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| Our Destination |
6/25/2016
The trip to Acadia began at 6:30 am - we were off to Nomad Airstream in Plattsburgh, NY to pick up Zia. She was in to have cooling unit on refrigerator replaced. We initially took her in on 6/10, figuring we had plenty of time before our scheduled Acadia arrival date of 6/23. Well, on 6/16 the replacement part arrived at Nomad, only to discover that it had been damaged in transit. Another unit had to be sent. The entire Acadia trip looked like it was doomed because of that refrigerator. Since our reservations at Acadia were for 6/23 - 6/27, I had to make changes when it became apparent that we would not have our trailer back in time for 6/23. I cancelled the first two days and added 2 at the back end. Luckily I was able to do this and still maintain the same site. Things were still not looking good as we got to the 24th, and it wasn't until 2:00 pm that I got a call from Mark, the service manager at Nomad, advising that the replacement part had just showed up and that he had someone working on it and that our unit should be ready by mid-morning on the 25th. This would give them time to get it installed and then test to be sure all working as it was supposed to. Acadia was a go. So now, back to the trip to Acadia on 6/25. After beau coupe thanks to the people at Nomad, we hooked her up and were on our way- first to the Plattsburgh / Grand Isle Ferry for a trip to Vermont.
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| Plattsburgh / Grand Isle Ferry |
After getting off the Ferry in Grand Isle, Vt, we took RT 2 to I 89 and then I 89 to Montpelier, where we got back on US RT 2, which we stayed on all the way to Newport, ME. The RT 2 trip through VT took us through some pretty country that we had never traveled through before: Plainfield, Marshfield, St Johnsbury, Lunenberg. And in NH it was Lancaster and Gorham. Then we hit the state of Maine. What a big state. Noted: all along the way, we kept seeing signs for Moose, i.e. watch out. Well, low and behold, Mary sees one just kind of meandering through field parallel to road. Yes they also are big. In Newport, we jumped on I 95 and when we got to Bangor, we took I 395 and then 1a heading towards Bar Harbor. The destination was within site after a really long day. We had left home at 6:30 am, Plattsburgh about 11:15 am, and at 7:30 pm we pulled in to Seawall Campground.
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| Seawall Campground |
Approximately 380 miles from Plattsburgh and a total of 550 miles for the day. I didn't mention that we drove to Acadia from Plattsburgh in a monsoon. It rained hard, all day. Fortunately for us it let up just as we got to MT Desert Island, which allowed us to get unhooked, and settled in - before dark, and DRY. Just barely.
On 6/26 just before 5:00 am it started raining. And did it rain! I felt really bad for all the people camping in tents. The area outside our trailer was under water. Fortunately for us,we were dry.
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| Home Sweet Home - C3 |
During a breakfast of coffee, english muffins, juice and coffee cake, we decided we would utilize the morning to do truck tour of the island, starting with Bass Harbor.
Bass Harbor was your typical Maine fishing village, and very quiet.
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| A lost tourist |
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| Lobster Traps - Bass Harbor |
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| Bass Harbor |
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| Bass Harbor |
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| Bass Harbor |
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| Thurston's Lobster Pound |
This last pic, is of Thurston's Restaurant. It is located right on the water and it received high marks for their seafood in Acadia: The Complete Guide. We definitely need to go there some time.
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| Bass Harbor Light Station |
We also We also toured Bass Harbor Light Station.
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| Mary with Camera at the ready |
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| Mary with Camera in action |
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| Wow |
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| Bass Harbor Lighthouse |
From Bass Harbor we headed north on RT 102 and caught RT 3 and traveled off the Island to the town of Trenton where we had lunch at Gateway Lunts Lobster Pound. I satisfied a pre-trip wish and had a bowl of NE Clam Chowder, which was pretty good. Mary had a cup of Lobster stew. When done, we headed back on to the island and drove to Bar Harbor. And into gridlock. The traffic in town was unbelievable. And it wasn't the busy season yet! Live and learn. When we finally managed to escape, we found RT 233 and headed back towards our campground, but not before a side trip to check out entrance to Cadillac Mountain, which we hoped to drive up on Saturday morning. We did get on a portion of the Park Loop and drove past Jordan House and Jordan Pond. Our site seeing day ended with a stop along the way at Seawall Point where we walked out on the rocks, took some pics, and let Molly stroll. She got a whole new bunch of sniffs. Then it was back to our campground. Home Sweet Home, C3.
