Photos from my early May wander in Acadia are ready for viewing in this gallery.
It was a good escape, with wanders extending from the Schoodic Peninsula, around Mount Desert Island, and to Stonington on the next peninsula to the west.
Acadia and... May 2015:
The water that pools behind Sand Beach creates interesting scenery. I look inland, I look to the ocean.
I see smooth waters reflecting clouds, a bit of sand, and a tiny glimpse of the ocean.
We've been home just a day short of a week and I thought I'd better let you know that Denise is still going through her photos from our wanders in and around Acadia. It usually takes her a bit of time to get ready to share photos when we come back from a multi-day trip. I know that most of you know her habits - but then I thought people might wonder if there would be Acadia photos since Denise already shared a gallery from her visit to Bedrock Gardens yesterday. She hasn't forgotten; it just her takes a bit of time.
While we're waiting (yes, me too!) I thought I'd share an Acadia image from our wanders.
--- Rover
Shapes formed by rocks and water adorn the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park.
A sign on the side of Opera House Arts in Stonington reminded me to have fun.
I didn't really need a reminder. I was wandering in a picturesque spot along the coast of Maine, camera in hand, looking, enjoying...
The trees and plants in Downeast Maine seem to be about two weeks behind the trees and plants at home from a growing season standpoint. This was very noticeable on my drive home yesterday. While there were some trees in Acadia and Bar Harbor that were starting to show a skim coat of green they were mainly wearing bare branches. As I moved through southern Maine, New Hampshire, and into Massachusetts the trees were wearing green, some with full leaves, some a step before.
While tulips here started to open nine days ago, most of the tulips in Evin's garden were not close to blooming. There was one that opened for me, moving from a tight bud when I arrived to full bloom by the time I headed for home.
We walked along the Ocean Path in Acadia this morning. I love bouncing along the paths and on the rocks that line the coast. It's so peaceful, looking around, walking, and listening to the sound of the ocean.
It's funny, the rain started just as we turned to the west on the highway, heading home. I think that was pretty good timing, don't you?
--- Rover
The sand bar leading to Bar Island was still covered with water when we wandered down to see if the setting sun was painting the water in pretty colors.
We stood on the edge of the water watching ripples of color as the water moved. So pretty...
--- Rover
this morning we headed off island, driving down the next peninsula to the west of here, crossing a very narrow and high bridge to Deer Isle, and continuing to the end of a road in Stonington. It was foggy on the edges of Mount Desert Island, on parts of the drive, and again in Stonington. The fog never lifted at the tip of the island, creating a magic place to walk.
There were few places where it was possible to get close to the water. I thought one of the places that Denise decided to walk might be a bit slippery; the rocks were surrounded by mud and seaweed and the surface looked wet. Wet can be just water or it can be slimy slippery stuff. Denise was careful where she put her feet so she managed to stay upright. I chose to ride in the camera bag for the wet spots of our wander. I like my red feet to stay red, not muddy!
It's funny, I've grown so used to wandering in the fog that I was really surprised when we moved under blue skies just a short time after leaving Stonington.
There were a couple of "must stop" spots on the way back. Sometimes Denise just needs to jump out of the car with her camera to play for a bit.
After we returned to our island home I suggested that we bounce along part of the Great Head Trail again. After all the landscape was obscured by fog yesterday; today we enjoyed the scenery.
--- Rover
Oh! When we got home from wandering today there was a gathering of friends in our room. Blue and I joined Evin's four friends for a wonderful get-together. What fun!
--- Rover
The sky was clearing nicely in the early evening. The weather kept changing; by the time we walked back to the water just before sunset clouds had started to roll in.
--- Rover
Fog dropped over the area early this morning, covering the coast and hiding the views. That meant that our hiking destination changed (again). Denise said that she didn't want to get to the top of Gorham Mountain and not be able to see anything except fog - so we wandered in other places.
Just after we left the B&B this morning to drive to the starting point for a hike I could see drops of water on the windshield. I think it was just light rain but I suppose it could have been droplets coming out of the fog. What do you think?
We started our day with a walk by "little" Long Pond just west of Seal Harbor. It was a quiet spot, a pleasant walk.
