Update: Acadia National Park We camped near Bar Harbor, so we would be close to Acadia National Park. Although we were only a couple miles from the entrance, we only had a chance to make a few trips into the park. The photo below was taken during one of our two trips on the "loop drive" near "Thunder Hole".
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Art Show and Park Loop On a sunny, clear Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed an Art Show in downtown Bar Harbor. Exhibitor tents were full of paintings and photographs by a wide variety of artists. We particularly liked the work of a retired high school art teacher, Robert Drewell of Lewiston, Maine. After purchasing a beautiful watercolor painting of a rural country road in Maine, we browsed the weekly farmer's market. We bought fresh fruit and vegetables including tomatoes, plums, apples, and apple cider. Home-made lemon ice cream was our treat for the day.
Rather than heading directly home, we took the Acadia National Park loop drive and stopped at Thunder Hole. This natural attraction is an area of rocks that makes a thunder sound when the waves crash ashore. We sat on the rocks overlooking the ocean and enjoyed our lemon ice cream. Larry photographed the tidepools and rocks (see photo at top of page), while Annette sketched the rocky outcrops. The rock in some areas was covered with a very slippery, dark algae, so we were careful as the explored the tidepools. After a drive along the coast and into the woods, we decided to continue to the top of Cadillac Mountain. From there, we could see a long way in every direction. We could even see Mt. Katahdin. |
Another day we took a trip into Bar Harbor to see the Queen Mary 2. The locals were excited to see the largest cruise ship in the world. Revenue from cruise ships is important to the local economy. This was the first time the Queen Mary 2 stopped at Bar Harbor. Smokey the Bear from the National Park Service was even in town to greet the ship. Tour buses lined the streets waiting to take the thousands of ship passengers on trips around the island. We walked along the shore for good views of the ship. Many people were photographing, sketching, and painting pictures. The woman in the photo is creating a watercolor painting of the Queen Mary 2.
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Blake's Trip Blake came to visit for a few days before flying to Spain for an internship. Still recovering from getting his wisdom teeth removed, we decided to skip the strenuous hiking and take a drive to the east side of the island. Echo Lake and Carroll's Homestead We made a quick stop at Echo Lake to enjoy the fall colors. The beach was empty except for some dog tracks and a discarded dog leash in the sand. We wondered what happened to the dog and its master. A little farther down the road was the turnoff to Carroll's Homestead. After a short hike through the woods, we explored this century old homestead area. A brochure showed the location of the barn, house, and other features. Larry particularly enjoyed photographing the outhouse.
Sea Wall Next, our drive took us through small towns and along the coastline. We took a few minutes to walk on the rocks at the Sea Wall area. Ship Harbor Trail Our next stop was a walk along the Ship Harbor trail. This hike took us through the woods, along a harbor, and out to the rocks near the open sea. In the distance we could see a series of islands (see the photo of Annette and Blake below).
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After another short drive, we stopped at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse (on right). Two trails lead to the lighthouse. One takes visitors for a great view of this lighthouse sitting the rocky coast. The other trail comes out beside the lighthouse for a close-up view.
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Jordon Pond We enjoyed a nature walk along the water at Jordon Pond. The fog was rolling in and it was getting colder, but we had a nice time on the interpretive trail anyway. We learned the difference between spruce and fir trees among other interesting information about the area. Blake and Annette liked rock hopping near the shore.
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Kodak Moment As we drove home, Annette saw an interesting white footbridge surrounded with beautiful trees in brilliant fall colors of yellow, gold, orange, and red. She took lots of photographs trying to capture the beauty of the fall colors along with the reflection of the bridge. It reminded her of a painting by Monet.
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Maine is known for their "lobster pounds." These small restaurants cook fresh lobster. Many also sell fresh seafood that can be purchased and cooked at home. We only had a chance to go out for lobster once, but it was great. Our meal came with a lobster, mussels, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and a roll. The photo on the left shows Blake eating mussels.
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Cool Days On another day during Blake's visit, we returned with him to Cadillac Mountain. Along with the fall colors came cooler weather. Even wearing our coats, it was very cold and windy. Can you tell Blake is shivering in the photo below?
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Bar Harbor Campground During the few weeks that we spent at the Bar Harbor Campground, the deciduous trees changed from green to yellow, orange, and red. We stayed until the campground closed for the winter, then headed west through Bangor and on to New Hampshire.
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Go to Lamb & Johnson Menu
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Queen Mary
Bass Harbor Lighthouse 
Lobster
