May 21st, Monday – Acadia National Park

Today we’re going to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  This was our sightseeing day so we were up early and eager to get going.  The forecast for the day was stunning, temperatures in the 70’s, not a hint of rain.  It indeed turned out to be an absolutely fantastic day, beautiful clear blue skies, temperatures in the mid 70’s and just a trace of a breeze.  At least that was the situation in Bar Harbor, however, when we returned home things were all over the place.  Seems back at the Pumpkin Patch the winds ranged between 20 to 30 mph.  Sure glad I left the awning stowed!

So we were off to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  Right up front I will say we missed a lot.  Not for lack of effort but simply because the two of us just can’t walk like we used to.  But we made the best of it and we thoroughly enjoyed what we were able to see and do.  How I would like to go back again for another day.

So given our limitations we decided that the best way to get an overall view of the park would be to take a guided narrated tour offered by the National Park Service.

Our chariot for the day

Of course, Benny the Bison went with us.

Here is Barbara with our driver Santo

So onboard the bus and into Acadia National Park we went.

Regarding the park, some background which many of you may know already.  Acadia was first established as Sieur de Monts Monument in July 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson.  When Sieur De Monts National Monument was founded on Mount Desert Island its creators sought to protect the island’s stunning natural resources from development and to preserve them for public access. This was our first stop on the tour, the gardens that are at what is still known as Sieur De Monts.

Why was it dedicated as a monument?  The story goes because the President would have needed Congressional approval for a new national park, but his signature only was sufficient to establish a new monument.   In February 1919, the name was subsequently changed to Lafayette National Park when it became the first national park east of the Mississippi. It was not until January 1929 that it officially was named Acadia National Park.

The founding father of Acadia is a title that has been given to George B. Dorr.

George B. Dorr, a tireless spokesman for conservation, devoted 43 years of his life, energy, and family fortune to preserving the Acadian landscape on Mount Dessert Island.  Dorr, whose labors constituted the greatest of one-man shows in the history of land conservation, became the first park superintendent.

Today the park protects more than 47,000 acres, and the simple pleasures of ocean, forests, lakes, and mountains that have been sought and found by millions for over a century and a quarter are now for everyone to enjoy.

Proceeding along the park road this is some of the stunning scenery that we saw firsthand.

 

Our next stop was at The Jordan Pond House.

The Jordan Pond House traces its history from 1847. The first settlers conducted a logging operation. The original farm house was built by the Jordan family of Seal Harbor, for whom the pond and house were named. The Jordan Pond House was founded as a restaurant by Mr. Melvin Tibbetts in the early 1870’s.

Jordan Pond is a glacier formed mountain lake with a maximum water depth of 150 feet. There are steep inclines on the left and right sides. The water is exceptionally clear with an average visibility depth of 46 feet but this has been measured as high as 60 feet, the most ever recorded in the State of Maine.

The two mountains at the far end of the picture to the right are known as North and South Bubbles. The North Bubble, which you see as the left mountain in the photograph above, has the highest elevation at 872 feet. The South Bubble follows at 766 feet.

From here we moved onto what is known as Thunder Hole.  Thunder hole is where you go to experience the thunder of the sea against the rocky shores of Maine. On calm days you may wonder what the fuss is all about. But wait

until the waves kick up a few notches. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll into. At the end of this inlet, down low, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar! Hence the name: Thunder Hole.  Unfortunately, today all it was doing was gurgling.

 

Finally, we moved on to Cadillac Mountain. At 1,530 feet, it is the tallest mountain on Mount Desert Island and the second highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. (Mount Katahdin in Baxter Park is the highest).  From October 7 through March 6 of each year, it is the first place to view a sunrise in the United States.

Millions of years ago, the earth’s tectonic and volcanic forces pushed the land upward to form the mountains on the island. Then, during ice ages that followed, huge 1 – 2 mile high and slow-moving glaciers sheared off the top leaving the rounded off appearance we see today.

Largely composed of pink granite, it is covered with spruce and pitch pine forests, tiny sub alpine plants (such as cinquefoil), short gnarled trees, wild blueberries, and boulders of all sizes and shapes.

The road to the top is approximately 3.5 miles long.  At one time, a cog railroad ran to the top of the mountain.  The Green Mountain (now known as  Cadillac Mountain) Cog Railway was a narrow gauge mountain railway built to carry tourists to the top of Green Mountain where there was also a hotel.

At the end of the 19th. century, Maine’s tourist industry was developing rapidly. The islands off the coast of Maine were popular attractions and the possibility of a cog railway to the top of Green Mountain was first explored in the late 1870s. The railroad was finally constructed in 1883.

The line operated during the summer season and for the first few years was successful. But tourist numbers declined and after the 1890 season the railway ceased operations.

Here are some pictures from the top of Cadillac Mountain.

From Cadillac Mountain, we came back into Bar Harbor for a quick-lunch before heading home.

 

 

 

So that was our day.  Fantastic in all ways.  We had a great time, traveling together, hand in hand, singing our song.  Yes, we missed quite a bit but we also saw more than we probably would have if we had done it on our own.  So for now I’ll say goodnight to everyone.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for movie night, then our evening prayers and finally some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before