From the Monsta to Baw Hawba and Back

When the kids were 6-years-old, we went on a trip with Julie’s sister, our brother-in-law, and our two nephews to Boston, Kennebunkport, Bar Harbor, and Portsmouth. It was a great trip. We got to see the Green Monster, ride in duck boats, eat lobsters, hike around Jordan Pond… and I destroyed a brand new VW Passat.

The four of us like to get on the earliest flight we can when traveling, because that reduces the risk of delays mucking up our itinerary. So, we got into Boston during mid morning. The other four weren’t coming in until late afternoon, so we decided to hop on the T and head to Fenway Park. When we got there, they only had 2 tickets for the next tour. Obviously, I was going, but we had to decide which kid got to go with me. At first, it was a fight to see who got to go with dad, but then Julie said whoever doesn’t go will get to go explore a nearby park with her. She made this nondescript, previously unknown to us, park sound so great that suddenly they were fighting over who got to go with her. It got so bad that they both went with her, and I was stuck with an extra ticket.

Something I wasn’t aware of prior to this trip was that Boston’s North End is awash with authentic Italian cuisine. Just walking around there is like being transported, not quite all the way to Italy, but more like an Epcot version of Italy. We spent our first two nights in Boston, and we stayed downtown so we could walk everywhere. That first night, the eight of us walked to the North End and dined at Al Dente. This place is the real deal (I recommend the veal parm), and the service was as fantastic as the food. They even threw in a round of limoncello for the adults at the end of the meal. From there, we headed to Mike’s Pastry for cannolis. If you like butter and sugar, I recommend this place. On the way home, we discovered another part of Boston I was not previously aware of; they have a lot of fountains, and no one seems to stop kids from playing in them.

Day two consisted of a trip to the aquarium, which was great if you enjoy marine life (which I do), and a ride on the duck boat. These are buses that look like boats, and they have been repurposed from their original use in WWII. While these apparently are pretty well known as a Boston tourist attraction, I had never heard of them, so imagine my surprise when I suddenly discovered that the boat look wasn’t just an eccentric touch, but these things really turn into boats! We were just driving along, when suddenly we drove right into the Charles River! We motored around the river for a while, waved at Cambridge, then drove back onto land. This was a great way to get a glimpse of the entire city, learn some Boston history, and enjoy a quick cruise. That evening, in keeping with our international theme, we hit up Boston’s version of China Town. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant, but it was defiantly better than the place passing out samples in the mall food court. China Town is much smaller than the North End, but it was still fun to walk around and feel like we were in a small piece of a foreign land.

The next morning we picked up our rental cars for the journey north, matching VW Passats. (Brand new, matching Passats) Sadly, for one of them, this would be the beginning of its end. We headed to Salem to hunt for witches, and then made our way up to Maine. We stopped in Kennebunkport for a bite to eat (lobster), and then into another boat, this one sans wheels, to head out to sea and spy on the Bush compound. The captain had a nice arsenal of Bush related humor he enjoyed sharing with us. First, we passed the Bush yacht, Fidelity, in the harbor. The captain told us when the Clinton’s came to town for a visit and went on a cruise with the Bush’s, they had to rename the boat, Infidelity. Then, as we sailed by the Bush’s massive compound, he told us each Bush family member had a building. He pointed out “Bush 41’s” house, Jeb’s house, and then said the trailer in the back belonged to W.

After the cruise I learned two things; one, there is s place called just Kennebunk (no port), and two, the trucks or stands on the side of the road have the best lobster. We stopped for a few rolls on our way from “port” to “just bunk,” and these babies simply melt in your mouth. I had lobster every day we were in Maine.

After a quick stop in Freeport to check out L.L. Bean, we headed to Bar Harbor. We actually stayed on the outskirts of Bar Harbor at a place called The Colony Cottages, which was perfect for our family. They are super affordable, they are in a great location right next to the entrance to Acadia National Park, and they have a pool. They are also right on the water, (well, across the street from the water) and the kids could hunt for crabs and various sundry small creatures living among the rocks. Since there really isn’t any any sand on Maine beaches, with the exception of “The Sandy Beach” in Acadia, the kids enjoyed making rock castles along the water.

Acadia National Park is pretty small, compared to many of the other parks, but it is still beautiful. One perk is you are able to dive your car all the way to the top of Cadillac Mountain, which means you get a great view with out the hassle of physical exertion. There are trails up there for you to wonder through while catching great views of the coast. And, just like the shore below, the kids can play on the rocks.

