Labor Day Islesboro Trip Part 1

The second half of my Labor Day Weekend was just as wonderful as the first part, if not better. I went on a great boat/camping adventure with my boyfriend (the mysterious R), my Mom, and her boyfriend Gerry. R actually grew up on Islesboro and my Mom's cousins live there as well, so it has significance for all of us.

We headed to my Mom's house Saturday night so we'd be ready to go set off bright and early Sunday morning.

We set off Sunday morning with the boat fully loaded. It is amazing how much crap you need for 1 night!

The first hour of the trip was nice. It was a mix of sun and clouds, but the water was calm, calm, calm. It was chilly though. I started off in shorts in a tank top, but quickly added a long sleeve shirt and jacket once we were underway. Thanks to our new GPS and Gerry's vast knowledge, I safely navigated us into Port Clyde for some breakfast at the Port Clyde General Store. Hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches taste extra good on a boat.

The weather forecast was for a mix of sun and clouds with a 20% chance of rain. Apparently the 20% was directly above us. Soon after we left Port Clyde it started to sprinkle. That soon turned into a steady rain. I was freezing! I pulled pants on over my shorts and switched my sandals for sneakers. We all huddled in the middle of the boat under the bimini and put up the side curtains to try and stay a little drier. The visibility wasn't great, but luckily Gerry is amazing and kept us on course.

2 hours later we finally got to Islesboro! And it was still raining.......  My Mom's cousin Rob and his daughter took the ferry over to meet us and he was definitely our savior. The tide was high so we were able to pull the boat right up the shore by his land where we would be camping. With his help, we unloaded the boat and ran the gear up to his little camp shack so it wouldn't get too soaked. Then Gerry took the boat back out the mooring. Poor guy got stuck out there for 2 hours! It started pouring and there was thunder and lightning, so he didn't want to be out in the open water in the little inflatable dingy.

The rest of us huddled in the shed and had a little picnic. It wasn't super fancy, but it was sure better than being outside or stuck out on the boat like Gerry. Then, since it was still pouring, Rob drove R and I around the island so R could show me the house he grew up in and other things from his childhood. Finally, mid afternoon the rain finally stopped. Yippee! R and I went for a walk down to Big Tree Beach, where I learned that I can't skip a rock for the life of me. Also, i throw like a girl.

After huddling on the boat and in the shed all day, I was itching to stretch my legs, so I decided to go for a short run. I have been stuck in a rut with running lately. I just haven't wanted to do it. I am tired of my routes and it just feels like a chore. On Islesboro, I rediscovered the joy of running. I ran because I wanted to. I discovered that my i-pod which has been in the process of dying, now doesn't work at all, and I didn't care. I loved running with just the sound of the ocean and my footsteps in my ears. I felt light, my stride felt smooth, and I couldn't stop grinning.

 After my run it was time to set up camp. We got the tents up and built a campfire. Campfires are definitely the best part of camping.

I was seriously starving by the time we started making dinner, so I mowed down on a million pretzel things as we cooked. We also had a super classy cocktail hour with the assortment of nips I found in kitchen and packed for us. Dinner was amazing, pulled BBQ chicken on cheese toast. Hot and gooey and filling. Perfect camping food. We topped it all off with classy s'mores- toast marshmallow on TJ's dark chocolate with caramel and salt and pretzel thins. It was a great combo of salty, sweet, soft, and crunchy. I forgot how much I love toasted marshmallows. I ate about 7.

After dinner we sat around the campfire singing. We left the lantern on the boat, so we didn't have a whole lot of options for entertainment! By 8:30 we were all falling asleep after such an early morning. So we crawled into our tents and snuggled in for the night. I fell asleep to the sound of owls and the ocean.

Part 2 coming tomorrow...