Acadia NP

Acadia National Park is the oldest national park east of the Mississippi, and is about an hour and a half from Deer Isle, where Julie and Ken live. We were there on a perfectly clear day. We did a great hike up from a beach, to the cliffs overlooking the bay and the Atlantic Ocean. There were a few places where we had to scramble up rocks, but it was the perfect hike in terms of distance and difficulty. Whenever I got the sense that Carrie felt like she has struggling, we would come across an older couple, or a family with a young child, and I knew she was thinking, "Well, if they can do this..."



The views were marvelous. As we came across the view pictured below, an older gentleman, coming from the opposite direction, asked me about the Red Sox, since I was wearing my "B" cap. Then he called out to his wife, a line that Carrie and I continue to use: "More views heah, Deah." Classic Maine accent. The he added, "Hurry up, Deah, you're going to miss it," as though the view would be gone before she reached the top of the ridge.

When we returned to the trail head, and the beach, we were ready to take off our shoes, and wade in the cold surf. There were hearty souls who thought it was a great day to swim, but for me, when the water washed above my knees, I angled back to the sand. This was Maine after all, and the water was too cold for a true swim.

We drove through other scenic areas, taking turns saying, "More views heah, Deah."

Inside the park, is a restaurant at Jordan Pond, known as a place to have popovers and tea. Everything on the menu comes with at least one popover, a hollow, sweet, clover roll that must be baked in butter. It was a lovely outdoor lunch, with a view of the pond and the surrounding mountains.

As seemingly remote as Acadia is, the crowds in the park were large, and we were struck by large number of foreign languages we heard while there. I guess that European visitors, who have time to see more than New York and Boston, come here for a taste of the natural beauty of the East Coast.

We returned to Julie and Ken's, to scarf down some homemade pizza, and listen to the pleasant sounds of Ken's band rehearse in the music room/workshop.

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