Bar Harbor, Maine

Sept 24th

L.L.Bean and the National Parks system, have teamed up to create a free bus system for the island. There are even bus stops at several of the RV parks and campgrounds, including ours. After some morning schooling for Mia, we hopped on a bus that took us to the Acadia National Park visitor center. The visitor center is the hub for the buses, and you can catch them to different parts of the park and Island. Mia got her National Parks passport stamped, and then we took the bus to Bar Harbor. We explored the town a while and then looked for a place for lunch. We found a small place called Peekytoe, and had to wait a while to get seated. There is a wait anywhere you go here, because Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are overrun with tourists. We ordered and ate our lobster roll, which was very good, then walked the rest of the town. It is your typical tourist town, consisting of restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and art galleries, but it is still pretty cool. We stopped at a café and got coffee and blueberry muffins, and then caught the bus back to the campground. On our evening dog walk, we ran into the California couple again and invited them over for a drink. Stan and Izabel, and their dog, Ava, accepted. We had a drink, and good conversation.

Sept 25th

Its was a very rainy day today, and we drove to Ellsworth for some groceries, shoes for Mia, and RV parts. We were successful on the first two. Mia completed some more schooling. In the evening, Stan and Izabel invited us over to their motorhome for a drink.

Sept 26th

It was still pouring this morning, so we stayed inside and had school time with Mia. At about 11am, the rain lightened up, and we decided to walk to the bus stop and just ride the Loop bus, that circles Acadia National Park. We got to the bus stop with out getting too wet. When we transferred to the Loop road bus, the clouds started parting and the rain stopped. One of the stops in Acadia, is Sand Beach, and we jumped off the bus there to check it out. It is an amazing beach in one of the many coves on the island, and very popular during the summer, we were told. There is a coast walk that goes from the beach out to Otter Point, and its only a couple of miles, so we set off on it. Along the trail, there are little offshoots, that take you onto rock outcroppings over the ocean. One of them is called Thunder Hole. We were standing out on it watching the waves crash, when a large swell hit it and made a tremendous booming noise. We could even feel in through our feet. I guess that’s how it got its name. The views along the trail were spectacular. At Otter Point we climbed back up to the road and caught the bus back into Bar Harbor. In town we stopped at a café for coffee and blueberry pie. When we sat down to eat it on the town green, a large seagull came swooping down and crash landed on his face, right in front of us. It quickly got up and looked around, as if to see if anyone had seen it. Mia was laughing hysterically. We rode the bus back to our campground and soon after we got back, we received another invitation from Stan and Izabel for drinks. Mia stayed at home and watched a movie while we went over to their place.

Sept 27th

It was a beautiful sunny day today, and we decided to catch the bus back into Acadia Park for a hike today. One of our bus drivers recommended Gorham trail to us. Its about 4 miles long and climbs to the top of Mount Gorham. When we arrived at the Visitors Center to transfer buses, we were shocked to see the parking lot full, and hordes of people everywhere. It’s a Monday, and offseason. Don’t people have jobs? Our bus was crammed full, and the roads were jammed packed with cars. When we arrived at the Sand Beach stop, it was overflowing with people. These bus drivers have amazing patience. With all of the cars blocking their way, and tourist walking on the road, I would have lost my mind driving here. We finally reached Thunder Hole, where we got off the bus to find our trailhead. The Coast trail that we walked two days ago was packed with people. We found our trail and left the masses. The trail followed the ridge all the way to the top of the mountain. The trail had far fewer people on it. Most of the trail is up granite slopes and rocks. Mia loved the “rock climbing”, and even Oreo had a blast. All of the hikers we passed were very impressed by his hiking ability. At the peak, there were the most spectacular views of the Park and surrounding islands. We hiked back down the other side of the mountain, which was steeper. Half was down the trail split and one leg goes to the Beehive. It is an advanced trail scaling the side of a cliff, with rails to hold onto so you don’t fall. We could see the trail from were we stood, and it was jammed with people. They were standing on the side of cliffs and on ledges, waiting for the people in front of them to move so they could advance. It looked a little sketchy. Our trail ended back at Sand Beach, and we waited for the next bus back to camp. We were all pretty tired, but we still had enough energy for drinks with Stan and Izabel.

Sept 28th

Travel day! We are heading to Freeport Maine today. After packing up, we stopped by and said goodbye to Stan and Izabel. We are hoping to meet up with them in New Orleans. They are pretty cool, and It has been fun hanging out with them. We arrived early in the afternoon at our new campground. It is situated on a point that juts out into the ocean. While we aren’t in a sight right on the water, it isn’t very far away. Mia had some school this afternoon, and then Taco Tuesday.