Another great feature of Acadia is Jordan Pond. Back home, we’d call this a lake, and not so much a pond, but whatever. There’s a nice 3-mile hike you can take that circumnavigates the “pond,” and you can hike up to the top of one of the surrounding mountains to get a great aerial view of the “pond” as well. After that, drive the loop through the park to take in the breathtaking scenery, and afterwards stop in at the little village on the other side for a meal. I suggest the lobster. Once you’ve done that, head to the “Sandy Beach” inside the park. This place is exactly as it sounds; it’s the only “beach” we encountered on this trip that had actual sand, and people were taking advantage. This place was super crowded, and we had to park along with side of the road a good bit away from the entrance due to the massive crowd. We thought the water would be too cold for our kids to want to get in, so we didn’t bother packing their suits for our visit to the “Sandy Beach.” We were wrong, and they ended up just jumping in with the clothes they had on. It was the Boston fountains all over again.

This is where we say goodbye to the Passat. After our adventures in Acadia, we were going to hit Bar Harbor to look around and see what all the fuss was about. On the way in we stopped for gas at one of those quaint old-time gas stations with one pump. I hopped out, filled up the tank, and hopped back in. After some looking, we found a place on a neighborhood street to park. We hit the town, grabbed some ice cream, let the kids build some rock castles near the docks, and headed back. When Julie tried to turn on the car, it seemed reluctant, but finally started. On our way out of town, she remarked that it was driving funny. Then the lights on the dash and the center console started flickering. A super scary warning light came on, and then the engine just stopped. We were literally coasting down the road with no power. This problem because more acute when we reached a construction area. A worker with one of the “Stop/Slow” signs was standing there and had just turned the sign to “Stop,” but knowing we had to preserve whatever momentum we had left, Julie just kept going right past him. Miraculously, there was a hotel right in front of us, with a huge parking lot, and it was down hill! Julie smartly turned into the entrance, coasted down the hill, and was actually able to glide it into a parking spot. As if that wasn’t lucky enough, our parking spot was right in front of a playground, so we sent our two kids to play while I called the rental company. I told them our car was completely dead, and we needed a new one. The closest car they could give me was three hours away, and they were going to have to get a guy to pick it up on a tow truck, bring it to me, and then tow back the Passat. Shockingly, they had Uber in Bar Harbor in 2017, so we were able to Uber back to The Colony Cottages. On the ride back I was trying to figure out what could have happened to the car, and then it dawned on me; the gas station. This quaint little gas station only had one pump so I didn’t really pay attention to what kind of gas it was. It didn’t have any options to pick, regular, plus, or premium; it was just one option. As I thought more about it, the nozzle did seem to fit a little differently than it usually does. The next day, we went back to confirm our suspicion, but even during the Uber ride I knew what I had done; I filled the car up with diesel fuel instead of gasoline. Fearing the worst from the rental company, I refused to find out the truth until after I had made my statement. At this point, all I could do was speculate. I sat out on our cottage porch, drinking the variety pack of local beers I had purchased from the same gas station in question earlier in the week, and the tow truck guy finally arrived with my Ford Focus around 11:00 pm. The man had me fill out a statement about the Passat, and I was careful to state that the car’s engine failed shortly after refueling, and this “possibly” could be due to “incorrect fuel.” I told the man where he could find the Passat, which had less than 700 miles on it, and that was that. I never heard from the rental company again. (other than when we dropped the Ford Focus off at the airport) I kept expecting a massive charge to show up on my credit card, or a bill sent my way in the mail, but nothing. I didn’t even purchase their insurance when we picked the car up. Oh well, I’ll take it.

After Bar Harbor, we headed south to Portsmouth, NH. We stayed there because it was on the way back to Boston, and apparently they have a great water park. We wouldn’t know though, because stormy weather prevented us from partaking in the park. However, our hotel had an indoor pool, which was good enough for the kids. That evening we ventured out into downtown Portsmouth, which is a pretty happening place. By this point, believe it or not, we ere all kind of done with seafood, so we went to a Mexican restaurant. (it was near the water though, so we were still rocking the seaside vibe) If you ever find yourself in Portsmouth, and you’re feeling like having some Mexican, I recommend Agave Mexican Bistro. As you can see, the boys enjoyed the nachos.