Acadia National Park

We spent the last few days at Acadia National Park and the surrounding Mount Desert Island. We started our adventures at the visitor center, where we learned that Aiden would be allowed on leash throughout the park with the exceptions of some hikes where she really shouldn't go anyway. (Note: dogs are not allowed on the beach and Echo Lake during peak season).

We started on a walk around Jordan Pond. After getting to the far side, Andreas went on a hike with Aiden up to Sargent Mountains, then along the ridge southward to Penobscot Mountain before heading back down. They ended up not being able to come down the ridge the most direct way because there was a part that was too steep down rocks for Aiden to take. The peaks yielded magnificent views of the Maine landscape, broken up lakes, inlets, bays and islands.

Jordan Pond

South facing view from Penobscot Mountain

Too steep for Aiden

In the evening, we grabbed a lobster grilled cheese sandwich from Charlotte's Legendary Lobster Pound and drove to the Bass Harbor Light House. We had to park the RV up the road so we just missed sunset, but still had some beautiful views of the orange-red sky and the lighthouse on the rocks above. The lobster sandwich was amazing, and we saved the bisque that came with it for a "Lobster Alfredo" spaghetti the next day!

Kathleen eating dinner at sunset

Andreas snapping pictures of the sunset

After a short night rest at our basecamp at Walmart in Ellsworth, we woke up early to catch the sunrise! We went back into the park and drove along the one-way road on the West side of the Island. Had we been up on Cadillac Mountain, we would have been among the very first people in the U.S. to see the sun that day. Unfortunately RVs are not allowed up to drive the peak, presumably because of narrow winding roads and limited parking at the top. But it was still lovely along the park loop road, and it was more secluded.

Sunrise at Acadia National Park

After sunrise, we visited a few other points of interest: one of very few cold water, shell rich, and sandy beaches in the U.S. and thunder hole, a place where, when the conditions are right, the waves come crashing into the rock with a loud thundering noise because of a cave that echos the noise.

Sand Beach

Thunder Hole

Our last bit of tourism on the island was a visit to Bar Harbor and a walk across a sand bar to Bar Island. The town of Bar Harbor is a tourist town that entertains cruise ships in the summer and had everything that went along with such a town: touristy shops, local ice cream, fancy restaurants and bars, and lots tour companies offering trips into the national park. The sand bar we crossed onto bar island is only accessible at low tide. On the island we went on a short hike to the top, which had another great view of Bar Harbor and the rest of the island.

Full crab carapace found on the sand bar. This fella outgrew his old shell

View of Bar Harbor from Bar Island

All in all Acadia was a beautiful place to visit. The seasonal reds, oranges, yellows and greens are a brilliant mix of color that we're not used to seeing in the Pacific Northwest.