Day 104, May 9, Acadia National Park


There’s so very much to see and do here in Acadia, but alas today was P-Day. It seems we must have food and clean clothing, but I was too anxious to be out and about adventuring to fuss much with necessities. So I hurried Aaron through the essentials, and we headed for the great outdoors. Wasting time buying and preparing food drives me to distraction.  

Three amazing things:  #1- The Loop Road. Ninety percent of park visitors only drive the loop road and never venture far from their cars. But because The Loop Road holds so many of Acadia’s treasures, we drove it today as well. Thank goodness we’re ahead of the hoards who visit this park and clog roadways, trails and parking lots. It’s not vacant, but it’s certainly not crowded.





Stops included views of the quaint seaside village of Bar Harbor, Frenchman Bay (New England was first New French until the Brits expelled their enemy), Sand Beach, and along Otter Cliffs to Otter Point. It’s simply stupendous and all I anticipated of Maine; frigid clear Atlantic waters, rugged rocky coastlines, lobster traps sprinkled in the offshore waters, quaint fishing villages snuggled into protected coves, and a lighthouse. How I have missed the sea.






#2- Beehive Mountain. The hike is short, but it ascends directly up a sheer granite cliff face to a summit with 360 degree views. Without the strategically placed metal rungs, I would never have attempted this hike. Clocking in at only 2 miles round trip, it’s a short but exhilarating scramble. Aaron respects his fear of heights, so he opted to wait the hour it took me to complete the circuit. This hike is gnarly! Signage below warns about cliff walks, exposure, and the deaths that have sadly occurred on this trail.  It was fun…until I got scared, but I slowed down, took some deep breaths, collected my wits, and soldiered on. The views atop Beehive Mtn were well worth the risk of life.







#3- Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse at sunset. Too beautiful for an adequate description, the pictures say it all.



Good deeds: Aside from taking pics of other couples for them, I fed a hungry seagull half of my apple. The fun part was watching him break it into bite-sized chunks. Hands are overrated. 


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