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| C3 - Home Sweet Home |
Areas were clean, and of sufficient size. All included a picnic table and a fireplace. Park people had been in to area near us on Thursday afternoon and split up a huge pile of firewood. Soon after they left I noticed people wandering over and walking off with arm loads of wood. I questioned Ranger at main office and was told "yes the wood was free", and no, the people helping themselves to it were not stealing. So, I got some too. Shot here of our neat Yamaha 2000 Watt generator in action. Amazing how quiet that machine is.
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| One of our neighbors - Casita. From CT |
Later on, we had neighbors move in beside us. They were an older couple from Quebec. Never saw much of them and the next day they were gone. Speaking of neighbors, a stroll down our lane revealed license plates from NY, PA, CT, Washington, Oregon, Indiana, Wisconsin and as mentioned, Quebec. And that was just our row. Above is a picture of a little Casita Trailer. Mary was quick to point out that Casita means Little House in Spanish. Amazing how popular this place is and I can see how they draw 3 Million visitors a year.
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| The Boss at work |
Definitely a good way to relax. We were surprised at lack of bugs(not No bugs, just not many bugs.) We had a laugh watching Molly trying to relax in the sunlight and this one bug tormenting her. She tried numerous times to bite it, attempted to run away from it, and then finally just ate it.
Definitely was relaxing and pleasant. Just enough sun coming in through the trees with a nice light breeze.
Friday 6/27: What a day! Blue sky, sunshine. We got up around 5:30 and enjoyed the morning. Did put the heater on for a while, since it was just a little chilly and we noticed a bit of condensation in the camper. I did a 40 minute walk around the park, checking out all of the sites: A, B, C, and D. Site C, that we are in is the one that accommodates trailers and Motor Homes. The others are predominately tents. After breakfast we had to visit the Park Ranger office to get our vehicle pass for the last 2 days. This was necessitated when I made the changes to our reservation. With this out of the way, we were off. Our plans were to head to Park Loop Rd via RT 233 and then find road to Sand Beach. Getting there proved to be a bit of a problem as road construction in SW Harbor had traffic backed up for a half mile - in both directions. Well, we finally got through the mess, found 3/198 cutoff and then 233, then Park Loop South to Sand Beach.
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| Some of the sights on the way to Sand Beach |
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| More sights on way to Sand Beach |
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| Rest Rooms at Sand Beach |
Mary adjusting her equipment........
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| Sand Beach |
The Beach
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| Sand Beach |
Not too many people in swimming, in case you didn't notice. Water at this time of the year, in fact any time of the year here, is COLD.
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| Hiking stick and camera. Ready to go..... |
Some of the views along the way just getting to Sand Beach were unbelievable. What we were expecting, but still a surprise. Traffic at Sand Beach was intense. We ended up parking in Right Lane of the Park Loop(which you can do in designated, high interest areas) and then walked down to Sand Beach We got down to the beach and thoroughly enjoyed taking pics and getting our feet wet in the freezing water. Tide was high, so it was neat. The waves, the surf, the sounds.
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| A pilgrim |
From Sand Beach, we followed the Ocean Trail. We ended up parking at Otter Point area and walking down to the trail, which parallels the road and the ocean. We couldn't get near Thunder Cove because, guess what? It was packed with people. So we walked.
And all 3 of us (me, Molly, and Mary) found a nice spot on the rocks and had a nice picnic lunch.
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| Lunch break on the rocks |
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| Bass Harbor Post Office |
Otter Point was enjoyable. Just listening to the surf and enjoying the sites and sounds. Soon it got to be too hot for Molly, so we decided to head back to the campground, but not before a couple of stops. First was the Post Office in Bass Harbor so M could get some post cards mailed.
then it was a stop at Seawall Supply for some supplies, namely, some propane for the outside grill, and some native beer for our happy hour.
