Acadia NP Maine

Well, the world will little note nor long remember, or even care to remember, what one says here but I must not forget that what is said here as it is the most boring, disenfranchised, and downright non sensical drivel contained in the following paragraphs.  In other words, the Big Cashew travel/blogger is striking again after 3 wonderful blog less years.  So here we go.  All should get their pillows and blankets as they will be asleep before one completes reading the first few paragraphs.  Onward we shall go.

Day 1

This trip involves the most northern state, at lease on the continental East coast, which of course is Maine.  In particular, we will be chatting about Acadia National Park.  This was one of the few parks I have yet to visit.  But I've added another notch on the belt and you, the reader, will be immersed in the nuances of this farthest East representative of our spectacular park system.  We will start with a little geography and move on from there.  

Acadia is located in the northeast part of  Maine on the Atlantic Ocean.  There are numerous inlets and small bays that come into view from all vantage points of the park and there are some unusual items of interest.  One of the most unusual is that the town of Bar Harbor is almost entirely located in the park, or is it vise versa.  Bar Harbor takes up a part of the peninsula and is also on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.  In addition, there are private homes that are skirting the park, if not actually being in the park itself.  As you drive in various areas, you see many "Private" signs put up by the owners, so park visitors are kept at bay.  I only drove though part of the park today, as I arrived in midafternoon and was also hungry since I skipped lunch to drive here from the Bangor airport.   I took the Loop Road which runs around the park with a couple of offshoots that allow one to drive from Bar Harbor to the other towns and peninsulas that are South or East of the town.  Part of the Loop Road is one way while other sections are both ways.  I assume this is to help with the congestion that occurs when the summer tourists are in abundance.  Even at this late time of that summer, there are large crowds expected that will clog up the roads coming to and within the park.  After all it is Labor Day weekend.  This day, I visited the park visitor center which you hit almost immediately upon entry to the park.  

While most visitor centers are level with the parking lot, here there is a large parking lot and a short walk up hill to the actual building.  The lot has room for many car, but also tour busses and mobile homes.  I stopped to get my bearings and to check out the merchandise as I always look for a tee shirt of the park along with possible trinkets for the grandkids.  Tee shirts would do, but no National Park seems to carry young kid's clothes sizes.  Such is life!

Day 2

One thing I did not mention from yesterday's input, is that, yes, I was on the loop road, but could not find the one-way section.  I blame this on the poor signage, at least that's my story and I sticking to it.

The day started out on the wrong foot.  There was no tea for me.  There was tea in the office (girly teas the way I see it, like chamomile) and no flavored creamers and only small cups.  No comparison to WAWA or some major companies whose stations also cater to the coffee public.  With this being the situation, I headed out to the park.  This time I was going to find the one-way loop road and take it like a champ!  As it was, there were signs directing you.  I just didn't see them.  Well, anyway, the loop road runs about 27 miles.  It runs along the edge of the mountains that are in the park and you are left with magnificent views all along the way. 

 

I took my time, so I drove it in about 2 hours.  The other main event today was driving up to the top of Cadillac Mt.  It is the tallest point in the park (1,524 FT), and you get even more exquisite views of the ocean, the inlets and the bay.  The views are panoramic and there is a trail at the top of the mt that you take to get different views.  The day was perfect with minimal clouds so you could see for miles.

  This is a visit worth everyone's time, but due to crowds in the park, they have to limit the number of people who can drive to the summit.  They control this by requiring that visitors get a pass ($2) for a specific time you will be allowed to drive through the gates.  You have to go online to buy the pass and they also control this process by only allowing so many passes to be bought early.  They hold some passes and release them only a day or two before they their scheduled time.  If you miss your time the tickets are invalid.  

Even the evenings are worth a look.  You get to view incredible sunsets over the water as these pictures show.  It was nice just to take the time to watch the sun go down and see the coloring as it disappeared.

The bay and the ocean shimmer in the sunlight and the shores with their rocky.  It can be a little dangerous to walk down to the water as there is no real path.  Still, they give one a option to walk out near where they meet the waters for additional fascinating views.  Another item to make note of is that during the drive I was listening to oldies stations, as it seems like there are many of them.  The songs stirred memories and added to the enjoyment of the drive.  This was the perfect time to visit, as it was comfortable during the day and slightly cool in the evenings but no real winds to make it chilly.  I highly recommend the trip.