365: Day 124- North Shore

5/5/13: Derek doesn't have too many weekend days off this summer, so I want to make the most of them. This is also the first summer where he will have a normal work-sleep schedule. Today we kicked off the season of warmer weather and outdoor fun by heading up to the North Shore.

A friend of mine recommended Halibut Point State Park in Rockport as a great day trip destination. We packed a picnic this morning and headed out.

It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there from our house, and only cost $2 to park the car. At the center of the park is an old rock quarry, and beyond the quarry is Cape Ann. This was the view from our picnic table.

After lunch we got ready to hike down to the ocean.

The quarry was really beautiful and serene, and the path was pretty easy around it.

As we walked down to the ocean things got a little trickier. The kids did great though and stayed right by our sides.

Hiking this year is certainly easier than it was last year!!!

Finally we made it!

There were tons of rocks to climb on and tidepools to explore. I am much more cautious than Derek, so he took one kid out at a time further than I felt comfortable going. He and Silas went first,

 And then it was Zoe's turn.

The sound of the waves crashing was so amazing, as was the view!

We climbed lots and lots of rocks to find the perfect place to spread out a blanket and rest.

Finally we found our spot.

While we rested Derek went back out to take some pictures of the surf.

After basking in the sun for awhile we made the trek back up and around the quarry.

Next we headed to my favorite lobster shack, The Lobster Pool. We opted to sit inside to warm up and relax.

Final stop before heading back to Boston, ice cream!

Awesome days like this keep me going for a loooooooong time!