Driving Acadia Park Loop Road Part I

Bar Harbor  Mount Desert Narrows   High: 84  Low: 63

Best little purchase for 3.00 on the money, was this little booklet...

We had driven the park loop road a couple of times in bits and pieces, but we missed a LOT of very cool stopping points until we bought the book. The book starts you at the Hull Cove Visitor Center at Acadia National Park and leads you through stop by stop of all the very beautiful vistas, stopping points and points of interest along the Park Loop Road so you don't miss anything!

It tells you how many miles or tenths of miles are between each point, what's BETWEEN each point, like trailheads and special sightings, it gives a little history behind each stopping point or landmark, it tells you where to park, giving you a heads up whether parking is on the left or right, tells you what areas are busy busy during the summer and gives a good description of what's at each stopping point, all for the price of 3.00! So today, we drove the whole road, following our little book, and here's SOME of what we saw:
The Frenchman Bay Overlook---a lot of the vistas and overlooks are overgrown, making it difficult to see the vistas now....

The Duck Brook Bridge....You can't see the structure underneath you to get a photo, so here's one from the internet. It's pretty spectacular! Center arch is 95' wide, side arches are 89' feet wide, 402 feet in length, the largest continuous concrete arch bridge east of the Mississippi. It's not a Rockefeller Bridge, having been built in 1950.

Sieur de Monts Spring....a nature center is there, Wild Acadia Gardens are there, the Robert Abbe Museum featuring exhibits about Maine Indian history, restrooms and a cool wigwam are all things to explore here. There are fabulous trails out back leading to various hikes of varying intensities.

The Precipice...You stop in the parking lot for this trail which is THE most challenging in the park. We talked to a gentleman in his late sixties, early seventies, that does this hike every year. He is shocked that out of shape parents take toddlers on this climb. He's seen four and five year olds with their parents do this climb. It's a "non-technical climbing" route, which scales the east face cliff of Champlain Mountain with a series of ladders and iron rungs anchored into the mountain side. I posted previously a photo of how precarious and narrow your footing is on this trail. A hiker recently died from injuries suffered in a fall on this trail. We just looked at it again today. (Sparky needs to look at those rescue photos again, suggests E.) The trail is for those in "good physical condition with no fear of exposed heights, should have no problem attaining the summit of Precipice Trail. No one should hike any trail beyond their abilities." Problem is, Sparky and Eldo talked to a pair of rangers today at the Sieur de Mont nature center and a gal in her sixties just did the trail yesterday....Hm-m-m-mm....says Sparky.

We kept going.....Next...
Schooner Head Overlook....a nice, short, but steep descending trail down to right beside the rocky ledges and cliffs...a beautiful, HUGE mansion sits across from the walking path....

Sand Beach.....a few tenths of a mile down the road...We didn't go there today...Sparky did the Great Head Trail a few days ago and posted photos of Sand Beach. It's impossible to get down to the beach in July and August unless you arrive extremely early in the morning or very late in the day, OR you take the Island Express bus which will let you off right at Sand Beach.

Next, Thunder Hole....Most people visit Thunder Hole in the summer, when it's a calm day and there's very little wind and at the wrong time for the tides. Best time to see this geological formation of cliffs and undersea cave and BOOM wave explosion KAPOWING out of the cliff is---MID-TIDE, on a ROUGH SEA day, AFTER a storm. It's very disappointing otherwise....

We continued on to Otter Point....Best time to visit between high tide and low tide. Tide charts are available from the visitors center. Here we stumbled upon a ranger giving a talk all about Samuel Champlain, the French explorer, who busted up a ship right beyond where she was talking. She did a great job, AND, she was bi-lingual, also able to give talks in French. There's a strong French influence here in Acadia and not because a lot of French Canadians come to visit! Sparky had done her homework, reading up about this drive ahead of time, and when the ranger asked, "Does anybody know why there is a bell buoy out there?" Sparky raised her hand and shouted out, "Sure! It's to mark Spindle Rock where Champlain hit it and had to come ashore for repairs." Eldo walked to the other side of the rocks to disassociate himself from the "know-it-all". It's the darn teacher in me again, only this time, I was the prepared student! I just HAD to answer that!

