Walking down the same path on days two months apart provided a view of two seasons, a glimpse of early autumn as compared to the entry to winter.
The photos below were taken on a trail near the end of the Jesup Path boardwalk in Acadia National Park.
Photos from my quick visit to Downeast Maine are available for viewing in the gallery Downeast solstice.
A tree stands at the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, decorating the rock with a touch of green.
It was 23 degrees and windy outside (with the wind chill reported at 12 degrees!) when we woke up this morning. Denise thought maybe we would wander the trails in a wildlife refuge in Ellsworth before we headed for home but I convinced her that it would be a very cold wander. I think she would have opted to walk anyway until I reminded her how cold her fingers get on really cold days. This morning it was really cold!
We're home now, and I'm helping Denise look through the photos from our quick wander. Here's one from a favorite place, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula.
--- Rover
I don't know what made me take a left turn at Hulls Cove but I'm very glad that I did. In all the years that I've been visiting here I didn't know there was a sculpture garden hiding in plain sight.
I was feeling a bit chilled by the time I found the garden, and some of the paths were very wet. Even allowing these factors to limit my time there today, the garden was a wow!
Our wandering today was in Acadia, starting with entry to the park on the only open road. The park is open year-round but most of the roads are closed (and blocked). The small piece of Park Loop Road that is open to vehicles year-round is accessed via the road to Schooner Head. The road is open from the entry station just before Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs. Of course you can walk anywhere in the park, you just need to figure out how to get to your starting point.
We walked from Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs and back again (since we needed to retrieve our vehicle). There were a few other people around, two folks who were participating in the Mount Desert Island Christmas Bird Count, three brave individuals who were in the water and Sand Beach with surfboards, and a few others walking a similar path to ours.
There were times when we walking on the path, and other times when we wandered out onto the rocks.
--- Rover
We were walking on Sand Beach this morning when Denise started seeing white flakes in the air. She thought she was seeing things; I was able to tell her that she wasn't. Those were snow flurries! I'm not sure where they were coming from since the sky was mainly blue with white clouds. They didn't look like snow clouds, but I guess there was snow hiding in some of the white clouds.
It flurried on and off for a bit, then it stopped.
Later, we started walking at Eagle Lake. There wasn't anything falling from the sky at first. Then the clouds lowered and we were in the middle of a snow squall. The mountains behind the lake just disappeared!
The squall didn't last too long, probably around 10 or 15 minutes. When it cleared out it left colder air behind. It had inched up to 39 degrees; after the squall the temperature stood at 34. When Denise checked the weather on her phone it told us that along with the lower temperature the wind had pulled the feel of the air down to 26 degrees. Brr!
--- Rover
Oh! I'm so glad we spent the afternoon at the Schoodic Peninsula. There were large ocean swells and crashing waves. We stayed back from the edge, walking on the big rocks, standing and watching as the waves came in. Some were relatively quiet, some rolled and crashed and created a very big splash. It was pure magic!
Later we stopped at a beach that was made up of rounded rocks. We stood there for a while too, listening to the rocks rolling in the waves.
These words from a sign in the park are interesting, aren't they?
Ancient ice and powerful waves worked for eons to round the cobbles that grace Acadia's beaches. Glaciers carried many of them great distances to this spot. Now the sea endlessly tumbles them with local rock creating an ever-changing mosaic of colors and textures. --- Rover
This morning was a time of driving to the north and east. Denise & I were headihg for a quick escape, a December visit to Acadia National Park.
Denise said she would like to see the park decorated with snow but I don't think that will happen on this trip. The temperature stayed in the mid-40s for most of the day. It's supposed to be a bit chillier tomorrow, but I'm sure we'll be OK. Denise brought extra fleece layers, some for her and extras for me and Blue to wrap ourselves in.
It's a good thing that I was keeping an eye on Denise as she drove up I-95. We crossed several bridges with stellar views of reflections where I knew she really wanted to stop. I reminded her that it's not OK to stop on an interstate highway, especially when the cars are moving at 70 miles per hour (and higher). Hmm... I wonder if she would have stopped if I hadn't been with her.
We're in Ellsworth, Maine right now. Did you know that the sun sets here earlier than it does at home? Sunset at home today was at 4:12 PM. Sunset here was at 3:54 PM. That seems kind of funny to me. I guess it's because of where we are situated in the time zone.
--- Rover
