Aug 31, 2011

When we got up we went to the nearby trailhead for Acadia Mountain. The trail was a gradual slope most of the time and changed from rocky to wooded and back again.

The top was smooth, rounded rock with a great view of the bay leading out to the ocean. This was my favorite view last time I came and I think it still may be. The islands popping up out of the water makes a great scene. The weather was great as well.

We hiked down a bit and then the trail began to ascend again over wet soil with raised roots and old trees. We wrapped around the other side of the mountain and had a few more views of the bay from a lower overlook.

After making it to the top of St. Saveur Mountain we made our way back down over rain-soaked ground where there were a lot of muddy areas to traverse and avoid. It was a good morning hike before we left.

On our way out we stopped at a little shop that had jams and honeys and plenty of funny stickers. We tried some pumpkin spread and I got a thing of comb honey since I've always wanted it. It tastes waxy.

We drove west, stopping at a state park to look for a hike. We found a few that were part of the Appalachian Trail, but neither of us were really feeling like doing another strenuous hike so we decided against them and stopped at a little pie stand to get a wild blueberry pie and some Maple moon pie things that were delicious.

We spent too much time driving around the White Mountains trying to find a campsite. One was blocked off on a dirt road that we drove a long way down before finding out and then we had to come back down it and through town to find the other one. We had some delicious rice/vegan chicken stuff for dinner though and that made everything better.

Once we had the tent set up we got to bed with the nice sound of rushing water nearby.

Aug 30, 2011

Once we got up and dealt with the host of the campground we stayed at we drove the rest of the way into Acadia National Park and started with the Beehive Trail. This is the other iron rung trail similar to the Precipice but not nearly as long it seems.

The trail was pretty good, with a nice view the whole way up the side. It was a lot shorter on the way up than I thought. It was steep, just less obstacles than I hoped for.

The descent trail was wooded and rocky at times; a pretty simple and easy route. The shade was nice and it was good to go downhill for a while.

We went out to the rocks along the ocean when we got back. We started walking along them and climbing around, following the shore.

We had to climb at some parts and try to avoid the waves as they crashed into the rocks. This is me not doing that. My shoes got soaked here, but it was a lot of fun doing it so I was fine with it.

We found a ball on the shore and a stick so we stopped to play baseball for a little while. After we each hit a few balls, and after I knocked it up into the trees, we moved along.

We ended our trek at Thunder Hole, where water pours in to a crevice in the rocks and sprays out water in large, thunderous bursts. I stood on the rocks for a while and got showered with the big blast of water a few times. The photo doesn't do it justice. Look it up.

We went into Bar Harbor for a short time, stopping at the Bar Harbor Brewing Co. to sample a little beer and some wine and then headed to the low-tide access to Bar Island. You can only get across this a few hours a day. We walked the bar to the other side on the rocky path and basically just turned around and headed back. It was just to say we did it.

We had rested a bit and were ready for another hike so we went to Long Pond to do the Perpendicular Trail. The name is misleading. It's more of a vertical hike. Lots of steps. It was rocky and a really beautiful forested area, just steep.

On top, we could see far out beyond the pond as the sun was setting behind Mansell Mountain, casting its shadow and a chill over the trail. We got moving again to warm up and get back down before sunset. The trail back was wooded and we spent a lot of time on the ridge of the mountain before descending down the other side and wrapping back to the parking area.

We went back to the car and had something to eat before heading to town for real food at the cafe. We got a pizza with delicious veggies on it; best of all, it had artichoke hearts. It was great.

We got down to the lighthouse while there was just a little bit of light left in the sky. It looked really nice, but the mosquitoes were ridiculous so we only stayed for a few minutes before we took off running up the stairs, finding bug bites all over our legs when we got back.

We went to the campground and set up the tent after sitting and listening to Stuff You Should Know for a while. It was another early night to bed.

Aug 29, 2011

I spent the morning packing things up and then bypassing the panicking Millvillians who were worried about the dam overflowing as I helped Jeff and Ali pack up stuff from his house and Sam's onto the truck and into my car. We took it up to his new place in Collingswood and made a few trips to get it all in the house. It's a really nice, big place! This is what the owner of a new apartment looks like.

After finishing up we went over to the Pop Shop, which Jeff is lucky enough to be two blocks from, for lunch. The grilled cheese I got was huge and delicious as always. My soda was not as good, and it was pointed out that I just made a Shirley Temple when I chose Sprite with cherry syrup. Oops.

I left from there to Joanna's, packed up her car and then got on the road north toward Maine. It wasn't the plan to leave so late, but that's what happened.

We were lucky enough not to hit much traffic, but it was still quite a long drive. Less than an hour from Bar Harbor we were too tired to keep going so we grabbed a campsite, put up the tent, and went to pass out.

Aug 28, 2011

The rain had stopped by late morning and it looked like a beautiful day outside. You would never know we apparently came close to some kind of disaster. Alex and I went down to East Point, where I thought the roads would be flooded, to try to see any kind of damage. We saw nothing and the roads were fine. The waves were pretty big and the wind was fierce, but otherwise it was business as usual.

