30 August 2023 to 6 September 2023 - Lubec, ME to Bar Harbor ME
Part Two - Acadia Park Loop Road and Schoodic Peninsula
The Park Loop Road is a very popular drive through Acadia and on Labor Day weekend, it was pretty crowded. But it didn't stop us from enjoying another beautiful day in the park. So many gorgeous views. We ended the day having some BBQ at the Atlantic Brewing Company where I got to sample some of the excellent craft beers made in Maine. The next day we drove about an hour to loop around Schoodic Peninsula. Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of Acadia National Park that is on the mainland (the largest portion of the park is on Mount Desert Island.) Schoodic is very laid back, no crowds and beautiful views of the ocean. You get a more authentic view of Maine life on Shoodic with small fishing villages and harbors.
The Park Loop Road is about 25 miles long. Lots of places to pull over and enjoy the views. We had a beautiful day for the drive. We downloaded an audio guide to give us background on what we were looking at.
Another view of Bar Harbor and the islands in Frenchman Bay which provide protection to the harbor.
Cadillac Mountain in the background.
We stopped at the Botanic Gardens but weren't able to see much as a lot of it was underwater. The storm that we drove through a couple days earlier had flooded this area of the park and it hadn't dried up much.
The popular Jessup's Path was flooded. When you stepped onto the boardwalk, it sank several inches.
Another of the many lighthouses that dot the Maine shoreline. This one is on Eagle Rock.
The pathway down to Thunder Hole was paved and rails protect the sightseers. You could hear the booming noise from quite a distance away.
Thunder Hole is a submerged cave that, when filled with incoming water, creates a big boom and splash. Best at high tide, I think we were a little early.
Maine's coastline just seems to go forever. I read that, even though Maine is not a very large state, its coastline is longer than California's.
Rockefeller, who helped found Acadia National Park, had several stone bridges built for the many carriage roads he had built in the park. They are all unique and beautifully crafted.
Three mountains that are in the park, including Cadillac Mountain. You can see they are not tall nor are they rugged looking. They are granite composition and about 420 million years old (the Rockies are young at 55 to 80 million years old.) Even though Maine looks lush, its trees are scrubby looking because the top soil is shallow and of poor quality. Below it all is granite.
Schoodic Peninsula is part National Park and part privately owned. We saw lots of homes like this on the shoreline.
Saw lots of lobster traps in the yards of the local fisherman. You could see lots and lots of lobster buoys out in the local bays. And we couldn't even count the number of lobster shacks and restaurants in the area. The Gulf of Maine counts for about two-thirds of the lobster catches in the country.
Some of the islands are privately owned.
It was a calm day when we visited, so the crashing waves were not too big.
It was so good to smell the salty air and hear the crashing waves. I miss Southern California beaches so much.
Saw lots of birdlife but no seals, porpoises or whales in the distance.
Didn't see much in the way of sandy beaches. Most of the beaches were rockly like this one.
I think this is Winter Harbor lighthouse. It has been privately owned since 1933, mostly by writers.
A fishing village in the distance.
Frenchman Bay stands between these rocks and Mount Desert Island (home of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor) in the distance. All are part of the Gulf of Maine.
