Moose Village cabin graffiti

Leigh summed up our trip early on with this writing she left on the cabin wall in Moose Village. The walls were covered with sayings (totems) from the multitude of camp girls that had stayed in the cabins. We enjoyed reading them so much and felt like we should leave a writing to mark our stay "4 Friends came to NH, We saw the cabin.We did the Mooseman. We froze to death. We enjoyed the totems. Peace out. Cakes, Diesel, Hustler, Moose"

Maine

Photos: NH stream, Welcome to Maine, York Beach, LL Bean boots, hugging & kissing Moose, looking for Moose, Bar Harbor, Lupine flowers, Acadia Nat.'l Park, Porcupine Islands,Kayaking, Aussie Andrew, Back of Cappys, at Cappys.

We left Moose Village after Ken and I finished the half Moose and headed for Maine.
New Hampshire was beautiful with small towns, lush forest, cascading streams, but the pull of the ocean drew us west. We constantly looked for Moose as we traveled thru NH but they eluded us. Arriving in Maine we did see a Moose crossing sign and we stopped for Leigh to hug it. We stopped in York, ME, ate lobster, slept in a warm room and listened to the roar of the ocean outside our hotel. We saw a fisherman standing on rocks far out in the surf and he looked like he was walking on the water!
Next day after stopping at the Goldenrod restaurant and having ALL the waiters and waitresses come to our table to hear our accents we headed up Route 1 to Freeport to shop. The one thing I wanted to see was the LL Bean boot (huge) but alas it was not there. It was at the BIG SHOE shop getting repairs so I had to opt for a photo with a regular size LL Bean boot. We ate at a very nice restaurantfor lunch and shopped until we dropped.
Leigh kept kissing the Moose hanging on the walls! We saw Moose on everything from mugs to sweatshirts to socks to earrings.
We stopped at a State Park and walked the paths looking for Moose, no Moose, just plenty of mosquitoes. Did I tell you how BIG the mosquitoes were in NH – the size of flies!
Bar Harbor, Maine was exactly what we envisioned – a quant sea side town with shops, good restaurants, gorgeous views of the Porcupine Islands in the harbor and our hotel-what can I say – we loved it. Best place we had stayed – matching linens (not sleeping bags) and towels and heat!! Our hotel balcony overlooked the heated pool and the harbor. Ken and I got up early the next morning and did some laps in the pool and took a dip in the Jacuzzi. We piled into our SUV and headed for Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. This park is breathtaking as it is situated right on the Atlantic coast and has huge rock formations along with lush forest. We got in the water at Sand Beach and it was 55 degrees. We saw Thunder Rock. We gazed upon the beauty of the park's fields of Lupine blossoms. Then we went back to Bar Harbor to hook up with the Kayak outfitters, National Park Kayaks. Our guide Pete took us to a cove called Seal Cove where we paddled about in the beautiful waters. This was by far the best day of the trip - no rain and the sun shone all day. The islands we kayaked around were beautiful. We saw a Bald Eagle nest and baby eagle. Seals swam out to us and one snorted at us! We did really well in our tandem kayaks since we all had taken kayak classes from Canoe Ky. We paddled like pros! Best experience of the entire NH/ME trip!
That night we had at McKay's and had a delicious meal - we ran into Andrew that went on the sea kayak tour. We saw him and 2 other Aussies that went kayaking too at McKay’s and then we ran into Andrew walking about in Bar Harbor and decided to go to a local pub for a night cap of ale and/or Coke. We loved listening to his stories of Australian and his travels around the US. He could and should write a book. The next morning found Ken and me out jogging around the town. I had stopped and gotten a cup of coffee at the bakery we had frequented which is run by a country music DJ from Nashville. He played Johnny Cash just for us Kentuckians! Shopping and walking around Bar Harbor ended our last day and I for one was a bit sad to leave, but we had to. We stopped at the Acadia zoo (for injured animals) and saw the only live moose we saw the entire trip (but not for lack of looking!) We traveled back to Boston with one stop in Camden, ME to eat at the famous CAPPYS. We celebrated Ken’s Birthday by eating as much as we could. Ken then drove us safely thru the worst rain we had back to Boston where we searched for over 2 hours for place to lay our heads (Harvard and MIT both had graduation ceremonies that weekend and there was no rooms available!) . The next day found us on the plane headed back to KY with memories of our training, the actual Mooseman swim, bike and run, Dunkin Donut shops and eating a donut on National Donut Day, Moose Village, New Hampshire streams and forests, Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain views, lobster meals, moose searching, kayaking, smelling the salt of the sea, seals, shopping, fun with old friends and new friends and the realization that “ we do not take a trip; a trip takes us” (John Steinbeck) and that this trip took us!

June 4th - MOOSE Half Ironman

Photos - Hebron, NH (before the BIG hill and home of best hamburger),Moose village clowning on cots, Mary w/wetsuit and footies, Ken and muddy transition area, Newfound lake, Ken's swim finish, cheerleaders w/ dreadlocks and antlers, Mary bike, Ken bike, Ken run, Mary finish, Ken finish (before me).