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| Atlantic Blueberry Ale |
Atlantic Blueberry Ale. And yes, it did taste of blueberry. Two more stops along the way: for an order of Fried Clams for our Happy Hour and a stop for a bundle of dry kindling wood for our campfire.
When we got back, we got the generator going to recharge batteries, and then got set up for supper cookout: Shish kabob.
Saturday 6/28: Began the day at 3:35, got up, got ready, and headed out at 4:00 am for trip to Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunrise. At 1527' Cadillac is the highest point on the Atlantic north of Rio de Janeiro. And between Oct 7 and March 7, Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the United States to see the sunrise. Did you know that?
Everything we had read, said you have to see the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. We did and we were not disappointed.
In this photo, you can just barely see the sun starting to make its appearance and the series of photos that follow, show its ascent.
The Boss, at sunrise. Funny thing happened. Standing next to us was an Asian/American family, with a little boy who was probably 4 or 5 years old. When the sun had risen, the boy looked at his mother and said " all right, we've seen the sunrise, what's next?" Definitely got a chuckle from those in the area.
The parking area on the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was Full. I could not believe it. At 4:30 am it was full and there were probably 300 people standing and sitting around waiting for the big event. When it finally did happen, it was one of those real WOW moments.
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| Some views are priceless |
We found the "What's Next?" Took some pics of the views from the top of Cadillac Mountain. I think you'll agree, they are some pretty awesome views.
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| View from Cadillac Mountain |
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| The Sun - still rising. Cadillac Mountain |
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| View from the top of Cadillac Mountain |
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| Another View from the Top of Cadillac Mountain |
After satisfying ourselves of the sites and views from Cadillac Mountain, we headed for Bar Harbor. Amazing how different the streets, traffic, and congestion are at 6:00 am in the morning compared to later on in the day when everybody is up. We went to the main dock area where we found the public parking area almost completely empty, parked the truck and walked around taking pics. Got some nice shots of boats in harbor, fishing boats, and area attractions, like the Bar Harbor Shore Path.
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| 4 Masted Schooner anchored in Bar Harbor |
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| Bar Harbor Shore Path |
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| The Hotel |
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| Fishing boat going out |
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| Tour boats |
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| A painting waiting to happen |
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| Sunrise over Bar Harbor |
When we were done picture taking and walking around, we got back in the truck and drove around downtown Bar Harbor, and lucky for us, we found Jeannies Great Maine Breakfast. Surprisingly, it was not crowded, was very clean and pleasant. A great place where #3 of my Acadia Wish list was accomplished. #1 was Clam Chowder, #2 was Cadillac Mtn sunrise, and now #3 a breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes. Done. Mary did a Mexican Burito breakfast. What else? When we were done we both agreed that we were pleased with the service, the food, and the pricing. We will definitely go back next trip.
When we finished, we got back in the truck and headed down Rt 3 towards Blackwoods Campground to do an inspection and compare to our Seawall Campground. No comparison. Seawall much better. Blackwoods appears to be primarily tents and as such, the areas seemed smaller and harder to get in to with a camper/trailer like we have. It also seemed much "woodsier" - lots of forest and not much light coming in. The only real advantage it has is its proximity to Park Loop and Bar Harbor. For what we like about Seawall, we could put up with not having those advantages. Also, did not see a section "dedicated" to trailers/motor homes. If they were there they were interspersed with the rest of the tents.
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| Thunder Hole is so popular, it has its own shop and exhibits. |
With our curiosity satisfied, it was off to the Park Loop Road and one of the first stops was the one place we missed on first go around - Thunder Hole. At Thunder Hole we parked and started walking and exploring. Mary, Molly, and Me. And NO CROWDS. Thunder Hole was as advertised. And more enjoyable at 8:00 am.
