Windy - and very early - sunrise

Tuesday, June 1 - We did it. We got up VERY early this morning in order to try to see the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia. At 4:52am. And man, was it windy. When Sandy opened the car door, it almost took it off it's hinges, and she quickly shut it. "Oh my god!" It was a struggle just to walk up the steps to the top. See those two green lumps on the ground behind us? Those are people huddled inside sleeping bags waiting for the sun to come up. You can also see the motley crew of our crazy compatroits crazy enough to be on the top of the mountain in (probably) 50mph winds just to *maybe* see the sun rise through the clouds. That purple sack that guy is carring? A child.

We knew that the weather wasn't going to be as good as yesterday, but since it wasn't raining, we gave it a shot. And while it maybe wasn't the most beautiful sunrise, just a little bit of pink in the sky made it all worth while for Sandy.

At over 1500 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Atlantic Coast north of Rio de Janiero. But because it was so windy, it felt a lot higher than it was. We huddled behind a big rock for a while to get some shelter from the wind. It was also pretty funny to see this lone seagull try to battle the wind. Every time he took off, he stationary in mid-air. Sandy took a liking to this little guy, and while I'd gotten back in the car and turned on the heat, she stayed out in the windy cold

Acadia National Park

Monday, May 31 - Ahhhh. It felt great to be back in a national park. Acadia is really beautiful, and it was a picture perfect day.

We started the day by driving the 27-mile Park Loop Road, which has amazing views of the coastline and rocky shore. We talked about trying to get up to watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, but we weren't quite ready to get up for the 4:52am sunrise today. We'll try again tomorrow.

This is the life

Friday, May 28 - Now, this is vacation. Waking up with the sun rising over the ocean, and a morning walk on the beach.

A little r-and-r before heading into Boston.

Plymouth. Home of The Rock.

Thursday, May 27 - We were very fortunate that Charlie was at his summer house on the ocean in Plymouth, and even happier that he asked us to stay for the night. So great to have wine and cheese on the porch looking at the ocean while the sun set.

We couldn't make a stop in Plymouth, aka "America's Hometown", without visiting its namesake rock on our way to get some dinner. The rock itself is a little sad and lonely. It's a rock in a cage with a Roman-style gazebo built over it. And with strangely groomed sand surrounding it. But it's part of the foundation of American history, and must be seen.

Newport

Thursday, May 27 - You can see why Newport is considered America's first and one of its most favorite resorts. Too bad that we were only there for two hours.

After passing through town, we took the

scenic Ocean Drive on our way to get a quick peek of the famous mansions. We wanted to at least see The Breakers, built by Cornelius Vanderbilt. We didn't have time to take the tour, and you needed a ticket to get on the grounds, but Sandy told the nice guard at the gate our predicament, and he allowed us in in order to go to the gift shop. While we only saw the service rooms in the basement where the store is, we're ready to move in.