Gorgeous Exquisite Stunning Magnificent…Mount Desert Island

This morning, after a quick review of the map, my senses were overwhelmed.  Hoping to get some direction from friends, I posted the map on Facebook and Steve Fields commented “For crying out loud! The place is called, Mount Desert Island, how much more contradictory can you get?” Sometimes the most obvious thoughts can spur the day’s actions on the Venzaliner50 journey. That’s it, today’s goal was to explore the area and find out why the name Mount Desert Island.  I’m sure Google would be faster; however, time I have and exploring I enjoy.  

My first thought, how desert can be included in the name when there is every shade of green and 100% humidity. No, it wasn’t raining but the humidity and fog created a very wet atmosphere. After wandering aimlessly through the Acadia National Park Visitor Center viewing  displays and skimming pamphlets and books I stamped my National Park Passport book, traded $2.86 for the Acadia NP Motorist Guide Park Loop Road (27 miles connecting Acadia’s lakes, mountains and seashore) and set off to see some sights via car and foot and this is what I saw....

Frenchman Bay on a foggy day

Looking down 95' 95’ from the top of Duck Brook Bridge

 Overlook where 1947 fire burned in a mosaic pattern of light green broad-leaf trees against the darker green of pines and spruces that did not burn.

Lady Slipper in the Wild Gardens of Acadia at Sieur de Monts

Sensitive Fern in the Wild Gardens of Acadia at Sieur de Monts

One of the many carriage road bridges

Thunder Rock in action!

Trail to Bubble Rock (no pic of Bubble Rock since it did not appear through the fog :}

Now for the geography and history lessons of the day…Mount Desert Island is the 6^th largest island in the contiguous United States and the 2^nd largest on the Eastern Seaboard at 108 square miles.  Acadia National Park makes up over half the island (35,000 acres) and is home to over 300 species of birds, 45 miles of carriage roads, and 125 miles of hiking trails. The first reliable European record of the island was in 1604 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain who named the island isle des Monts Deserts after observing the lack of vegetation on the summits. Mont is the French word for mountain; however, note that Samuel joined this expedition led by the fur trader Pierre Du Gua de Monts…hmmm should it be Mount Desert Island or Monts Desert Island? There you have it Steve, contradictory or not, Mount Desert Island is a mountain (1,530 ft) metamorphosed 500 million years ago, it is an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Blue Hill Bay, Western Bay and Frenchman Bay, and the summit is barren, I can attest to that!

Now, imagine being one of the indigenous people paddling Frenchman’s bay in a dug-out canoe 5,000 years ago, or being the commander of a Spanish fleet in the New World sailing from France to Nova Scotia joining the expedition and sailing a pinnace around Mount Desert Island, or being a rusticator who came to the island in the mid-1800s to escape the large city bustle and enjoy the splendor of Mount Desert Island, or being on the Venzaliner50 journey and exploring the contradictory name of Mount Desert Island. 

Stay tuned; this post was followed with a day of biking and a day of hiking...and the sun was shining!

Ahhhh.....

What a beautiful day. Started with blueberry pancakes at the Merry Moose at Saco KOA; wonderful conversation with Phil and Terri, nurses from Austin Texas. Followed by a hike to Cascade Falls and a drive up US 1 to Acadia NP with a stop at Reds Eats for a lobster roll.  Scrumptous and exquisite is what comes to mind. The sights are beyond explanation...harbors, sailboats, tug boats, surfers, bicyclists, hikers, mountains, hills, fog, rain and sun How many shades of green are there anyway? I think I saw them all today. Now, here I sit fireside enjoying a hotdog on naan  thinking, I wish I could share it with all of you. Well, a blog post will have to do. Good night!

Lobster roll....yum

Thanks Bette and Ernie for the recommendation...definitely worth the wait! Sun is shining, people are smiling and I'm stuffed!

Exhaustion is self-inflicted; slow down!

