MDI Half Marathon

Noah set a goal after last year's Millinocket Marathon that he would earn his own Sea to Summit medal. This medal is awarded to those who complete either the marathon or half in both the MDI marathon and the Millinocket Marathon in the same calendar year. Well, we can now say that we have completed that first half of that goal.

We had absolutely perfect running conditions!  Noah took off running and never looked back. There were times when I thought for sure we wouldn't make it because he was running faster than our goal pace, but he never let up.  There were certainly parts during the last few miles that were a struggle, but we finished and felt awesome about it!  Our goal was somewhere around 2:10, but we finished 1:58 AND Noah won 3rd place for his age group (under 19)!

While on MDI we had a great AirBnB rental for a few nights so we were also able to get in some exploring and relaxing after the race.  James got to get his official 4th grader national park pass, we visited the park loop road, and explored some tide pools.  The weather was gorgeous for this time of year.  One the way home we visited Maine's Fort Knox.  The kids thought this was the best thing ever. The fort was actually decorated for Fright Night at the Fort so the Stephen King themed decorations added an interesting component.  They explored every inch of that place and would have stayed longer if it hadn't started to rain.  They are becoming pretty knowledgeable about different types of wartime artillery. This was all while visiting a fort that never saw any wartime action.  I can't wait to see how they react to exploring Fort Sumter and some other spots during our upcoming road trip.

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

Today was definitely not a blue bird day on the top of Mount Washington. In fact, the ceiling was low and it felt a lot like a frigid winter day at the summit. When we reached the top they actually decided to close the auto road because it was so icy.  Luckily we took the Cog Railway.  Despite the frigid temperatures, the rain, ice, and fog, we still had a great time riding the train and learning some cool history about the mountain.  

Fryeburg Fair 2018

This fair week did not disappoint.  It was a bit rainy on a few of the days, but we were able to time it pretty well to not be at the fair during the heavier rain times.  We were also super thankful we had a nice warm and dry camper to sleep in (Thanks Uncle Jon!). We spent time with the animals, watching lots of pulls and throws, and even had a little fun on the rides the last day.  Noah has been saving his money since last year to be able to take a helicopter ride at the fair and he was thrilled with this experience.

Amazingly, James got chosen to participate in the pig scramble this year.  That makes our kids lucky enough to get to participate 3 out of 3 years they have entered!  He caught a pig, but for the first time we had him sell it back to the farmer. He wasn't too disappointed since he had $40 in his pocket, but he was the only kid who didn't keep his pig so I felt a little guilty about it.  We really need a winter without pigs, it is just so much work shoveling and keeping them during the winter.  We are also planning a trip in a few weeks where the kids and I will be gone for about 3 weeks which is too long to ask someone to watch them:)

We spent more time in the exhibit halls and museums that we have in previous years (probably because of the rain!). As a result we all learned some really neat things.  We spent some time learning about Native American culture/history, participating in an indoor nature hunt, exploring about animal poop, learning the history of singer sewing machines, and finally learning upholstery from a kind woman who spent lots of time teaching and answering all of the questions from our kids.

We spent Tuesday afternoon going into North Conway to check out the Mount Washington Observatory science center.  I had been eyeing this place for a few years, but never had a chance to explore it.  Next week we are taking a field trip to Mount Washington on the Cog Railway so this was our chance to learn before we went. I really couldn't say enough awesome things about this place.  We spent quite a while learning about weather science, solar power, and wind both in general and specific to the research center on the top of Mount Washington. The best part by far though was when we got a private talk with a meteorologist at the Mount Washington weather station via webcam.  He taught us all about the different instruments they use, what they track, and so many other really cool things about his job and what they do there.  It was pretty amazing to get to directly ask him questions.  Noah actually enjoyed this so much he is thinking of perusing a career in meteorology:)

We were so happy Gabe got to be with us at the fair for the whole time this year and can't wait to come back next year!