The Great Outdoors
12:52 PM
This respite has been very relaxing and exciting, if that is possible. We spent three days in Searsport and explored parts of down east Maine. Despite growing up in central Maine, I have never had the chance to see the down east parts of Maine such as Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, and Belfast. Not only I was able to experience this new area, we did it while camping! Joe and I had only been camping once prior to this which was tragic. We went as a group with our kids from work and other house parents to Moosehead Lake. Sounds perfect right? Not unless if you add constant thunder showers and disregulated children. It wasn't the best first time experience. Luckily our second go at camping was a million times better.
Our campsite
We stayed at an amazing campground called Searsport Shores Ocean Campground. It was very quiet despite the camp sites were pretty close. Where we stayed was by the campers/RVs because the bulk tent sites were located on the other side of the campground and you had to park your vehicle in a lot and bring your supplies. We opted for being able to park our car on site just to make it easier. Anyway, we really enjoyed the campground. We could see the water from our site. They had their own beach front which is nice despite the beach is more stones then soft sand. They had a nice little gated dog park which was perfect for our coonhound to roam and play. They also had an art studio building where they have weekly workshops. The gift shop was also pretty neat to browse through. They sold souvenirs as well as the necessities for camping (smore's stuff, fire starters, camper tools, etc). Very practical.
The Camp waterfront. The tide is out in this picture. When it comes in the water is up to the posted sign.
My favorite part of the campground by far was the water. We were able to walk Hank down to the water through out the day. It was also considerably cooler because we were by the coast. I am not a big fan of humidity which was a nice bonus.
Above: Early morning when the tide was out
Below: The AMAZING moonlight over the water.
Like before, we also explored the area of Boothbay Harbor and Acadia National Park. It was absolutely beautiful. The only downside were the level of people but that is a given being it tourist season. Maine really thrives on tourists and its understandable because Maine is a beautiful state. We actually "accidentally" didn't have to pay into Acadia due to while exploring Boothbay we made it into the Park area. So that was $25 saved. I was able to get a few pictures of one of the trails. I honestly don't remember the name of the trail, but it was pretty neat.
Above: There was a cave which reminded me of something straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Below: If you look there was a HUGE mansion across the water.
So the trip was phenomenal! I was also able to remain healthy, though I am not afraid to admit I did have some s'mores (but honestly that is a requirement for the camping experience). I cooked chicken sausage for our dinners. If you haven't had any of the brand's Al Fesco chicken sausage, you really should! It is over 70% less fat then regular sausage, there is so many different flavors such as roasted garlic, sweet apple, buffelo, etc. The best part is that it is precooked, which was perfect for camping. I purchased a neat grill basket that is technically labeled as a "smore's cooker" but was able to fit the chicken sausage perfectly.
Cooking up some sausage for dinnah
So our extended respite/vacation is slowly coming to an end. These next few days we are staying with my parents. It was so nice to take a few extra days off and do something different and new. I highly reccomend people to at least try something new once a week. Honestly, you only have one life to live and you can't spend it inside a box forever. There is a world to explore and the best part is to be able to share it with someone you care about. That makes everything worth it. All of the frustrating moments, just worth it. I am so fortunate to have an amazing husband to share my life's journey with. I thank god every day for that.
I finally ordered my Fitbit HR which should arrive this week. I am super excited to give it a go. I've been wanting to find a better way to monitor my activity through out the day. My next post will be my own review on the Fitbit. I have done some research on other reviews on the piece so I am curious how it will go. Overall, the feedback has been positive so that is enlightening. I am also doing yoga again. I have been noticing my mental health has been on the fritz with social anxiety. My struggle with social anxiety has always been a major hurdle and it usually comes in waves. I noticed that when I was doing yoga, my mind was more at ease due to the meditation portion. My body was also able to relax and become less tense. I am making it apart of my routine to start my day right, which means an earlier wake up time (yayy...) but for the sake of my mental and physical health it is needed. So I will be writing about that as well! So much stuff!!
Until next time!
~Rachel
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