Morning America!

1ish in the morning.  Us girls have been known to go to bed later than that...  Yet here we were, the first alarm clock going off at 1:10am, then 1:20am.  Do you know how disorienting it is to hear an alarm that you set, go off at the time you chose, at 1:20am?  Blaring. That's basically the only term that makes sense in the nonsense of the early morning hours.  

What perhaps would posses us to be wake up at that hour?  Nothing less than the lure of the possibility of being one of the first people in the United States to witness the sunrise!  The most Eastern point in the US. Only three hours away.  Comparatively speaking, we were so close.  And soon to be even closer.

Notes from the driver - I LOVE driving late at night/early in the morning.  Why?  The road is all mine!  However, traffic picked up around 3am for no apparent reason, +4 cars passed me on the road, and the wandering individual on the side of the road at 3:30am looked a bit sketchy.  Another note of concern was the possibility of seeing a moose!  

I have wanted to see a moose since Vermont!... and have yet to see one, but the chances of running into one dramatically increase as the only illumination of that dark night, was the brightness of my headlights.  However, I was eternally grateful for the lone semi driver who I was able to follow most of the way there - my thinking being, his truck probably had a greater chance of survival than our little Yoda would in a moose vs car collision.

We made it!  Early enough for the night sky to still be dark.  But once the first morning lights hit the coast, we saw exactly how beautiful a place it was where we'd arrived.

Do you see the moon?

It was a cold and chilly morning, which meant the blanket from the car was required to help the three of us stay warm as we huddled together... who forgot the coffee???

"Here comes the sun, do do do do... It's alright... It's alright..."

"Christ gave me the strength."

Apparently there are a few debates about which point exactly is the 'Eastern Most Point in the United States"  but this one had a sign that was chiseled in stone, so it must be right.

Good Morning!

And what a beautiful morning it was!  Seeing as we are not frequently up this early it was amusing to us to see children waiting out at the school bus stops while we drove by.  The three of us already having accomplished one great adventure for the day, we did what any other sane people would do, made a stop for coffee and donuts.

"To work!"

Realizing we had a bit of additional time before our ferry to Islesboro would depart, we decided to make a stop in Acadia National Park.

"I get up in the morning because I love life and look forward to having another day to enjoy it.  "Tomorrow is promised to no one," so I am grateful for each day God gives me on this Earth!"

And the top of Cadillac Mountain!

On to explore Islesboro Island, but first, one must take a ferry!

Once we'd arrived, Bill and Bev who met us at the ferry, fed us a delicious lunch, and gave us a personal tour of some of the most hidden treasures of the island.

  

It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with both of you!

"For me there are two reasons - 1) Our wonderful, fluffy pup "Tucker" (a golden doodle) comes and sits by our bed (between 5 and 5:30) - and after a little petting, he wants me to get up and let him out - and get his breakfast.  I do that, and then sit for awhile in the "great room" with him and think through some important issues of the day. 2) Usually those important issues involve a combination of writing projects and preparation of some speaches or scholarly papers - (I do the writing later in the day.) The point is that I feel very clear-headed in the (often brisk) morning air..."

"I get up in the morning because I don't want to miss anything - The world is beautiful, a gift in the morning."

Time to depart and leave the island.

 "I get up in the morning to find a reason to get up in the morning."

"I get up in the morning because my back hurts, I can't sleep anyway, the dogs want me to and I want coffee.  It's also the same reason I go to bed at night.  What you going to do anyway.  Sleep the whole day away and miss all the fun!"

"Only because I have to!  I love my bed! :)"

  Thanks to our incredible and hilarious Maine family (plus one more Maine sister who was already back at school), we had a wonderful visit!  Now we've said our peace and counted to three.  ;)

On the way to our next state, we made a detour to stop to taste such a thing as a lobster roll.  While waiting in line, I met these fine folks. 

"Because God gave me another day!"

"To see the sun"

"To see my wife's smile"

"To greet the day!"

Warm toasted bread filled with lobster and served with butter dipping sauce.  Yum!

On to more trails.  Ever grateful for the kindness of strangers, now friends.

The Crew