Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park

Today was a good day…at least it ended good. 

 

This morning, we began having power surges; heard a pop and smelled electrical wiring.  He had to plug into the 30 amp instead of 50 amp as it was uneven voltage (best as I can explain it).  Anyway, it blew out our coffee pot (and hope that’s all.)  We told the office, but they didn’t seem too concerned. 

 

After that, our neighbors left….whoopee… Let me make this perfectly clear…Arkansas does not hold all the rednecks in the world.  Massachusetts has its share for sure.  They were right next to us.  I thought they were gonna take out a tree leaving.  Really gouged up the dirt around their site.  They moved several sites down. 

 



At Eagle Lake/Acadia National Park ME

Then, we left.  We took the shuttle into Bar Harbor Village Green , (met a really nice couple from Boston while waiting on the shuttle and shared Mardi Gras information with them—they just started Rving and want to go down to LA ); walked a couple of blocks to Acadia Bike Rental and rented two mountain bikes (yes, we brought our own—that story later).  Then we walked back to Village Green and took the Bicycle Shuttle up to Acadia National Park/Eagle Lake.  Throughout the park are what is called Carriage Trails—beautiful, wide trails for walkers, bikers and carriages and/or horses.

 



History:  In 1901, a group of wealthy Mount Desert Island summer residents banded toether to set aside the land that would later become Acadia National Park.  One of the park’s early benefactors was John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the millionaire industrialist and philanthropist who later planned and built NYC Rockefeller Center.  Rockefeller hoped the land would one day become “a real gem of the first order among national parks.” But, in 1913, that hope was threatened by an unforeseen menace:  the arrival of the automobile on Mount Desert Island.  Rockefeller, however, did not take this threat lying down.  Over the next 27 years, he built a system of carriage roads crisscrossing his property, most of which he later donated to the park.  Gently graded and lined with broken stone, the “Rockefeller Roads” (as they were known) offered a refuge from the “horseless carriage” for hikers, horseback riders and the open, horse-drawn carriages.  Linking the 45 miles of carriage roads were a series of handsome bridges that were built with local granite and cobblestones.

 



Bubble Lake

We so enjoyed the bike ride!  We rode for 6-7 miles around Eagle Lake with a side trip to Bubble Lake (because it sounds like bubbles when the waves hit the rocks along the shoreline).  It was a real treat to ride as we’ve  not ridden bikes for **** years.  There was one hill….yep, had to walk part way.  It was tough.  But, what goes up always comes down, so the ride down was fantastic.  Horse poop along the way—felt like home.

 

After riding for over two hours, we caught the Bicycle Shuttle back to Bar Harbor, turned in the bikes and then stopped at the Side Street Café for nachos and drinks.  Perfect mid-afternoon snack.  Then, we walked up a block and hit the shops.  HAL Maasdam (cruise ship) was in port today so there were lots of people in town.  But everyone was very nice, polite.  That goes for the locals.  Everyone speaks; everyone is polite; everyone (even the teens) say “thank you”.  We shopped for a bit and found some real bargains.  Ronnie got a waterproof jacket w/hood for $20.  I found a scarf that I loved for $10 (may go back to that store….lots of stuff)  Ran into a couple from Alabama (Auburn) and shared coaches’ stories.  Lol.   Had a wonderful ice-cream waffle cone on the street and people watched for a bit.  Then we headed back up to Village Green to wait on the shuttle back to the Campground.  Once here, we jumped in the truck and, alas, had to make a trip to Walmart for a new coffee pot. 

 

It was a really good day.  We got to see Acadia away from the cars and tour buses.  Although, we took the Park Loop Road last night and got some good views of the Atlantic Ocean and the rugged Maine coastline.  Today was a calming day. 

Bar Harbor

 

The Bike Story:  We borrowed our daughter and son-in-law’s mountain bikes to bring with us.  Rob’s (Ronnie’s) is great.  He bought a new cushy seat for it, but it rides great.  I immediately wrecked on Dana’s (this was at home) and felt like it was too tall for my short legs.  So without really giving it a trial, I went down to WM and bought a cheap 24” bike.  Rode it a bit at home and, as our road is hilly, didn’t think much when I huffed and puffed on it.  However, the other day on the nice, flat bike trail at the other campground, it was tough to ride.  We  adjusted the seat, but nothing seemed to make it pedal easy.  Ronnie got on it and I got on his; my, what a difference!  His was effortless; and he agreed that mine was hard to pedal.  That’s what I get for buying a cheapie.  Anyway, we decided the easiest thing to do would be to just rent them for the afternoon.  It was cheap and they were super, great bikes.  When I get home, I am trying Dana’s again….wish I had it now because we plan to ride more.  Oh well, live and learn. 

 

Not sure about tomorrow.  I want to see some lighthouses, but none on the tours are close by.  We want to watch the massacre at 3 ish so we’ll decide in the morning.  We did get a picture of one lighthouse in Frenchman’s Bay…from a great distance.