Ken's Journal Acadia NP/Bar Harbor, ME |
I left Lake George in a drizzle and crossed into Vermont on SR4, through Rutland, around Killington and Woodstock to White River Junction where I went north on I91. At Saint Johnsbury I picked up US Route 2 and headed east through New Hampshire to Maine. At Canaan, ME, some 315 miles after leaving Lake George, I put up for the night. The next day I made the 90 miles into Bar Harbor by noon. Unless I have a tight schedule, and I try to avoid that, I'll turn only from 300 to 400 miles a day. I'm in no hurry and I'm pulling 12,000 # worth of trailer. I like to stay relaxed. I like to arrive at a campground at least by 3:00 pm so I'm not rushed to set-up. Being early, you get your choice of the best campsites too. At Bar Harbor I'm at a campground that takes no reservations - first come, first served. Had I been a half-hour later, I'd have been out of luck and looking elsewhere. I wanted to be at this campground as it's the closest to Bar Harbor and the entrance of Acadia NP. |
Well, this is my second time in this area. The last time I was here was in the Spring of 2003 - See my Journal entry for that one. Today's visit will be a little different - I'll do a little biking on the Carriage Roads and a little hiking on some of the trails I didn't get to the last time. I like the area and the activities and I'll be back again and again . . . ! |
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The first order of business though, is to find a bit of Lobster Dinner . . . ! The best Lobster Pound, where you pick the lobster and they cook it for you, is just down the road at Trenton Bridge - where you cross from the mainland to Mount Desert Island, the island where Bar Harbor and Acadia NP are located. I picked my lobster, a 2 pounder, had it cooked, and brought it and some slaw back to my campsite. With a little melted butter, the repast was excellent . . . ! Anyhow - pictured is my before and after dinner. I don't have any official lobster claw-crackers, but the channel-locks worked just fine! |
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The next day was overcast, remnants of the two days of rain, but I set out on a hike around Jordan Pond - about 3.5 miles. Some of the trail is "boardwalk" like this, through the marshy areas. |
And some of the trail is like this where the shore is rocky. In the background are the "Bubbles," two bubble shaped mountains. I'd have called them something else, but they were more polite than I. North Bubble, on the left, is 872 feet high and South Bubble, on the right, is 766 feet high. There are hiking trails to the top of each. |
Jordan Pond. I thought the criteria for calling a body of water a pond, was a little different, but, in any case, they called this a pond. |
This was part of the trail around the pond. |
A lot of the trail on the east side is like this - very nice and easy. |
A trail marker at an intersection of a trail. There are 120 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of carriage roads in the park. The carriage roads were originally built for carriages - imagine that! Today travel on the carriage roads is restricted to hikers, bikers, carriages and horses. The carriage roads are graded flat and wide with a packed gravel surface. Nice for bike riding or hiking! |
A rather whimsical bridge on the trail around the pond. |
Taken at the far end of the pond opposite from where I started. |
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