This destination off the southeastern Maine shore has been on our "Let's go" list for a long time.
We finally made it, Stop #24 on our 2013 Summer Tour, thanks to Jack and Jane Pronovost,
our Winter Texan friends who live in Maine.
The beauty of the place surpassed our expectations.
From the entrance road,
past majestic granite boulders,
to this view from the top of Cadillac Mountain, tallest peak on the U.S. eastern shore.
The sights were breath-taking, but, unfortunately, interrupted by other tourists!
We didn't try swimming in the waters of Sand Beach
where the sand consists of crushed shells,
but we heard the screams of those who jumped in without realizing how cold it was!
Thunder Hole didn't thunder for us since the winds were out of the wrong direction,
but, again, the views of the Atlantic Ocean were gorgeous.
We stopped at Jordan Pond House and enjoyed this view of the Bubble Mountains.
We also enjoyed "popovers," a delicious pastry for which Jordan Pond House is famous.
(Too bad we can't include aroma and taste with this blog!)
Acadia National Park is divided into two areas. The larger part occupies the eastern half of Mount Desert (in Maine, pronounced de-SERT) Island off the southeastern state coast, south of Ellsworth and Trenton. It lies on the western shore of Frenchman's Bay and the major city on the island is Bar Harbor. This seems to be the area that most tourists find.
Our hosts also took us to the Schoodic Peninsula. A small area on the southwest corner of that Peninsula, located on the eastern shore of Frenchman's Bay, is also a part of Acadia National Park. The major city on Schoodic Peninsula is Winter Harbor. We were delighted that most tourists apparently can't find it and we had it almost to ourselves.
Quiet and calm enveloped us as we drove slowly along its rugged byways.
Waves breaking on the rocky shore
have an almost mystical effect on me.
Here and there, in the midst of the rugged landscape, there are spots of beauty,
such as this wild iris,
and wild blueberry bushes.
Then the shadows grew longer, the air got cooler,
and it was time to say "Good-bye" to Acadia National Park.
