Kayak 8/5 - Long Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine

 Long Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine                    4.6 miles padding
2:41 paddling time, 2.2 mph avg speed

Long Pond is located on the west side of Acadia National Park.  It is a beautiful glacier-carved north/south body of fresh water.  There are private properties around the pond, but the southern and western part of the lake fall with National Park Service land.  There are hiking trails along the shoreline and a place to launch at the southern route.  The water is calm and clear, and surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Look at the clear water!

The wind did pick up some as you can see by the waves and it was a little harder paddling back.

We found a restaurant, Thurston's Lobster Pound. We didn't want to get lobster as we had just had 2 nights of freshly caught lobster at Thacher's Island.  It just would not be the same as catching your own.  Instead, we opted for lobster dip with chips which was very good.  And even better was the blueberry pie with blueberry ice cream for dessert.  Yum!

The restaurant was right on the harbor so we were able to watch as the
lobster fishermen came in from their day's work.  It appeared that they
put their traps on a conveyor belt that weighed their catches.

Tourist 8/5- Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor is the town just outside of the Acadia National Park.  It's a seaside town full of ambience and character.  We walked along the Shore Path which winds along the bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby islands.  When the tide goes down, there is a land bridge where you can walk over to the nearby island.  We were able to walk along the island and there were lots of other people doing the same thing.  We had a bowl of lobster bisque and later found some whoopee pies - a traditional chocolate one and a blueberry one with lemon cream.   We wandered into some of the shops and I got some great ideas for lobster claws, which I'll save the next time we're on Thacher Island.  The flowers in this town were absolutely stunning!

YUM!

Tourist 8/5- Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Maine

Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Maine

This lighthouse is part of Acadia National Park.  It stands 56 feet above high water.  You arrive in the parking area and take a walking path towards the ocean.  There's a stairway that takes you down to a cliffside of rocks.  There were lots of people here, but by climbing out and maneuvering onto the rocks, it was possible to get some beautiful photos of this iconic lighthouse.  The lighthouse itself is fenced off and only the grounds around the lighthouse were open to the public.
It was built in 1858, and the fog bell and tower were added in 1876.

Hike 8/4- Cadillac Mountain, Maine

 Cadillac Mountain, Maine                            2.2 miles hike

Cadillac Mountain is the largest and tallest mountain in Acadia National Park.  We went to the ranger station and figured out our route.  We also learned from the ranger that Acadia National Park is the most visited national park and the visitors are the most dense of all parks.  There are buses that go all around the park in an effort to cut down on the traffic within the park.  We found the parking lot and started our trek.  It's a strenuous hike to the top of the mountain, but you're constantly rewarded by beautiful views of the harbor below.  Along the way, we found Maine blueberries - very plentiful, small and tasty!  At the top of the mountain is the Cadillac Summit Loop.  This is a VERY popular route. There were lots of people at the top that either arrived by hiking or by the buses.  It's also important to say that the hike down the mountain is just as hard.  It can be tough on your knees when the descent is as steep as this mountain.

Scotty's phone died at the top of the summit so this map only shows our route up.
It took as long coming down - it's always just as hard hiking down a steep path
as it's hard on your knees.