Seven Day Journey to the East Coast
(With the boyfriend, little sister, and boyfriend's brother)
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| [An appropriate cover picture for a road trip] This was on a homeless man's cart. My favorite picture of the bunch. |
Day 1: We departed from home with Betty (my grannymobile; hence, the mature name) stocked to its max. With just enough room to turn your head (after the coolers, snacks, more snacks, pillows, and blankets), those of us not in the captain's seat took a snooze while we headed out towards our first destination: Niagara Falls, NY (an eight hour drive). For all of us, this was the first time experiencing any part of New York and I have to say northern New York is beautiful. We finally arrived at Niagara Falls about four in the afternoon.
After collaborating with a couple park employees, we decided that making the most of our brief visit to the falls would include a Maid of the Mist boat tour (remind you of Bruce Almighty anyone? haha) and a Cave of the Winds walking tour (see pictures below). Both experiences were amazing in addition to simply viewing the falls from the observatory deck and walking around the park.
Quick, but funny story: Despite receiving our complimentary rain ponchos and non-slip sandals, Jill (the little sister) decided to pitch her poncho after our activities. The sky looked like lethal tornado weather to begin with, yet Jill failed to believe that she would get rained on. Nevertheless, it started to downpour as we had about a mile walk back to the car. Yupp, so that's the funny part. We all stay dry as she gets soaked awaiting another eight hour drive until our next destination. Okay, well maybe it's not that funny, but we all thought it was. The rest of our evening included holiday stuffed bellies and a major caffeine buzz with a classic Bob Evan's brinner at 11 p.m. and several Starbucks frappuccinos, red bulls, and 5 hour energies (okay, maybe not the safest way to travel) to keep us alive for the night drive.
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| [The many faces of Jill. haha] |
Day 2: Finally in Maine! As we pulled up to the aunt and uncle's house after a long night of driving, we were greeted by a wonderful array of breakfast goods. After we chowed down, we collapsed in our beds until mid-afternoon. Our first exploration took place at the state park a mile and half away from the house. We explored the rocky coast of the Atlantic cape, something we are not as familiar with in Michigan as our beaches are much sandier and less infested with muck (which surprisingly has a very potent, displeasing smell). It was Matt (the boyfriend) and Gary's (boyfriend's little brother) first time visiting the salty waters, having only been accustomed to the great lakes. During our walk, we encountered a variety of sea-land creatures and vegetation (see pictures below). In the evening, the aunt and uncle accompanied us to a semi-pro baseball game (aka the Portland Sea Dogs). Overall, first day in Maine equaled success.
Day 3: Day three began with a morning walk to the ocean. Along the way, Matt and I encountered a wildlife reserve and so happened to get lost, which turned a supposable 1.5 mile walk into a 4.5 mile walk. AND on top of that, we found ourselves somehow stuck in the middle of an ongoing triathlon, which was quite amusing as community members cheered us on as we passed various marking points.
Come afternoon, the gang traveled on over to Cape Elizabeth's very own lighthouse (just check out that incredible view). Of course, we had to go lighthouse touring in Maine despite the fact that Michigan statistically has more lighthouses (a tad biased towards home state). Next on the agenda, we toured the city of Portland and roamed through the beautiful streets with cobblestone roads (love!). We visited the typical tourist shops, fulfilled our daily sugar cravings with some yummy fro-yo, and consumed adult beverages (in behalf of my belated twenty-first birthday) at "The Chocolate Bar" (which sadly did not have any chocolate).
It was a peaceful evening as we all surrounded the kitchen island partaking in the preparation of a family meal. This was actually one of my favorite activities of the trip. It revealed the significance of mealtimes in fellowship. I hope to someday model this kind of behavior within my own home. Given that we were a mile and a half from the coast, it is only natural that we consume a meal of scallops, halibut, smoked salmon, and whoopie pies (which is acclaimed in the area). In the case that we were not in favor of the fish, we decorated grilled chicken with herbs that each of us individually chose from the garden. For the remainder of the evening, we enjoyed conversations and an evening breeze on the porch and a late night movie at a nearby cinema. Overall, day three was a relaxing day exploring the local areas.
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| [I think we would have rather had the chocolate. haha] |
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| [My one and only. Love him!] |
Day 4: Boston, MA: After taking the bus to Boston (two hours later), we arrived in what Matt and I now believe is one of our favorite cities. The day definitely went too fast to see the entire city of Boston. However, we still managed to go to the New England Aquarium and go on a whale watching tour (which took up the majority of our day, but still worth it). On the whale watch, we were able to follow a 16 year old humpback name Pallet' (pronounced like ballet) and see it surface along with a couple other smaller whales. Among several of the facts they shared with us, one of them was that water shoots water out their blowholes over 200 mph, which in essence, could fill over 1,000 balloons (kind of a fun fact reiterating the enormity and power of the mammal).
For dinner, the aunt and uncle stated that Quincy Market is a definite must-see in the city. And I don't even know how to explain it except that it the longest possible cafeteria that you can imagine with every kind of ethnic food and baked good. Our American instincts kicked in and we devoured pizza, chicken strips, and fries. Post supper, I invested in my very first canolli, which was TO DIE FOR (I'm constantly craving it at home) and tasted kind of like cheesecake in a breaded crisp of amazingness!
I have to say Boston is a gorgeous city and unique due to its historical integrity and architecture. Matt and I agreed that it felt like we could actually breathe and that the city was much more spread out. Before the end of the evening, Jill and I took the boys for a shopping trip (brought on by Matt's desire to upgrade his wardrobe). For once, the roles were reversed and the girls were waiting for the guys to try on armfuls of clothing. Check out what I finally got Matt to try on (which he pleasantly loved) and it's not basketball shorts and shoes.
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| [Matt's new look] |
Day 5: As our trip was coming to end, we were contemplating going white water rafting or hiking/kayaking in Acadia National Park (both of which were 3 1/2 hours away). After thinking about it, we decided to go paddle boarding through the L.L. Bean adventure school, which is quite affordable. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures of us actually on the boards, but I still managed to get one of us in our gear. The rest of the day included an early dinner at a childhood favorite, Bugaboo Creek. And even later, one of my close college friends traveled an hour away to be with us and have dinner.
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| [Jill spilled her smoothie. haha] |
Day 6: Unfortunately, the trip had to come to an end and for our final day in Maine, we spent it climbing the rocky coast at another state park. I think for most of us, this was the cherry on top of a great week. I don't have much to share except that the rocky coast is absolutely beautiful and we spent a great deal of time just taking in God's beautiful creation. Other than that, we spent the rest of the day swimming, laying out, and relaxing before we would depart and say our goodbyes in the evening. Overall, the seven day journey was a great success and I know that I can't wait for the day I return.
