Fun in Bar Harbor, Maine - Part 1

I'm sure I've mentioned that I love Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Maine. In part that's sentimental. I first visited there many years ago as a young, footloose camper/adventurer, and the place won my heart. But it's also truly a beautiful piece of America, perched on the coast of Maine (according to Acadia Magic, Cadillac Mountain--1,530 feet tall--is the first place to view sunrise in the United States October 7th through March 6th when the sun rises farther to the south). There's something for everyone here. You don't have to love seafood, although there's plenty of that if you enjoy it. And you don't have to enjoy sailing or cruising, although you can do that, too (whale watch tours and dinner cruises are among some of the choices).

The air is clean; the rugged, rocky shoreline and the mountains are beautiful. There are lighthouses and lobster fisherman, hiking, biking, gardens, history, museums, and 57 miles of carriage trails where no cars are allowed but walkers, runners, bikers, horseback riders and carriages are. If none of that suits you, there's always shopping in Bar Harbor (if you like shopping--not much of a shopper myself) and looking at the stars. You can climb mountains the easy way (driving, walking up the smaller ones) or the hard way (several of the trails, especially Precipice Trail, access the summits via a series of ladders pounded into the face of the rock). And despite the fact that it's a very popular place, there are plenty of secluded spots where a person can just sit back and enjoy the glorious view.

Here are a few images from the trip:

Just enjoying my view of the shoreline

Trying not to get my feet wet crossing over the rocks

Jordan Pond - you can hike around it, or climb the bubbles (the two peaks visible at the end of the lake) or enjoy scones and tea on the lawn. We've done the hiking and climbing but haven't had tea there yet. 

We hiked a trail around a smaller pond (this was supposed to be a short hike of just over a mile, but most of the trail was heavily covered in roots, so it took a bit longer than anticipated. At the end, we were rewarded with this lovely little waterfall, and the way back was over these split rail planks).

We had a nice view of Frenchman's Bay from our balcony where we could watch the cruise ships come in.

As always, I loved it there. And early September when things begin to wind down before winter is a great time to visit.