Next stop was the Great Head Trail. I thought we had to start this trail from Sand Beach after crossing water running from the pools behind the beach. It turns out there is a parking lot and trail head for the trail not far from the Schooner Point parking lot. That's where we started our walk. We followed the trail in a counterclockwise direction. The first half of the trail included some rock hopping - but going up and back down again too. I think it's fun bouncing up and down the big rocks on the trail but Denise isn't always sure about that. She was good, even though there were a couple of times when I had to point out the best path to her. It was really foggy... I'm going to try to convince Denise to repeat part of the trail so we can see the view. I think we can do the trail as an out-and-back from the parking area; if we walk in a clockwise direction it will mostly be on a trail without too many rocks to bounce over.
Denise said we needed to stop at Sand Beach again. She wanted to see that really pretty area behind the beach in the fog. We could see the trees that live close to the beach but the mountains disappeared.
The fog stayed for the entire time we were on the coast. When we turned toward the inside of the island it disappeared.
Seeing places in the fog is pure magic.
--- Rover
Tonight's sunset came just before low tide. That meant that the sandbar path to Bar Island was exposed, and that we could bounce across land that is covered by water half of the time. Cool!
Late day light is very special. I like the way it changes the landscape.
--- Rover
I wasn't sure where we were going to wander today. Denise always needs to visit the Schoodic Peninsula; I thought we might be going there tomorrow. But - we went today!
Our day started with a drive back to the mainland and a turn onto route 1 north (which I think looks like it is heading east!) to head to the next peninsula. Then we followed a 2-lane road to the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula where we hopped out of the car to wander on the rocks.
I did a little bit of bouncing on the rocks but then I jumped back into Denise's camera bag to keep Blue company. It was kind of chilly with the temperature in the high 40s and the wind was howling. I was afraid I would get blown away - and the camera bag was nice and toasty. Blue and I both popped our heads out so we could kind of explore from Denise's back.
Denise was surprised that some of the pools of water on the rocks were much smaller than they were the last time we visited. These pools are no where near where the tide reaches. I've always wondered where the water comes from if it's not the ocean. Or... maybe it is, maybe sometimes the tide is really, really high.
It was a good Schoodic wander.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat, then headed back into the park on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island. We walked a little, wandering down some short trails, then checking the water that lives behind Sand Beach. It was a quiet wandering day for us, a good day.
--- Rover
Oh! When we returned to our room after wandering today my teddy bear friend was hanging out upside down. I thought that was funny so I borrowed Denise's phone to grab a picture of him. Then Denise took a picture of the two of us right side up.--- Rover
I think I've finally convinced Denise she needs a couple of slow (or no) exercise days. After all we are heading to Acadia soon and I think she should be well rested so she can enjoy bouncing around the park. Her feet kept moving and moving over the weekend - she walked 8 miles on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. I think that's a lot, don't you? Today was just a 3-mile day; if I have any influence tomorrow should be a shorter day too. We'll see.
I volunteered to write our blog entries during our quick wander in Maine. I always intend to jump in with guest posts on Denise's blog when we're not traveling but somehow that doesn't seem to happen. As long as I can be the official author during our travels I'm happy!
This will be an early season long weekend trip with cool-ish temperatures predicted along with the possibility of some water falling from the sky. Acadia is beautiful in any weather, and Denise really likes interesting clouds - no matter what the weather wizard brings I'm sure she'll be happy.
We're going to stay at Evin's Holland Inn. I'm always happy to stay there; breakfasts are wonderful and all of the rooms have a resident being (like me) so we can gossip and catch up on interesting places to wander.
Soon...
--- Rover
It's time to dream of traveling. Denise has a long weekend visit to Acadia planned early in May but she hasn't made any plans for any further away destinations. I guess I need to start looking into interesting destinations and leaving the information showing on her computer. What do you think? Would that help her decide?
As always I'm looking forward to wandering in Acadia. That's one of Denise's favorite places, and it's turned into one of mine too. I do hope that there is enough warmish weather between now and when we head out to uncover the ground in the park.
As of April 2: All areas of the park are covered in heavy snow and unusual amounts of ice. Most areas of the park are inaccessible for this reason. Please use extreme caution while traveling in this area.
--- Rover
