Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor

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Yesterday morning it was 40 degrees as we left New Brunswick and drove to Trenton Maine which is near Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. We enjoyed our time in Canada but I was glad to be back in the U.S. There are several things that I saw in the past few days that I wish I had a picture of. First, clotheslines in New Brunswick. I still use a clothesline but I have never used one like these. Many of the houses in New Brunswick have higher foundations than we do in the states. So, they have steps and usually back porches. Attached to the back of the house are pulleys with clotheslines attached. Usually, there is a pole or building in the backyard where there is another pulley attached. So, you just have to pin your clothes to the line and pull the line out. Usually the lines are 10 or 15 feet off the ground. Guess that is to keep from having to walk out in the snow to hang up the clothes. Another is a sign that I saw in upper Maine outside of a small building GAS, MAPLE SYRUP, TAG YOUR BEAR HERE. We have travelled a lot of back roads. Another sight that I saw that I wish that I had a picture of was a automatic washing machine sitting beside the road with the mailbox sitting on top. Guess I never thought of using the washer for a mailbox post. We drove all day yesterday. After we got set up in the RV park, we had a nice supper. Charlie grilled hamburgers. Today we drove about 15 miles to get to Mount Desert Island. This is where Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are located. Acadia is very unique in that the land was donated by individuals. Their generosity created the first national park east of the Mississippi in 1916 and the first national park derived solely from private property donations. One of these individuals was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who played a critical role by building the now famous carriage roads (1915-1933) and by donating over 11,000 acres of land. There are also 17 stone bridges that accent the carriage roads that were a gift from Mr. Rockefeller. We went to the visitor center and from there we took a shuttle bus that took us on the 27-mile Park Loop Road. This connects Acadia's lakes, mountains, and seashore. The shuttles are free. You could take 7 different shuttles to different areas. The driver said that they have 27 shuttles. There was a sign in the shuttle that said that the shuttles were funded in part by the Federal Transit Administration, State of Maine and local agencies. We didn't have to pay to get into the park because we all have passes that allow us to enter all national parks. 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 Acadia has 47,748 acres in three main areas. The largest is located on Mount Desert Island. This is the area we visited today and where Bar Harbor is located. The name Mount Desert was given by Samuel Champlain in 1904. He said that the island only had rocks and woods of pines, firs and birches. But I think it is very beautiful, especially the areas along the coastline. It has over 40 miles of shoreline. One of the places we stopped at along the shore was called Thunder Hole. This is a large, partly submerged crevice with vertical granite walls. When waves roll into the Thunder Hole, their power is concentrated and you hear a sound like thunder. The thunder you feel and hear and the soaring spray are the most dramatic at mid-tide with a rising sea. Some interesting facts about Acadia to me: Much of the physical labor required to build the park's carriage roads and trails was provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps beginning in 1933. There are 45miles of carriage roads and 120 miles of hiking trails. Annual average snowfall is 60 inches. Summer highs average temp. 70-80. Winter temp. range from below 0 to 30. I am so thankful that I have the eyes to see all of this beauty of nature. After our tour, we drove into Bar Harbor and had lunch. I had fish and chips..very good. Jim had a hamburger with a lobster sauce with pieces of lobster in it. He said that it was good. After lunch, we went back to the park and stopped at different places of interest and took some pictures. We came back to our RV park and had a nice lasagna dinner.

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Comments

[Mildred Voigt]

I feel like I am on vacation but not having to travel the roads. The scenery is beautiful and I do enjoy reading about your adventures knowing you are like me when traveling by car (or RV). Glad you are getting over your fears a bit and enjoying yourself. Be safe!