I'm fascinated by beaches that consist of rounded rocks. There are places that show off these collections of rocks at Acadia, on both Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula.
The rocks provide beauty to the eyes and music to the ears as the ocean tumbles them in the surf.
Photos from my recent wander in Acadia National Park are available for viewing in two galleries, one containing images from the park and the other focused on flowers in gardens.
Start your viewing by clicking to the top level gallery Acadia :: May 2018 or by clicking on one of the photos below to go to a specific gallery.
spring, Acadia
Acadia's Ocean Path runs from Sand Beach to Otter Point, providing a flat path as a starting point to stepping on to the rocky coastline. The section between Sand Beach and Thunder Hole tends to have a higher concentration of walkers while the sections near Otter Point are much quieter.
I prefer the quieter end, moving from the path to the rocks and back to the path again. It's a good trail for a brisk walk, and it's a good place for quiet contemplation.
While it's good to be home, I really like bouncing in Acadia. I think maybe I need to start jumping into Denise's camera bag when she wanders near home; I might like bouncing here too.
While Denise continues to go through the photos from last week I convinced her to provide one of me and Blue on the rocks near Ocean Path so I could share it with you.
--- Rover
It was a bit chilly this morning, cool enough to convince Denise to wear a light jacket when we started walking.
We entered the park at the Otter Cliff entrance again, leaving the car in the Fabbri Memorial picnic area. This time we walked (out and back) on the Ocean Path with a turn-around point of Sand Beach. That gave us a good walk before jumping into the car for the drive home.
We're home now, resting.
--- Rover
It was a good day to listen to the sounds around us. We heard ocean waves, bells ringing (from buoys, I think), birds singing, chipmunks and squirrels chittering. It was so quiet that I could even hear Denise's hiking shoes crunching on the trail.
We started by driving into Acadia at the Otter Cliffs entrance. We jumped out of the car as soon as we found a parking spot and started down the Ocean Path. I don't remember walking there before but Denise reminded me that we were there when we visited the park during a government shutdown. We had to leave the car along the road outside of the park that time! While we walked I started hearing wonderful sounds around me. It was very peaceful!
Today was a day for a couple of long walks and a bunch of short ones too. It was the warmest day so far with the temperature edging just over 70 degrees.
Today was a good day for walking and listening.
--- Rover
After visiting the gardens we headed into Acadia for an afternoon of wandering. We did a fair amount of walking (Denise walked, I bounced!) without committing to a specific trail. Instead we stopped in different places where we walked and looked around before moving on to the next stopping spot.
After starting and stopping a number of times we headed to a parking area near a lake along Route 3. Denise thought it would feel good to do a fast walk; from the parking lot we walked by the end of the lake and then turned onto a trail leading to Sieur de Mont and then on to Jesup Path. We did an out-and-back walk moving pretty quickly. That felt good!
The sky was mostly blue with some wispy cloud decorations. The air was cool but quite comfortable for walking.
We had a good day!
--- Rover
I thought we would head into the park first this morning but Denise decided to head to Northeast Harbor to visit Asticou Azalea Garden. While it's a little early in the blooming season here, there was color popping in the garden. Some azaleas are blooming, some don't even have leaves yet. Other varieties of flowers were in bloom too, most living close to the ground.
It was a good color morning.
--- Rover
The rain stopped and bits of blue sky appeared. The blue hid pretty quickly; as we headed down the Schoodic Peninsula fog appeared. Remember I told you that Denise likes clouds? Well, she likes fog too!
When we were in Ellsworth the thermometer in the car said that it was close to 60 degrees outside. The temperature started dropping as we drove toward Schoodic, ending at a low of 48 degrees. I was warm enough to bounce on the rocks but Denise decided to add two light long-sleeved layers. Then she was warm enough to join me.
I think that the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula is pure magic. It's good for walking and the views are amazing.
--- Rover
After breakfast we jumped on the highway heading north and east. It was dry when we started and dry at the end - but in the middle there was some rain. Luckily most of the rain fell when we were in the car.
We had a head start on the drive since we stayed with a friend in Yarmouth last night. We followed I-95 to Bangor, then turned toward the coast. In Ellsworth we turned again, heading up the coast for a bit. I wondered if Denise had any wandering plans for today; when she turned in Ellsworth I knew we were heading to the Schoodic Peninsula. I love bouncing on the rocks there!
--- Rover
It's been quite a while since I published a blog post; I think I might need to practice.
I've been telling Denise that we need a visit to Acadia National Park. She finally listened and booked a room at the Holland Inn for a few days this coming week. I'd like to think that I pushed her into traveling but honestly, we would be going even if I didn't add my voice to tell her I need an Acadia "fix".
The weather wizard currently forecasts one day with the possibility of rain followed by sunny days. I've asked the wizard for some clouds for Denise. She always likes to see an interesting sky.
I'm happy to be heading to one of my favorite places soon. And I'm happy to give Denise a break from writing so she can focus on photos.
--- Rover
