After a somewhat restful night, we munched on leftover breakfast food before driving to Acadia National Park, our target destination for this whole trip. Acadia National Park is the only national park in the northeast, and is the eighth most visited national park in the US. Suffice to say, it was crowded, in fact, very crowded! Our plan was to catch one of the park’s shuttles, ride the Park Loop Road, and get on/off at significant points of interest. The 27-mile road is the go-to scenic drive around the east side of Mount Desert Island, connecting Acadia’s lakes, mountains, and shoreline. It provides access to popular areas such as Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Point, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain.
We were fortunate to find a parking spot at the Thunder Hole store, and walked to the rocky coastline to see Thunder Hole. The low tide negated most of the sound and splashing of waves. People were everywhere, and there were many families of five or more children, and couples with leashed dogs swarming the place. The coastline was starkly beautiful at low tide, but climbing over the boulders and avoiding the steep drop-offs was challenging for our old bodies and joints. However, a number of young folks were rappelling off the side of the shoreline cliffs.
Our next stop was at Otter Point and Otter Cliff, about 0.7 mile past Thunder Hole. Again, large crowds swarmed the place, but the coastline provided great photo opportunities. Otter Cliff is one of the most spectacular sights along the North Atlantic Seaboard. The famous 110-foot high Otter Cliff is one of the highest Atlantic coastal headlands north of Rio de Janeiro.
Jordan Pond was next. It is one of the park’s most pristine lakes, with outstanding surrounding mountain scenery. Glaciers carved the landscape, leaving behind numerous geological features. Jordan Pond proved to be the Acadia Park’s most visited attraction where visitors can canoe, kayak, cycle, hike, or enjoy a carriage ride. Kay and I hiked a bit of the loop trail. The Jordan Pond House serves famous tea and popovers, and all the dining facilities were at capacity.
The final stop for us was back at the Thunder Hole Store and the welcoming car. We were both hungry, and made our way to the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound on Route 3 at 1237 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton, Maine, just before the bridge onto Thompson’s and Mount Desert Island. This was deja vu for us as we ate here just a couple of weeks after getting married in 2000. Not much had changed. The row of wood-fired cookers out front smoking away and the big sign on the roof that says, “LOBSTERS” was still there. When we were here before, it was in the early evening with lights penetrating the darkness, and there was a chill in the air. The lobsters are still prepared the same—boiled in fresh, clean seawater over a wood fire. We were more prepared this time and managed to get every bit of succulent meat from the tail and claws, all without much of a mess.
Back at the “suite”, we spent a quite rest of evening, reliving our lobster eating extravaganza.
Dunngone's Blog 