At this point, we are going to take a breather, and have a picnic lunch at the Fabbri Memorial site and picnic area, about half way through our drive. We'll continue tomorrow, come back if you are interested!

Too HOT for a Hike! Let's Go for a Drive....

Bar Harbor, ME  Mount Desert Narrows   High: 81   Low: 63

We had every intention of going for a hike today...but it was in the middle eighties and after having day after day of 70's temps, today was muggy and hot, really hot. Sparky was actually the one that decided let's wait till tomorrow, we'll go early in the morning. (HOW early? wonders E. You have to get out on the trails before 8:00 AM, especially on the weekends before it gets really crowded or you can't get a spot in the parking lot.)  Really, the best time to go for a hike is late in the day, when everybody heads home for dinner. So, we went for a drive to the "quiet side" of Mount Desert Island.

Down Pretty Marsh Road, on a winding road, past the national park's canoe rental and boat ramp--good kayak put in! Sparky made a note to come back another day. We continued on past little harbor towns.....It was wonderful....just a whole different world out there.... We drove the highway 102 loop on the west side of the island for about an hour. We saw Seal Cove and passed through the towns of West Tremont and Tremont on highway 102.

Sparky enjoyed looking at the Maine style houses--sort of Cape Cod looking, some of them, with the clapboard shingles styles. Everybody it seems, has a garden. Everybody has a HUGE stack of firewood in their yards. Either they are selling it to the campgrounds or they are stocking up for harsh winters! Sparky has fallen into the enticing hype of various publications out there about the hardworking, rugged easterners of Maine, who are a hardy stock. They grow their own vegetables, they fuel their houses with wood burning stoves, they pick their own blueberries ;-), they sustain themselves more completely than the rest of the U.S. population...Or not.....It's not hard to imagine that people who live here year round might not be more hardy than the rest of us, who's to say?...Life as a lobsterman certainly is a rugged, dangerous vocation and there are a LOT of lobstermen on Mount Desert Island...Some day we'd like to find out more about that....Bet this boat has some stories to tell!

We continued on the main highway 102, with Sparky telling Eldo to stop often, sometimes very suddenly much to his frustration.  ("WHERE? You want me to stop NOW?" ) and revisited Bass Harbor, where a great little restaurant sits on the water--Seafood Ketch--great clam chowder there. On the way back north up 102, we stopped to get photos of various Maine scenery....

Seawall and Southwest Harbor........

Southwest Harbor

We saw the Hinckley shipyard where some SERIOUS boatbuilding is going on!

We stopped at the visitor center once more, to find out about the peregrine falcons that are supposed to be nesting in the cliffs near the Precipice Trail. The nesting protection efforts by the park have not succeeded in keeping the falcons around, so the falcon watch has been called off, and the Precipice Trail is open this summer. Normally, it had been closed in previous years to protect the peregrine falcons.

Clean, modern West Street cafe w/outdoor seating

We passed Eagle Lake and back through the little town of Somesville, which sits close to Somes Sound, the only fjord in the continental U.S. By this time, we were getting hungry...time to try out another little restaurant....West Street Cafe in Bar Harbor. It sits on the corner diagonally from the Bar Harbor Dock. Eldy and I split a seafood Alfredo, a happy hour special for 13.99, which was very good, and some onion rings, which weren't. They serve a very nice sized mesclun salad green, green salad with LOTS of veggies in it, which is great. Wish the midwest would get smart and start serving better salads than slapping a head of iceberg lettuce on a plate and calling it a salad!  We had poor service and they missed a side with Eldy's dinner. We just really appreciate an attentive waiter with genuine, friendly attention, we didn't get that....

Back home we came, full of harbor sights and beautiful views....just love this town and love this area....(AND the weather! reminds E.) Yep, we sure do!

PS. Any negatives about where we are staying? Yes! Our mi-fi card from Verizon is down in the dumps, it's a VERY poor signal in THIS RV park, but they say the wi-fi is spotty all over the island and so is the cell service. We find that to be true with both the Verizon mi-fi and AT & T phones. The park wi-fi has a hot spot, but it's at the activity center and they make you sit outside with the bugs, gnats and mosquitoes and no outlet!  Phooey!

