Acadia National Park

by Mike Graf

  Cadillac Mountain sunrise

  The Wonderland Trail

  Isle au Haut and camping in our shelter

  Precipice Trail, ladders and all

  Beehive Trail, iron rungs and all

  Thunder Hole

  Sand Beach and Echo Lake swimming!

  The carriage roads by bike

  Bubble Pond

  I am going to miss you, Acadia!

  Au revoir,

  Morgan

  And James wrote this:

  This is James Parker reporting:

  Acadia is the BEST! I could hike on the trails here forever. As we all have said, “They’re addictive and adventurous—like being on Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland.” My top ten list will be about the trails and the great ranger programs. I don’t know which I liked the best:

  Diver Ed, Mini-Ed, and the bag of sea creatures

  Tide pools at Tidepool School

  Super Sand Sleuths at Sand Beach

  The Beehive

  The Homans and Emery Loop Trail

  Jordan Cliffs Trail

  Bubble Rock

  Duck Harbor Mountain

  The rescued whale on Wheat Island

  Popovers and Bar Harbor Bars at the Jordan Pond House and store

  Good-bye, Acadia—I’ll see you again soon, I promise.

  James Parker

  The family stood at the summit, transfixed at the views and trying to soak in their final moments.

  Dad eventually glanced at his watch. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. “We could have ended up staying here until sunset!”

  “But we do have a plane to catch,” Mom reminded her family. She put her arms around the twins and escorted them to the car. “I hate saying good-bye,” Mom admitted. “But I guess we have to, at least for now . . .”

  15

  The Adoption

  Back home on the West Coast, Morgan, James, and their parents often wondered about Blinkie. One day at breakfast, a month after their return, they were talking about the whale.

  “Do you think Allied Whale kept the name we gave it?” James asked.

  “From what I understand,” Mom answered, “they like to give it a name that would help identify or pick out a marking on its tail.”

  Dad turned on the computer. “I’m going to e-mail them to see if they have seen Blinkie at all anywhere.” Dad drafted a short letter about Blinkie, reminding Allied Whale that they were some of the people involved in helping save the yearling humpback.

  A few hours later, the Parkers had their answer. It was a response from Rosie and it read:

  Dear Morgan, James, Kristen, and Robert: It is great to hear from you! As you may know, many times beached whales do not end up with a happy ending. They are beached for different reasons. But your whale, “Blinkie,” we believe accidently got onto the sand going after fish and was stuck there at low tide. I also think Kristen and Karen’s quick response could be a major reason that Blinkie is now OK!

  We took pictures of Blinkie’s tail fluke, and there are some clear patterns or markings on the tail that make Blinkie easy to identify if it is seen and photographed again.

  And I am so happy to say Blinkie has been observed by several boats out near Isle au Haut, cruising along, with an occasional breach thrown in. It was definitely Blinkie, so our whale is alive and well, thanks to you and many others!

  Sincerely,

  Rosie

  Allied Whale

  PS—Did you know we have an adopt-a-whale program? If you choose to become a part of this, your contribution will help fund the largest whale photo identification program in the world. You’ll also get pictures of your whale, Blinkie’s bio, which you are already very familiar with, and her complete sighting history. You’ll get a booklet on whale adoption and a bumper sticker, too.

  Think about it, but whatever you do, please stay in touch!

  The Parkers closed the e-mail from Rosie and looked at each other, answering without saying a word.

  Finally Mom said, “I’m signing us up right now!”