Zip line canopy tour

Wednesday, June 2 - This was the view from the starting point of our zip line tour. Mount Washington is the tallest peak on the right, and you can see the resort in the valley below. Our trusty guides, Jamie and Bobby, took us through every step of the way, including a ground school - aka "bunny" zip line - to teach us the zipping skills that we would need. Relax, steer to keep going straight, just a little hand pressure to break - think of it as your own personal hammock. Then the fun began.

We were on the tour with our new friends Sedna, Marvin, Jim and Bonnie. You become friends quickly when you are jumping off 100-foot high platforms together... Bobby took my camera to take a movie as he was the first one cross the valley in the longest zip: over 800 feet.

Sandy quickly got the reputation of group cheerleader and screamer. Every one of her zips had a different theme - whoops, "yee-ha!", tarzan... Here are a few action shots:































And there was even repelling:

All in all, it was an amazing experience. A perfect way to experience the White Mountains. Thanks to Jamie, Bobby and our new friends!

Zip line teaser

Wednesday, June 2 - We had an awesome time on the Canopy Tour through the trees on the zip line this morning. We need to hit the road to head to Montreal, so here's just a teaser. More to come... We even have video.

Perfect Morning

Wednesday, June 2 - This morning was perfect. I got up and went out for a quick run around the grounds of the resort and through the woods. Plus, it's National Running Day. Couldn't ask for a better day.

Tuesday, June 2 - The Mount Washington Hotel is amazing. Built from 1900-1902, it is still as grand as it was at the beginning. It was a little rainy and foggy when we arrived in the evening.

This hotel is famous for the "Bretton Woods Conference" in 1944, when delegates from 45 nations met to form the International Monetary Fund. There are several plaques on guest room doors down the hall from our room which showed which delegates stayed in which rooms, including someone from Iceland, one of our favorite countries.

Heading back to New Hampshire

Tuesday, June 1 - After coming back from sunrise watch, going back to bed for a while, packing up, and heading back to Cafe This Way in Bar Harbor again for breakfast, we hit the road to head back to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We felt like we got an extra day in there since we got up at 4am, did some sightseeing and went back to bed again!

Our destination today: The Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH. Not quite a direct route from Bar Harbor, but god bless Google Maps on the iPhone for getting us there. Sandy was a bit skeptical about the route, since we were directed to get of the interstate and drive through small towns and country roads. But I assured her we should keep the faith, and after seeing some nice countryside and stopping at our 3rd outlet mall this trip, all was well.

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: Take 2

Monday, May 31 - After driving the Park Loop Road, we went back to town to rent bikes in order to spend a few hours riding on the carriage roads in the park.

The carriage roads and stone bridges are well known because they were built by John D. Rockefeller and donated to the park. Acadia is unusual because it's the only national park where the lands were donated by private citizens. Rockefeller was key in making that happen. Acadia was also the first national park east of the Mississippi.