“Thank you for calling The Wirie. The customer support department is on a short vacation right now. We will resume our timely and personal support service again on Wednesday, September 14th. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for your patience. Have a nice day.” I hear Mark change the message on the answering machine of our Wirie business. Then, he creates an automatic email reply for customers who contact us via the ticket system: ”The Wirie Customer Support team is on a short break right now. Please, allow us to get back to you after Tuesday, September 14th. Thank you for your understanding and your patience. Have a nice day.” It is the very first time we “close down” this part of the business, and these are the last preparations we make before our long anticipated trip, three years in the making. It is finally happening, after keeping a close eye on the weather predictions and postponing our departure a few days…
We were going on a vacation, Mark and I! It would be the first one since we started our business in May 2009. Some new readers might think “Going on vacation for the first time in seven years, wow!” while old timers, who know that we recently lived and sailed on our catamaran Irie for eight years in the tropics, probably scoff, assuming that we are “always on vacation”. Either way, I was very happy to have this little break – five days in Acadia NP – without Mark having to spent 6-10 hours behind his computer as has been the case on weekdays all these years. Yes, also when we were on our sailboat, in the most amazing places… Having no internet during our trip was awesome!
We left Newburyport at noon on a Thursday under a grey, drizzly sky and arrived about 4.5 hours later at the foggy gate of Acadia National Park on Desert Island in Maine, slightly nervous. We had a reservation from Friday through Monday at the only campground in the park that was open, but had failed to book our first night. The sign upon arrival said “Campground Full”. And it remained that way for the duration of our stay.
Yep…
We patiently waited in line and talked to the official in charge… We were in luck and secured the only spot – out of 300+ sites – that was still available for this one night, thanks to our successive reservation. Pfew! Nerves relaxed, we set up camp for five nights in the mist of woodsy, quite cramped and very basic Blackwoods campground. $30 a night is no bargain for a campsite with only water and toilets (no showers!) in walking distance. Outside the park, coin showers ($2 for 4 minutes – Mark and I, pros at quick showers, managed to share this time) kept the campers clean. Although some people had no inhibitions when it came to washing up at the sink…
Our accommodation was adequate and made more comfortable thanks to camping gear we borrowed from family. What followed were four and a half days of entertainment, from easy driving tours with heaps of viewpoints to a biking adventure on carriage roads to several amazing hikes, under mostly sunny skies.
We had a relatively early start each day and usually returned between 5-6pm to make dinner, enjoy a campfire and head to bed. When the fog cleared, the park revealed itself…
Since there is no way to share our experiences in one blog, I am going to spread the highlights out over a few blog posts. Stay tuned! 🙂
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September 19, 2016 at 13:51
I would love to visit Maine! It looks beautiful. What a treat for you to be able to get a full break without internet and just enjoy time off.
September 19, 2016 at 13:56
Yes, Lucy. It was awesome! And, I didn’t mind Mark working this weekend to make some of it up. I feel pretty “vacation satisfied” right now and am glad to return to our daily routines. 🙂
September 19, 2016 at 14:30
How wonderful that you were able to completely unplug and have these days in paradise. The coast and beach looks amazing. Now wonder the campground is so fully booked!
September 19, 2016 at 16:37
It was so very nice, Sue! The fact that the second campground (200+ sites) was closed for renovations didn’t help. We thought bookings wouldn’t be needed this time of the year, but that was before we found out about the closure of the Seawall campground a few days before our trip… On a positive note: we didn’t get any flat tires! 🙂
September 20, 2016 at 02:52
I love to switch off and leave the media behind, Liesbet. I’m fortunate to be able to do it much more often. The views are blissful 🙂 🙂
September 20, 2016 at 09:01
As much as we rely on and enjoy the internet, I do miss the peaceful days of its non-existence. And, in a way, I can’t wait until we don’t run the business anymore, so we can have more of those moments back. When we first started traveling, we would check emails about once a week or less. That was before the blogging craze and it was pretty nice! How our priorities change over the years, right? 🙂
September 20, 2016 at 06:01
Thank goodness you got a campsite! We’ve been in that situation before where everything is booked solid and you’re wondering where you’re going to sleep that night. Campfires are the best – such a relaxing way to end the day.
September 20, 2016 at 09:03
Yes, the insecurity of where to sleep is not a fun one. When we had our camper, it didn’t matter that much, since all you needed was a level, relatively quiet spot where overnight parking is allowed (not always easy in certain areas). But with a tent, more planning (and luck) is required. I’m with you about the campfires. I love sitting by and staring at them!