Up With the Birds
~Monday, September 13, 2021~
Day 456
Hannah finally sent us a photo of the finished product of the cross-stitch gift that I made for Carson. The frame and matting turned out perfect, complementing the piece so well. I’m so happy that Hannah and I were able to choose
the frame/mat together on our list visit to Illinois. Hopefully, Carson will enjoy it for years to come…..well, at least his childhood years anyway.
Well, the alarm went off right at 4:00 a.m. with no snooze button to be had. Even though we each only got about 4 hours of sleep, it wasn’t too bad getting up at that unheard of hour. We weren’t quite sure what was in store, since there seemed to be intermittent rain. It could either be spectacular, or a dud. But, I proceeded to make coffee and hot chocolate for the road, and Sadie, Jeff and I were off. I think Sadie was very confused about being awakened from her beauty sleep, only to sit on top of the tallest mountain in the park, staring into darkness. It was about a 25-minute curvy drive to the entrance station where we were both pleasantly greeted and scolded at the same time. Not only did the ranger ask for our entry ticket, but our park pass as well. Being half asleep, Jeff had forgotten to grab his wallet, which had our annual national park pass in it. She proceeded to tell us that we should have it displayed at all times when in the park and that she’d let it go this time. Whew! A few minutes later, I realized that the worst case scenario would have been to simply buy another $80 annual pass, since ours is set to expire at the end of September anyway. I swear, that pass has paid for itself 10 times over. Normally, national park entrance fees are around $30 a pop. And with all of our traveling, it was a no-brainer decision to spend the $80.
Anyway, when we got to the top, we had another park official directing traffic, telling you exactly where to park. They’re on it!! As we found our perfect rocks to sit on, we could see just a slight glimpse of light on the horizon. No rain, but slowly, you could begin to see the extent of the clouds as the sky lightened up. Some people had climbed up the mountain in the dark to the summit, but most had made the car trip, like us. We already climbed the mountain last Wednesday.
But either way, there was something so cool as we and the other 100+ people at the top were all sharing the experience of being the first in the continental U.S. to witness today’s sunrise. Even though it wasn’t a perfectly clear morning, it was still beautiful. We’re so glad we made the trip.
When we made it back to the trailer at around 7:00, we decided another few hours of sleep was necessary if we were going to enjoy the rest of our day.
We took care of a few odds and ends around the trailer with the hopes of heading to downtown Bar Harbor mid-afternoon. Holding out for a late lunch, we decided to stop at The Chart Room, which we pass every time we head into the park. And it’s always packed. Even arriving between lunch and dinner on a Monday can be challenging to get in. We requested outside dining on the waterfront which was about a 30-minute wait. Not a big deal. We grabbed a beer (Jeff) and a Bloody Mary (me) and waited outside
while enjoying the views. We also enjoyed chatting with a couple from Switzerland and a few other locals who brought their furry friends to join them. Great service, delicious food. My mother would kill me, but I decided to live large and order a seafood linguine dish (I’m not supposed to have shellfish). But I’m here to write about it, so I guess everything’s o.k. I survived. Jeff ordered a delicious Blackened Tuna, cooked to perfection. To top it off, we split a slice of their famous blueberry pie. I must say, it was a nice change to eat at an earlier time. Normally, Jeff and I close places down. But it was nice to dine in daylight and not go to bed full. Oh, and we decided to visit downtown Bar Harbor, tomorrow, and instead enjoy a fire back at the campsite.