It's Acadia Time...Day Two

The sun was out early but by the time we got up around 8:15, it was very foggy, but still warm.  I sat on the deck with my coffee and strawberry bread.  The fog rolled in and out.

8:43 am

See what I mean about the lack of view?  It's pretty limited but better than the one at home.  haha.  As we got ready to leave, it was lifting a little.

Look closely and you can see Schoodic Peninsula in the distance.

We left Edgewater at 11:06, planning to hike around the Jordan Pond Loop but, alas, the parking at Jordan Pond was a complete cluster.  There were lines of cars waiting at every entrance, so we turned around and worked on a Plan B.  It's so discouraging to see so much traffic and hoardes of people...everywhere!

I have been keeping a list of areas that are recommended on FB, so we checked the list and headed to Indian Point Blagden Preserve in what turned out to be Trenton.  We had no idea what it was but it turned out to be a nice 1.3 mile walk through the woods to the water.  We took the one path available, the Big Woods Trail.

We wandered through the woods, it was so quiet.  There were areas of reindeer lichen, also called caribou moss, so white in an area mostly green.

Along with large areas of soft, spongy, green moss.

The trees were trying to take back the path, it was rough walking in some areas.  One could easily twist an ankle.

This fern grotto was gorgeous, but only on one side of the path.  Weird.

And then, out of nowhere, we came to a meadow

filled with these large leaved wood asters.

We thought the trees were old apple trees but there weren't any leftover apples, so not sure what they were but it appeared they were planted at some point in the past. 

We walked a short distance down a dirt road (there are several residences in the area), then took the Shore Trail, where we came across this nice memorial plaque.

Eth is an interesting name...

This is one of several "memorial benches" we saw on our walk.

We came upon a fork in the path, and being in the lead, I took the right side.  What a surprise it was when we reached the end of the trail.  We had no idea we would find this beautiful spot overlooking the Western Bay, 45 minutes from where we began.

We stood here for a few minutes, then turned toward our left and discovered these...

Are you kidding me?  Two adirondack chairs out in the middle of nowhere?!  We back tracked to the fork and headed left, which lead us right to them.

Obviously, we have no idea who Janice is, but we are grateful for her memory.  We sat for 45 minutes, ate our lunch, were visited by a loon and several seals .  It was incredibly quiet, except for a few bids and the lapping of the water against the rocks.  

Although it was cloudy, it was warm and humid and it didn't rain on us!  We'll have to visit again at low tide.

These directional arrows are made specifically for people like me who get easily confused and lost in the woods.

This turned out to be a very nice walk through the woods.

We got back to the car at 2:35, 68*.  I really, really needed to use the bathroom, so we googled the closest public restroom, which thankfully was only 6 minutes away at Pretty Marsh.  I was so happy to see a couple of port-a-potties!!!

We drove through Southwest Harbor, looking for The Common Good Restaurant, which is reported to have the best popovers.  We knew it was closed but we did locate it and plan to go early one day this week, because they close at 11:30am.  

We arrived back at Edgewater at 3:40.  

We made a valiant attempt to sit outside on the adirondack chairs closer to the water and drink iced coffee that I brought from home but it was just too misty, so we ended up back inside, where we read till 6ish.  We had crab cakes and salad for dinner, then watched Americas Got Talent.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Remembering Titan

October 17, 2020...a day that came too soon, a day that I wasn't prepared for, the day we said goodbye to our boy.

 We decided to start a new tradition on October 17, a way to celebrate and remember Titan.  My idea was to hike Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park.  We had driven up there earlier this summer and really liked it and it seemed like a nice way to enjoy the day, while paying tribute to a special dog.  Well...all dogs are special, but he was OUR special.  The Camden Hills are reported to be very pretty in the fall, but we were a little late to see peak foliage.  That was okay since our purpose wasn't to leaf peep.

Although we drove to the summit last time, there are several trails to the top.  We decided upon one of the easier ones to start, the Nature Trail, to the Tablelands Trail, a total of about 1.6 miles.

Unfortunately, it rained overnight and this morning, so the trail was VERY WET and VERY MUDDY and quite SLIPPERY.  The sun was supposed to come out, which it did at home, but not while we were hiking.  It was 57* and breezy, although not bad in the woods.

We left home around 9:30, stopped at McDonalds for breakfast and arrived about 12:30, picked up a map, found a parking space and were headed up the trail at 12:50ish.  

As I said, lots of water...

Steps...yay!

