The Long Version… first leg of the trip
18September 13, 2008 by Bethany
Here we sit at Burwaldo’s Laundromat in Bar Harbor Maine. We made it to the harbor around 4:00 yesterday after a really hard paddle in 15-20 knot wind for miles and miles and miles. It was our biggest paddling day yet, having to round the infamous Schoodic Point, the place to go see waves crashing in Acadia. o boy.
We started our trip 11 days ago in Lubec. The first day of paddling, we made over 25 miles of bold coast shoreline, truckin at top speeds of over 7 mph! Thank you tide! After that perfect and beautiful day of paddling, everything every day after seemed really really hard. On day 3 we camped in Starboard Cove, Maine and met our first “Main-ers” since Lubec. We stayed in Betty’s backyard and had dinner with her and her son Toby, who are also adventurers! They drove around the whole USA for 7 months, taking it all in! How fun does that sound? The next morning we met Mary Beth, who drives the Southport to Fort Fisher ferry in NC! She took care of us and gave us lots of yummy food, water, and encouragement.
That day we paddled to Jonesport Maine, on what should have been a 12 miles day but ended up being a long 20 mile day, filled with big ocean swells, long crossings, and fog. We are actually doing a lot of big crossings. “It’s only 4 miles… the winds not THAT bad is it?” ugh. Finally arriving in Jonesport we settled down at the campground and slept slept slept.
Jonesport is actually just over the bridge from Beal’s Island, where the story gets good. Judy and Oscar, the campground hosts, drove us to the closest hotel, Rose Marie’s, where we decided to ride out “Hanna.” The mobile home establishment pushed my comfort zone a bit but it had to do, since it was all there was. Dan and I started walking the 5 miles to the IGA grocery store when Barbara, a lifetime resident of Beal’s Island, decided to give us a ride. She picked us up for church the next morning, where we met her husband, Osmond, and the rest of their church family. Afterwards, we went to Tall Barney’s for lunch with Barbara and Osmond, as well as Jenny and Nathan. Look up Tall Barney of Beal’s Island when you get a chance. He’s the Paul Bunyan of Maine. Later that night they picked us up again for another church service, and we got to meet Barbara’s daughter Pam, who drives the ambulance AND… get this… works for the funeral home. yes. They prayed for us and sang us a farewell song. Dale offered up his home if we ever came back and lots of hugs were given all around. Barbara and Osmond had us over for cake and ice cream and then we avoided saying goodbye for quite some time. Jenny picked us up the next morning to drive us to the campground where our boats were, and Barbara and Pam showed up to see us off. We hugged and paddled away… only to see them again along the shore later one, taking pictures and waving goodbye.
We stayed two nights on Stevens Island, riding out some big winds and it was there we stumbled upon a dead whale! It was wild. sad. scary. and… HUGE. We called NOAA and will send pictures sometime because they need them.
Again we made some more big crossings through waves and wind and camped the night before last at the Ocean Woods Campground, near Corea, where we met Ed and Ellie from upstate NY who shared some cold beer with us… wow.
So now we are here. After some of the hardest paddling days of my life. All in a row. Bar Harbor is the perfect place to re-coup and we have already been met with great help from the paddling community.
Until next time! Thanks for the well wishes and the prayers. It means more than you know.
-bethany
d&b kayak 
Fascinating up-date. Keep writing. Monday morning we will point five thousand readers to your site. You should get some neat traffic from that. You can remember me in your will.
enjoy Bar Harbor… Take time to rest…
already you have accomplished an intense part of your journey.
love you both.
mom
Yay! You guys are awesome! Seriously, you’ve inspired me to plan my own crazy trip.
praying for you and love you both!
Del~
PS: I think Pam’s job is a DISTINCT conflict of interest. =P
You guys are totally amazing and what a glorious experience so far! I bet you eat lobster at Trenton Island Bridge soon . . . God Bless and keep those SPOTs comin’ in! They are always such a blessing and a joy when they arrive. I love you BOTH so much! And I am really proud of you too!
awesomeness. i told your story to my youth group last week, we are following your trip!
OK maybe it will be Tuesday morning. I’m a little behind. By the way…. I like to take credit for getting students from the Verity program into A Severe Mercy. I talked to Sheldon VanAuken before he died. I have read A Severe Mercy every year for about twenty years. You kind of have a grey goose thing going together don’t you?
How Awesome!
You guys are making me miss sea kayaking, the ocean, Maine and LOBSTER!
Keep on truckin!
This is very cool! I was pointed here by my Pastor, Ken Pierpont. What a neat adventure. Bar Harbor is an awesome place…I have some fond memories of many visits there with my grandparents as a child. I will definitely be following your story and praying for a safe journey for you.
Wow! What an adventure! Enjoy it.
Read about your adventure through the Stonebridge Newsletter (Ken Pierpont). Wow! I love to read how God and His people “take care of their own”. God’s best to you both!
I read the Stonebridge and heard about you guys. My wife and I love to launch out on our own together. We are expecting our fifth child in December, so we don’t do that very often anymore. When we launch out now it takes a full size van. But when the kids are grown, as long as we have life we’ll be together. I pray you will be safe and more in love with each other and the Lord Jesus when you finish.
What a great way to begin your marriage working together, seeing God’s beauty, seeing yourselves come alive together as you journey. Look forward to hearing of your journey’s through Stonebridge Newsletter. I have known Ken through Barakel and he encouraged me in a very dark time in my life one Family Camp after my wife had left me after twenty years. So I am glad that you guys are taking this time to cement yourselves together.
Wow what an amazing way to start your marriage! I am NOT an adventurer but love to hear about the neat places and people you meet – I will keep reading and you guys keep paddling!! love from Ruthee in Australia – friend of Stonebridge 🙂
Hey, thanks Stonebridgers!
aweeeeesomeeeeeee!!! Sounds like a lot of trail magic, but not exactly on the same trail so shall we call it paddle magic? Paddle magic is awesome!
Hey! Stonebridger here checking in! Really enjoyed reading your blog and will keep you both in my prayers!
Please do more reporting.
Who has a deposit slip for your account?
So excited for you guys!! The Lord has blessed you with so many people. I pray that those who you meet will be touched with the love of Christ as the Lord continues to watch over you both. Many prayers and much love!
-Sarah and Andy