Acadia

We were up early this morning, showered, breakfasted, and gone before most of our motel neighbors had stirred. That got us into Acadia National Park before the crowds. First stop was a place called, "Sieur de Monts." It was a location we had missed the day before, and has a nature center, a museum, and a botanical garden. None of those were open before 9 a.m., but there were also a good many trails, open dawn to dusk, and we got in a good walk without having to deal with other tourists. The garden opened about the time we finished our hike, so took that in, as well.

Next, we continued along the loop drive to Thunder Hole -- a slit in the basalt rock shoreline that, when wind and tides are right, makes a thunderous sound as the waves come in. Neither wind nor tide seemed right yesterday, nor were they this morning. But this morning there weren't crowds of other tourists in the way. 

The walk along the seashore to Otter Point was beautiful, and took us well beyond the place along this trail that we had gone the day before. The sun broke through the clouds for us, and the few other people we met were happy to wish us a good morning.

We completed the loop drive much more quickly this morning, partly due to the lack of traffic, and partly because we didn't stop as many times as the day before. But at the end of the loop, instead of going back into Bar Harbor, we cut west along Route 233 to Eagle Lake. After some confusion due to Eagle Lake Trail construction, we got onto the gravel "carriage road" that runs along the west shore of the lake. 

Pedestrians share this road with many, many bicycles. We wish we had ours! But the walk was nice. The full loop would have taken much of a day of walking, so we walked until we decided to turn around and retrace our steps back to the car.

It was only a bit past noon and we had completed our planned hikes for the day. So, we aimed the car west toward Augusta, the state capital. We drove in intermittent showers, sometimes a sudden deluge, and just as quickly sunshine. Still, we made good time. But try as we might, it was impossible to find a picnic table to stop for lunch. We ate in a post office parking lot! Of course, we found a nice park with picnic tables about a mile beyond our stopping place. 

We were able to check into our motel early, and we hung out there for awhile, waiting for rain to stop. When it did, we drove to the local arboretum. It was a nice place, and we would have walked farther, but the trails were mostly mowed grass that was very wet.

Mary had scoped out a brew pub with good pizza. It was right along the river, so we had a great view from our table. Both the beer and the pizza were good, and a bit unique. We also discovered that the couple at the next table were also from the Twin Cities, only a few miles from us. We compared notes on our trips, then parted. We returned to the motel for the night.

Bound for New England

Covid continues, alas. And so, no international travel. Yes, we know that some are doing it already, but the uncertainties are still too great for us. All is not lost, however. We found a cheap flight to Boston. And this time, the car rental was almost reasonable. 

The trip went as planned with no delays or difficulties other than some near-stationary Boston traffic. Once out of the city, our drive to Portland, Maine was uneventful. In just a few hours we visited two U.S. states in which we had never been: New Hampshire and Maine (and actually a third, Massachusetts, because previously I had only passed through Logan Airport).

We are just a bit early for fall colors here. They are just starting -- much as they are nearer home. We drove in rain much of the way, and the gray skies did not enhance the colors. But the sun began to break through at the end of the day.

Portland is a nice little city, and the old town near the harbor still has many old buildings and old brick pavements that date to previous centuries. A few even go back to Colonial times. We walked around the historic area, and ate lobster rolls at a harbor-side restaurant with good tap beer and live music, before seeking out our motel.

After breakfast, we drove three hours northeast in bright sunshine to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park. Again, the fall colors aren't quite here yet. But a few trees are quite stunning in yellow, red, or orange, mixed with the evergreen pines.

Acadia is also stunning. The mountains are not exactly the Himalayas, but they rise to more than 1000 feet from the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, providing some stellar views. We drove the "loop road," along with several thousand other cars, trucks, and campers. The park was very crowded! Parking in the various parking lots at key locations was a real headache. But we were lucky to find parking spots in the locations we desired, even if we had to drive around the lot a couple of times.

After parking, we walked. Our short hikes for the day added up to somewhere between 6.3 and 7.0 miles (the health apps on our two identical iPhones disagree, even though we walked together the entire time).

The Oceanside Trail was very popular and crowded, but provided beautiful vistas of the ocean and the many islands just off the coast. We also hiked beside Jordan Pond, and discovered that what they call a "pond" in Maine would be a good-sized lake in Minnesota. Interestingly, this walk was almost entirely a boardwalk on narrow planks to protect the Pond's fragile ecosystem. It made meeting hikers coming the opposite direction interesting!

We left the park and drove into the town of Bar Harbor. This is a classic tourist town, and if parking was difficult in the park, it was nearly impossible here. Luck was with us as we encountered a car just leaving a municipal lot, which turned out to be literally across the street from one of the restaurants Mary had picked out from reading reviews. The seafood was excellent, and we even hit "happy hour" for cheap drinks. 

Our third walk of the day was the Shore Path along the harbor. This was also crowded, but a beautiful view as the sun set behind the mountains.