Apparently, the secret to getting Lowina to ride her bike was a week of watching her campground friends do it. Not all the encouragement we’ve been offering for forever. Just some kids she met a few days ago instead. This week, she finally joined them. John and I got matching tattoos that took less time than the paperwork, and we traded Acadia’s rocky coastline for a few days of Halloween everything in Salem.

There were bald eagles, paper-bag camouflage jackets, and a very excited girl standing outside different places she's seen on screen in Hocus Pocus. Plus the usual work, homeschool, and attempts to park our big ass truck. October is off to a pretty good start.

Crafts & an overdue pedicure

Thursday started with a very overdue pedicure for me (my first since hitting the road!) and getting the girls’ nails done while John handled a big grocery haul. Afterward, we settled into a slower homeschool day. The oyster shells the girls had collected on the beach the day before became art supplies, and paper bags became camouflage jackets. Apparently, we are now making our own campground tactical wear.

That evening, the girls were back outside playing with their friends. After the rainy days the week before, having time for art, a little school, and plenty of playing felt pretty good.

Always & Forever

Friday started with another drive up Cadillac Mountain before John and I headed to our tattoo appointment. We’ve said “always & forever” to each other since before we were married. After 12 years of marriage and more than 16 years together, we decided it was time to put it in writing. Permanently.

I got “always.” John got “forever.” The paperwork took longer than the tattoos themselves, which feels funny considering how many years those two little words have been part of our lives.

Then we headed out to explore the quieter side of Acadia. Driving along Seawall Road, we could immediately tell we’d found the less crowded route. We stopped for a picnic lunch by the water with the seagulls, then went to “hike” Ship Harbor Trail. And by hike I mean the girls rode a bike and scooter while we walked alongside them, trying to keep everyone upright over rocks and branches and out of the actual hikers’ way.

Very peaceful. Very outdoorsy. Plenty of reminders to watch where you’re going.

The one place that was definitely not quiet was the road down to Bass Harbor Head Light. After sitting in the traffic for 10 minutes, we decided to turn around, making it our tightest 4-point turn around yet. Sometimes seeing a lighthouse is worth the parking situation. Other times, you’ve already had a lovely day and can call it good.

A few more stops, then back to the campground for movie night while John watched Penn State football outside.

Two wheels finally 🚲

Saturday started with another camper project. We’d finally been able to order the new window clings to replace the dark checkered ones. After painting the cabinets and replacing the dark trim with lighter wood, the old pattern was looking more & more out of place, and my aesthetic brain was going haywire & getting impatient knowing that I wanted to change it out.

We got the cabinet glass finished, and it’s getting so close to feeling exactly how we wanted. There are still a few projects left, because of course there are, but seeing everything come together has been so satisfying. Then we headed outside, where something much bigger happened:

LOWINA LEARNED TO RIDE HER BIKE.

We’ve been trying forever to get this girl motivated to ride. Apparently, watching her campground friends ride around all week was the push she needed. And then she just did it.

I’m so proud of her. One of those milestones you’ve pictured for so long, and suddenly it’s happening right in front of you at a campground far from where you first imagined it.

Fried food, bald eagles & one last Acadia sunset

That afternoon, we headed into Bar Harbor for our final evening in Acadia. First, we spent more than 30 minutes trying to find parking. Our big ass truck continues to make sure we earn our outings.

We finally found a spot on the street, grabbed some fried food, and boarded our sunset happy hour nature cruise. John had picked up chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks, which we all absolutely crushed within the first 10 minutes.

During the first part of the cruise, we learned about Acadia’s history and some of the famous families connected to the houses along the coast, including the Rockefellers and J.P. Morgan.

Seeing Acadia from the water was such a different experience. We’d spent days driving through it and looking out toward the ocean. Now we were looking back at the coastline, spotting rock climbers on the cliffs and taking in a whole different view.

We headed out toward an island where seals and birds were swimming and hanging out all around us. Then a bald eagle landed on the roof of the lighthouse. Just casually making an already beautiful evening even better.

Once the narrated part of the tour finished, we moved into happy hour with music, drinks, and more views along the coast. We spotted at least four more bald eagles before watching the sunset. A pretty incredible goodbye to Acadia.

Then back to camp to start packing up. Beautiful sunsets do not, unfortunately, handle travel-day prep for you.

Next stop: slightly spooky 👻

Sunday was another transit day, this time to Salem. The girls love Halloween and all things spooky-ish. We are not quite in our super scary era yet, so a few days in Salem felt like a pretty perfect October stop.

We checked into Winter Island Park Campground, where the playground overlooked an old abandoned barracks. Add a rocky coast, a beach, and a lighthouse in the background, and we were already doing pretty well on atmosphere.

We took a bike ride around the campground to explore, then headed over to Salem Willows for dinner, ice cream, arcade games, and a beautiful sunset. A solid first night. Especially if your vacation priorities include ice cream and buttons you can repeatedly push to win tickets.

Costumes encouraged. Obviously.

Monday started with homeschool and catching up on work before we headed out for a full day in Salem. We booked the Salem Slightly Spooky Tour, and the girls wore their costumes. Because duh.

Starting at the Pickering House, we learned about the witch trials and how quickly accusations spread after children began behaving in ways the adults around them interpreted as being “bewitched.” I hadn’t realized how short that period was, a little over a year, spanning 1692 into 1693. More than 200 people were accused, and 25 died through executions and imprisonment. So much harm in such a short amount of time for something so silly like kids rolling on the floor.

