Starting Location: Portsmouth, NH
Destination: Kennebunkport, ME
Dining Locations: The Friendly Toast, Portsmouth, NH; The Clam Shack, Kennebunkport, ME; Atlantic Pizza, Kennebunkport, ME
Travel Time: 1 hour
The weather today started much like yesterday ended, overcast and rainy. Lucky the rain wasn’t constant and it wasn’t here to stay. We decided to grab some breakfast and much needed shopping before we departed Portsmouth. We asked the very friendly staff at the Hilton Garden Inn what their recommendation was for a tasty, fun breakfast. They suggested this restaurant called the Friendly Toast, which we had walked by and thought was interesting the night before. The place was fantastic. Emily had a huge pumpkin pancake, and I had my predictable All American Breakfast. They did have awesome toast that was some spicy cheddar concoction, and it was yummy.
I believe it was sometime around 8 this morning when Hunter checked out of this vacation. I think he is saying to himself, “I know Dad got lost the other night when we left home, but this is ridiculous!” I do feel bad for the little guy waking up in a different room every morning. I like to tell him we are preparing him to be a rock star. I have to give him props because he has handled this trip quite well so far, but the little guy can only take so much. Breakfast today was his first official meltdown (well, his version. He wasn’t THAT bad, but it was coming). I am normally a pretty fast eater but I didn’t realize I had a second gear until this morning. I felt a little like Big Brown. We downed our breakfast and headed out to explore the shopping of Portsmouth, NH.
Hunter could not wait to explore the downtown area because he needed some shoes to match his red pants that he was wearing. You can see his excitement to the left as we pulled up to just the right shoe store. In all truthfulness we had a great time exploring the area, and Emily really enjoyed going in and out of the stores. Just as Hunter was about the throw in the towel on the downtown excursion, we found a toy store that he had a blast exploring. It is amazing watching him go through these places as if he has been there before. He immediately starts pointing somewhere and walking in that direction. I don’t think he knows where he is going but he always seems to find what he is looking for. This time, he found another train set. How did I know this, you ask? Simple: just listen for the “CHOO CHOO” bellowing throughout toy land and you can find Hunter. Dad even got in on the action as you can see to the right. Had to do a little bridge construction to save the town!
After a few laps around the track and much crying we were able to separate Hunter from the toys, and we decided to hit the road for Kennebunkport. The fried clams were calling us. We ended up driving up Route 1 so we could enjoy the towns of Ogunquit and Wells. Emily’s Aunt and Uncle once owned a restaurant in Wells so we waved to that when we went by. I had to get one of Hunter’s bibs to put on Emily as her jaw was in the constant state of “dropped” as we passed by endless stores on our way. Lucky for us, Hunter was finally sleeping. Lucky for my wallet, because we had to keep going.
We arrived in Kennebunkport and checked in at the Inn. For those of you who are not aware, Emily’s brother Drew got married to Fran at the Kennebunkport Inn and it has been one of our favorite destinations ever since because of that. We checked in and our room was ready, so we did some unpacking and hit the town. First stop, if I had not mentioned it, was the Clam Shack for fried clams. They were as delicious as we remembered them. Hunter took a couple of bites but realized that his pallet was not prepared for what he was about to taste. After we demolished our lunches it was off to explore the town.
Aside from a few locations, the town was just as we left it a few years ago. All but one of Emily’s stores were still intact, so we all breathed a sigh of relief. We toured the area a bit as Emily laid out her plan of attack for the next couple of days. As we were walking we found a horse and carriage that was ready for its next trip. Hunter, being a lover of all four legged animals, was drawn (pun intended) immediately to Charlie, the horse. Because it was just about nap time we decided to take the 20 minute tour and see some of the historic homes. There were some fascinating homes and history to go along with them. The ride was just what we all needed. Quiet time for Mom and Dad and the steady sound of horse hooves on the pavement that put Hunter right to sleep. What a great ride.
Our next objective was to decide what to eat for dinner, which to many of you would seem like a pretty easy decision. Well, we made it as difficult as we could have. We wanted to steer clear of the restaurants because Hunter was not performing the role of Angel to our liking today. I am beginning to understand how Laura and J.P. Hayes (my aunt and uncle) feel as they spend their lives on the road. We finally decided on getting pizza and bringing it back to the hotel room. The pizza was delicious, and Hunter was able to run wind sprints back and fourth across our small hotel room. After we finished dinner, Hunter still had boundless energy that needed to be burned.
Emily had the great idea of taking Hunter to the beach and letting him run around. This provided a number a great things. The first being Hunter was able to run freely because the tide was low and the beach was large. He had an absolute blast. The second awesome thing to come of of this adventure was the beautiful pictures that we captured. The light was just perfect, and Hunter was quite playful. I have put a couple in this article but they are only a fraction of the great shots that were captured. It was a truly memorable and beautiful evening. It is one that you know you will remember long after it is over.
After our stint at the beach we all returned to the room, washed off our feet (and Hunter head to toe), and got ready for bed. I could go into the details of how poorly Hunter slept but needless to say the drive at 11:30 pm through Kennebunkport and Wells was quite fun after 30 minutes of Hunter screaming after he awoke from sleep. I will probably remember that one for awhile, too. Sorry this entry was so long. Didn’t realize so much happened today.