Back in Millville there was some flooding at the high school parking lot and across Wade Boulevard. This was the only real flooding I saw at all. I heard that a few people had some problems, but they seemed to be isolated incidents.

We came back and played the sports medley game for XBox. The bowling was fun once the sensor thing stated working correctly. The hurdles was cool too. I am undecided on how I feel about Kinnect. It's fun at times but I still like Wii better from what I've played.

My sister invited me over to play poker with her and some friends later on so I went out to a barn on Carmel Road and we bought in for more than I hoped to be spending. There were also about ten or twelve people playing and it seemed like they played often. I lost on the first hand and ended up buying in again after a while, playing up and down a bit and eventually losing again. Gotta get some money before I do that again. Or get better at poker.

I came home after my loss and doctored my toe that I smashed on something in the dark on my way to my car as I left the barn. It was really nice out, but my toe suggested I not go out for a walk or anything.

Aug 27, 2011

Though it was raining all day I felt like I had to get outside so I went for a run on the river walk. I was soaked when I got back of course, but it felt nice. I thought it would be raining harder because of all the weather reports I had watched.

The whole day looked like this and I kept expecting there to be some massive event happening. The hurricane hype had me waiting for it. Instead all we really got was a bunch of rain, sometimes hard.

I spent the day inside going through photos, watching shows and later, playing games like Text Twist to pass the time.

It wasn't like I could have done much else anyway in the rain, but it felt like I was stuck inside for no good reason and everyone was just enjoying talking about the course of the storm.

Aug 26, 2011

I went out with my dad in the morning to play a few games of tennis at the college. These games were a lot more back and forth than last time. I won the first set, he won the second, and then we called the last one at a draw to get out of the heat. We had a lot of really good points throughout though. We stopped at Shop Rite and got food at the buffet before I came home.

After spending much of the day looking at info on Hurricane Irene, I decided to brave the exodus from New Jersey to get to Philly. Chuck decided to sit it out so I invited Alex to come to the show with me and it ended up being less traffic than any other Friday night. We got to the Barbary as Sainthood Reps were finishing their set, but it sounded great. I Call Fives took the stage next and they were awesome. So much energy and fun songs. I got a shirt.

The Dangerous Summer came out next, opening with my favorite song from the new album and then hitting some older tracks. I was singing along in the crowd of maybe fifty people. It was strange being at such a small venue for a band that I know so well.

They played a few more new songs as the the set went on but stuck to older songs for the most part. It was a pretty short set, unfortunately. They were really good though and I'm glad I decided to come up for it.

The show was over by 9pm so I was back home before 11. It felt very strange, but it was a good show. After watching some things I went to bed and listened to rain pour outside.

Aug 25, 2011

After a good sleep I picked up Jenny and went to Starbucks where I got a berry tea lemonade thing and she got some kind of mocha drink. We sat there and talked about schools and plans and anything we could think of for a while. She ran into at least two people she knew and one she might not have?

We went over to Kawa after a while to get sushi and teriyaki for lunch. It's been a while since I've had sushi and it was very good. I stuffed myself with spicy tuna and veggie teriyaki. After sipping some hot tea and watching whatever strange thing was on the television for a while we left and I took her home. Until next time she returns from England!

We went out to the Oar House later for Tracy's late birthday drinks. She and Mike met me there and Chuck joined us a short time later. We had a few Acme IPAs and some laughs while we waited an hour for a plate of fries.

We called it a night fairly early, but we had a fun time just having a few drinks and I came home to watch Louie and go to bed.

Aug 24, 2011

Once Tracy and I figured out what we were doing and I picked up the truck and the kayaks we met up and put them in the water at the lake in Elmer. We immediately paddled into a tunnel of tree cover, giving us a nice, smooth, shady ride with not too much current.

We saw a lot of turtles on the trees along the river bank. It was wide most of the way through and surprisingly void of much debris or fallen trees.

Besides a few steering incidents, both Tracy and myself had no problem maneuvering through the river. I had never taken that full route before. It's definitely longer than the one we usually do, but much more forgiving as far as blocked path and difficult currents. I liked it. We had a good time and the weather was perfect.

Later I drove up to Plainsboro Preserve in Princeton to meet Joanna. The actual preserve was closed but I found a nearby park that was quiet and open. I spent some time taking long exposure shots of the power lines and stars.

After talking for quite some time I headed home to get to bed before the sun came up.

Aug 23, 2011

It was such a nice day outside that I felt like I was wasting it in the house so I got my bike out and headed east. I didn't have a destination in mind at first, but I figured I would head toward Sea Isle. The ride was nice most of the way once I got out of Millville's traffic and construction. There was a wide shoulder along all of Route 49.

I was ready for a break by the time I got to Woodbine, so I stopped off on the bike path and rested on a bench. I checked my phone to see that I had biked through an earthquake that was confusing and scaring people. I didn't feel a thing. I'm a little upset about that. Maybe next time!

I wasn't far from Shannon's house so I dropped by to see her before she went to work. We sat on the lawn and caught up for a while until she had to leave and I hopped back on the bike and pedaled home. I was beat when I got back; 50 miles total. I need to make a few adjustments to my seat so it doesn't affect me so much. I stayed in for the rest of the day after that. I felt that I had fulfilled my daily exercise.