This morning we made the short drive to Acadia National Park. Today we will take the "park loop" roughly 30 mile loop which includes Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Point ( none that day) Bubble Pond, and Cadillac Ridge, among others It begins with a spectacular view of the inlet and surrounding mountains.
Our next stop was "Sand Beach", a stretch of course sand about 1/2 mile in length nestled between two rocky outcroppings. We both decided to "take a dip" but quickly found out that the water temperature was about 50 degrees. After Barbara's feet starting turning blue she was out. I stuck it out until a large wave hit me, that was enough. The undertow is very powerful, and dangerous. We stuck around to enjoy the sun and scenery, just as we were leaving we saw folks pointing out to the inlet, we turned to see a whale, couple of hundred yards off the beach, breach the surface. It then leapt and surfaced couple of more times before heading out.
Back in 2003 we took a New England trip but, because of bad weather, only got as far as Wells Maine with it's beautiful coastline. The Bar Harbor coast is just as rugged, and perhaps even more impressive. We have seen the west coast from San Francisco to Vancouver with rich forests, sheer cliffs, and rolling seas. The Main coast is that and more. The colors of the moss growing on the rocks is a treat for the eyes, and the rock formations and islands are much more rugged.
We spent the evening back at the RV. Barbara challenged me to a few games of Rummy Cube. As of the this writing it's Bob 4 Barbara 0. That changed quickly, ending up a draw.
Some facts about the park
The landscape architect Charles Elliot is credited with the idea for the park.It first attained federal status when President Woodrow Wilson, established it as Sueur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916, administered by the National Park Service. On February 26, 1919, it became a national park, with the name Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, an influential French supporter of the American Revolution. The park's name was changed to Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929.
From 1915 to 1933, the wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of a network of carriage trails throughout the park. He sponsored the landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, with the nearby family summer home Reef Point Estate, to design the planting plans for the subtle carriage roads at the Park (c.1930).The network encompassed over 50 miles of gravel carriage trails, 17 granite bridges, and two gate lodges, almost all of which are still maintained and in use today. Cut granite stones placed along the edges of the carriage roads act as guard rails of sort and are locally known as "coping stones" to help visitors cope with the steep edges. They are also fondly called "Rockefeller's teeth".
Fire of 1947
On October 17, 1947, 10,000 acres of Acadia National Park were burned in a fire that began along the Crooked Road several miles west of Hulls Cove.The forest fire was one of a series of fires that consumed much of Maine's forest as a result of a dry year. The fire burned for days and was fought by the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, local residents, and National Park Service employees from around the country. Restoration of the park was supported, substantially, by the Rockefeller family, particularly John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Re growth was mostly allowed to occur naturally and it has been suggested to have actually enhanced the beauty of the park, adding diversity to tree populations and depth to its scenery.
The park includes mountains, an ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. In addition to Mount Desert Island, the park comprises much of the Isle au Haut, parts of Baker Island, and a portion of the Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland.
In total, Acadia National Park consists of more than 47,000 acres(73 square miles ), including 30,300 acres (47 sq miles Mount desert Island, 2,728 acres (4.6 sq mi.,) on Isle au Haut and 2,366 acres (3.5 sq mi.) on the Schoodic Peninsula.
Cadillac Mountain, named after the French Explorer of the same name, is on the eastern side of the island. Its green, lichen-covered, pink granite summit is one of the first places in the United States to see the sunrise. Miles of carriage roads were originally built by Rockefeller, Jr. The mountains of Acadia National Park offer hikers and bicycle riders views of the ocean, island lakes, and pine forests.
The inlet Somes Sound, often described as the "only fjord on the East Coast", is now called a fiord by officials
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