The quest: Day Two

Okay, we have to admit... this is the day we have really plotted and planned for. Time to tackle Mount Desert Island. We slept in late for us and had a hearty breakfast of instant Kashi oatmeal, juice coffee and tea for breakfast. Packing up the car with all the gear we thought we'd need for the day, we headed off to tackle the island. It was cold, and a thick layer of frost was covering everything. But we were pumped and ready to take the tupperware on!
First stop? You guessed it, a favorite spot for us, a cemetary. We picked up Skeleton Trail and then travelled onto the island. (Later I would find out that this box was my 500th find! Thanks Queen Bee!)

Our first stop was going to be The Ovens. There was a hybrid here plus an earth cache nearby that we wanted to pick up. We had our tide chart and knew that the morning was the best chance topick it up. Along the way we picked up a quick LBNA box and headed on, thinking we were in the right direction. Before long we were in Bar Harbor. Along with a gaggle of runners! Yikes we hit road race weekend! They were running the 26 mile island loop... we were smart, we were driving it! But boy was Bar harbor hopping and bustling at 7:30 in the morning! I know I sent that messenger along to tell them Team MudCup would be in the area... so they planned a road race??? Who'da thunk we were that important! LOL!

We managed to weave our way through a maze of tour busses and people in shorts and wool hats. Did I mention it was cold? Yup - 38' balmy degrees in the harbor. Evidently this is perfect jogging weather. I personally wouldn't know - because unless my butt is on fire... I don't run. I wouldn't then either (remember - its stop, drop, and roll!) But that's besides the point.
We did have hopes that all the people loitering around would ramble off to the beginning of the road race (we have no idea where that was as we never saw it - or anyone actually running in the race) but a few decided they also needed to stroll along the Coveside walk. Well we headed to the gazebo first. A box is there. So pulling out the camera to act like a tourist... I set off taking photos of boats, vistas, cannons, gazebos and anything else in my line of site while Tea had her arm under the gazebo. The clue said it was an easy reach, but with so many folks walking around - we couldn't find it. We opted to head out the seaside walking path to the two at the end. An ominous site was dangerously close to where one was supposed to be. And alas, the hideyhole was gone. No tree to be had, but an orange barrier that said - walk closed for construction, no tresspassing. We pretended we had been walking along the beach and hadn't seen it so we could venture further down the path to the next box. Alas, this box was also missing its hiding spot. The retaining wall was being rebuilt, and with the missing old retaining wall and tree went another box. So sad. So early in the morning and we are striking out on 3 Bar Harbor boxes. A brisk return walk (which Tea did completely behind tear ridden glasses) to the gazebo for one last look. This time there were fewer folks afoot. I turned my back momentarily and there was Tea, laying flat on the ground - face pressed against the gazebo base up to her shoulder yelling "I can see it! But I can't reach it!" Up she got and headed off to her car for her walking stick. Our hopes were she could beat the thing within reaching distance. So she was laying on the ground on the side and I was laying on the ground in the front waiting to catch the box. She stretched, she twisted, but she was short. The box was another foot and a half out of reach! At this point Tea is cursing herself out for taking the hammer out of her car. She was ready to pull up the center of the gazebo to get the darn thing. I on the other hand thought there was some devine intervention at this point, because I really didn't want to spend the weekend visiting the Bar Harbor police department for destruction of public property in the retrieval of a Lock n Lock. So there the box stayed... and we trekked off to find the other Bar Harbor box... ironically which was behind the police station!

Not knowing the area, we of course walked PAST the box to get to the fountain mentioned in the clue and then proceeded to back track to where we had just been to get the box. This one was here! Yes! Finally one for the find column. So back to the car, stopping to pick up a couple Bar Harbor trinkets and a cup of coffee, we headed. We had boxes to find and so far we were falling short for the morning. For our next box we were off to find Blackbeard's Hidden Cove. We had a general idea where we were heading - but we pulled in and stopped to visit Thunder Hole and the ranger station first. The ranger was starting a fire in the stove and we picked up water and a t-shirt. Guess what - Thunder is VERY quiet at low tide! We weren't there very long before the busses rolled in. All of a sudden there was the rolling thunder of 50 tourists with cameras and numbers attached to the outside of their jackets! Time to get moving for sure!

