180.365 {2017}

Bar Harbor, Maine

We got to our hotel at night so we woke up to a beautiful view this morning off our deck.  We would see cruise ships docked during the day and some tourist and fishing boats leaving from here as well.  If we had more time we would have tried to do a tour for a day.  We stayed at Oceanside which was just minutes from the Acadia National park entrance.  The park is on the island of Mount Desert and there is public and private land intermixed with towns and villages.  Bar Harbor is a small seaside town with wonderful shopping, restaurants and charm.  It is also very busy!  We ate there a few times and had ice cream too.

After breakfast at our hotel we drove to the visitors center at Acadia.  This is the best way to get an overview of the park and pick up our Junior Ranger books (of course).  

We started at the Ocean Trail (3 mi).  It starts near Sand Beach and goes all the way to Otter Cliff.  We were there mid day and so of course parking was a major issue.  The trail follows the Park Loop Road so you get great views to one side and then a busy road to the other.  You can take little trails to the ocean and cliffs as well.  

You go past Thunder Hole and with different vantage points, you get more and more beautiful views.  

Otter cliff

Otter cliff is 110 feet high.

The sun warmed the smooth granite stones and the girls were pretending to be massage therapists with healing stones!

Pink granite rocks

 Side Street Cafe and the most amazing lobster mac n cheese...ever!!!!

We went to Bar Harbor for lunch and was recommended Side Street Cafe by a friend.  It was delicious.  We love getting fresh seafood whenever we are close to the ocean.  

Finding a storefront to finish ice cream in the rain.

Since it was raining we decided to go back to the hotel and were treated to a glorious rainbow over the ocean that lasted for a long time!!!  It was so vivid!  You can see the streaks of the rain showers as well.

After the rain had passed we ventured back into the park and walked Wonderland Trail.

The sweet, amazing smell of wild roses, crisp pine scent of the evergreens and the salty, fishy ocean air is what I describe our time in Acadia.  

Exploring the tide pools and beach at Wonderland.

We saw a lot of snails, plenty of seaweed and a few elusive crabs.

The mosquitos were pretty intense but the view was beautiful.  We even saw another long lasting rainbow in the horizon as the sun went down.