Everybody needs beauty as well as bread...

...places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul. - John Muir

Ahhh…Maine. What’s in Maine anyway? People that like to eat lobster I guess…

I drove out of NH, through Bangor and southeast to Bar Harbor. Destination: Acadia National Park. I was lucky to arrive with sunny blue skies.

Acadia is well known, I suppose, for Cadillac Mountain. With an elevation of 1,528 feet, its summit is the highest within 25 miles of the coastline of the Eastern United States. In fact, I had read that Cadillac Mountain is the first location in the United States to be struck by the sun's rays each morning. But according to Wiki, this is only true in fall and winter. Regardless, I took a drive up to the top of the mountain this afternoon and it was a zoo. No—not zebras and elephants. It seemed as if nearly all of the retired folks in the entire US were on top of that mountain. With cameras. Yikes! I’m not so sure it would be worth the drive again just to see the sun rise.

The secret to enjoying National Parks, in my opinion, is to get away from the main
attractions and people, and out of your car. If you must see the main stuff, fine. But at least take a hike—to something. Today I decided to check out Acadia’s old carriage roads. And I was pretty happy with the results…

This waterfall was all by its lonesome so I spent some quality time getting to know it. I saw maybe 4 people the entire time I was hiking.

I gave in before I left and hit the high points of the park—Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, etc. It was quite beautiful, but the weather was not cooperating. Cold, cloudy, and windy—which I wasn’t quite prepared for. So just before lunch I decided to head south, all the way to NJ to see my friend Kristin as my last destination on the New England tour. Walden Pond in Mass. and Rhode Island will have to wait…