Our guide told the history in a way the girls could understand without making it too frightening. I appreciated that, especially in a place where the Halloween fun and the real history sit so close together.

We visited Broad Street Cemetery, Salem’s second-oldest cemetery, where Judge Jonathan Corwin and his nephew George Corwin, the high sheriff during the witch trials, are buried. Our guide also told us about Samuel Sewall, the judge who later said "I'm sorry" for his role in the trials. That part stuck with me... how few of the people responsible ever acknowledged the harm they’d caused.

Then came an old school building, where our guide shared stories about how children used to be disciplined. There was a ruler involved, and a story about making children choose punishments between the ruler or licking chalk from a circle drawn on the floor. According to the legend, that chalk circle still appears today even after the janitors would scrub & scrub it away daily.

The girls had a slightly spooky history lesson. I had another reason to appreciate our oyster-shell-and-paper-bag version of school.

We passed a few more historic spots connected to Nathaniel Hawthorne before ending at Allison’s house from Hocus Pocus. Lowina was amazed. There is seeing something in a movie, and then there is standing right in front of it in your Halloween costume. A very big deal.

A little history, a lot of Hocus Pocus

After the tour, we walked and shopped. Salem has so many shops, and such a unique feel. Halloween was everywhere. I kept wondering how much of this was October and how much was just Salem being Salem.

We stopped to see the Bewitched statue, then had dinner at Flying Saucer Pizza. So yummy, and very appropriate for the day’s general theme.

Afterward, John and Ellie went to get the truck while Lowina and I did a little more exploring on foot. We saw Old Town Hall, where the parents party all night in Hocus Pocus.

Then we visited the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. That was a quieter stop, but Lowina had plenty of questions, including “what does pressed to death mean?” followed by “I’d never call you a witch.”

We talked about why people back then thought being called a witch meant someone was bad. Did we think witches were bad? Why? Was it something we actually knew or something we’d heard from someone else? Those are big questions, especially when you’re standing in a place remembering innocent people who were killed because others believed the accusations against them.

After all the costumes and movie locations, I was glad we made time for that part of Salem too. And that Lowina had space to ask questions and think about the difference between what people say about someone and who that person really is.

Then we ended the day on a lighter note and drove along the coast to see Max and Dani’s house from Hocus Pocus. The streets were closed off, so the girls and I walked down the street to the house and ended up meeting the owner, Billy, and a neighbor whose dog was also named Billy. A lot of Billys for a Hocus Pocus stop.

There was a beautiful sunset over the harbor beside the house, and we passed the House of the Seven Gables on our way back to the campground. A very full day. The girls loved it, especially Lowina.

Monkey bars & actual campground wildlife

Tuesday was our last full day in Salem. We started with work and homeschool, then more playground time and bike riding around the campground. Now that Lowina can ride, there’s a whole new reason to ask to go outside.

That afternoon, we tried having our first order delivered to an Amazon Locker. Unsuccessfully. So there was a little less exploring and a little more figuring out where our stuff was than originally planned. Unsuccessfully for now.

That afternoon, we drove past Pioneer Village, where the opening scenes of Hocus Pocus were filmed. It was closed during our visit, so that one was a quick drive-by before heading to Marblehead.

Our next destination: Gerry Playground. For the monkey bars. You can plan the movie locations and historic stops, but sometimes the most important attraction is something your child can hang from.

We also drove past Old Burial Hill, where Max loses his shoes in Hocus Pocus, then had a supper yummy dinner at Amores Mexican restaurant before heading back to start packing for another travel day.

Meanwhile, John had been noticing evidence of raccoons around the campground all week. Mostly trash bags that had clearly been investigated by someone with very little respect for cleanup. That night, while walking Nelson, he finally saw three of them and got a picture of one.

Mystery solved. Our slightly spooky stay ended with some very real little campground bandits.

Trees in the way & a final few projects

Yesterday, we packed up and headed to our next stop: Newport, Rhode Island. It was a relatively quick drive with our usual emergency pee break. At this point, I should probably just build those into the route.

As soon as we pulled into the campground, the girls headed for the playground while we worked on parking. Our original site turned out to be impossible thanks to the trees. Thankfully, we were able to move to another area with no trees, and getting into that site was much easier.

Once we were settled, we did some homeschool work and got back to finishing camper projects. All the remaining door clings are finally on. Next up: white paint touch-ups and a few things in our bedroom that are a little lower on the list, but we’re getting there.

John cooked dinner over the campfire, and we spent our first evening here settling in. A pretty good & easy welcome to Rhode Island.

The things I want to remember

When I think back on this week, I know I’ll remember our matching tattoos and that sunset from the water. I’ll also remember Lowina finally riding her bike. The girls turning beach finds into art. Walking around Salem in costumes because, to them, there was no reason to do it any other way.

Campground friends helped make something click that we’d been trying to teach for ages. A movie became a reason to walk through a new town and learn some history. And somewhere between all of that, we kept making our little home feel more like ours.

There was still work to catch up on, school to fit in, and stuff to figure out. There always is, but this week gave us plenty of moments I’m glad we were here for.

Ready to Plan Something Unforgettable?

Thanks for riding along with us this week, and for letting our travels inspire your own. Your next adventure is closer than you think.🤍

Until the next stop,

The Wagner Family