New England 2015: Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park

Friday, July 31, 2015

We got up early this morning and sat out on the balcony watching the lobstermen pull their lobster pots.  It reminded me of many summer mornings on the screened in porch on Gerrish Island with Mom & Dad, watching the same.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to Acadia National Park.  This might be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Although there was a lot of car traffic on the roads, every turn brought another spectacular sight.

We hiked around Jordan Pond - about 3 1/2 miles.  The weather was warm but not too humid, and the sights were amazing.

After our hike, we stopped for lunch at Jordan Pond House.  The history of this place is fascinating.  The Pond House opened in 1847, and was famous for its tea, lemonade, and popovers.  We had lunch on the hill overlooking the lake.  Our lunch included lemonade (fresh squeezed and unsweetened, accompanied by a little pitcher with sweetened water) and popovers.  Okay, I didn't know what a popover was until today, but this big puff of hollowed out deliciousness with butter was fantastic!

Then we went to the top of Cadillac Mountain with 360 degree sweeping views of the harbor, the islands, and the Atlantic.  

 This site is very close to the Easternmost point in the Continental U.S., and for several months each year is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise!  In fact, on New Year's Day, this is the place to see the first sunlight of the year -- although I'm fairly sure it's way too cold for many to venture up here!

Beautiful day.  Perfect weather.  Spectacular.

We went back to the hotel (and the fresh cookies) and decided to forego dinner in favor of snacks on the balcony enjoying our last night here.  We've traveled to so many places, and said, "When we come back we will...." There isn't enough time in 10 lifetimes to return to every place we'd like, but we WILL return here.  Next time we'll bring our bikes.  The park has miles of carriage roads (financed, directed, and preserved by John D Rockefeller Jr.) for the use of hikers, bikers, and horses.  The roads' surface is crushed rock, and they are car-free and run all through parts of the park not accessible by car.  I am determined to ride to Aunt Betty's Lake!

Fantastic experience.