Climbing Our Way to Acadia National Park

Jerry here!  Back for my take on this week’s two trips to Acadia National Park.

Early in the planning stages of our adventure Susan and I decided Acadia National Park would be on our list. It took us 14 months and a trip across the good old USA to finally make it to Maine! To date we have visited Acadia two times. Our first trip we rode our electric bikes on one of the many carriage roads, then hiked around Jordan Pond.  Let me say, that was not an easy hike as we were led to believe.  Especially for Susan!  There were MANY boulders that we had to climb over.  MANY!!!  I was very worried about Susan’s knee, but she was a trooper and kept telling me to suck it up and start climbing. She never ceases to amaze me. Throw in a meal at the Jordan Pond Restaurant and it added up to a great day! While we were enjoying our meal we made a toast to Acadia! I got choked up, ya i’m an old softy! I was proud of our accomplishment of making it to Acadia.  

On our second visit to Acadia we went straight to the Bass Harbor LightHouse, just south of the town of SouthWest Harbor. This lighthouse is an easy hike from the parking lot to the lighthouse perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. We were surprised to learn the light was out of commission. The docent told us the light had to be sent to Australia for repairs! Susan and I stood watching the ocean at the overlook at the lighthouse. It was a great moment of beautiful scenery and an awesome feeling of accomplishment of making it across the states.

After our visit to the lighthouse we headed to Bar Harbor about 30 minutes away. A pleasant drive through parts of Acadia national park. The park is beautiful! Plenty of sea shore scenery along with incredible lakes! 

We have a large dual wheel truck, which is a challenge to park no matter where we travel. But parking in Bar Harbor was particularly tough due to the narrow streets in this old sea port! We finally found parking and started our sightseeing tour. We found the waterfront and the Shore Trail. We walked the trail enjoying the ocean view and the mansions on the waterfront. 

We noticed there were two Cruise ships anchored in the harbor. We were told to try to avoid days when the ships arrive to avoid the crowds downtown. We weren’t surprised by the crowds, it wasn’t too bad! We found a brewery for lunch and had a mediocre meal. The price was high. I joked to Susan that this was like going to Carmel, California! We window shopped, dropping into a shop or two. We were not excited to pay the inflated tourist prices, BUT we agreed that we deserved ice cream! Yummy! Susan found a great dairy free ice cream made with Almond Milk!

So far we are amazed at how friendly Mainers are! We have been adopted by new friends Scott and Linda! From the moment we met them they treated us like family! Along with endless recommendations for things to do! Susan and I were humbled when we were invited to Scott and Linda’s annual Labor Day BBQ party with their family.  They have had us over for dinner and we have had them to the campground for dinner.  It’s been so nice to spend time with like minded people.  

It’s puzzling to me how we meet such amazing people! We try to treat people the way we want to be treated. Maybe that’s the secret! Scott is taking me fishing to one of the local ponds, and Linda is taking Susan to her favorite shops in the Bangor area.  I’ll follow up on the fishing trip and I know Susan will share her shopping experience!  It’s been a while since she’s been shopping without me tagging along!  Girl time!  

Our trips to Acadia have helped us prepare for a visit from Susan’s sister, Betsy, Gladys (the care provider who took care of Susan’s mom for close to 10 years before she passed and is like family) and Betsy’s best friend, Jan.  They are arriving on Wednesday and staying for a few days.  There will be a report on the adventures we enjoyed!

Just One More….National Park (well, there are many we need to get to on our adventures)