After another pasta dinner the previous night and another pancake breakfast at Moose Village that morning, we 4 took off for the race site – this time for Ken and I to complete a half Ironman distance. Ken and I had on the previous day (while Anne and Leigh were out on their bikes) put on our wetsuits and swam. It helped prepare me for Sunday’s swim to know how cold the water was. We also saw it rain all day Saturday, but were not prepared for the numerous lakes in the transition area. Ken needed waders. We just had to accept that everything was going to be muddy and underwater. Off we went – I was in the 2nd wave (why do they put us senior people in front of 34 yr old and under?!!!) You know they are going to swim right over you! One did, but after a cuss word (thank heavens there are no officials swimming beside you or they would disqualify a lot of swimmers coming up for air with an expletive on their breath) I had a good swim and laughed at the Jamaican/dreadlock wig wearing greeters handing out water and Gatorade at the swim finish. Then off to the transition lake. Another athlete was sitting on my plastic sheet. What the frig I thought! She apologized profusely about being in my space. What could I do, but tell her that if I fell on her while removing my wetsuit cause I had to STAND up,she couldn’t complain! Off I went on the bike… out on the road my tire looked flat and I stopped and a young girl looked at it and said it looked good to her and as I rode on – I thought “I am trusting someone I do not even know!” About six miles into the 2 loop course you come to a picturesque town that looks like a movies set/calendar photo for New England – the white church, village green, country store and all. The day before Ken and I went to the store to buy Anne and Leigh some goodies to celebrate their finish. (six pack and chips!) Ken and I ordered a hamburger and it was the BEST hamburger I had ever had! But when I saw this little town I knew the BIG hill was coming and on approaching it I saw a woman dressed as a Devil and she was yelling “Up and Over” Get up and over the hill”. Made me smile even as my legs became pained as I climbed the steep hill. I went very cautiously on my bike as the roads were wet and I do not do well on wet roads. Made it around the first loop, saw Ken whiz by me early on the bike course and was happy to see Leigh and Anne with signs and moose antlers on their heads cheering for us on the bike route. I went by the tire tent and yelled at the person manning it and asked if my tire looked low. YES he said and thinking he would pump mine up, I stopped, but he had the tire off, another one on and me back on my bike with him pushing me off before I could say “Mooseman”. Went “UP and Over” the hill again, passed a girl who yelled at me for saying “left” to her (she must have been having a bad time) and after stopping and having trouble with my gears, using the bathroom and stopping at mile 50 to discuss Moose sightings with the aid station crew. I was ready to be off the bike, why is the last few miles so hard! At the transition area I was met by another athlete saying to me “are you JUST now going out on the run?” Yes I said with my best southern smile and in my head I was screaming “*&^@#%&*y you pompous tri guy you!” I enjoyed the run, because it was beautiful along the lake and I could see the buoys that I had swum around and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. One man I passed asked me if the marking of the smiley face on my leg was legal.
I did the half just a few minutes slower than I ran the Nashville county Music half marathon so I knew I had not exerted much energy on the bike – but to finish is to win! (I am proud to say I won as being the VERY LAST person on the bike)
And I finished! And so did Ken and we have the medals to prove it!

Recap

Long time in coming but here is what happened in New England heading to the MOOSE MAN and at the MOOSE MAN June 3rd and 4th-
After leaving Louisville at 6 am (that is Leigh, Anne and Ken all awake and ready to go) We arrived in Boston to sunny and WARM weather. We walked around and looked at the beautiful flowers, the swan boats in the Commons lake, old buildings and ate at Cheers bar. Leigh saw a city dog walker - we thought we had lost her for good - did she give him her resume? We tried to find Walden's pond and they must have drained it because we never found it. We walked around the harbor in Salem and saw the "Bewitched" (TV show) statue. We spend the night in a small town in NH and awoke to COLD RAIN. We headed to Bristol, NH and arrived at Moose Village. Moose Village was actually a girls camp and left a lot to be desired, no heat! But we were given “linens” or as we call them in KY – sleeping bags! After a pasta dinner at the camp’s mess hall we slept all warm on our cots. Anne and Leigh got their gear ready the night before the race and were ready to go on Sat. morning. They were not the least bit nervous. The got their bikes and gear in the transition area and then got marked with their numbers, age and smiley faces (smiley faces show you are from KY and know Susan B. Cox-National ranked triathlete and coach). Ken and I huddled around them on the Newfound lake beach before they walked over to their swim wave and said a little prayer. I teared up as they walked away. Leigh told Anne to put her face in the water to get used to it! The lake was cold and they wore full wetsuits. They had a very strong and fast swim and then were on their bikes- and the rain came, and it came and it came. (Best $7 I have ever spend was on a rain poncho at the expo!). Leigh and Anne were amazing to have done their very first International distance triathlon in the conditions that abounded at the MOOSEMAN. Ken and I waited for them at the 1 mile marker on the run. Later Anne told us when we asked about the hills on the bike course (there was a huge steep one and many many more hills!) that because Leigh did not have a "granny" gear on her bike that Anne did not go into her "granny" gear, so she could experience the hill climbs like her twin had to. So sweet! And what an accomplishment they both achieved to have completed the MOOSE MAN!
More details on Ken and Mary's race and the group's trip to Maine.