Whales? Where? 2

The day dawned so bright and sunny we could see the sea. And our hotel is beside the sea. Good.

And to prove that we had learned, and were no longer the stupidest people in Maine, we checked with the whale people, and yes, they said, the whale boat would sail that afternoon. Hurrah for those whales.

So with the sunny day to fill, we set off to drive round the Acadia National Park. And well worth it, we all agreed - very beautiful coastline, rugged cliffs, the occasional sandy beach, and a spectacular view from the summit of Cadillac Mountain. (No, not named after the car - for once, it's the other way round. Hurrah for early French explorer Monsieur Cadillac). It's the highest point on the Atlantic coast north of Rio de Janeiro. Hard to believe at only 1500 feet, but true!

And then to the highlight of the day - whale watching! Again on with the socks, t-shirts and sweatshirts, only today it's 85 degrees and we fear we may pass out through broiling as we stand in the queue to board. And off we go, fearlessly 25 miles out into the blue, blue ocean. Actually the blue, blue and very swelly, heaving and freezing ocean. First Christie to lose the sea legs is Ruth, swiftly followed by Dad and they spend the next three long cold hours with the sickbags. Mum keeps lookout for the wonderful whales for surely they will make the sacrifice all worth while. Until the lady announcer tells us 'well, sometimes this happens folks - no whales out here today.....' They raise their heads from the bags in disbelief. What? All we've seen is a couple of mouldy seals and a gannet.

The whale people offer another ticket for another trip in compensation. If Ruth and Dad could have talked at that point they'd have told them to get lost. And so we disembarked, very cold and covered in a salty crust. And what was that eerie noise we could hear? Whales chuckling?

Never, ever, dis those whales....