Winding Up the Acadia Experience

On Thursday, we wanted to do one last hoorah. . .

I guess that’s what you could call it. . .

which started out with an early, snacky lunch

of fried clams and fried scallops at Lunt’s in Trenton. . .

so great. . .if you haven’t tried fried scallops. . .you gotta!

then on to see two last bridges. . .

it was a pretty intense little walk up the Carriage Road. . .

uphill both ways of course. . .breaks were a necessity!

we didn’t see them all. ..

but I just had to see the Waterfall Bridge before we left. . .

the bridge itself, is, of course beautiful. . .

but I wanted the postcard shot. . .

now I guess the views on the postcards I saw were taken in the spring,

when the waterfall was at it’s maximum self. . .

unfortunately. . .in August. . .it’s just a trickle!

this is “THE POSTCARD VIEW” I was looking for. . .

just wanted you to see how it could’ve been. . .

too bad we missed it!  boo hoo. . .

the Hemlock Bridge just happened to be on the way to the Waterfall Bridge,

so, of course I need to add a photo of it to my collection. . .

loved these rounded caps of granite. . .

amazing, considering this bridge was built in the 20’s with no heavy equipment. . .

and then. . .one last trip into Bar Harbor. . .one last harbor view. . .

it’s very doubtful we will ever bring the motorhome this far north again. . .

so, if we ever return to this part of the country,

it will most likely be on a Fall Leaf Peeping Cruise. . .

and then. . .since our early lunch was just a snack,

we decided to have a late lunch at the West Street Café,

which is highly recommended by the Ollie’s Trolley folk

as being the most reasonably priced and delicious place

to have a lobster dinner in Bar Harbor proper. . .

We had a bowl of lobster bisque instead and baked halibut, which was fabulous!

Acada National Park and Mount Desert Island has been wonderful. . .

we highly recommend a trip here for everyone. . .

On Friday, we polished and cleaned the motorhome and jeep

so they would be all purty for our road trip back to Wells Maine . . .

Our time here has come to an end. . .we head South (Texas bound) on Sunday. . .

and although it will take us another two months to get there. . .ultimately, that is the destination!

‘til then. . .lots more fun stuff to come. . .

Janice and Dave

more pics and perspectives from fellow RV'ers here:

Living Our Dream - Farewell to Acadia and Bar Harbor

Evans Escapades in Acadia National Park–The Park Loop Road

This is our last week here,

so we wanted to make one last loop

around the park, and get those pics

we felt we had missed. . .

Sand Beach in morning light. . .

a reflection of The Beehive

Otter Cliffs as viewed from Sand Beach

Otter Cliffs as viewed from Thunder Hole. . .

Coastal Maine – being there just never gets old

love watching the water and hearing the sound of the waves

Otter Cliffs in the early morning sun. . .

no matter what time of day we have been there,

there is always someone climbing

up and down the Otter Cliff face. . .

Dave would so love to join them. . .

ummmm. . .not happening Babe. . .sorry!

I was utterly intrigued by the Cobblestone Beaches. . .

and by the story that ships would come and load tons and tons

of cobblestones to take down to Boston and ports beyond. . .

in fact. . .the cobblestones of any street you see in the

New England Area probably came from the beaches of Maine. . .

and when the surf comes in and out. . .

the cobblestones roll, and make the most amazing sound. . .

everywhere you go along the beaches,

you will see these little rock pile creations. . .

Dave loved them so much,

he created a couple of his very own. . .

Iconic Acadia National Park. . .

this is the shot you see in the calendars. . .just beautiful. . .

Sand Beach as viewed from the Ocean Walk. . .down by Thunder Hole

a pretty little waterfall just down from the Park Loop Road. . .

and we got in a few more bridges to add to my collection. . .

Triad – Day Bridge connects the Triad Mountain

to the Day Mountain Carriage Road. . .

Bubbles Pond Bridge

very, very popular place to bike. . .

no parking to be found. . .I jumped out to get the pic

while Dave circled the parking lot. . .

glad we got to see it. . .

