Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

We finally broken Internet and cell phone silence this week! The RV park we stayed in near Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park didn’t have Internet access, and our Verizon phones (and the Sea2C router) couldn’t get a reliable signal, so we didn’t have cell phone service either. Luckily it is only the third time on the trip (the others were Fishing Bridge campground in Yellowstone Park, and Ontario, Canada). It is amazing how much we rely on the Internet – researching campgrounds, communicating with friends, keeping up on world and local news. We are glad to be connected to the world again!

The campground we stayed in near Bar Harbor operates on a first come, first serve basis -- they don’t accept reservations! The good news is they let you drive around and pick out your own site. After selecting a pull through site at the top of the hill with a partial view of the Ocean, we cooked dinner and plotted our strategy for the next day in the park. The weather gods were finally cooperating, as it looked like the following day would be dry for a change.

The morning dawned bright and sunny as predicted, a welcome change from all the rain we experienced in New Hampshire and the drive across Maine. The kids worked on homework for a couple of hours, and then Brian drove us into Bar Harbor in search of clam chowder. The town was buzzing with two cruise ships anchored in the harbor. We found a place to park and did some window shopping along main street. Teressa asked one of the shop keepers for a recommendation on the best clam chowder in town, and we ended up at the Thirsty Whale. The “chowdah” was excellent, with a thick cream base and a hint of garlic!

After lunch we drove to the visitor center at the entrance to Acadia National Park. The kids got their passport stickers and stamps, and we watched a short movie about the park. Acadia is the only national park where the land was given to the government by private citizens. That accounts for some of the odd shaped boundaries between public and private lands. We spent the next four hours circumnavigating the park. One of the highlights was Sand Beach, the only sand beach in the park, made up mostly of crushed animal shells. Laura accurately described its feel as that of sawdust. We stopped at Jordan Pond and did a short hike down to the lake along the carriage trails. For a finale, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain (1600 feet) as the sun was setting and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the park. As they pointed out in the movie at the visitor center, Acadia doesn’t have any “must see” signature attractions like many of the other national parks, but the overall package is impressive!

We ended the day back in Bar Harbor at a local pizza parlor. There we met a group of retired folks on a tour from Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia. They were interested in our trip and gave us more suggestions on things to see and do around DC. There are no shortage of opportunities!