John's World: A Sailing Adventure to Acadia, Conclusion: Bar Harbor and Thunder Hole

Monday, September 1, 2014

A Sailing Adventure to Acadia, Conclusion: Bar Harbor and Thunder Hole

Monday was THE day for me to see Acadia National Park, a place I'd heard of, but knew very little about. In the end, I am so happy I got to experience it, even in the little time I had there, because it's such a beautiful, beautiful place.

On that Monday it was just three of us, me, Xavier and Tati. Kevin had reconnected with a friend he'd met last year, the harbor-mistress' son, and he went off to spend the day playing whilst the three of us set out to explore. In the morning, we had moved the boat to its week-long spot at the marina and so we now had a home base in the town, Southwest Harbor.

Maine-based clothing manufacturer LL Bean operates a free bus service throughout Acadia (very cool!), with several routes to be had, and Xavi wanted to take me on the one that made a loop around the most scenic spots. The bus that took us from Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor, where we'd catch that bus, offered me glimpses of the many, many scenic spots to be had here, including campgrounds, lakes, hiking trails, and more. At this point, I had already decided that I want to come back here for an extended stay, as this visit would not afford me all of its beauty.

Alas, we got off to a late start, but we got to Bar Harbor early enough to catch a bus to one of the most popular spots on Mt. Desert Island, a place called Thunder Hole. Wow, what a beautiful place this was! Imagine any painting you've ever seen of the Northeast coast, with waves crashing along craggly rocks along the shore. That was this place. Just take a look...

From Thunder Hole, we hiked along the coast southwards towards Otter Cove before hopping on a bus once again to go back to Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor itself is a typically quaint New England town, complete with a town square and park, gift shops, restaurants and inns. There's a beautiful waterfront area with picturesque views of the harbor and several islands. The place reminded me of a town straight out of a Stephen King movie, which perhaps it once was. Anyway, the place was awesome and I would have loved to have spent more time there...another reason to visit again.

The three of us dined in a local eatery before catching a cab back to the marina and one more relaxing night on the Maria Cristina. I tell you, these types of vacations, full of exercise and wonder, sure tucker you out! That last hike along the coast was pretty much it for me, as the better part of Tuesday was spent hanging out at the marina waiting for my flight back home. This sailing adventure to Acadia was the perfect ending to a somewhat disappointing P-Town vacation, and I'm so happy I went.

Acadia reminded me a lot of the Region de Los Lagos I visited in Chile late last year. The scenery was oddly similar between the two areas. It's definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and I do want to go back again and check out some of the places I didn't get to see and do, like exploring Echo Lake and seeing the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. If you ever get the chance to visit Acadia National Park in Maine, I highly recommend it! Till next time, check out some more of beautiful Acadia...