Acadia National Park
Trip Start
Aug 20, 2010
1
14
19
Trip End
Sep 07, 2010
Acadia National Park, Maine
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Miles Driven: 180
Miles Walked: 1.6
Ice Cream Shops in Bar Harbor: 5
We didn't rush our morning at the International Motel in Calais, ME. We had enjoyed our sleep on the king sized bed and our showers in a real bathroom. We were on the road to Acadia by 10:00. The ride itself was uneventful so I won’t bore you with the details.
We crossed onto Mt Desert Island just before 1:00 and made our way to Bar Harbor where we ate lunch in the car. (Note to selves: do NOT wait to eat; eat when you are hungry; you will both become ornery and snappy when you get too hungry.) We were lucky to find a parking spot on the street not far from the waterfront. The little town was packed full of tourists. Two large cruise ships were sitting just off shore and their passengers were enjoying a little time on solid ground. We lingered only long enough to locate several ice cream shops and patronize one of them. Then it was onto the campground.
We had decided to stay two nights in the national park at Blackwoods Campground (the only campground in the park on the east side of the island). We had passed plenty of other lodging possibilities while driving to Bar Harbor, but we liked the convenience of Blackwoods. So imagine our dismay when Ranger #1 told us there weren’t any sites available for Thursday night – tonight, sure, but not Thursday. We would have to come down to the office early Thursday morning and hope to snap up a cancellation. This would probably entail moving sites. While we had really been hoping to not have to break down camp after only one night yet again, this was better than the alternative of moving out of the national park all together. Now imagine our relief when Ranger #2 said there were plenty of sites Thursday night; Ranger #1 was reading the schedule wrong. It was Friday that was completely booked which makes sense because it’s a holiday weekend. Long story short (too late!) we set up camp in Blackwoods Campground.
Next we were off to find a more detailed hiking map and drive the Park Loop Road. Our first stop was at Jordan Pond. Since it is a popular spot for buses to drop off their patrons, it was very busy. From there we made a quick stop at Bubble Pond. There wasn’t much to see there, but we did have a lovely conversation with a couple from Vermont who have a nearly identical Mini. We bypassed the road up to Cadillac Mountain and drove out to the Visitors’ Center. Said detailed hiking map was purchased, and we continued along the road.
At Sand Beach we donned our hiking boots and followed the Great Head Trail. It was a fun trail that led us over boulders and along the ocean. A wonderful breeze helped cool us off as we walked (why is it 90 degrees in Maine?!). Our final stop along the Park Loop Road was at Thunder Hole. Unfortunately, the Hole is really only impressive as the tide is coming in, and our timing wasn’t that lucky. So we jumped back in the car and headed home. We had a raging fire to cook dinner and enjoyed pasta and hot dogs before playing cards, deciding on tomorrow’s hike, and going to bed.
