Vacation: Mt. Rushmore & Badlands

Last week or so I headed out west for a long weekend with my mom and sister. My sister, Kari, has lived in Denver for 4 or so years and the past couple of summers, mom and I have tried to make a summer trek out to visit. Since we've visited Colorado on a number of occasions, we decided to head north for this trip. You know, just so we can say we've been to places like South Dakota and Nebraska.

Things about the trip:
-Mt. Rushmore is in the middle of nowhere and there is not a lot to do once you're there.
-Legally driving 80 down state roads? Awesome.
-The Badlands were beautiful. If you go- get up early to see it in the early light and then later again in the evening. What to do during the day? Nap by the pool. Between the heat and early mornings, you'll want it.
-You must visit Wall Drug.

LL Bean & Lobsters

I decided to dedicate the last of my Maine vacation to the two things most Maine: LL Bean and lobsters. On our trip, I really only had two things I had to do. The first was eat as much lobster as physically possible. The second was to shop at LL Bean as late as I could handle. We did both!

I ate some sort of seafood almost every single day of the trip- lobster, fish, shrimp, clams, scallops- nothing was turned down. We also went lobstering which was so much fun! It was interesting to see what a lobsterman's job is like.

 It was even more fun to take the lobster fresh off the boat and have Portland Lobster Company prepare it for us. 

Ahhhh, LL Bean. My family's favorite store. Did you know that there aren't any locks at LL Bean? It's true. LL Bean stays open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you open up a door and look on the sides where a lock would click in to the door frame, you'll just find wood! It's pretty cool.

Since LL Bean (in Freeport) stays open all the time, we decided to shop as late as we could. Of course, we ended up shopping on three different occasions. Yes, you read correctly, three times!

Oh and rumor on the street is that LL Bean is expanding! They say they will have a Knoxville store open sometime within a year. I AM SO EXCITED!

Vacation: New Brunswick

After Acadia and Bar Harbor, we headed even further north to Canada! The Bay of Fundy is home to a very special high tidal range. Basically, at low tide you can walk on the ocean floor and at high tide you would need a boat! There is all sorts of science-y stuff I could tell you (thanks to nerdy Miles), but instead I'll just show you some pictures.

 (We really couldn't leave Canada without Tim Horton's! The maple cream donut thing is literally what my dreams are made of.)

Vacation: Acadia NP

Acadia was our Maine destination for this vacation (haha, get it?). When I planned it, I spent hours searching campsite recommendations, distance, and what to do. I wanted the trip to be both adventurous and relaxing; however, I also needed to watch our budget since we have another big trip coming up in a few weeks.

In the end, I'm really happy we made the decision to camp. We cooked breakfast in the mornings (breakfast burritos!) and packed sack lunched to take with us on our hikes. For dinner, we did a combination of grilling and eating out. Remember, we wanted to relax, but we also wanted to watch our spending.

Even though we were camping, we had access to showers and bathrooms. I like to camp, but I do not like to stink!

I loved (love love loved) my time in Bar Harbor and Acadia. It was (hands down) one of the best vacations of my life and if Miles were to ever be offered a job in the Acadia area, I would be on the first flight north. It's a little like Mackinac Island (a dream of mine), but with cars. Oh, I wanna go back!

Vacation: Maine

How has it already been over a month since my last post? It's been a busy one, I guess. Doctor appointments, end of the school year things, my birthday, and vacation. It's like I blinked and it's already mid-June!

Anyway, Maine.

Maine was my bucket list trip and it was fabulous. We did exactly three things: We ate, we drank, and we relaxed. We've taken a lot of trips together, but it's probably the best one to date. Here's recap: We camped in Acadia for 5 nights, saw 5 lighthouses, and at lobster at almost every dinner. We made s'mores by the campfire, went on a few hikes, and saw lots of beautiful views. It was peaceful and beautiful. I'm ready to make this an annual trip.

I knew I loved Maine before my feet hit the ground. 

We stayed at the Press Hotel. It was more of an artistic experience than a hotel stay!

(Yes, it's a wall of typewriters!) 

Once our bags were in the hotel, we immediately set out to see Portland. 

Obviously, Portland is gorgeous. 

... And I think I waited all of a half hour before I devoured my first lobster roll. I'm still drooling.

ootd: Loft crops, Belk top, Chaco sandals.