Finding Our Way Around – Tuesday and Wednesday – July 2 & 3, 2013

Bill and I visited Acadia National Park back in 2002.  We were here for just a couple days on our way to Newfoundland.  Our memories were of traffic and crowds;o((  In fairness to Acadia, we didn’t get off the beaten path and we didn’t have much time to explore.


Since we are here for a month, we decided to spend the busy days around the 4th of July to just learn where things are and how to access them.  It is nice to have time to find our way around!!

 

Tuesday, July 2nd,
we decided to get familiar with our surroundings by

driving around Mt. Desert Island following routes 3, 102 and 198.We started at our campground in Trenton, just off the island.

 

We hung a left out of the campground onto Rt 3,

crossed the bridge and hung another left toward Acadia NP.

 

All the area in green is part of Acadia National Park!!!

 

 

 

Our first stop was at the Acadia NP Hulls Cove Visitor Center.

We were there early and viewed the introductory film with just a few other tourists:o))

 

As we exited the film, the crowds had arrived:o((

 

 

After purchasing a hiking trail map and getting our parking sticker,

we continued our drive around the island.

 

Bar Harbor (Baa Haa Baa)                                                   Seal Cove           

 

 

It was a nice ride and we feel a little more comfortable with how to find our way around:o)

 

 

 

On Wednesday, July 3,

we were joined by Dan, Tricia and Syl.

 

Our mission was a test run of the Island Explorer Bus;o)) 

 

 

The Island Explorer Bus is a free bus sponsored by L.L. Bean.

It will take you to almost anywhere you want to go on Mt. Desert Island. 

 

 

We waited at the campground bus stop.

Our stop is the last or the first campground on the “campground loop” bus. 

 

However, the first bus does not start here until 9:45am. 

 

For Bill and I, that is late-morning;-(     But today, we waited patiently!!

 

 

There are actually 7 different bus loops.

All but Loop 4, the park loop bus, meet at the Village Green in Bar Harbor.  That makes it possible to switch buses and see the island without a car!!  Just be prepared to take your time and leave plenty of time to arrive somewhere if you have a reservation for a dinner or tour.

 

We got on the bus at our campground about 9:50am and by the time we stopped at all the other campgrounds on the way to the Acadia Visitor Center, it was 11:15am.  Almost 1 1/2 hours to go less than 10 miles;o(( But the good thing was we got a mini-tour of all the other commercial campgrounds and decided we had picked the right campground for us:o))

 

Another thing we learned was the buses can carry 6 bicycles per bus.  Those bike racks fill up quickly, so it may not be the most convenient way to transport our bikes.

 

So why use the bus at all… parking can be a problem at Trailheads, Carriage Road parking areas and in Bar Harbor.  However, since we are EARLY morning people, we found out that we did not have a problem finding parking if we arrived by 8am:o))

 

When we arrived at the visitor center, we made a quick visit so Tricia and Dan could get their National Park Pass and a parking sticker.  Since it was almost 11:30, we pulled up the curb and had lunch before we got on Bus 4, the Park Loop Bus to check out the Loop Road.

It was close to noon, by the time we started the park loop ride.

You could see some of the mountains from your side of the bus.

However, your views are very limited on the bus.

So we decided to get off at Sand Beach and walk a little bit of the Ocean Path

before re-boarding the bus further down the loop.

We walked from Sand Beach down past Thunder Hole to the Gorham Mountain Bus Stop. 

This is one of two ‘sand’ beaches in Acadia NP and the water temp is barely 60 degrees;o((

 

The Ocean Path goes along the coast and next to the Loop Road.

 

The path is lined with granite edging stones, known as "Rockefeller's Teeth."

Growing amongst the teeth are beautiful wildflowers!

 

But the star of the path is the Rocky Coast of Maine!!

Syl was enjoying herself:o)

 

Dan was always heading right to the edge!!

We nicknamed him 'Billy Goat!'

 

OOOPS… once he got a little TOO close?!?!?

 

Just kidding…  we found him;o))

The view back towards Sand Beach where we started our walk.

The mountain in the middle is the “Beehive” a very difficult hike we will NOT be doing;o))

 

Here is a view of Thunder Hole a famous tourist spot.

 

During incoming tides, the wave compresses air and makes loud, thundering noises.

 

However,
 

the Ocean Path is really all about the views!!
 

 

Poor Bill… he is not crazy about heights;o((

This is gonna take a little practice and a lot of patience!! 


Along with these magnificient views,
the smell of pine was amazing!!!

 

 

Near the end of our walk along the Ocean Path,

we saw this plaque dedicated to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

“These groves of spruce and fir, these granite ledges, this magnificent window on the sea were given to the United States by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.  He was among the first to sense the need to preserve America’s natural beauty and to set high standards of environmental quality.  This quiet, dedicated conservationist gave generously of his time, wisdom and resources to help establish this park and others for the physical, cultural and spiritual benefit of the American people.”
 

Thank You!!

 

Our adventure on the bus today was very helpful.  We learned that for our purposes, hiking and biking, we will be better off starting early and using our own car to get to the trails.  However, the loop bus will make some long hikes possible.  You can park on one side of a mountain.  Hike to the other side and get on the loop bus back to you car!!!

Yep... It’s gonna be a FUN time here in Acadia:o))