Acadia National Park

Since we arrived in early May, we decided to start by touring  Acadia National Park on Mother's Day. We know that the crowds and traffic would only increase as summer progressed so we visited the National Park four times throughout the month of May. Most of  the park is on Mount Desert Island. This section of the park is highlighted by a one-way Park Loop Road that has been designated as An All-American Road. Other bits are scattered on smaller islands and the Schoodic Peninsula. We were told during the summer months, you had to make a reservation to drive the road to Cadillac Mountain. The Acadia Visitor Center is only 25 miles from our summer home at Green Lake Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth.

Wild Gardens of Acadia

The Wild Gardens are a worthwhile stop along the 27 mile Park Loop Road that showcase the habit along Mount Desert Island. Early spring flowers were just emerging.

Sand Beach

Further down the road we passed Sand Beach. We decided we wouldn't be swimming here when we read that summer water temperatures remain between 50 and 55 degrees. Sand Beach consists of mostly crushed marine shells. This is unusual, as most beaches in Maine consist of mostly rocks and pebbles.

Thunder Hole

About a mile down the road a sign marks Thunder Hole. We walked down the steps to the cleft in the rocks named for the roars produced by trapped air compressed by incoming surf that  explodes out of a cavern.

Thunder Hole at low tide in early May.

Thunder Hole at high tide in late May. We noticed an increase in tourists.

Little Hunters Beach

A stairway takes you down to beach level. This is a nice secluded pebble beach nestled in a little cove.

Jordan Pond

This fresh water pond is one of many glacier carved ponds on the island.  The Jordan Pond House serves lunch and a traditional tea on the lawn. The pond is also located along one of the 57 miles of Carriage Roads which were begun by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1917. The Carriage Roads are open year round to horses, bikers, hikers, and cross-country skiers.

Cadillac Mountain

There is a trail up Cadillac Mountain, but we chose to drive the road to the top and hike the trail around the summit. Cadillac Mountain, at 1,530 feet, is the highest point on the Eastern seaboard north of Brazil. Beginning May 24 a reservation is required to drive this road.

Schoodic Peninsula

We spent a day driving the 45 mile tour around Frenchman Bay to the park's only mainland portion, the Schoodic Peninsula. This is a scenic six mile one-way road to Schoodic Point.

Lighthouse on Mark Island

The point consists of massive granite rocks. Cadillac Mountain and Egg Rock Lighthouse are seen in the distance across Frenchmen's Bay.

Ship Harbor Trail

Another day we visited the western peninsula of Mount Desert Island. Our first stop was the 1.25 mile Ship Harbor Trail. This figure eight loop trail follows the forest shore line and the tidal sea.

Common Eiders seen at the mouth of Ship Harbor.

 Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

At the tip of the western peninsula of Mount Desert Island is the site of the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, built in 1858. Maine boasts more than 70 lighthouse which overlook more than 3400 miles of shoreline. They are built on rocky promontories and offshore islands, warning mariners of navigational hazards. Each lighthouse has a unique light pattern and color allowing mariners to identify their location.

Asticou Azalea Garden

Near the town of Bass Harbor is a three acre garden created in 1958. The garden contains a diverse variety of azaleas, rhododendrons, trees and shrubs that preserve a collection originally from Reef Point Gardens in Bar Harbor. 

 

 Wonderland Trail

This 1.4 mile trail near Ship Harbor leads to an rocky overlook. We hiked it just as the tide was receding and found lots of sea life to observe in the tide pools.

 Chart Room Restaurant

After a long day of touring, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and lovely view, The seafood was some of the best ever had.

Jordan Pond

We spent the newest National Holiday, Juneteenth, at Acadia. Jordan Pond Restaurant is  located inside of the National Park sitting on Jordan Pond. They are famous for serving popovers with butter and strawberry preserves. We had to try some. After over an hour wait for a table outside, we were hungry for lunch. Had delicious sandwiches along with the famous popovers.

Schooner Head Overlook

This little used road on the east side of Acadia leads out to a short trail down to Frenchman Bay. It was such a beautiful day we had to make time for a hike.

Beginning Our Work at the Salmon Hatchery

One of our first projects was to assemble 34 new fish feeders for the outdoor tanks. The fry are being moved to the outdoor tanks soon. The new feeders, purchased from Finland, must be in place before the fish are transferred outside. After assembly we moved the new feeders to the outdoor "Big Top" tank area for installation.

Every morning starts with cleaning the 56 fry tanks. This job is usually shared with all staff who are available. After opening a valve to allow outflow,  we clean the screens and waste on the bottom of the tank and net any dead fry and remove them. The outflow allows a sort of vacuuming effect for clearing the waste. After cleaning a tank, we close the valve and record the number of dead fry (fish) removed.

The dark blotches in the bottom of the tank are masses of salmon fry. Each tank contains approximately 20,000 fish. As time passes the tank gets crowded, so some are gradually moved to the larger outside tanks for the remainder of their time at the hatchery. They won't be released to the Penobscot River until next Spring.

After we finish cleaning the tanks, we are responsible for hand feeding the brood stock. These are the nearly adult salmon which will be used to spawn next years hatchery fry.

 

STEPHEN KING HOUSE - BANGOR, ME

We discovered Stephen King's primary residence is here in Bangor. We had to drive by and check it out.  A trunk of a tree in the side yard was carved into an interesting sculpture. The eye-catching red Victorian-style mansion features bats, spiders, and a web on its front gates.

 

On Our Way to Ellsworth, Maine

After 16 months working at Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, isolating, and our Covid-19 vaccines, we finally pulled up stakes and  started north on April 6th.

 

One Final Check Before Hitting the Road

 North Carolina 

We stopped for a week near Hendersonville, NC, to visit with our son, Brian and his wife, Laura. While there we stayed at Lakewood RV Park just north of their home, which sits near the top of White Mountain. 

     

We were glad we had our rubber boots with us for a walk to the waterfall on their 10 acre property. The streams were all flowing with snow runoff.

View of The Valley Below From the Back Deck

Maryland

 Another week long stop was to visit daughter, Kelly, son-in-law, and four grandchildren. It had been about 18 months since we had seen them. It's amazing how the kids have grown. While visiting Maryland we stayed just across the border in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

 

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

One day we explored the battlefield around Gettysburg. The new Visitor Center is very well done. There is a movie, A New Birth of Freedom, Cyclorama, along with a very extensive museum. We remembered that the last time we visited Gettysburg, Brian was in a stroller.

Cooperstown, New York

We stopped for the weekend in Oneonta, New York, close to The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Hall of Fame is committed to preserving the history of America's favorite pastime. 

Statue of baseball greats, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams

Driving on Sunday to stay ahead of the spring rain, we parked overnight at a beautiful campsite along the Moose River in northern Vermont.

 

Green Lake Fish Hatchery, Ellsworth, Maine

We arrived a day ahead of schedule, on Monday, May 3 after driving 2811 miles having visited a total of 15 states including Texas.  We are thankful to have arrived safely and to be all set up on the pad provided by the hatchery where we are scheduled to volunteer three days a week. 

 e