Tomorrow, the hike and we're gonna do it! Aren't we, Eldy?  :-)

Sparky Solos on the Carriage Roads Or Aunt Betty's Pond Loop

Mount Desert Narrows  RV Park   High: 80  Low: 63

Bet lots of people have an Aunt Betty in their family. We don't, but someone who settled on Mount Desert Island must have, because the biggest pond without vehicle access on the island is called Aunt Betty. Nobody knows for whom the pond is named. Oh, my English teacher would be proud of that last sentence, I think!   The name shows up on maps dating back to 1890.

starting point at Eagle Lake for many carriage road trails

Because Eldy doesn't enjoy biking up inclines, sometimes steep ones that are just about on every carriage road in the park, he chose to stay home by the phone for a distress call from one navigationally challenged Jeannie Sparks, a.k.a. "Sparky" for our newest followers.

The call came shortly after Sparky left in the car, following a NEW ROUTE which she successfully used a map to find, and it was a little shorter way to Eagle Lake on Norway Rd. That was not the problem. The problem was, Sparky forgot to take the little guide book how to do the carriage road bike trail! And to compound her navigational difficulties, the cell phone service is extremely spotty on Mount Desert Island. It flipflops all over the place with the bars, at least it does with AT & T. You could be talking one second, and get dropped the next. Sparky called Eldy. 

"Uh, honey....I forgot....."  

"WHAT? You are cutting out, I can't hear you!"   

"I need directions what to do for....."   

"You are cutting out really bad!" 

"OK, never mind!" I tried texting him...PLEASE SEND DIRECTIONS FROM THE LITTLE BOOK. He sent a partial set to get me going, but I was already on the way.....THE WRONG WAY. At that point, the signal on the phone quit. The phone works some of the time on the trails, but it can't be counted on for help in the park consistently if you run into a problem.

These are what the signposts look like:

Here are the directions that Sparky SHOULD have done:

Park in the Eagle Lake Parking Lot about three miles west of Bar Harbor on Rte. 233. (If you are thinking that Sparky has all of a sudden gotten navigational skills, WRONG!) She's copying the written directions out of a little pocket guide book purchased at the Acadia Visitor Center, called The Carriage Roads. "Walk west along the footpath to where you can turn left..." Sparky has no clue what direction west is. (It was a cloudy day, folks) Go under route 233 (Sparky figured that was the 233 overhead on the overpass, brilliant!) "....and at #6, continue straight along the west side of Eagle Lake.  Sparky didn't see post 6, so she already had taken the wrong turn.  She turned right at the first signpost. "The first mile is flat"--NO, it wasn't! But that's because she took a right turn and not the left. "The second mile climbs to 468 feet at #8.  Turn right here."  Further instructions tell you at intersection #10, the carriage roads "intersect in a "K" shape. Stay to the RIGHT."  Well, Sparky didn't have the little book, but she DID have a map, but it DIDN'T have the intersection numbers. She turned the map round and round trying to figure out which way....What did she do? The signposts are well marked but you can be on a carriage road for a LONG time until you see the next one. She stayed to the LEFT!

But it all worked out ok....Sparky passed two female rangers and told them she wanted to see the "Seven Little Bridges". They told her to stay left, which she had been doing, and she would see them! They DIDN'T say that the incline to get to them is LONG and steep. Sparky asked the next biking couple passing her going back the other way for some information  about the Seven Little Bridges. They DID mention the steep incline SEVERAL times. Guess they thought Sparky might not be up to the challenge. HA! She started off..hey, this isn't such a bad incline.....

Miles later.....the REALLY steep incline started. The steep ascent to get to the seven little bridges seemed like miles long, it wasn't. But Sparky had to get off her bike and walk it some of the way, then she'd get back on her bike to try and ride some of it. When she stopped to get off, the mosquitoes attacked! She forgot bug spray....Note to self: Put bug spray in the bike bag! As the incline seemed like it would never end, the little bridges started showing up. And as you are huffing and puffing up the steep incline, the next bridge is in sight as you are passing the first one, a little bit of motivation to keep going....