Exhausted...2,845 miles, 15 states in 24 days! So many exciting places, so many wonderful people, and so many things to do; I'm exhausted. Marathon is what comes to mind; however, it is a self-inflicted marathon and I hope to slow down a little.

A quick synopsis of happenings since my last post:

Stayed two nights at the Emmanuel’s Country Estate campground; a special campground as the hosts were my son’s future in-laws (Bill & Patty Emmanuel) and the campground was their beautiful home in the rolling hills of Glenmoore, PA.  Thanks Bill & Patty for welcoming me once again to your home.

I enjoyed four nights at the Wyndham in Exton visiting family and friends who joined Ben & Ashley for their special wedding day. The wedding was exquisite. Ben & Ashley, May you be blessed with love, joy and happiness on your new life together!

Then, I was blessed with my mother's (June's) presence for 6 days of travel from PA to Burlington Vermonth.  She had to experience the Aliner to make sure I would be okay...I think I passed the test!  We explored the Delaware Water Gap, Catskill Mountains and Woodstock; all awesome places to visit. Then we were off to meet Bette (mom's cousin) and her husband Ernie in Burlington, Vermont and they graciously showed us the land and lake side of the area.  Thank you Bette & Ernie! P.S.  Love you Mom!

STOP and listen...Exhaustion is self-inflicted; slow down and enjoy the moment!

The gift of family

“You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.”  Bishop Desmond Tutu

Pondering Bishop Tutu’s quote, I realize my family is preparing to grow and tomorrow marks that special day.  My oldest son, Ben, will take Ashley Brynn Emmanuel’s hand in marriage and a daughter-in-law will be added to my family.  As the quote says, you don’t choose your family and although I didn’t choose Ashley, I am thankful that Ben did; welcome to my family Ashley and thanks for the addition Ben!

Speaking of family, I just spent 10 days with my youngest son, Joshua, and I am thankful he joined me on the first leg of my Venzaliner journey (1,675 miles). We shared good times…

Chasing frogs near Lake Phelps (second largest lake in NC) and climbing in giant cypress trees

Touring an Antebellum Plantation, Somerset Place, at Pettigrew State Park, NC

Watching kites fly high over the skies of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and checking out several of the lighthouses on the Outer Banks

Taking a moonlight walk through the sand dunes to the Atlantic Ocean at Oregon Inlet Campground

Spotting the wild horses of Assateague Island and watching them take over campsites  

Admiring a robin feed her babies above the Aliner at Cape Henlopen in Lewes, Delaware

Driving the Venzaliner onto the Cape May-Lewes Ferry for a 17-mile ride across the Delaware Bay

Checking out a WWII bunker at Cape May Point State Park

Being the lone campers at Atsion Campgrounds at Wharton State Park, NC

Visiting Ashley’s family in Glenmoore PA (thanks Bill and Patti for allowing us to campout in your driveway!)

Other awesome family news…Jake and his fiancée, Amy, found a place to live in Cincinnati and Jake landed a job starting June 18.  Congrats Jake & Amy!

STOP and listen…life is short and each day is special; take a moment to give thanks for your gift of family!

P.S. Happy Birthday Ashley!

Sounds of life!

Today ended at Buck Hall Recreation Area situated along the Intracoastal Waterway with access to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge; part of the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina. We arrived late therefore had to use the overflow camping with no electric hookup; a lush green grassy field surrounded by live oaks, cypress, magnolia and palm trees. Only two other campers in this area; a young couple tent camping with their dog and an RV where the people were hiding out! Quiet, peaceful and relaxing, to say the least.

Sounds are astounding on the Venzaliner50 journey and they differ significantly from the sounds of last week. Rather than the 5:30am default ringtone from my Motorola cell phone, I awoke to the sounds of nature—an owl hooting the traditional “hoo hoo”, while a bird (sorry, I don’t know bird calls…mom, where are you?) had a story to tell and wanted to make sure everyone within a mile radius could hear. Although I did not comprehend his story, it reminded me of the enjoyable sounds of the previous night.

