Bah Habah, Maine and Acadia National Park
.
.
Last fall (2020) I went on a cross country road trip to visit one of
my best friends, Kristin, in Massachusetts and one of our grand adventures
included driving up to Maine to a national park we both have had on
our travel wishlist for many many years, Acadia. This park sits near
Bar Harbor, Maine which is #8 on the USA Today 2021 Summer
Vacation list (and a town we also visited) sooo I figured I might as
well include it in this article. Now one thing I do have to say about
Bar Harbor and Acadia is that I don’t think they should be on the list
for top summer vacation spots. Instead I would highly recommend
waiting to visit both of these places in the fall when the leaves have
changed colors. Not only will you avoid peak season traffic
congestion, but, as you will see in my pictures, the beauty of this park
and surrounding area is simply unmatched in the fall. I promise it is worth the wait.
.
.
.
DAY 1:
.
After spending the morning in Bangor, Maine on a Stephen King
self-guided tour (article here!) we drove to Acadia
and made our first stop in the park the Jordan Pond Lake House
to try some of their famous popovers. What is a popover you ask?
.
And here are ours!
I wouldn’t say they were the best tasting things in the
world, but you can’t visit Acadia without stopping
to try them! They are a park staple!
.
After our food we headed out onto the Jordan Pond Path.
Unfortunately, it had been raining and foggy allll morning long so
we were cold and wet on the trail, but I think it made my
pictures look really cool.
.
TRAIL INFORMATION - Jordan Pond Path
Rating: EASY
Round Trip Length: 3.3 miles
Average Time to Allot: 1-3 hours
.
This trail circles Jordan Pond and offers you amazing views of
the pond from all sides of the shore, has a small bit of rock
scrambling towards the end, and a walk through the forest that is sure to entrance.
.
This is probably one of my favorite photos I took from this national park. I love how the light is coming through the trees and the contrasting colors of the wood really makes this picture stand out to me. National Geographic if you are needing anymore photographers….lemme know. Lol
.
After our little hike we drove on Park Loop Road to Thunder Hole
to hear the grand thunderous roar of the sea against the rocks.
.
.
One great reason to visit this park after peak season (and during
the week if possible) is to avoid the crowds. We had so many
opportunities while driving around the park to stop and stand in the
middle of the road to take photos like these. It was amazing
and something, as another lady in the park commented, you don’t get
to do everyday in a national park.
.
Photo Cred: Kristin Vinduska
.
Our final stop in the park that day was the top of Cadillac Mountain.
Unfortunately it was so foggy I couldn’t see my hand in front
of my face, windy enough to yeet me from the top, and freezing
cold soooo no pictures were taken. In
fact, I didn't even leave the car. Lol
.
After our failed attempt to see the wonderful sunset views atop
Cadillac Mountain Kristin and I headed into Bar Harbor for dinner. Since we
were in Maine Kristin was wanting some of that fresh seafood
(I don’t eat fish so I could have cared less. I know I know. What a
waste. lol) so we landed on eating at The Thirsty Whale Tavern
which had a mix of seafood and regular tavern food.
.
We got there at a very popular dinner time so there was a bit of
a wait and we decided to use it as an opportunity to take a
walk about the town looking at all the little shops. Unfortunately, nothing
was open at this time so we didn’t actually have the chance to go
inside, which honestly was probably a very good thing for my
wallet, but we still got a good look at what they all had to offer through window shopping.
.
For dinner Kristin ordered the lobster roll, which she was kind
enough to let me try a bite of so I didn’t leave Maine without at
least trying some of their famous seafood, and truth be told, it
wasn’t that bad y’all. (However, you won’t see me ordering it on
my own. lol) I ordered the chicken strips which is probably no surprise
to anyone. Lol Smh. Then we ended our meal with dessert of course!
.
All of the food was absolutely delicious and the service was
great! If you are in Bar Harbor I recommend a stop.
.
DAY 2:
.
We started the second day in Acadia bright and early at Bass
Harbor Head Lighthouse. The original goal was to make it there
to see the sunrise. Unfortunately another rainy and foggy day
botched any hopes of that. However, getting there as early as
we did ensured we had the area all to ourselves the entire time
we were there which was absolutely amazing.
.
After exploring the area around the lighthouse we decided to hike
down a short trail that took us to the rocks below. We were after
that iconic postcard shot of the lighthouse and y’all….I got it.
.
This is another one of my favorite shots from the trip!
We spent a good amount of time down here scrambling across
the rocks (while trying not to slip and fall into the angry cold waters), taking
a TON of photos, and we even found ourselves a little buddy. Have to
say he was kind of crabby, but we were still pretty
happy to have met him. ;)
.
After the lighthouse we tried our luck at Cadillac Mountain one more time, and
were again met with some intense fog, so we bailed and drove
on out to our next stop on the trip, the Mount Washington Cog Railway in Vermont (article here).
.
.
Where we stayed
.
On this part of the trip we stayed in the Edenbrook Motel. It certainly
wasn’t the most luxurious place to stay, but it had a great
centralized location between Acadia and Bar Harbor, didn’t break
the bank, was clean, and it was close enough to the woods that
we got to see some animal friends. Lol
.
.
.
Have you been to Acadia National Park or Bar Harbor
before? What was your favorite part?
.
.
.