wet

It was a wet day today, with temperatures on the warm side. The forecast says that cooler air is on the way.

The relative warmth feeds color in late season flowers.

late bloom

I find it that there are still a few late blooming flowers decorating the garden.

photos! Acadia

The colors were just past peak as I wandered in Acadia National Park last week. I experienced changing weather, from pure blue skies to interesting clouds, to heavy rain and wind. The park was beautiful, as always; it was an awesome visit!

Photos can be seen in the gallery autumn, Acadia.

mirrored

While the autumn colors in the park are past peak, the remaining leaves continue to brighten the landscape. Mirrored colors and patterns create a picture.

walking, driving

The ocean called to me on the last Acadia morning for this trip. I walked along Ocean Path under changing skies. It was gray when I started but by the time I finished walking the clouds began to allow some blue to peek through.

A good morning walk was followed by a drive, a return home.

clear blue

Yesterday's storm blew away leaving a clear blue sky. Even though Denise prefers to see some clouds, it was a beautiful day.

We wandered on a number of different trails today. I think my favorite of the day was our walk on one of the Carriage Roads, the one that goes by Witch Hole Pond. That's a nice circle trail that passes by several ponds and has lots of things to look at.

When we were halfway around Denise said hello to two people who were walking in the opposite direction. Instead of saying hello and continuing to walk we stopped and chatted for a while. Our conversation mates were from Burlington, Vermont - and they come to Acadia twice a year too. Similar to our May and October schedule, they visit in June and October. Funny, it's not just Denise who likes to visit Acadia when it isn't crowded.

Tomorrow is our last day in the park for this trip - but I'm sure we'll be visiting here again.

--- Rover

a wild ocean

After walking this morning Denise & I spent some time inside, waiting out the rain. The wind died down by about noon and the rain changed to intermittent. It was time to head out again, this time accompanied by my camera.

We headed into the park looking for fog on the mountains.

It was too wet to bounce down any of the trails so we drove around Park Loop Road, stopping occasionally for walking and photos. The ocean was wild! Sand Beach was closed, and Thunder Hole was closed too. There was a big sign at each place saying:

WARNING
DANGEROUS SURF
USE EXTREME
CAUTION

The walkway was blocked too, but some very silly people ducked under the sign to get closer to the water. I really don't understand; Denise & I wouldn't have moved closer to that wild water even without a warning sign.

We stood still at several spots along Ocean Path and watched the ocean. Denise said that she doesn't remember ever seeing waves as crazy as the ones that were rolling in today.

Tomorrow should be a good day for wandering. The forecast calls for sunshine!

--- Rover

wet & windy

Oh! The rain and wind started overnight; it was very wet this morning.

Denise decided it was a good time to walk the Great Meadow Loop. It's flat, and we can start from our B&B, walking into the park and looping back. It felt like a good time to walk without carrying anything, even the camera. I hopped into a pocket in Denise's rainjacket, she grabbed her phone (in case she saw any scenes she needed to capture), and we headed out.

Luckily the temperature stayed in the mid-50s so we were able to easily stay warm. The conditions changed often, from light rain and wind to heavier versions of both.

Right now we're relaxing inside where it is dry but soon I think we're going to head out again.

--- Rover

Schoodic wander

Our first wandering point in Acadia today was the Schoodic Peninsula. It's the only part of Acadia National Park that is on the mainland, and I think it's Denise's favorite part of the park. Here's the description from the park's web site:

"Schoodic Peninsula, the only part of Acadia National Park found on the mainland, boasts granite headlands that bear erosional scars of storm waves and flood tides. Although similar in scenic splendor to portions of Mount Desert Island, the Schoodic Coast is a more secluded area."

We spent a good amount of time there, walking (carefully), watching the waves crash on the rocks, enjoying the beauty around us.

Once we finished our Schoodic visit we headed back to the west, visiting a small section of the park on Mount Desert Island before ending our wandering for the day.

It sounds like tomorrow will be very wet. Hopefully we will find some places to wander in the rain.

--- Rover

driving north and east

Denise & I hit the road early this morning, heading for downeast Maine and Acadia National Park.

I wondered if we would still see color in the trees today, and yes, we do! There were sections of road where the trees were wearing bare branches and sections where there was still color. That made Denise happy!

Somewhere between Bangor and Ellsworth I saw a field of red groundcover. We were already driving past but I convinced Denise to turn back to get a photo. I didn't expect to see red on the ground; we saw more when we wandered on the Schoodic Peninsula.

--- Rover