Finding our rhythm in La Mauricie National Park

It's a new day and we're settling back into our road tripping routine after the shock of having our SUV stolen in Montreal two days ago. We had a great night in La Mauricie National Park, located in between Montreal and Quebec, eating hot dogs and roasting marshmallows.

I'm always looking for unusual places to stay on our road trips and Parks Canada rolled out oTENTiks last year that you can reserve. A cross between an A-frame and a platform tent, they're fabulous. They come equipped with a gas grill, a fire pit, picnic table, bunk beds, a table and chairs inside, a stove for heat and all the cooking utensils you would need to camp.

This is a great alternative to tent camping especially when road tripping. I just don't have the space to carry everything and the kitchen sink to be warm, protected and fed.

The carful of kids love camping but I need a decent nights sleep so this is a great compromise. The kids get to sleep in sleeping bags and I don't have to worry about stray showers soaking us overnight.

La Mauricie National Park encompasses 207 square miles and has 150 lakes within its boundaries. There are plenty of areas to get out and explore with very few other visitors.

My Forbidden Chocolate.

The carful of kids spend the morning hiking along well-maintained paths and work up an appetite. We find a picnic table and have some lunch; the kids savor their forbidden candy, namely Kinder Eggs. Enjoy them abroad because they will be seized if you try to bring them back.

The carful of kids are enjoying the picture-perfect weather driving with our windows rolled down along the park road when we see Mama Bear and her two cubs. Wow! Not the biggest bear we have ever seen but the cubs are cute enough to cuddle.

Mama lets us take a couple of pictures before she nudges the cubs back into the cover of the woods. It's the height of berry season and bears spend all their time eating; give them space and be bear aware.

The carful of kids complete and turn in the Parks Canada Xplorer Booklets, similar to the NPS Junior Ranger Program back in the US, instead of pin-on badges the kids get a dog tag. As much as we would like to spend more time in La Mauricie National Park, we have to drive on to be in Portland, Maine, this evening.

It's a six hour drive to Maine and I route us to catch New Hampshire, another state on the quest to see the lower 48. The day fades as we trek across New Hampshire into Maine, there's tons of trees and not a lot of people.

We make to Maine, another new state for us, as the light of day begins to fade. Melissa and I can't believe how dark it is in the backwoods of Maine. We conjure up images of Stephen King novels; we would've been listening to one of his audio books but it got stolen.

We trek across the lower part of the state and see nothing except the black of night. As we get closer to the coast, civilization begins again; we get phone service, spotty data. After a quick snack at Dunkin' Donuts, we're headed to the LL Bean Flagship Store in Freeport, Maine.

I have to do some shopping, serious shopping, like replacing my husband's entire suitcase of stolen clothes and rain gear for the kids. By the time we reach Freeport, it's after 10 p.m.--closed? No way, the LL Bean Flagship Store is open 24 hours a day.

Up Next: Maine