Duck Brook Pond Bridge. . .also easily accessible. . .yaaaa!

a view of “The Bubbles” from Duck Brook Pond Bridge

and a pretty little bubbling brook,

which flowed under Duck Brook Pond Bridge. . .

reminded us of the beautiful streams

found everywhere in the Colorado High Country. . .

a huge surprise on our way back into town. . .

these wild turkeys crossing the road

probably half a mile from Bar Harbor. . .

and our last stop of the day. . .

Porcupine Islands as viewed from the Compass Harbor Overlook. . .

and the last treat of the day. . .

a late lunch at Jordan’s with RV friends Paul and Margery,

whom you will remember we also met up with in Niagara Falls. . .

We’ve had a great time comparing notes with them these past two weeks,

and although we haven’t done any touring together,

several afternoons we’ve had what Margery refers to as

our debriefings. . .LOL. . .

we’ve usually gone different directions during the day,

so we compare notes, decide if it was, or was not worth repeating. . .

I can honestly say, there have been very few duds in this part of the country. . .

We’re gonna miss Margery and Paul when they leave in a couple of days,

but think our paths will cross at least one more time in Cape Cod. . .

yaaa. . .a last supper there. . .ha ha!

‘til next time,

Janice and Dave

Evans Escapades While Biking the Carriage Roads

Well. . .today is the day that we are finally

going to take the bikes off the rack,

and explore the Carriage Roads. . .

so off we go. . .

first stop. . .one of the park road pull outs to admire

Holland America’s Cruise Ship that is just

steaming in to Frenchman Bay. . .lovely!

Oh Lordy. . .downtown Bar Harbor’s gonna be hoppin’ today. . .

see. . .they really are off the rack. . .yes!

see. . .they are on the Carriage Road. . .really they are. . .

it was all downhill to this point. . .ahhh. . .this is fun. . .

but the private Carriage Roads are closed to bicycles. . .

so alas. . .we hike to our first bridge. . .

the fabulous Cobblestone Bridge. . .the only one in the park not made of granite. . .

okay. . .that’s beautiful. . .back to the bikes. . .ha!

remember how I said it was all down hill. . .

well, what goes down, must go back up. . .

yeah. . .that’s why we called it hiking/biking. . .

‘cause we hiked our bikes back up the hill to. . .

West Branch Bridge. . .yep, that’s great too. . .okay. . .onward!

to Cliffside Bridge. . .fabulous. . .we’re on a roll!

uh oh. . .Dave’s got the map out. . .

he’s figured out how to read the elevations now. . .

here Babe. . .let me help ya. . .ha!

oh, thank goodness. . .no more bridges going this way. . .we can turn around. . .yes!

a little fall color showing in the mountains. . .

wish I was gonna be here six weeks from now to see the blaze. . .

but, maybe I’ll get to see it in Shenandoah National Park. . .

that should be fabulous too. . .right?

one last stop to enjoy the view. . .

all downhill from here. . .thank you Lord!

it’s amazing how much shorter that ride was going down. . .hmmm. . .

By the time we made it back to the car, in true Jordan Pond fashion,

the parking lots were filled to overflowing. . .

some folks sat and waited the entire time we loaded the bikes

so they could have our parking spot. . .

and off we go. . .ahhh. . .this is a much better ride. . .

the Stanley Brook Bridge spans Stanley Brook Road,

which seems to be closed for the season. . .

so we just parked up by Wildwood Stables and walked over to it. . .not far. . .

like 1/10 of a mile. . .man, I could’ve biked that!

and our last bridge for the day. . .the Jordan Pond Road Bridge. . .

load back in the car. . .and plan our lunch stop. . .

the perfect place. . .Northeast Harbor. . .

we just sat in the car and enjoyed the view

along with our summer sausage and smoked cheese. . .

ah. . .life is good!

‘til next time,

Janice and Dave

For more views of the bridges we enjoyed today. . .plus the gate houses and lodges we have seen

click here:  The Bridges, Gatehouses, and Lodges of Acadia National Park