They were really pretty and the carriage road scenery is exceptional on this particular carriage road.  You get to see views of Cadillac Mountain, Eagle Lake, and beautiful Aunt Betty's pond.

If you are in good shape, Sparky highly recommends biking this trail. Even if you are not, Sparky, (that's me) highly recommends it anyway. The scenery is just fabulous. We've been on several carriage roads and this one is one of the prettiest. 

It's great exercise, and hey, if you have to get off and walk your bike, that's ok, too!  Little guide book says it's a 5.9 trail ride...Sparky says if you go her way, it's probably more....One more caveat...if you get off onto another trail by accident, be sure to have some kind of GPS tracker or travel with someone who is navigationally savvy. Sparky knew she wanted to return to Eagle Lake eventually, but she encountered a signpost that said nothing about the lake in ANY direction, and that's where it got confusing. It took a 12 year old guiding his mother and me back towards the right direction. He knew, but we didn't, which way to go.....Which made the last half hour of the ride very enjoyable. His mother ( I didn't get her name, sorry!) was a very interesting lady, from Vermont, and we chatted all about travel and the RVing life for the next half hour on our bikes. It was great, and Sparky enjoyed meeting her.  

Tomorrow, Eldo has promised Sparky he will do a hike! It's in print, it's official!  :-)  See you on the trails......

What? A Slow Day for Eldo & Sparky?

Bar Harbor, ME   Mount Desert Narrows Campground   High:  76   Low: 63

Yep! Didn't do much of anything today except check out the car battery in the Honda CR-V, which has been acting like a battery about to go bye-bye. Slow to start, dead on arrival every single time we tow even after just an hour of towing. It's only three and half years old, and should have lasted longer, but maybe it needed replacing. We've been carrying our handy dandy little red charger with us in the car, just in case, but it's time to get the battery checked.

We went to the Napa Auto Care Center in Ellsworth, ME. It's about 30 minutes from our campground. They tested the battery and one of the cells was bad. Time for a new battery for the car! One hundred and seventy-eight dollars later,  (117.00 for the battery, 51.00 for the labor, we're good to go. We could have gotten a cheaper battery elsewhere, at a local auto parts store (but the local ones here didn't have insurance to install), or Sears (none near by) or Walmart, or Honda (not very close) but for various reasons satisfactory for our situation, picked a Napa Auto Care Center to do the job. Napa is found easily all over the U.S., so we wanted to be able to find a store quickly and nearby if there's gonna be a problem down the road. They got us in and out quickly, and the car is acting like a new car again. Hopefully, this will help us not have to charge the battery with the handy dandy little red charger every single time we tow. We didn't have to start doing that until two years into towing the car. We don't pull the one obscure, hard to find fuse under the dash--too big a pain in the patootie to do, and we haven't wanted to pay for an extra switch / special fuse fix there is out there for the battery running down during towing, a common problem with the CR-V, at least that's what we've heard. The little red charger has been one of the best darn investments we've purchased since we started on the road. We use it for inflating our bike tires as well.

On the way to the auto care center, Sparky spotted a guy selling.....

MOOSE antlers! Yee-haw! Well now, two years ago, we spent days looking for moose and it took awhile to find a mother and her calf, and they were WA-A-A-Y far away. Sparky got all excited about at least being able to see ANTLERS for the moment. And of COURSE, she had to have her photo taken holding some, much to Eldo's consternation!

Sometimes he finds these photo ops a little embarassing...you know, the guy selling these is trying to make a living, and Sparky isn't the ONLY tourist who wants a souvenir photo of holding big moose antlers, you can be sure of that. Well, Sparky has an answer for that one! (Of COURSE she does, she ALWAYS does! laughs E.) I told the gentleman, I do a blog, and I'll put his name in here, and tell that he sells moose and elk bone chews as well. So here he is, a great sport himself, to let me take his photo with a set of elk antlers. David Gardner is THE MAN!

His business is DOWNEAST DOG CHEWS, Ellsworth, Maine--moose antler, deer antler dog chews, all natural chews made from naturally shed moose and deer antlers.  He also sells wild Maine blueberries which are DELICIOUS! Sparky bought some from him yesterday. They are little blueberries, not like the big fat hybrid ones sold in stores. There is no comparison to fresh Maine blueberries vs. store bought ones.

