View of coast Mount Desert Island
Coast of Mount Desert Island

Exploring Mount Desert Island

cruise ship
Cruise ship entering Bar Harbor

Our first day at Acadia dawned cloudy, windy, and cold--not exactly the kind of weather we had enjoyed in Lubec. And not at all compatible with paddling Nessie. So we decided to get in the minivan and explore the Mount Desert Island area. As we drove, the weather changed every few minutes.

We used the day to investigate paddling options and to see some of Acadia.There is a lot more to Acadia than we had time to visit.

Lighthouse in Frenchman's Bay
View of Frenchman's Bay

The first thing we noticed as we started our drive into Acadia, was the huge cruise ship coming into Bar Harbor. It looked bigger than the small islands. As we visited various places in the park, we heard lots of amusing stories about cash starved merchants and shopping starved cruisers. One guy kept about of dozen of us entertained for about 30 minutes with his stories.

When we looked away from the ship, we had a good view of Frenchman's bay and the surrounding area. The visibility was excellent. We could see forever.

Thunder hole

Long view of Thunder Hole
Long view of Thunder Hole Acadia National Park
Thunder Hole
Thunder Hole

Thunder Hole is one of the required stops on any visit to Acadia. It is a long narrow gash in the rocks, that the ocean rushes into. When conditions are right,the clash of the water on the rock results in a large splash and a loud boom.

When we were there, conditions were less than optimum for the Hole's performance. The thunder was muted and the splash was puny. But the crowds were there. I suspect that the show would be great during a storm.

We explored the rocky coast around Thunder Hole. The pink granite cuts that go right up to the water are amazing. Nothing like this at our home beaches in North Carolina.

Thunder Hole
Thunder Hole
Rocky Coast at Thunder Hole
Coast near Thunder Hole

Sand Beach

Sand Beach Acadia National Park
Sand Beach

Sand Beach is well named. This is a large sandy beach that seems totally out of place here among the rocks. This is the beach that belongs in North Carolina. A gentle sloping sand beach. Quite a change from the rugged granite before and after the sand. Makes you wonder where it came from.

Water plants in Pond
Water plants Acadia National Park

We visited a couple of ponds to determine paddling opportunities. After looking at Jordan Pond, Eagle Lake, and others, we decided that we would try Seal Cove Pond the next day.

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Harbors and boats

We continued our trip around the island and found several interesting harbors. They were full of a variety of boats--sailboats, pleasure power boats, and working boats. We found this couple bring in their classic power boat. What a neat boat. Looks pretty much like on in the North Carolina Maritime Museum back home.

Man bring in classic powerboat
Bring in the boat

Lobster boats seem to always present colorful photo opportunities. It is hard to resist them.

Lobster Boat
Harbor full of boats
Harbor full of boats