Drive. Pray. Scream?: Day 62: Dawn Patrol

We welcomed the sun on Cadillac Mountain at 5:26 this morning, the first place in the United States to see it. The effort to roll out of bed and into the truck was well worth the experience, which was shared with perhaps 200 other hardy souls. Hot chocolate, coffee and blankets made our few minutes of waiting quite bearable; Stan made them even better, hauling our camp chairs across the rocks to the eastern edge (but not too close, Mom!).

Following naps that made the rest of the day possible, we enjoyed a few hours of rambling in the park before meeting a ranger at a tidal "touch tank," where we learned about the various creatures inhabiting the tidal waters around Acadia. We were able to hold and touch all of them; needless to say, given our landlocked existence in Colorado, we were introduced to many new and exciting animals, including sea cucumbers (also called sea slugs), starfish, scallops, mussels, snails, urchins and crabs. One of the interesting things we learned was how so many of them have five symmetrical sides--even the sea cucumbers, which at first glance appear to be shapeless blobs. On closer examination, it's quite easy to see their five-sided design.

We enjoyed the ranger talk with a lovely couple who appeared to be tourists, just like us. However, in a conversation afterwards, during which they offered to send us photos they'd captured of the girls holding the sea creatures, the man shared that he's the park superintendent for Acadia! He and his wife have been at Acadia for seven years and love it; his career in the park service has also taken them to assignments at Rocky Mountain, Fort Scott, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Cuyahoga National Parks.

As expected, the girls nearly performed back flips upon learning about our scheduled carriage ride this afternoon. We checked in with the stables, where an older gentleman sporting the stable logo introduced himself as Mike and asked if the girls would like a behind-the-scenes tour before the ride began. What a silly question! Turns out, he's the owner of the park concession! He runs 11 teams of draft horses, and we met six of them in the barn. Our time with Mike didn't end there, as he was the driver for our carriage. He's a real character, with lots of stories and a true passion for his animals. He speaks to them as though they're his children, which in some cases isn't too far off the mark. The team pulling our group has been with him for 9 years, even though he's had the park contract for just three years.

Our ride took us to the top of Day Mountain, a 500-foot summit that's reached by the Rockfeller carriage roads and offers an incredible view of the Acadia coastline. For the return trip, Mike invited Kelsey to join him on the driver's seat; then he let her drive the team for two-thirds of the way! Thrilled doesn't begin to describe her, and she's now graduated to supreme expert in all things "horse." In the conversations on the downhill ride, Mike let it slip that he served as Maine's Attorney General for a number of years. Who'd have thought that this gentle man in dusty jeans, who speaks sweet-nothings into horses' ears and engages so easily with children, had served the state in such an important and high-powered capacity! A humble man, he mentioned it to us (out of earshot of the other guests) only as a connection with Colorado; he worked closely with our state's attorney general at that time, Gale Norton. He still practices law from his home in northern Maine during the week, traveling to Acadia on the weekends to help run the stables with his daughter. Much of his professional time is spent as a guardian ad litum for abused and neglected kids. Our time with this special man will be a truly treasured memory.

The girls fell asleep soon after dinner tonight, and Stan and I are right behind them. More Maine anecdotes tomorrow...Mike told us some good ones!