Monday, September 14, 2009

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park

A fellow Aggie-Coast Guard wife-temp. Mainer and I drove to Bar Harbor (adorable) and Acadia (wowingly georgeous) for a day trip.
Acadia is where those nincumpoops were standing on the cliffs during the Hurricane a few weeks ago and 12 people were swept off by a giant wave. So anyway the weather was good while we were there. The summer is hanging on for dear life, but it wont live much longer, so the leaves were still green, but some areas were getting a little autumn tint.
This park is so crazy diverse. 40 foot granite cliffs being continously smacked by white waves, not quite so high granite cliffs where you can better smell the seaspray, a sandy beach, mountains, mountains in the water- like they would be mountains, but they are in the middle of a harbor, so they are just really funny looking mini islands. One of those was called bubble rock and we could totally see why. so funny. There were other little islands with names like Long Porcupine, Sheep Porcupine, Bald Porcupine, and our favorite, Burnt Porcupine. haha. The sandy beach was made by tiny fragments of colorful shells. So I took a handful of sand and looked close and counted like 11 different shades just in my hand! And the beach was surrounded on two side by gray cliffs and on the third side by a yellow field. So pretty. We watched little red headed children run up and down the beach and talked about our dreams of motherhood. :). Also, we watched whales from the beach. The whole thing was magical, really.
On another stop, we descended some cliffs and spotted a shallow cavern/large mouthed deep pit in the rock facing the ocean. We made our way over to it and I inched my way around the edge of it on a narrow ledge to get inside, then wondered around. It was a little dim and the echo of the waves coming into it were so loud. I perched on a wet rock in the back and looked out at the ocean. It was such a strange sight. All my peripheral vision was taken up by dark cave walls and ceiling; beyond the enterance was just a line dividing two shades of blue: ocean and sky. Leaving was an audrenaline rush bc I had to go up to get out. If I had slipped, I would have fallen down into the water where the waves were oh not too violently pounding the cliff. But obv if I had thought I was gonna die, I wouldn't have done it- I am not that dumb. i just really wanted to rock climb.
We hiked along a 40-something or was it 50? I can't gage it. We hiked along a really stinkin high cliff for a while and just absorbed the views. We also wondered on some less risky rocky shores and I went up and down some less dangerous routes that were really fun! They say you can see sea lions on the bank at some time of the year that isnt now. That'd be neat.
Driving back down to southern maine was fun too. We had some good talks about aggie trads, coast guard this and thats, and the having of husbands. Good day. Good day.

1 comment:

sarah said...

ahah! That is where I had heard of Bar Harbor when you were talking about going there-the news of the people swept away. Maybe Brian still did go up there too, but who knows, probably not. Sounds beautiful! I really miss New England in the fall.

Oh and as hard as I have tried not to count down to the homecoming it is hopeless now- 15 days!! I think this might become the longest 2 weeks I have ever experienced. I wake up in the morning with my feet shuffling in excitement.