Strange visits that will require returns brought to a magnificent close

Day 8:

Our last morning in Vermont we cleaned up, packed, and played catch in the clearing right outside our campsite – it was mowed and trees cleared perfectly, like it was there just for a game of catch. We had Ben research a place to eat and he found us the cutest little bagel shop called KC’s so we all got sandwiches. Before we left home, I had seen a review that highly recommended donuts from Cold Hollow Cider Mill and the man with the famous dog in town (welcoming committee? friendly local celebrity? random stranger we just happened to be lucky enough to run into?) Also recommended the same place. I kind of felt like with this many random rave reviews, we had to stop. So we did. And ladened with donuts we took off for New Hampshire. Vermont and New Hampshire were originally planned as drive through states on this trip. These may have been our favorite places we visited and will be the places we come back for. We trekked through the White Mountains on this day while listening to LOTR and watching the fog nestle in the trees. We stopped by a trailhead near Mt Washington and it was so tempting to stay and hike but we had to keep moving to get to our next campsite. We will be back New Hampshire!

A friend suggested we stop at Thayers Inn because it was an old hotel a lot of presidents have stayed in.  It was weird. There were some historic photos/articles under glass alluding to its place in history and a couple of doors with Senators’ names on them but otherwise it was just an old building still being used as a hotel and literally no one was there. We looked around for a while and did not run into a single soul. The town outside was packed, but inside, eerily quiet.

So, we kept moving, making it to Bar Harbor, Maine and our KOA campsite for the night just outside Acadia. It was a busy place.  KOAs are curious places to camp. The first one I recall camping in was in West Yellowstone where we had a quiet site in the woods.  The check in people were very accommodating, bringing us our firewood. The restroom/shower facilities were big and immaculately clean. Since, we have experienced a few KOAs (we typically book in the state and national parks when possible) some with group campers we’ve had to share space with like in Jackson Hole, others have been a lot like the place in Yellowstone. The Bar Harbor KOA is elaborate. There is a food truck, train, crafts, movie nights, stands at each campsite with hooks and shelves and electricity to plug everything in. There are several bath houses each with a laundry facility with so many washers and dryers they couldn’t possibly fill up and games provided while you wait. I heard one of our neighbors complaining about the sketchy wifi and the teenagers having a party by the bathrooms. Apparently it was a different kind of wild here. We had clam chowder and lobster from the food truck for dinner. It was one of the non-cooking meals we had built in so we could try some local fare. While we waited Sammy rode a little train with bubbles and we took turns playing basketball at the court nearby. After dinner Jeff and I sat in Adirondack chairs by the ocean, while the kids explored the beach. We all climbed on the rocks, exploring the sea life, and watching a magnificent Maine sunset.

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