Back in the car we headed off in search of a mystery box. We needed a perticular view, so we pulled off at one of the scenic overlooks. Someone needs to do some tree trimming! We couldn't see anything! LOL! But we knew we were not in the right spot so we headed on. Following the clues, we pulled into a parking area... it had a great view of a causeway and the cove. There was a monument but we didn't see it at first. We jumped back in the car and went a little further. Looking for a set of stairs near a bridge. We should have been able to find this... why couldn't we find it? So around the cove we continued. And low and behold - there was the set of stairs! On the first side of the cove. Darn! This is a one way road and we needed to be back on the otherside of the cove. Hmm... peaking in the rearview mirror, back we went. Tea doesn't really like reverse... but we managed to make it back to the other side. Still couldn't see the stairs.

Okay - we are missing something for sure. We parked the car in the overlook and headed back up the road and into the woods. Down over the side of the embankment Tea went. My whole fearfactor thing was in overdrive. So I sat on the side of the hill, looking at the view with enough of a distance between me and the drop off so I wouldn't pass out. Tea disappeared around the corner. I yelled a couple times and heard nothing. Before long she was back, no stairway to report, we must have gone too far. I reached down and managed to grab Teas backpack and started back up the hill (of course Tea passed me, LOL!) And we headed back to the car and the overlook... and there was the monument we missed the first go around!

Back to the causeway, we pulled off the side of the road and parked. Tea set off down the beach to find that set of stairs. Still favoring my injured foot from Rangeley I was a bit slower. But she set off and instead of staying along the seaweed covered rocks, she scaled the side of the hill. I'm pretty sure she has never seen Fear Factor, but I know my limits. I'll take the seaweed over the hill anytime! By the time I made it to the seaweed covered corner, she had finally found the stairs. And they were not all they were cracked up to be. Off I ambled across the seaweed to catch up with her. Alas, this was not adding up to the right location. But between us both we decided up the ladder was the best way back to the cove.

We turned while standing on an awesome flat rock - and low and behold - Tea had started something. When we parked the car, nothing. (While we were backing up about 10 cars passed us and the causeway by.) But along with Tea's car there were now a dozen more. She started something! LOL! The buses breezed past, but there were families down on the beach and more that a couple tripods set up. A family was having a family shot taken - no doubt their future Christmas card photo. So up we climbed. And let me tell you, there was a reason we couldn't find this staircase from the top - it was falling apart! Halfway up - I looked up and low and behold - we had an audience. Three bicyclists had stopped to enjoy the view. We chatted and laughed and I managed to make it to the top. They were impressed that I was laughing. I was impressed that I had survived! We parted ways and they passed us as we walked back down to the car parked at the causeway.

Deciding to put this clue aside and just head on - since we had spent almost an hour searching for a box - we drove along, passing our biking friends. we had to slow down briefly at another overlook. The cars were all slowing down so this photographer could capture a photo of a bird. The man was being slow and cautious. Getting closer and closer to the bird for a better shot. I asked Tea what he was taking a photo of - "The bird, don't you see it?" The bird was hidden from my angle until we moved a little further. This darn tourist from New Jersey was taking a photograph of a highly elusive SEAGULL! I thought Tea and I were going to bust a gut we were laughing so hard. The poor guy really thought he was pulling off the biggest feat of the season. We didn't have the heart to tll him - give the bird a french fry and you can take him home to Jersey with you!

So a little further along we drove and low and behold, the staircase. Damn. Looking prematurely again. We pulled off the road and there were our biking friends again. We tumbled down the staircase and tried to get the box before they all made it down. We managed to get the box, but they wanted to sit and chat a while. I went and stuck my hand in the water to see if that would help move them along. After about 15 minutes of chatting - they did decide to head off and Tea and I were able to get the box back in its location just as another muggle came down to the beach. The beach is a relative term as this one is covered with various sizes of well tumbled rocks. You cna pick up any of them and they are all smooth and soft to the touch. Tea found one and remarked "Look, a new resident to the beach."

