Mt. Washington Toll Road

Not a great day for views atop Mt. Washington, and an even worse one for driving the ever narrow toll road. There are places that are clearly only designed for one car to be on the road at a time. We followed one moron up who chose the narrowest section of the road to back down - as if he got nervous about the ride up. I will say that it is probably a good thing I did not have good visibility or I might have wanted to turn around too.

The Cog Railway was running, but not worth the price with the lousy view.

Westward to New Hampshire

Next Stop, Mt. Washington Hotel. We had several hours to drive on Hwy 2 across Maine and part of NH to get to Mt. Washington. We were staying at the Inn at Mt. Washington Resort (http://www.mountwashingtonresort.com/) and would drive the Mt. Washington road in the morning. The Inn, Hotel, and entire resort for that matter are incredible. However, it is another location that is geared more towards adults than kids / young families.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Acadia is home to Cadillac Mountain, the first place in the United States to see the sun rise. I got up around 4am to witness this event. The park is 5 minutes from Bar Harbor and the top of Cadillac is not far from there. Unfortunately, the clouds would not cooperate on this day. There was quite a crowd of disappointed sun worshipers, though.

Maine-bound - A 'Maine-iac' for a Week

Our destination was Bar Harbor, ME and Acadia National Park (http://www.nps.gov/acad/). It is an easy drive, but not a particularly exciting one. After a day of driving through the northern Boston area (Concord) and visiting family & friends, we spent the night in Portland, ME. We would leave early and try to be at the park for lunch. Looking at a map, it is Portland to Bangor, ME and make a right; stop when you get to the ocean.

We did stop at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound for lunch. This was one of the best meals I have EVER had. The lobster is boiled outside in sea water. Accompanied with steamers, corn - basically, the ultimate New England Clambake!

We headed to Acadia to stretch our legs and get a lay of the land. We arrived on a cool cloudy / drizzly day - less than ideal for landscape touring.

We were staying at the Bar Harbor Inn (http://www.barharborinn.com/) for a couple of days. Nice place. Water view and plenty of room. Private balcony overlooking the water. But, not real "kid-friendly". The whole Bar Harbor area seems dependent on the tourist, but want the ones without kids.

CONCORD & Minute Man Nat'l Historical Park

New England is a relatively small geographical area (especially if you buy into my theory that NY, CT, and RI don't count). From Boston, you can be in New Hampshire in less than an hour (on the beach no less) and in Maine in another 20 or 30 minutes.

We made a minor detour on our way out of Boston to Concord, MA and the site of the first rifle shot of the American Revolution. The Minute Man National Historical Park is well preserved and just outside a typical New England town. It is not a large area and can easily be taken in over a couple hours.

We headed out of Concord and visited some family and friends for an afternoon cook out and then took off for Maine. We spent the night in Portland - the only large city in Maine and probably does not really fit the true "Mainer" profile.

BACK TO BOSTON

Plymouth Plantation is on the south side of Boston along the shoreline. We wanted to be able to say the kids had visited Connecticut and Rhode Island so we went southwest into both states and back to Boston. We probably added less than an hour to our return trip by doing this as CT is close and RI is very small. No big deal, but we did get to add the two states to the list.

Plymouth Plantation

Excuse me, "Plimoth Plantation" - seems we have been spelling it wrong for 200+ years including in the teaching of our children. What is that? Their own personal tatoo to say "I'm different" or their loss of humility and that somehow they are better than the rest of us. Albeit, they (or their minions) roam around a wooden fort with thatched roofs as if it were still 1620 and the "indians are at the gates" .... but I digress....this is an educational trip.

The kids enjoyed the trip through time, weaving into and out of huts, mini forts, climbing on canons, and watching the carving of canoes - what a back-breaking job that would be. We've since had a about 15 generations of getting weaker to the point where our kids say it is "too hot" to go outside, let alone work. And, the work thing is not happening until there is something in it for them - like a car, cell phone, etc.

This is an interesting stop, but don't over do it. Furthermore, save your money. It rivals the ticket prices at DisneyWorld. I guess those people in the frumpy uniforms have formed a union and extracted some pretty hefty wages to be put on stage.