we were pretty bummed because it's difficult to explore a national park with a 1 year old in the cold, rain. We did the best we could!

Here are some pictures of our last couple of days in Maine: Sand Beach at Acadia on a foggy morning

 

 Levi hated the cold water

 Yet, he enjoyed the sand:)

 An overlook into the ocean at Acadia

 Visiting Thunder Hole

 Here is an excerpt about Thunder hole: When the right size wave rolls into the naturally formed inlet, a deep thunderous sound emanates. The cause is a small cavern formed low, just beneath the surface of the water. When the wave pulls back just before lunging forward, it dips the water just below the ceiling of the cavern allowing air to enter. When the wave arrives full force, it collides with the air, forcing it out, resulting in a sound like distant thunder. Water may splash into the air as high as 40 feet with a roar!

Unfortunately, we were there at low tide and didn't get to see any "Thunder" :(

 Climbing out to "Otter Cliff" in Acadia

The unit on the right is our cute little cottage. We really enjoyed it!

 This is a sandbar in the town of Bar Harbor that you can walk out on during low tide. At high tide, it's apparently covered with 10-12 feet of water!

 Levi with Daddy on the sandbar. He has discovered a new love and fascination for rocks on this trip!

 More of the Sandbar!

 A beautiful spot at the entrance to the Mt. Washington Auto Route. We were bummed we couldn't drive up!

 Levi is always pretty pumped at any chance he has to escape his car seat on this trip!

 Yes, much to Nick's excitement (He took this pic to document), we had a McDonald's picnic in New Hampshire. I think this was the 3rd time in a decade at least that I've had McDonalds....it's not my usual "cup of tea", but it was fast, easy and cheap. A memory indeed;)

We are in Vermont!

Made it to Vermont safely. We are here:
http://www.smuggs.com/

Post with pictures to come tonight, hopefully:)

Acadia National Park: Day 1

Highlights from the day:
-We love our 1 room cottage and are so happy that Levi's pack-n-play fits into the bathroom. He has slept so well!
-We were able to make our own breakfast because we have a kitchenette
-We went to the top of Cadillac mtn, the highest point on the eastern sea-board and it is said to be the place where you can see the sun rise there before any one else in the US
-We picked wild blueberries and ate them:) They're all over Acadia National park
-We walked around Jordan pond, which was no pond at all. This wonderful family excursion turned into a nightmare. We thought it was a 1.5 mile hike around the lake, but somehow we got onto a 3.2 mile path and it started POURING rain half-way around. We had no umbrella and nothing to cover Levi up with. I felt horrible. Nick and I were praying that some of the many people with multiple umbrellas would have mercy on us and give us theirs, mainly since our son was soaked and HYSTERICAL. We hoped in vain:( We survived but we have only happy pictures before the rain because we weren't really in photo-moods once it started pouring.
-We all had a nice nap in our cottage after we dried off!
-We went into town and explored the cute town of Bar Harbor.
-We got lobster, corn on the cob and crab to go and ate it in our cottage. I've never had lobster before...it was delicious!

On top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia

Goofing around

Still hiking around on top of Cadillac Mountain

Fog-covered island

so tasty!

Happy before the torrential downpour. Parent fail!

Jordan's-not-so-much-pond

Beginning the doomed hike

Calm before the storm

Happy boy after nap time and dry clothes

Panorama of Bar Harbor

Lobster dinner in our cottage