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| Mary at top of walkway down to Thunder Hole |
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| You can see why this is a popular spot |
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| One of the many photo op spots |
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| Me and Molly above the "hole" |
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| Thunder Hole |
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| Thunder Hole in action |
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Molly checking out the sites(and sounds) of Thunder Hole
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With Thunder Hole experience behind us, we continued on down the Ocean Trail for about 1/2 mile checking out spots and taking pictures.
When the tour was completed, we headed back. It was like 10:00 and already it had been a long day. We first stopped outside of SW Harbor for some supplies(beer, wine, potato salad, newspaper, chips) and then went back to campground. Was getting a little hot so we opened up windows and vents on Zia, got Molly settled, and planned our next adventure. We headed out to Bass Harbor(only about 4 miles away) to get some gas for the truck. Did I mention that Mount Desert Island is big? We've basically stayed on the island the whole time (except for the trip to Trenton) and managed to do 77 miles on Thursday, 57 on Friday and 90+ on Saturday. Just amazing how big this island really is. On the way back, we thought we might like to give Ship Point Trail a try. Disappointed and gave up. Decided to do what we had initially intended doing - Seawall Shoreline at high tide. On the way back we noticed a sign for Seawall Picnic area, so decided to give it a try.
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| some neat rock art |
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| a view of the shoreline looking back towards Bass Harbor |
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| Our picnic table and spot |
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| What a great spot! |
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| Guarding our spot and Lunch |
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| The Shoreline |
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| A view of our spot from the shoreline |
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| The tide coming in |
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| Parking area was fairly close to picnic tables |
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| Unusual rock formations..... |
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| A walk on the shoreline |
What a pleasant surprise this place was! We stayed there for an hour or so, enjoying the sites and sounds of the ocean, Mary even did some sketching, and then a nice picnic lunch. At this point the day was starting to catch up with us so decided it might be nice to head back for a nap. Tough getting old. But, yes, it has been a long day. But what a day!!!
On Saturday night around 8:30, we had a new neighbor arrive- in the spot vacated by the Canadians. They had a HUGE motor home and trailer, which hauled in a golf cart and 6 bikes. They were from NY (Rochester area)and I didn't know what to expect when it came time for me to hook up to go tomorrow. Had some serious concerns about how I was going to get out. Those concerns were alleviated next morning when I met and talked with neighbor across from us in site C16. Young couple, camping in a tent. Turns out they were from Pittsburgh. He was up as early as me, like 6:00 am and I went over and visited with him and specifically asked him if he would mind moving his car for a minute when it was time for us to leave. This would allow us to drive straight ahead and make turn on to road from his site instead of our site - which was blocked by the huge motor home. He said no problem. To thank him, I shared some tips with him and then asked him if he could use some firewood- which he said most definitely yes. So, I gave him what we had left. This made his day. At 7:30 we were hooked up and almost on our way. Discovered that our batteries in trailer could have used some charging the day before. Had just enough juice to raise up trailer jack. Live and learn. Did manage to get hooked up and then headed to dump station, which is conveniently located in our section. With that taken care of, we were on our way.
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| Rest stop - Maine Turnpike just north of Portland |
We made it home at about 4:30 PM after a journey of about 350 miles for the day, and approximately 1073 miles for the entire trip. Trip home was uneventful. We left I 95 in NH at RT 101 and stayed on it all the way to Keene.
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| Zia back home. In her spot. |
Acadia - so what did we learn that will be helpful the next time we go?
1. Acadia is a wonderful place to visit. Our timing was just about right - last week of June. Daytime temps were in mid 70's and nighttime temps in the mid 50's. Other than the rain the first morning we were there, we had almost perfect weather. Black flies were not a problem, and mosquitos were manageable.
2. If we ever go back, we will not drive all that distance and only stay for 4 days. Minimum 1 week, and then maybe a trip north on RT 1.
3. Get a spot that is not shared. We were in C3. Perhaps C14, C15, C19, C32 are good selections.
4. Bar Harbor and Park Loop Rd are so congested late morning, afternoon, it is best to experience both early before the crowds, especially Bar Harbor.
5. Definitely need to run generator daily to recharge batteries and then verify charge level with gauge.
6. Bring bike
7. Do more cooking outside.
