photos! Acadia

Last week's visit to Maine provided quiet time to wander in Acadia National Park. I always treasure the time I spend there.

Photos can be viewed in the gallery spring, Acadia.

clouds on Cadillac Mountain

When I woke up this morning I saw some blue in the sky. There were clouds too, but I hoped for a clear view from the top of Cadillac Mountain. We walked a bit first, then hopped in the car and headed up the mountain. On the lower sections I could see the land and sea below us. Before long we drove into the clouds. The wind blew and the clouds hid the view.

There was a different kind of beauty at top of the mountain today, almost a bit eerie.

The weather wizard welcomed us home this afternoon with blue skies and warm air.

--- Rover

a wet day

The weather wizard was sort of wrong with today's forecast. He predicted rain but said that it wouldn't start until into the afternoon. It was wet when we headed out this morning, and it stayed wet for most of our wandering time.

Denise said it's just a continuation of our wet spring weather. She pulled out her rain jacket and we headed into the park. We walked on rocks and we walked on trail, staying low, opting for flattish trails.

I told Denise that I wanted to bounce a bit at the top of Cadillac Mountain but we didn't go up the mountain today. The temperature close to the ocean was only 46 degrees and the clouds were pretty low. It would have been colder at the top, and I think we wouldn't have been able to see anything because of the clouds. Maybe tomorrow morning will be a better time to visit.

Acadia is beautiful, even on a gray and rainy day.

--- Rover

from Carriage Roads to Schoodic

We had a very busy day today!

Denise thought we should start our day by driving to the Schoodic Peninsula but I convinced her to start with a hike instead. The morning was sunny, a bit nippy but a very good temperature for a walk. We headed up Duck Brook Road until we reached a barrier across the road, a perfect place to leave the car. We bounced across the Duck Brook Bridge, then walked the Carriage Road that looped around Witch Hole Pond.

It's still early in the visiting season for Acadia. While we saw a few other people walking the same path, we were alone much of the time. And oh! I got to see some hawks flying overhead and then landing on a tree not too far away. We saw a piece of wood in a pond that served as a perch for a bunch of turtles. I should have counted them; there was very little wood showing between them.

When we finished our morning hike we jumped in the car and headed to Schoodic. The sky was blue when we left the island. As we drove to the northeast the color changed to shades of gray. Funny things, when we headed out on the Schoodic Peninsula it changed again. Looking straight south a bit of blue sky reappeared, but when I looked toward Mount Desert Island the sky was decorated with clouds in shades of gray. I think I'm starting to understand Denise's preference for cloudy skies. They can be very interesting.

It was a good day.

--- Rover

pond along New Duck Brook


on the Schoodic Peninsula

reflection

Light rain stopped falling long enough to capture a perfect reflection.

looking across the water, Somesville, ME

moving backwards

It seemed like we were moving backwards in time (from a season standpoint) as we moved further east in Maine. Most of the trees at home are wearing leaves in a light spring green color. Some of the trees here are wearing leaves but many are showing bare branches with a bit of spring color started to pop out. I guess spring flowers and leaves appear a little later here.

Brr... the air was chilly and we drove (and walked) in and out of raindrops. We reached the island by about noon and Denise decided we would do a little wandering on the west side. I was glad I could duck into the camera bag to avoid the wet.

I'm always happy to wander at Acadia National Park!

--- Rover

view from the end of Wonderland Trail

practicing

It's mid-May. That must mean it's time for a visit to Acadia National Park.

I will introduce myself in case we haven't met before. My name is Rover; I'm a little red dog who travels with Denise. While she focuses on absorbing the landscape and trying to capture it with her camera, I help by writing blog entries for both of us. I try to remember to sign my name but if I forget you can always tell it's me writing because I always use slanty text.

It's been a while since I posted in Denise's blog... I figured I'd better practice before we leave home.

I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for Downeast Maine, hoping for some non-rainy days with a reasonable temperature for walking. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and cold but the weather wizard says that there may be improvement later in the week. I told Denise to cross her fingers for better weather because we are going!

--- Rover