And if you want to buy moose or deer antlers, they are sold by the pound. Sparky looked at some, thinking they would be a GREAT motorhome decoration on the front, going down the road.....(GOOD GRIEF! She's lost her mind! worries Eldo) but the nice rack she looked at was about 995.00. We'll pass....(You are darn tootin' we will! says E. Hmmmmmm, rack, did you say? I know where you can see a nice rack....) ELDO! This is a family blog, remember? :-)  He didn't really say that, I'm just teasing....

At any rate, Sparky is very happy to have seen moose antlers up close and personal...Thank you, Mr. Gardner. This is as close to being a moose as we're gonna get, most likely. And as close as ANYBODY wants to get or should get, I'm sure!   See you later!

A Whale of a Tail

Bar Harbor, ME  Mount Desert Narrows Campground     High:  74  Low: 59

Do ya think that this sign in front of our rig was a subliminal suggestion for Sparky to book a whale watch tour?

It didn't take long for that sign to work its way into Sparky's conscious mind so today we went on a Bar Harbor whale watch tour with the Bar Harbor Company. We rode the Island Express propane fueled buses for free to get to Bar Harbor so we didn't have to worry about parking. It's really difficult to find parking in downtown Bar Harbor, you can only park for two hours in the day time and parking lot parking for the whale watch tour is 2.00 an hour, so this is the way to go. The tickets aren't cheap, it was 63.00 a person, no cheaper on the internet, they tack on a 4.50 handling charge to a 59.00 ticket price. So go ahead and book on the phone or stop by in person to get your tickets at the harbor. At any rate, it helped fuel her decision to go on a whale watch when she saw the whiteboard in front of the ticket office the other day where it had a recent whale-a-paloosa count of:

Here are a couple of whale watching tips culled from previous whale watch tours over the last couple of years.

1.) No matter how early you get in line for the tour and get a good seat on the boat, the people at the end of the line will eventually work their way to right where you are sitting and crowd the rail right in front of you. If you want to get a view at the rail, you'd better claim a position at the rail soon after the boat leaves the dock or be prepared to jockey your way into a viewing spot 45 minutes later.

2.) Seasoned whale watchers know that the tour boat usually turns itself as they spot whale activity so each side can get a view. If the naturalist says, "Whale at 10:00", and it's on the opposite side of the boat, the captain will turn the boat around so the OTHER side gets to see the whale activity if it's still happening. If you have a boat full of newbies, everybody dashes to other side if the whale isn't on their side. Captain says, "whale spotted at 3:00" everybody scurries over to the other side again. The first whale tour we went on, it was comical. (Sparky was right there with everybody else, changing sides, laughs E.) If it had been a little boat, the boat would have tipped precariously as the people switched from side to side to try and get a shot of the whales. It was HILARIOUS to see everyone make a mad dash from one side of the boat to the other as the captain called out sightings. Today's tour was an experienced bunch, everybody pretty much remained at the rail and didn't budge.

3.) Unless you are an experienced photographer, just set your camera to auto, put it in burst mode if you have one and wait for something to happen. Sparky has missed two breeches on other tours because she was too busy trying to focus a little point and shoot camera and guess where the whale would surface. And you can ALWAYS use a camera that never fails, your MIND. Etch that wonderful memory into your braincells and you'll always have it.  Hopefully! But Sparky needs a photo for backup, the way HER mind is going....

4.) If you want to keep your spot at the rail, it is almost impossible to hear the wonderful narration by a naturalist or whale scientist on the tour. Sparky missed all the great information about whales, types of whales and all kinds of neat facts, but many she had heard before and today she wanted to get a great shot, if possible.

Note: There are several whale watch tours to pick from, two are the same price but the focus is split between getting to see puffins and seals and whales or just go for the whales. Sparky picked WHALES ONLY to get the best bang for the buck.

Sparky decided to be smart today and not give up her position at the rail. Eldo was backup. It happened like she said. Right out of the dock, people started lining up at the rail. Sparky was in position. She planted her feet firmly and got ready to whale watch.  We got to the whale feeding grounds. Things started happening. WHERE did they start happening? On the OTHER side of the boat! First, a whale BREECH! arrrrrgggghhhhh! Sparky stayed put. Something will happen on her side of the boat for sure, soon.....And it did....whale tails.....One right after another....At least three in a row.....Not bad....

