Maine - Acadia Park and Bar Harbor

Yesterday we drove down to Acadia National Park. On the way down it was interesting to see a steady stream of traffic going north. We looked at each other wondering if it would get worse as the day went on (it was already pretty terrible), or what. The lady at the Visitor's Center told us it's the vacation pattern, people come for the week and leave Saturday morning. There would be a corresponding people surge that afternoon in the opposite direction.
Acadia National Park is on the Mount Desert Island. Champlain named it that because there's not a lot of vegetation at the top of the island. We went to the restaurant at Jordon Pond in the park. It was quite good. The patio of the restaurant looks out over this view of the lake. It is said to be the clearest lake in Maine and is the water source for the full time inhabitants of the island.


There were frogs and tadpoles. The tadpoles were in various stages of becoming frogs. Speaking of frogs, there was an interesting piece on CBC the other night on what is causing a global decline in amphibian populations. It's pretty chilling. An article discussing it is here.



There are 45 miles of carriage trails through the park. They were built by John D Rockefeller because he wanted a place to ride. This is the old carriage house.


We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It's about a 1500 foot elevation. There were several people on bicycles riding up it. The view from the top is spectacular.



Then, it was on to the tourist mecca that is Bar Harbor. It was everything we thought it would be. Cute, very very cute.



There are many shops catering to the tourists.


The Harbor Inn.


Big expensive boats in the harbor.


The sailboat on the left is a Swan. She's a beautiful boat, she'll go any where you want to go. Jim thinks she's a Swan 82 Semi -Raised Saloon.


Is that a cool little boat or what?


Working boats.

On the way back to the RV we stopped for a half pound of lobster meat and a tub of crab meat. Really really good, and no dissection required on my part. Tomorrow we're up and out, heading for Boston.