After our stay in Bar Harbor, we continued our road trip along the coast. We spent the mid morning and early afternoon at the grand Acadia National Park, the Crown Jewel of Maine. Acadia was first established as Sieur de Monts National Monument in July 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson but then was changed to Lafayette National Park in February 1919 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 word “Acadia” likely stems from “Arcadia,” a part of Greece that this area reminded the explorer, Giovanni Verrazano of as he sailed by in 1524. Today, it encompasses approximately 49,052 acres in three main areas. The largest is located on Mount Desert Island. Next, is an approximate 2,366 acre tract of land to the Northeast on the mainland at Schoodic Peninsula. Thirdly, to the Southwest (accessible only by boat) is Isle Au Haut. Baker Island (Southeast coast) and Bar Island (north side of Bar Harbor) also have National Park land.
We saw a lot of the park on a driving tour, but some of the more well known areas of the park, we made stops so we could spend a little more time there. Our first stop was at the famous Thunder Hole. 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.
We were there on a calm day, with very few, gentle waves, so we didn't get to experience the Thunder this inlet is known for. We still enjoyed the gorgeous, rocky coastline views.
My dad off exploring ...
Here are some examples of what Thunder Hole looks like on a day with crashing waves.
Acadia was the place were we saw that most fall leaves in brilliant colors out of our entire trip
Our tour guide had been telling us all morning that she had lined up a special treat for us. She had made such a big deal about it, that we were all excited to find out what the big surprise treat was.
Still not knowing what our special treat was, we were seated at the Jordan Pond House, the only full service restaurant in the park, which over looks Jordan Pond. One of the top recommended experiences in Acadia National Park is to have afternoon tea at this well known restaurant.
Our special surprise treat was homemade blueberry lemonade and the Jordan Pond House's famous popovers! Best surprise treat ever!! I love popovers! They were served with Maine Blueberry jam and butter which melted on the still warm popovers. We got to have two if we wanted! I was in buttery carb heaven.
After stuffing ourselves full of warm popovers, we continued our tour of the park. We made a stop at the Cadillac Mountain North Trail. Cadillac Mountain, at 1,530 feet (466 meters), is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6. It is one of over 20 mountains on Mount Desert Island, Maine that were pushed up by earth's tectonic and volcanic forces millions of years ago. Were it not for the once enormous glaciers that sheared off their tops, they would be even higher than what we see today. You can easily see the results of this on a smaller scale by viewing the slopes on the Porcupine Islands in the distance.
Best fall leaf landscape of the entire trip.
After a blissful morning in Acadia, I always love visiting National Parks, they are always so peaceful, we drove on and made a quick stop at Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. This was the first bridge observation tower in the United States and the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. The tower reaches 420 feet into the air and allows visitors to view the bridge, the nearby Fort Knox State Historic Site, the Penobscot River, and Bay.
Then we continued our long drive. We were making our way back to Boston from which we would fly home in a couple of days. After a long stint of driving, we stoped in the adorable, sea side town of Camden to get some fresh air, do a little shopping, and grab a late lunch/ early dinner.
My parents and I walked through a couple of fun shops, there was one in particular that had so many beautiful home decor items. They had a lovely collection of brass nautical instruments, which I love to collect. Since my birthday was just around the corner, my dad bought me a compass, an antique porthole pocket watch and compass which is displayed on a beautiful stand, and a brass magnifying glass. They are all treasured keepsakes.
I met a couple of adorable and friendly sea dogs. My mom and I always keep an eye out for dogs during our travels. My mom likes to talk to the owners while I like to play with the dogs, we make the perfect dog meeting team.
My Mom and I wanted to get a bite for lunch, but my Dad is never hungry for lunch and wanted to get a more steps in, so while he went off to explore the rest of the town, my mom and I set off to find a the Waterfront Restaurant that was reccomended to us by the shop owner I had bought all my nautical instruments from.
Neither Mom or I are very good with directions or navigating unknown territory. So, we were very proud of ourselves for finding this restaurant all on our own. It was tucked away a little from the street so it wasn't super easy to find, but we did it!
We were seated out on the patio, it was the most gorgeous, fall day with perfect temperatures, blue skies and we had beautiful views of the harbor. I have so many wonderful memories of having relaxing, beautiful lunches with my mom during our travels, while my dad is off walking and exploring. I love how my mom knows how to savor a moment, to sit down to a nice meal or a cold drink and enjoy the weather or the view or the atmosphere and soak in all the joy in that moment. Some of my favorite travel memories are having little moments like this with my mom. She often says there's nothing better than the first sip of an ice cold coke, and I can still remember how good the first sip of my ice cold diet coke was on this particular day.
There was a special seasonal menu, with lots of fun offerings for autumn. Both my mom and I could not resist the apple cider chicken salad sandwich served on grilled pumpkin bread!
Such a delicious meal, I loved every bite.
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