 What happened next? A big "OH-h-h-h--h-h!"  from the OTHER side of the boat. Another collective, "AHHHHH-H-H-H!" on the OTHER side of the boat. Sparky stayed put, but her feet itched to move....She didn't. What happened next? ANOTHER BREECH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOAT!  That did it! Sparky had Eldo hold her position at the rail and she went to the other side to catch some of the action, she had missed it.....She saw white sided dolphins dance in the wake of the boat returning to her original position, but missed the camera shot. She missed the shot of the same dolphins just YARDS away from Eldo at the rail, swimming and diving and dancing as she was making her way back.  She missed the WHOPPER whale jump completely out of the water near a neighboring tour boat just as she climbed the steps to rejoin Eldo.  Eldo saw it, but he wasn't able to get a photo either. He said it was the BIGGEST splash he had ever seen! But she did see a whale give a little jump out in the distance with a pretty good smack! How about a lighthouse? Not quite as spectacular, but wonderful to see them. Not sure of the name of this one....

What was the grand total and activity today whether we saw it all or not?  Two whales that have been coming to the area since 1976, Gemini and Tusk, EIGHT humpback whales, some tail lobbing, and two breeches. Because Sparky missed the breeches A-GAIN, future whale watching tours in other locations will be forthcoming.....(Sigh....says a resigned E.)

Side Street Cafe

To cap off the day after getting off the boat, we found a really great little restaurant called the Side Street Cafe--voted best lobster roll and burgers in Bar Harbor two years in a row...There are MANY wonderful little cafes and boutiques on the side streets that shouldn't be missed, and this is one of them. It's off the beaten path, and that means not as long a wait to get served or get your food!

Sparky had a Reuben sandwich with sweet potato chips and it was wonderful! Eldo had lobster mac and cheese, and it was even more wonderful...the atmosphere of this place was really inviting. We ate out on the patio, but the interior decor was fresh, bright and colorful, and reminded us of the Florida Keys. We would definitely come back again to this outdoor cafe on Rodick Street in Bar Harbor.

I changed my little video (which didn't work) to a couple of shots of the humpback whale tails we saw on our trip. July seems to be a good month for whale watching. Sightings have been regular for the whale cruises down at the dock signboard.Wanted to preserve the memory for a blog book-to-print some way!

Back to Cadillac

Bar Harbor, Maine  Mount Desert Narrows Campground    High: 77   Low: 58

one view or stopping point on the way up the mountain

You can't come to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park without hearing about the marvelous sunrises and sunsets at Cadillac Mountain, the highest mountain on Mount Desert Island, at 1,532 feet high. Well, if you've been following us, by now you know that Eldo is the early riser, and Sparky is the sleeper-in of the duo. She doesn't get up unless 1) there's a fire, 2) she's hungry, or 3) there just better be a darn good reason for getting up or somebody waking her up before she's ready to get up.

From October 7th thru March 6th, Cadillac Mountain is one of the first places in the continental U.S. to experience the sunrise. It's also one of over 20 mountains on Mount Desert Island. There might be another view on one of those, but Cadillac is the highest! So tonight, Sparky voted to head back to Cadillac Mountain with her better half, Eldy--this time the weather was great!

View of the Porcupine Islands

People come prepared to sit awhile and admire the majestic views....They bring lawn chairs, they bring pizza, they bring lots of stuff! We just brought ourselves.....

There are some awesome plants such as sub-alpine little plants that are in danger of being trampled on by the hordes that come to experience the sunrises and sunsets, but the park tries to preserve and maintain some areas with roped off boundaries. There's some tremendous diversity here just in this little rock with all the lichens and little plants. I just love all the colors Mother Nature has "painted" this rock.

We struck gold---as in beautiful reddish golden skies, wonderful weather, very few clouds and the crowds weren't too bad.

There's plenty of parking at and near the top of the mountain.  As you drive to the summit, there are several pull out viewing areas where you can stop to get photos as you make your way to the top. There are beautiful flowers growing even at this elevation.

