Acadia National Park, Maine

This part of the Maine coast – Acadia National Park – must be one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are enthralled – the sea, rocks, trees, birds, clean air, blue skies and shimmering water. This is one of the smallest of the National Parks, but the 2nd most visited park – probably, in part, because there are at least one or two cruise ships that dock in Bar Harbor every day.
Driving into the park, we took a wrong turn trying to find our campground, and ended up in the downtown Bar Harbor tourist area at noon time, with narrow streets, parked cars, and tons of people. We stopped for directions, and ended up going in circles and found ourselves right back downtown--with the trailer behind us. John kept his cool (mostly), but it was a stressful beginning! We decided to forget the campground we were headed for, and went back to one we had seen coming in – even had an ocean view.
We’ve spent four days here, and have loved it. Our favorite experience was getting up before dawn and driving up the highest mountain on the Atlantic Coast (1500 ft) to watch the sunrise. That meant we saw the sun rise before anyone else in the country! It really was our “Easter Sunrise” in October! The Easter Sunrise songs, “Morning Has Broken” or “Sing to the mountains, sing to the sea… this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” were very much in our mind. From start to finish, it was a glorious day, with about 70 degree weather, no wind, no clouds, just sun and blue sky. (It had been foggy or a bit overcast earlier in the week, so we picked the perfect day for a sunrise.) It was the best day to sit on rocks and gaze out at the sea, watch the lobster fishermen just off shore, walk on the sand beach, hike through the woods (even into a muddy bog!), or drive from one beautiful spot to another. Since this was our last night in Maine, and after such a glorious day, we had to have a lobster dinner overlooking the water -- (early bird dinner special was $16.95 for 1 ¼ lb. lobster.) It was the best!
Our other favorite experience was going to the two different Oceanariums. The first was a lobster hatchery –the fishermen give the female lobsters with eggs to the hatchery. After the eggs have developed into a tiny lobster (about ¾”), they are released back into the ocean. The babies have a much better chance for survival this way. A retired lobster fisherman told us some about the actual work of a fisherman– a great learning experience. The other Oceanarium had many hands-on things. The woman marine biologist (probably in her 70’s) was so interesting and full of information. She had us hold the various sea animals as she explained about them. God’s creation is a marvel to behold! Just the animal world alone is so fascinating! Then add all the wonders of sea and land, water and mineral…. Thank you, God, for this most amazing created world!