Today the mists parted, and we traded our hiking shoes for stinky neoprene booties. Sea-kayaking is one of those things you always say you're going to try, but you never get around to doing it. Somehow my wife and I overcame our shared natural aversion to the unknown and signed up for a tour last summer in Maine, and we loved it. The guide was fantastic, the seas calm, and a skies a brilliant-yet-serene blue, and we emerged from our tandem kayak that day as converts. So we had fairly high expectations this time around, all of which were met, and then some. The company that handled our tour (also the same as last year) is called National Park Sea Kayak Tours, and they're an incredibly professional outfit. They keep their groups small, use only Registered Maine Guides who are extremely knowledgeable and personable (and today's guide was an absolute riot, to boot!), and take extra care to choose the best possible route for the tides and weather. The winds were howling from the north this afternoon, so our guide wisely decided instead of risking the exposed sea-side routes to take us down Somes Sound, which happens to be the only true fjord in North America, running in a v-shaped furrow straight down the middle of Mount Desert Island, with spectacular views of both the eastern and western mountain ranges. With the wind at our backs and an outgoing tide, we were able to cover seven and a half miles (the length of the sound) in a little under four hours of paddling, including a break in an unbelievably scenic cove at the foot of one of Acadia National Park's many peaks. Sometimes the swells reached as high as three feet, which was a little disconcerting for us, but also exciting when we realized that a little wind and waves wasn't going to capsize our craft, no matter how ineptly we steered it. And since we were in a slightly more civilized part of the island than the last time, when we paddled in the company of harbor seals, ospreys, and bald eagles, there was less wildlife this time around, although it was more than made up for with the views of the natural beauty surrounding us at all times and the multitude of big, gorgeous sailboats taking advantage of the winds and tooling around the sound. Some denizens of MDI have an awful lot of money, and it was definitely on display in some of the boats we were sharing the water with. Sloops, steamers, yachts, windjammers, what a collection of ships!

So now my arms and legs hurt. But it's nothing that a large order of fried clams from the Ocean Drive Dairy Bar (right across the street from our motel) can't fix. Mmmmm. Fried clams...