Brooke, Lori & Judy

The cackling was reminiscent of the joyous laughter shared with my roomie from younger years, Lori, and her husband Todd, my son Josh and his friend, Marc. What an awesome time; Todd was our tour guide of Jax Beach and he shared many tidbits of area information, followed by a scrumptious dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack (one of the few restaurants on Jax beach). Our waitress, Gucci, served up some awesome shrimp, mussels and great balls of fire and then we were totally entertained by the wait staff singing happy birthday backwards; by a patron donning a cowboy hat, riding a pony and shouting about her crabs; and by another patron who totally rocked the chicken dance…guess you had to be there!

Timeout for a little did you know….

·       Jacksonville has the oldest volunteer lifeguard station in the US and just celebrated its 100 year anniversary with over 4,000 alumni serving this station.

·       Lori was the maid of honor in my wedding, a co-worker at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt back in the days, and an awesome roomie!

·       It’s a small world; Josh’s college roommate, Matt, lives in the housing development next to Lori and her family; that is definitely less than 6 degrees removed!

 

One may think sounds of daily life in the wilderness are quiet, peaceful and filled with solitude. However, not always true; the morning can be filled with everything but QPS! Today came alive by the sounds of the owl and bird noted above, followed by a dog who wanted to claim his territory and then the crickets and frogs chimed in along with a lone mosquito (pesky critter). Hence, that was it; the morning began with the hum of a motorboat crossing the bayou and soon after the sounds of footsteps and voices. Good morning world!

Guess it’s time to get going. However, first I leave you with this thought…STOP and listen to the world around you; it is filled with many joyous sounds even when they appear pesky.

Does the mind ever slow down?

Racing, darting, running, flitting those are my thoughts at the moment. Sitting on my reclining lawn chair in the serene quiet of Jonathan Dickinson State Park and my mind is flitting like the squirrels foraging before me. This dude looks just like my mind feels…running back and forth; stopping to look left then right; darting, stopping and off again. Can you picture it? He wants to gather it all but not sure where to start. That’s exactly how I feel. The morsels are all over; inviting, teasing, and testing. All one has to do is make a choice; oh, where to go and what to do.

A choice that is what I made and it was a good one. A conscious decision to slow the mind, relax and take it all in. To discover who I am, why I am here and what I should do from here.

First step, read a little from 24 Hours That Changed the World. Ponder… Does one need to change the world? How does one change the world? I’m not sure, however, stop and listen seems to be the place to start. Quiet and peaceful…we are tucked somewhere in the 11,500-acre park named for Jonathan Dickinson, a Quaker merchant from Jamaica whose vessel shipwrecked nearby in 1696 whose original destination was Philadelphia, PA to settle with his family. Discovered by the Jaega Indians (Jobes), Jonathan encouraged his wife, son, crew and 10 slaves to not resist the Jobes and put their trust in God to protect them. Eventually they found their way to Philadelphia where Jonathan served two-terms as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1712-1713 and 1717-1719. No, I’m not going to be the mayor of Philadelphia; however, I am on my way to PA; trusting God to protect and lead me on this journey.

In the meantime, I had an awesome visit last night catching up with a friend from the past, Glennie Weller Hoffman and her husband Jay. How does a person catch up with the last 15 years in 3 hours? Not easy but we did it. Thanks for the enjoyable evening and the Shell Gift Bag by Rae..beautiful!

This is it; stop and listen. Take a moment to catch up with the past and enjoy the moment!

"She wasn't where she had been. She wasn't where she was going…but she was on her way. And on her way she enjoyed food that wasn't fast, friendships that held, hearts glowing, hearts breaking, smiles that caught tears, paths trudged and alleys skipped. And on her way she no longer looked for the answers, but held close the two things she knew for sure. One, if a day carried strength in the morning, peace in the evening, and a little joy in between, it was a good one…and two, you can live completely without complete understanding." ~ Jodi Hills