Back on our journey, we decided we needed to find a place for lunch. It was almost noon and we continued on a bit farther. By now we were a bit distressed as we had lost a big chunk of time and we'd have to rework our plans. we knew there were a couple we could cut out of our plans. But there were others we just had to get. We were driving along a section of Acadia where the carriage bridges were, in places thick with tree cover and all of a sudden a buck jumped out in the middle of the road - giving Tea just enough time to stop the car. We watched it run down the side of the road in front of us as we watched in sheer amazement. The animal was beautiful. A car came up behind us and we pulled over to let it pass as we creeped a bit further to look at the buck. He stood approximately 20 paces in the tree line and watched us watching him. Absolutely amazing. We now understood. Sometimes we are giving a momentary sidetrack in order to see something much better. And who could possibly say we were off track when we sat a mere few feet away from a majestic 6 point buck! We took photos, but under the tree cover, they are very dark. So the best images are just inside our own memories. We took pause, and appreciated the moment. This was meant to help us put our quest in perspective, and it helped make everything seem doable. But first we needed food!

So on we went. Into Seal Cove. Oh yeah, a mystery lies here. But we'll come back after we find that restuarant. We never found the restaurant, but we did come in contact with more signs saying runners were in the area. Again - still hadn't seen any. How could they possibly out run us?? But they were well ahead of us, because road race workers were dumping cups of water and Gatorade as we drove past a water stop. Oh heck. We're here - no food, so lets just stop a minute and get this box. Some clues just love to lead you on a quick walk about before they get to the point. And that's what this one did. Bench? Which bench? There's one... down we go to the beach. This time we had gone too far! But we finally found this lovely box and ambled along. Needed to stop at Asticou Gardens to pick up a box. Dang - not there. And the face that's supposed to be a marker was missing. Which was was he looking anyays? Not knowing - we looked in every direction and came up short.

Still looking for food we drove on. We hooked up with three tour buses at the Somersville Bridge and once again had to act like tourists to wait out the box. Finally they all were back on their buses and we picked up this box. We found an Eternal Gate and drove around and around in circles in Northeast Harbor. For such a small town - how can they possibly have so many one way roads that lead to no where? Or was that just us? We picked up three boxes here, and attempted lunch... closed for the season : ( But everyone from the buses were in there eating! Dang tourists! We asked for the closest place to eat... "Bar Harbor." But we've already been there - and we are not going backwards.

Now working on 2pm, we pulled out our rations. A bag of almonds, the dregs of a cup of coffee, the end of a bottle of water, a banana, the end of a bag of Smartfood, and a package of granola bars. A letterboxer's survival lunch! These people have to eat somewhere! Don't they need pizza to watch football?? Onwards we travelled. We managed to figure out the Carvers Quest without being able to visit the museum or even by figuring out the whole answer to the clues. With 2 letters out of 13 to go by, we found this box. And a great image it was, hidden in a great location for sure!

We continued on heading for Bass Harbor Light to find a box hidden by 'One who must not be mentioned' and another in the area. Oh my - a quick pitstop - a 'grocery' store! Our intentions were to just get directions to the closest restaurant (Again it was Bar Harbor!) and we ended up grabbing yogurt, coffee, soda, crackers and cheese. We wolfed these down before takingon the lighthouse and another set of stairs. Well I took the stairs. Tea took the rocks less travelled and we decided this was not going to result in one for the find column so we headed out to get the other. The sun was beginning to get low on the horizon and we were at the bottom tip of the island. We needed to head north! Back we headed. Past the Somersville Bridge and there was an Irving. That had a Subway! Evidently this spot is a WELL hidden destination... even from the locals! But we were fueled up and now had new energy to get a couple more boxes.

On the way north we picked up a lovely blue diamond box, yup - it deserves it! It was now dark. Change of plans. We found the location of a box we wanted. But relative intelligence had us thinking we shouldn't attempt it in the dark. So we headed back to the hotel and formulated our plan for the morning. Still so many boxes and only one day left of our adventure. But that's for another day and another post. So for tonight we sleep and dream of lock and locks yet to be found.