We woke to a clear and sunny day, so we decided to take a trail that we had spotted the previous day (to only be hiked in good weather), the trail from Sand Beach to Otter Point, on the northern side of Acadia National Park. After parking on the road, which can be very hard to do later in the morning, we started down the trail, mostly by ourselves. This was our first view, looking back towards Sand Beach, a popular swimming area.
A few more steps and you can see the beach. Sandy beaches are rare in the park as most are very rocky. This one is supposed to be the best…
As we continued the hike, more spectacular views were presented of the shoreline…
Here is Cathy coming down the rocks to get a better view…
The shorelone was varied, with steep drop-offs, cliffs and tidepools but always afforded good views.
As the day progressed, the wave action picked up. I went out on a rock to get some shots of the waves breaking and got a little too close. The tide was coming in and a few big ones hit. The cool water felt good though, but if you fell in here, I don’t know how you would be able to get out.
We continued the hike…
We made it to Otter Point but did not see any Otters. The water was very deep right off the rocks here but also very clear.
After returning to the trailhead, about six miles, we drove to the trail to Jordan Pond. The two hills beyond the lake are known as the “Bubbles”, the North Bubble and the South Bubble. If there was no wind you should be able to get a perfect reflection in the lake.
This is the second gatehouse, built by Rockefeller on his series of carriage roads. Both of the gatehouses were currently occupied.
From Jordan Pond, we went to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest on the island, to take in the view of the surrounding water. In one of these photos, you can see the town of Bar Harbor and the white “dot” in the water is a Carnival Cruise ship that was anchored overnight in the harbor.
This is the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor.
The library itself was amazing, The woodwork was like a museum. I asked if it was the public library and they were excited to explain how the building was saved in 1916 and converted into a library. It had massive, solid quartersawn oak tables for the books on the bottom floor in the center of the building, solid walnut bookcases on every wall, cast iron spiral staircases leading up to the balconies that were also loaded with books. There were crates of books in the basement that were destined for a planned expansion to the adjacent building. There was also a high, carved and domed ceiling with a very large glass skylight in the center. The staff was pleasant and mostly volunteer. They directed us to a good restaurant the previous evening and we told them we would be back today to use their WiFi. We spent about four hours here while it drizzled outside. Cathy was busy proof reading my verbiage (I seem to be mistake prone) and she is diligent in making sure the spelling and punctuation are correct. Yes, that is a grand piano in one of the photos.
When we were finished, the rain stopped and we spent a couple of hours shopping (but only buying a couple of cranberry muffins) in the myriad of shops available.
Travelling with the Schinglers 