Jammie Day, I Can See Clearly Now, and Our 2-Month Anniversary

Jammie day! Rain, wind, fog – generally icky weather provided an excuse on Friday, 9/23, for a much needed day of relaxation. I spent most of the day catching up on the computer – drafting blog posts and sorting my pictures. We didn’t even get out of our pajamas until nearly 5PM when the sun finally came out. It cleared off enough to lure us out for a short hike. 

We stayed on the Schoodic Peninsula and did the Lower Harbor Trail – it turned out to be one of my favorites! It was an easy path that wound through the forest and along the water. Lots of lush ferns, moss and trees – it felt like home. The path had such a thick layer of pine needles and wood duff that it was actually springy. Like walking in a bouncy house! We looped back to the campground on the carriage roads to get in our 5 miles - just a nice hike to end a relaxing day.

Feels like a PNW walk in the woods.

Lichen furred boulders.

Tide was in - this would have been a good kayaking spot.

Log pathways to avoid the soggy bits.

Fall color is just starting to show.

Evening light on the meadow grass.

The weather was clear on Saturday, but there was a definite drop in the temperature. No more 80˚ for us – the highs were in the 50’s and the wind was quite brisk. We decided to bike the Schoodic Loop road again to see what we missed in the fog. Definitely a good call. We stopped at several of the scenic overlooks and got to watch a lobster boat at work near the Mark Island Lighthouse. We played on the rocks and in the tide pools and watched a local artist paint at Schoodic Point. Even got to see a trio of fat harbor seals working on their tan. :)

Mark Island Lighthouse

Lobster boat coming around to pick up a trap.

It was fun watching them haul in, empty, and reset the lobster traps.

Ok, who warned them about me????

This is what we missed in the fog. :)

Local artist at Schoodic Point.

Got to play in the tide pools again - check out all the baby mussels!

Love trying to "catch the wave".

Schoodic Point with Cadillac Mountain in the background.

Rog takes a break next to black basalt dikes that cut through the pink granite. 

Surf's Up!

Wild roses were everywhere - most were done blooming, but had tons of huge red rose hips.

Trio of Harbor Seals sunning themsleves.

We rode all the way into Birch Harbor for lunch at the Pickled Wrinkle. Huh? Turns out it is a local delicacy, a carnivorous snail that gets picked up in the lobster traps and pickled for local consumption. Unfortunately (maybe), they were sold out of pickled wrinkles when we were there. Apparently, they’re quite popular (or there are a lot of gullible tourists. Lol).

Our return route cut across the park on the carriage roads. Remember that sign I posted warning bicycles of steep grades and sharp curves? Turns out the flip side – riding UP those grades – is even harder! I promise not to complain about steep downhills ever again. Lol.

We missed out on this culinary adventure. :)

The flip side of the steep downhills is no fun either! Lol.  Rog waits patiently while I grind my way up the hill. 

We ended our day star gazing on the Schoodic Point. This part of Acadia National Park is designated as a dark skies area. It’s one of the few places in the northeast where you can still see the stars and the Milky Way. We took a couple of chairs out to the Point just to sit and stare up. Light pollution keeps two-thirds of all Americans from enjoying this fantastic view. Acadia is actively working to protect its night skies and we were here during their annual Night Sky Festival.  Sorry, no pictures – none of the cameras I brought is capable of night photography and I left the DSLR at home because it’s too bulky to take hiking/biking. Maybe not my most brilliant move. :) You’ll just have to trust me that the stars were stunning – although next time I would bring some blankets and a warm beverage. Lol.

September 25th marked our two-month anniversary on the road! We’ve doubled the time of our longest RV trip and we’re still going strong. Lol. So far we’ve traveled 4760 miles in the RV (not counting day trips in the CRV), gone through 503 gallons of diesel, stayed at 27 different places, visited 7 National Parks/Monuments, several state/local parks, and hit 15 states.  Whew!!

We still find ourselves cramming as much into our limited time at each site as possible. Our goal for the next month is to try cut back on our often overly ambitious plans. While we want to keep meeting our daily exercise goals, a slightly more relaxed approach to our travels would probably do us both good. It’s time for me to admit that we cannot see and do it all – although we have been trying! When you start to long for rain just for an excuse to take a day “off”, it’s time to slow down. Lol.

