So East Coast

We've had our fill of Jehrzee (New Jersey), Bah Hahbah (Bar Harbor, ME) and, of course, chowdah (New England Clam Chowder). Or maybe we've just had our fill of traveling. Either way, we're back home and glad to be sleeping in our own bed.

The whirlwind tour of the east coast was a success in patience, directions and more patience. It all started around 4am on the morning of the 18th. With only three hours of sleep, we packed what remained, piled into the VW and set a course for the Columbus Airport. The flight left early and we had landed, been shuttled to enterprise and set off to Boston before we knew it. We were in Boston shortly after noon and even got to get into our room which was great. The Collonade was perfect. Not too overdone, but they made sure the sheets were clean and it was right around the corner from Copley Square. Had a great time in Boston as the weather was beautiful and we were able to walk all over the place. Woke up Sunday and we were off to Locale #2... Maine.

We took the scenic route (Route 1) shortly after crossing into Maine. It was a good call as we had plenty of time to get to where we were going. With little fanfare, we arrived at the Moorings shortly after 7pm... which is straight-up nighttime in their neck of the woods. Again, this place ended up being perfect. We had plenty of room and it was in a great location on the island. In retrospect, we probably did too much, and that was probably my fault, but it was a great time nonetheless. We spent a lot of time near Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Acadia is stupid pretty. The whole area is for the most part. The area we were in was an actual working harbor. Dudes hauling in lobster and fixing boats. It was cool to be close to that and get a glimpse of a completely different way of life. I got in a few really amazing runs. One happened to be a trail run that I came across on accident that went along Long Pond... which is poorly named as it's miles long. Took a whale watching cruise, which ended up being pretty weak. Only one whale and he wasn't much in the mood for showing off, but the boat ride was nice. It was choppy as hell, but I was able to keep my lunch contained. Unfortunately, others around us didn't have such luck. It never seemed to bother Erica either. We were meant to be one with the sea. So Friday morning came too fast, and it was up at 4am again for a 5am departure in order to make a 3pm wedding ceremony in Newark.

The drive was nuts... especially when we got within about an hour of New York, but we made it to the hotel where everyone was staying. It took over eight hours. We were both pretty beat, but made the quick transition into a lovely couple. The ceremony was held outside at the Skylands Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, NJ and the bride and groom couldn't have ordered up more perfect weather. The reception was at this crazy cool Japanese place nearby and we ended up having an incredible time with everyone. The food was top notch, too, which helped because we hadn't eaten since leaving Maine. As much as we would've liked to have stayed up, we got to bed pretty early in preparation for the final leg of our journey... New York, NY.

We woke up and had breakfast with Erica's Aunt Barbara, then dropped the car off at enterprise... but not before trying to find gas in NJ... which happens to be my second experience with the matter and while this time was considerably better than the first, I would still recommend filling up in any or all of the adjoining states before entering Jersey. So we took a shuttle from the airport into the city. It boggles the mind how many people are there and why on earth they allow anyone other than a cab service to have cars on that island. But we made it to our gracious hosts' apartment with nary a scratch. We walked around some and ended up having a fabulous night out in the big city. After breakfast in the morning and a little more walking around, it was back in a cab and off to the airport for the flight home. Many thanks to Ryan and Carrie for putting us up for the night as well as a great night out.

It was a great trip and I honestly wouldn't have traded it for anything. I'm already looking forward to going back. The people were great and the land they live on is a treasure in and of itself. So many places to visit and so little time.