First Visit to Acadia

May 14, 2016

One of the top things to do on my Maine bucket list is to visit Acadia several times. So soon after I arrived, I looked up the fees to go there and discovered I couldn't get a campsite until the end of May. In fact, most of the park is shut up until then. I blithely reserved a site for the weekend of Memorial Day to take advantage of the half price winter rates. THEN one of my bosses reminded me that I have to work at the bird festival most of that weekend. So I had to move my camping days up until the first weekend in June.

That made for a long time to wait to see this famous park. Most of our weekends seem to have rain in the forecast, but Saturday was supposed to clear up after early morning clouds and rain. So, contrary to my usual procedure, I got up late and leisurely got ready to go, not leaving until mid morning. I drove under rising fog and clearing clouds to arrive in bright new sunlight. I got to the park only a few minutes before the auto tour was to reopen to cars. It had been closed since the previous midnight to allow bikers to have the road to themselves. But the light was too harsh for photos, so I decided to explore Bar Harbor first. Then I planned to take a hike and finally do the auto tour close to sunset.

After I found my battery dead after lunch, and had to wait about an hour to find a driver near me that could give me a jump, I was afraid to turn off my motor. (But apparently I had a senior moment and left my lights on for a couple of hours while I enjoyed Bar Harbor.) So I just did the auto tour and left my engine running while I did short walks to enjoy the amazing coastal views from high up on the auto route.

I'll be taking at least my bike, and perhaps my canoe with me the next time so I'll have lots more to share with you. But for now, join me on my tour. 

Ferns unfurling 

The auto trail rides high above a bay

A side trip led me to this beautiful creek

Spring was just starting to move into Acadia

I haven't had time to find out what this is

Sand beach - this was at about 60 degrees

Love the craggy beach

Found a flock of common eiders a long ways out

The  park has lots of beautiful bridges

The day was moving back to cloudy in the late afternoon

A view from one of the high points  on the refuge

This herring gull had learned to beg

On the personal front, I joined a birdwatching group yesterday to see our incoming warblers.  We saw or (mostly) heard black-throated green, ovenbird, Tennessee, Magnolia, yellow, common yellowthroat, and several more, plus several other species, for a total of forty-eight species. 

And as soon as go back to the refuge, I just have to mop the kitchen floor in the intern bunkhouse, before I can clean "my" trailer and start moving in. I just hope that we don't get a lot of rain today.  

Hope you are also enjoying a wonderful weekend.