That said, we have no complaints! The coach and CRV are running well. (Knock on wood.) We are loving the trip and feel grateful every day for this amazing opportunity.  So glad you are sharing it with us! 

A Saner Route, Tiny Tide Pools, a Lighthouse, and a Lobster Pound

We did a better job getting over to Mt. Desert Island early on Thursday, 9/22. I was still not sure which route we would be taking for our hike. The Beehive Trail is very popular, but involves using metal rungs to climb an exposed cliff face, walking along narrow ledges and generally doing all sorts of crazy stuff. It is clearly marked as not advisable for those who are “uncomfortable with heights”. Well, yeah that would be me. I did not want to wimp out, so was considering just going for it - but a good look at the tiny ants (actual human beings) scrambling high above me was enough to bring me to my senses. I opted for the safer (saner) alternate route – taking the Bowl Trail to Gorham Mtn. – which was still a lot of fun. Lots of climbing up rocky outcroppings, just without the sheer drop to certain death. Lol. 

This is Beehive.

Do you see the 12 tiny ant like creatures on the Beehive Trail?? I am not one of them! Lol.

Still scrambling over rocks - but without the death defying heights.

The Bowl, an aptly named lake.

This little dude was smart enough to take the alternate route.

Another summit - all of 525 feet (no, I'm not missing a zero).  Lol.

When everything else is at sea level, 500 ft seems high.

View of Sand Beach from Gorham Mountain

After completing the Gorham Mtn. Loop trail we walked along the Ocean Trail to Otter Cliffs and then back past Thunder Hole to Sand Beach where we dipped out toes in the Atlantic Ocean. Thunder Hole is one of those geological features that, if you can time it right, is very cool. When the right size wave rolls into the naturally formed inlet, it booms like thunder. There is a small cavern just beneath the surface of the water, when the wave pulls back it lets in air and then when it crashes forward it forces the air out, resulting in a sound like distant thunder. It can also splash as high as 40 feet. We stopped by twice, but both times got more gurgle than thunder. Lol.

Otter Cliffs

He just looks like he has an attitude.  Lol.

Love the  color variations in the rock - black, red, white and pink.

Thunder Hole - more a squeak than a roar today. :)

Dipped our toes in the Atlantic.

We retrieved the car and headed to the “quiet side” of the Island. There is another large section of Acadia on the west side of Mt. Desert Island that doesn’t get nearly as much traffic. We walked the Wonderland Trail and played in the tide pools. I could spend hours looking at the miniature aquatic worlds, tickling the tiny crabs, and hunting for shells. Rog finally pulled me away as he had much larger crustaceans in mind.

A miniature aquatic world to explore.

I could play for hours in the tide pools.

Hunting for tiny perfect shells - so much fun!!

The rocky coastline is like a giant adult playground.

Although I am not a devoted lighthouse fanatic, we did a quick stop by Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. It’s a working lighthouse and not open to the public, but you can walk around the grounds and climb on the rocks.  I can definitely see the appeal - functional beauty at its best.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Rugged coastline - you can see why the lighthouse is necessary.

Afternoon light at Bass Harbor.

The real reason we ventured out this far was Thurston’s Lobster Pound. What, you may ask, is a lobster pound? They are everywhere around here and I certainly had no clue. Turns out, it is an eating establishment (anything from a harbor side shack to a regular sit-down restaurant) where you pick out your live lobster – pay by the pound – and then add your dinner (usually corn on the cob, slaw, dessert and a pound of clams or mussels if desired). Thurston’s is right on the water and got great ratings for fresh lobster done right. I opted for the lobster roll dinner (just not into tearing the sea bugs apart) and Rog picked out a nearly 3-pound lobster with the works. It was a lovely dinner (for us, not so much for the lobster. Lol).

Rog's dinner date - Time to get cracking!

The Maine attraction. :)

View from our table at Thurston's Lobster Pound.

Lobster pots on the pier.

Lobster buoys - functional art. 

Busy Bass Harbor.

Lobster boat in for the evening. 

Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so we’re making no plans. It's been a busy few days and it will be good to take a day off. Who knew having so much fun could be exhausting! (No, I’m not expecting any sympathy. Ha!)

Mt. Desert Island Scenic Drive, On Top of Mt. Cadillac, and a Sunset Cruise

On Wednesday, 9/21, the long awaited sunshine arrived and it came with a vengeance - hitting 81˚, which the locals said is far more typical of July or August. I am not complaining! We decided to head over to the main part of the park on Mt. Desert Island. First on our agenda was to drive the 27-mile scenic loop.

Since the forecast for sun on Tuesday had been, ahem, a total lie, we waited for the fog to burn off before venturing out and didn’t arrive at Mt. Desert Island (MDI) until around 11AM. The 10-minute wait at the Welcome Center just to talk to a ranger about the trails and the lines for the bathroom should have been a tipoff that this is a popular park. In fact, Acadia is within a day’s drive of 25% of the population of North America. And they all picked this Wednesday to visit. Lol.

The scenic drive has beautiful views along the coast, but many of the parking areas were completely full. I have to admit we’ve been spoiled by the last couple of National Parks we’ve visited – where we often saw more wildlife than people. The Schoodic Peninsula is also pretty deserted, so we weren’t expecting the crush of people on MDI, especially in the Bar Harbor area. Another tip-off should have been the huge Norwegian Cruise Line ship in the harbor. Luckily the hordes from the tour buses do not venture far past the parking lot and scenic overlooks, so it got quieter the further we walked.   No avoiding the cruise ships either, there is at least one and up to three scheduled each day we’re here. Lol.

The town of Bar Harbor and the invading Norwegian Cruise Line vessel. 

Beautiful blue skies - you can see for miles.

Rog above the hordes at Thunder Hole.

Got a little wave action going.

Pink granite along the coast - so pretty!

Anyhow, although the scenic drive took far longer than we anticipated the views were well worth it. We stopped briefly at several overlooks, but couldn’t get into the parking lot at Cadillac Mountain – the highest point on the Atlantic coast – so we parked further away and hiked one of the trails to the top. Don’t get too excited, the “summit” is a whopping 1528 feet.   Lol.

Trail to Cadillac Mountain summit.

So there was some climbing involved!

Made it! Elevation 1530 feet.

Lovely view from the top of Cadillac Mountain toward the Atlantic.

Equally lovely view inland toward Eagle Lake.

By then it was 3PM and I was starving and getting downright cranky. We headed into Bar Harbor for dinner and a walk about. After Roger’s first (of many, I am sure) lobster roll and some lobster mac & cheese for me, we decided to check out some of the shops and the waterfront. 

Bar Harbor waterfront.

Rock & Art shop had some awesome stuff. Thought these were cool and my birthday is coming. :)
I like the second one on the left, what do you think?

Actual taxidermy bats (Randi!), they were cool, but a little creepy too.

A large 4-masted schooner caught our eye so we strolled over for a closer look. The Margaret Todd is the only 4-masted schooner working in New England and they offered a sunset cruise leaving in 45 minutes. Rog asked if I’d like to do that. Hmmmmm, it’s not on the agenda – but, Hell Yeah! So we scored last minute tickets and hauled our butts aboard. The boat was awesome. They even asked for volunteers to help raise the huge red sails, so Rog was put to work. The cruise lasted about 2 hours and we sailed into Frenchman’s Bay just outside Bar Harbor. The sunset was lovely and it was great fun.

The Margaret Todd at the dock in Bar Harbor.

Happy Sailors!

Love the rigging.

Raising the sails.

Rog helping to hoist the sails.

Mission accomplished!

Deviating from the plan - it's working out just fine. ;)

Enjoying the view.

Beautiful sunset.

Love how the colors reflect on the water.

Light is fading to pinks and purples.

Last shot before we walk the plank.

Afterwards we walked around town just long enough to find the Mt. Desert Ice Cream shop –  delicious homemade ice cream in unique flavors using local, fresh ingredients. Anyplace that offers tasting flights of ice cream is a solid 10 in my book. Lol. (Sorry, no picture – it didn’t last long enough!) We decided to head home before it got too late and plan for an earlier arrival tomorrow so we could beat the crowds and get parking at one of the popular trailheads.