Scrambling to examine the map and weather forecast, we realized there was really nowhere to run. We could not get anywhere in time to get away from the storm. We were stuck.
So, taking the local's advice, we hunkered down at an RV park (yes, I know, we actually stayed at an RV park!). The park was on the coast of course, those are the best locations after all, but we situated ourselves as far away from the ocean as possible and snuggled in tight between two other large RVs. We were actually happy to be up close and personal with our fellow RVers this time since they helped buffer the winds and it's not like the kids, or anyone, would be playing outside anyway. The rain and wind would buffer any noise coming from inside as well.
Yesterday after dinner we said goodbye to my in-laws. They were to continue on their merry way exploring New England and we were going to hang around Maine until the storm blew through and then start our way down south. We would catch up with them again in NY.
So, hunkered down we were. The storm blew in in the middle of the night and boy did we hear and feel it! Looking forward to a lazy morning and a day of doing very little, we woke up that morning and took our sweet ol' time getting going. 9 o'clock rolled around and among the pounding and howling of the weather we heard a car honking. Us being us, we ignored it. After all, who would be honking for us anyway?! 5 minutes later a knock at the door, it was the in-laws! SURPRISE!
Surprise indeed!! They woke up that morning and seeing the conditions outside, decided it might not be such a great idea to start their road trip. It was wonderful of course to have this extra day with them, but there went our day of doing nothing :-). Oh well, more important things were meant to happen that day I guess.
We ended up having a lovely time hanging out in the RV playing, talking and hoping the RV wouldn't topple over from the winds...BTW, in these pics it looks like it's dark outside, and it was pretty darn dark, but it was 10AM!
Still carving Crazy Horse....that child doesn't forget things apparently....
As early afternoon rolled around we decided to head out and see the winds in action as well as the glorious waves the ocean has stirred up as a result.
These kinds of waves
Brought about this kind of reaction -
Over and over and over again....
It was truly spectacular to witness!
Yes, we were once again underdressed. We managed to get the rain boots out the day before but didn't think to get the heavy coats out from under the RV. No one volunteered to go out there in the middle of the storm to get them...There was just no way to do it without getting sopping wet, so we froze. But only for the few minutes we were out of the car.
Once we wrapped up our storm and ocean exploration we headed for a local lobster pound for lunch. They had a full menu, so some of us did managed to eat something besides lobster.
The lobster did make for a fun photo op though :-)
After saying goodbye to the in-laws, again, we headed home. Driving down the road we passed this -
And S being S, had to stop and investigate. What was this? A closer look was in order.
This man, the chainsaw artist, NOT to be confused with carving, is apparently world famous. Yes, ALL his art is created using a chainsaw, sometimes two at once! He has actually used a chainsaw to write people's names onto their belt buckles, while they're wearing them!! He's also chainsawed the alphabet on a pencil.
We spent quite a bit of time in there talking to him and the kids had fun sketching his chainsaw art.
Never know what kind of characters you'll run into....interesting he certainly was!
OK, home we really headed this time. A quick dinner and we set off again, this time into Bar Harbor to see the little, and free, Whale Museum. A perfect activity to wrap up a stormy day.
At the museum we got to manhandle whale vertebrae,
Learned about how shape affects how fast or slow one can move underwater,
Listened to and watched different sounds made by marine animals using a spectrogram,
Examined models of old whaling ships,
Learned about migratory patterns,
Played humpback matching games,
Discussed the issue of visibility, or lack thereof, in the deep ocean,
Discovered how some whales sift their food using baleen,
Examined that baleen up close and personal. Yup, that's how big it is......
And compared our size to the size of a skull! YIKES!
For a small and free museum, it sure had a lot to offer! Time well spent to be sure.
The storm meanwhile had died down and tomorrow we'd be leaving our beloved Maine. Our visit was short but very sweet, nor'easter and all.
This is just amazing! You guys are having such a wonderful adventures! I am so glad you are keeping track of them and sharing with the rest of us. Can't wait to see you guys in December!Love Chris Z
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