Acadia National Park 2018

Wow, I've gotten really bad at this blog thing. I haven't posted since June, and that was a post about Mexico that was four months late!

C'est la vie.

Our neighbors Molly and Brendon go camping at Acadia National Park every Labor Day. We used to avoid traveling on holiday weekends because the Boston exodus and re-entry traffic are legendary. But last year they made it sound so attractive that we gave it a try, and loved it. We signed up again this year.

At almost the last minute, Audrey asked if her best friend Mia could join us for the trip. Carol and I thought about it for about five minutes and said, "Sure!" Mia is like our third daughter; she spends a lot of weekends at our house. I asked her during the trip whether she is a guest or a member of the family. She and everyone else agreed: the latter. She's always a pleasure to have with us, and Audrey enjoyed having a friend along.

We decided to borrow a tent and drive the new hybrid minivan this year, figuring it would be more comfortable than Ruby for the 5-hour drive - especially if it was hot. It would also allow us to drive seven people around while there without converting Ruby from apartment to vehicle every day. We all enjoyed sleeping in a tent for a change, but I think we all like the van better. For one thing, it's better at blocking out the sounds of other campers so we sleep better and later in the van.

Visiting Acadia is a wonderful mix. The National Park takes up maybe 1/3 of Mount Desert Island and the rest is quaint seaside towns including the most famous, Bar Harbor. So one can hike and bike and explore the park but still easily go into town for ice cream or meals out.

Our favorite discovery this year is the Rexall drug store with soda fountain! We had seen the store before but didn't know it had the counter. They found all the old accoutrements like the tall glass straw dispenser, and they make soft drinks like a real soda fountain by mixing syrup with carbonated water. Even Coca-cola. They have a classic lunch counter menu featuring grilled cheese, egg salad, ham salad, BLT, etc. Delicious. And cheap! Unfortunately also closed on Sundays.

The third family in our group was Kerry and Sean, who are quite the camping foodies. Kerry made a huge, gorgeous paella the first night and made fancy food on a campfire for pretty much every meal. It was fun to watch.

We all did a few hikes. Charlotte hiked to Great Head with everyone else (and Kerry and Sean's dog Barley) while Carol and Audrey and Mia and I hiked The Beehive - a short, steep hike featuring iron rungs and ladders to climb the cliffs and ledges. Slightly scary and very fun. The next day Carol and I and all the kids (including our neighbor Anna) hiked up Cadillac Mountain to the highest point on the island.

On the way home we got to participate in the legendary traffic, taking 70 minutes to travel maybe 14 miles from Maine, through New Hampshire and into Massachusetts. But the new minivan has adaptive cruise control that works all the way to a complete stop. I didn't have to touch the gas or brakes that entire time, except to tap the gas to say "move" only after coming to a complete stop. It makes bumper to bumper traffic much more tolerable.

Oh, and the weather was ideal. Lows in the high 50s at night and highs near 70 during the day, with no rain.

I suspect we'll do it again next year!

Mexico 2018

Man, I'm really slacking on this blog thing.

Waaaay back in February we had a fantastic trip to Mexico. My parents reached their 60th wedding anniversary in December and we have all been planning for years to gather in Mexico to celebrate. The core of the trip was a week in Puerto Vallarta.

Since all flights to Puerto Vallarta from Boston go through Mexico City, we decided to go a few days early and check out the capitol. We found a great AirBnb that was near both the historic center and the Paseo de la Reforma that is sort of the modern city center.

The highlight for all of us was the street food. I had read quite a bit about it before the trip, and it made my mouth water. We brought antibiotics in case we had any intestinal issues, but my research said that the food in Mexico is much safer than it used to be 20 years ago. Most experienced travelers said "just eat everything". We did, for the most part. We enjoyed quesadillas, many kinds of tacos, corn on the cob (elote), tamales and pastries.

From our apartment window the first morning we watched a man pull up in a pickup truck and set up a kitchen on his tailgate with burners to cook. A steady stream of customers came to buy breakfast. We tried to guess what he was making. Eventually I had to go investigate, and I returned with chilaquiles (crushed tortilla chips, hot green chile sauce, shredded chicken, sour cream and cheese) and rice atole (hot milk with rice, sugar and cinnamon). Man, those were both delicious. I returned every day.

In three days in Mexico City we only ate one meal in a restaurant, and that was our least favorite meal. The street food was easy, fun and delicious.

Oh, I forgot. When we first arrived and ventured out to the grocery store a couple blocks away, we got quesadillas at a stand right outside the grocery store. They handed them to us on thin plastic plates and we walked away toward our apartment. A guy from the stand came running after us to retrieve his plates, which we had inadvertently tried to steal. Silly gringos.

I especially enjoyed taking the subway around the city (although the girls weren't so thrilled with it).

The tourist highlights were a double decker bus tour of the historic district, and our visit to the Frida Kahlo Museum in Casa Azul. Her and Diego Garcia's house and studio have been preserved as it was when they lived in it and it was enchanting and romantic. We wanted to live there. There was also a cool exhibit of her back braces and clothing that were discovered in a hidden area of the house many years after her death.

On the fourth day we took a short flight to Puerto Vallarta.

My parents rented the fantastic Casa Carole, a 5 bedroom villa that clings to a cliff just south of town in Puerta Vallarta. The villa was luxurious and spectacular. We spent many hours lounging by the pool overlooking the ocean trying to spot whales (we spotted many). We enjoyed our family meals prepared by Maria and our margaritas prepared by Pepe. We swam at the beach and walked along the beach into town, past dozens of other cool villas.

We made two day trips to Mismaloya Beach about 30 minutes south by bus. The movie "Night of the Iguana" was filmed there and apparently it was that movie, and the scandal of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's affair during the filming, that turned Puerto Vallarta into a resort destination. Now Mismaloya is a casual, low key, beautiful little beach town. We sat all day in beach chairs at a little cafe enjoying drinks and food in between jet-skiing, snorkeling and relaxing.

We also had a few very lovely family dinners in town at beachfront seafood restaurants (Daquiri Dick's and Blue Shrimp). My sister Tricia and I ate as many shrimp as we could.

The girls also experienced their first massage at a spa recommended by a childhood neighbor of mine who goes to PV twice a year. They decided massages are alright.

Eventually, our week in paradise came to an end. On Saturday Carol, the girls and I flew back to Mexico City for one more afternoon and evening before flying back to Boston Sunday morning. We stayed at an airport hotel, but went on a subway excursion to the Basilica of Guadalupe in the north part of Mexico City. Behind the fascinating modern basilica is a lovely park with another chapel on top of a hill with a view of the city. It was a nice little bonus experience in the city.

It was really a fantastic trip that we all enjoyed very much. I can't wait to go back!