With two full days to relax at Acadia, and with today promising to be the warmest and sunniest day of the two, we decided to go back to Sand Beach. We fixed a picnic lunch, hit the ANP visitor's center for Junior Ranger activity books and then headed to the beach to find that everyone else on the island had the same idea. The parking lot was packed, so we had to park up the road and hike back down to the beach. We found a spot close to the water, and the kids and Keith played in the frigid waves, built sand castles and climbed on the rocks.
(By the way, we found out that today in Lafayette temperatures were in the mid-90s, with a heat index of something like 108. We thought about that as we sat on the beach and enjoyed the breeze on this 80-degree day.) (By the way, part 2: I'm typing this at our campsite at 9:02 p.m., and I can see my breath; it's that cool.)
After a few hours at the beach, we drove a little further up the Park Loop Road, parked the car, then made a mile-or-so hike down to Otter Point in time for low tide and some prime tide-pooling opportunities. We were disappointed that we didn't find much in the way of tide pools or tide-pool creatures -- at least not compared to what we found last year in Oregon. But it was a great hike, and the kids had fun scrambling around on the rocks.
This morning I overheard the kids discussing the fact that they would not be spending the entire day in the car, as if they couldn't believe their good fortune. These kiddos are such troopers. Even when they have been stuck in the car all day, they've been so good at entertaining themselves. When we stop, they get out of the van, stretch their legs, wander around. And when it's time to go again, they hop right back in without complaint. I'm so glad we could give them a day off to hike and play in the sunshine.
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