Views of Acadia National Park from the top of Cadillac Mountain are spectacular!

Another shot of the Porcupine Islands

Don't miss Cadillac Mountain if you come to Acadia National Park!

Asticou Terrace Trail, Thuya Gardens

Bar Harbor, Maine  Mount Desert Narrows RV park   High: 70   Low: 60

There is so much to explore on Mount Desert Island, home of several harbor towns that make up Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, you could spend weeks here exploring everything! We are...we just extended our stay here another two weeks at the 99.00 a week Encore summer special for the Mount Desert Narrows RV Park in Maine. It's a VERY affordable stay at that price, with most campgrounds in the area charging 45.00 a night and upwards. The total each week is 128.38 because of resort fees and taxes added to the $99.00 special. Why move? It's beautiful, the weather is fantastic, we can bike the carriage roads, we can hike in the national park, and we can avoid trying to do stuff on the weekends when all the tourists come in droves. Like we're not tourists, right? As Eldo always says, "This is a lifestyle, not a vacation!" Meanwhile, Sparky wants to go on another whale watch tour. You can never see too many whales! She checked the whiteboard down at Bar Harbor and recent sightings for the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Tour were NINE humpback whales LUNGE feeding! SIGN ME UP! Except it's so expensive, sigh! Around 58.00 a person if you sign up online, and 63.00 a person if you call in by phone to reserve. If you are a workamper at the park, you get to go on whale watching tours for FREE! SIGN ME UP! (Not so fast, Sparky! We've got more miles to go around the sun before we start workamping.)

So, what's the latest thing we did? We headed over to the southern tip of Mount Desert Island, around the Northeast Harbor. There's some kind of explanation at to why the southern tip of the island is called the Northeast Harbor. It has something to do with prevailing winds. Sparky does not understand these navigational things, (THAT'S an understatement! exclaims Eldo), but at any rate, there are two interesting places to visit there besides visiting a charming, not quite so busy harbor town. One is the Asticou Terrace Trail, and the other is the Thuya Lodge and gardens. There is VERY limited parking at both spots, no RV's, which is understandable after getting to the spot. It's not an easy place to find. It's best to ride the Island Express bus there or take your car. There is handicap accessible parking and some other kind of road to the Thuya Gardens, but we didn't see it! Everybody else needs to plan on walking up stone steps, a lot of them, on the Asticou Terrace Trail (1/4 mile moderate hike) to the Thuya Gardens at the top. There is also a lodge at the top of the terrace trail built in the early 1900's that's open to the public for viewing. All the furnishings in the lodge are ORIGINAL, not reproductions.

On your way up the terrace trail, about half way, there is a spectacular view of the Northeast Harbor. You can sit at a little trail enclosure and just watch the lobster boats come in and out of the harbor. You could sit there all day if you felt like it! It's a gorgeous view.

You think you are not going to see anything but more stone steps as you continue the climb to the top of the trail to the lodge, but when you get to the top, a remarkable garden awaits....the Thuya Gardens. No picnics, food or beverages are allowed here, it's just a beautiful set of gardens that are have all the flowers labeled and are there for you to walk up and down the grassy aisles. The doors to the gardens were beautiful as well.

Just one of many long rows of labeled flowers and plants

a hummingbird on the bee balm, or monarda

Lots of hummingbirds were zooming around today, drinking nectar from the fantastic selection of flowers. They were literally swarming and buzzing around in the bee balm, or monarda, a spiky looking, tall red flower. Ever try to get a photo of one of those tiny little bird bombers? It's not easy, but Sparky did it! (Don't ask how many tries it took or how long, says E. We were there for QUITE some time! But it was relaxing.....) Caught these hummingbirds with my little point and shoot Pansonic Lumix camera. Yay!

There is not a specific admission price to the lodge or to the gardens, but a donation of 5.00 is suggested. That's a bargain these days, to see some beautiful gardens growing. We highly recommend walking the terraces and visiting the gardens. Wow....what a view! And if you get hungry, a great restaurant in Northeast Harbor is The Colonel's Restaurant and Bakery. Great chowdah! :-) Another wonderful day spent in Maine.....