The first mile was indeed "easy", until we crossed the road and continued up the Tableblands Trail.  It was steeper and more rocky and the wet rocks were more difficult to maneuver.  We reached the summit at 2:18, one hour and twenty-five minutes after beginning. 

Somewhere along the trail I found this heart rock.

I love the way these ferns practically grow out of the rocks.

We found ourselves a nice rock to sit on, had some cheese and crackers and toasted Titan with our alcohol free adult beverages.

Cheers Handsome

Titan's ashes are in the little key chain that I carry in my pocket and also in the paperweight that Bill carries in his pocket.  He is always with us.

The view of Camden Harbor is really nice, even on a cloudy day.

We stayed for maybe thirty minutes before heading back down.  Since the top .6 mile was slippery and we worry now about falling and cracking our head open or breaking a hip ;o) we chose to walk down the road until we intersected the Nature Trail.  We did get a nice view of the Camden Hills in the distance.

We picked up the trail at 3:02 and were back at the truck at 3:48.  

These leaves are huge!  This was identified on iNaturalist as a Striped Maple by bjprowse24.  

Who, exactly, does this old hand belong to...

We drove into Camden and had dinner at Cuzzy's Restaurant. We both ordered a cup of chili and shared an order of fried mushrooms.

Although it was mostly cloudy all day, we were treated to a lovely sunset on the ride home.

God willing, we'll do it again next year.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Eagle Lake, Connor's Nubble and Bubble Pond

Got up around 8:00 to a clear and sunny morning!  WooHoo!!! It's about time.  Sat on the deck and enjoyed my coffee, watching a big fog bank along the opposite shore.  

Left the cottage around 10:30, 63* and sunny ;o)  Parked on the road near Eagle Lake and headed out for a nice, easy bike ride.  Well...easy except for the long, uphill ride along the edge of the lake.  But!  My notes indicate that the last time we rode this hill, I had to stop and walk up because I could not pedal uphill any more and this time...I rode the entire length of the hill.  I guess those hours at the Brickhouse are paying off. 

We rode to the trailhead of Connor's Nubble, locked our bikes and hiked to the summit, all of 588'.

Look at that blue sky!

We stayed up there for 25 minutes soaking up the sun.  It's such an easy climb with such great views.  However...Do Not climb wearing bifocal sunglasses and carrying a water bottle. There are a couple of places where both hands come in handy.

Eagle Lake from Connor's Nubble

Looking across Eagle Lake to Cadillac Mtn from Connor's Nubble

Mount Katahdin in the distance?

Looking the other direction

Going down was a lot easier!  We hopped back on our bikes and rode to Bubble Pond for lunch.  We had the only picnic table to ourselves, along with the view.

The wind was blowing 16 mph right off the water but it was still warm.  It was windy enough to create white caps.

The parking lot at Bubble Pond is no longer available to use so if you don't walk around the corner, you would never see this awesome bridge.

We rode back along the other side of Eagle Pond to our car, arriving at 1:56.

From there we drove maybe 10 minutes to the Asticou Inn for our fix of popovers and tea.  It was amazing how foggy it was there and we watched the fog roll in and out while having our treat.

We drove home through Bar Harbor and Bill waited in the car while I bought an "I (heart) BHM" car magnet.  Profits from the sale benefit a local non profit.

Got back to the cottage around 4:00 and sat down by the shore reading till 5:00.  

Bill grilled burgers which we ate with some green beans that Dave gave us and some broccoli.

Packed most of my stuff and the groceries, except for the food in the fridge.  We both agreed it was a good week although it went by too fast.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)  

Kebo Mtn.

We left the cottage at 10:03, 55* and mostly cloudy and drove past the parking area again, hoping to score a space for the Cadillac North Ridge Trail but it appears we are not meant to hike that one this year.  We proceeded with Plan B again, Kebo Mtn.  Although my list of hikes completed has this checked off, neither of us remember it...at all...and there are no notes about the hike, which is very unusual for me.  I said maybe it was before my OCD completely took over ;o)

I think we found the last parking space in the Sieur de Monts Springs parking lot!  WooHoo ;o)  We headed out around 10:40, took the Hemlock Trail to the Kebo Mtn Trail to the summit. 

Hemlock Trail

An early trail marker "Strath Eden Path"

However...this was the completely, totally wrong way to go!  We got off the trail a couple of times but thankfully Bill found his way back without too much difficulty.  It had poured rain last night and it was very obvious that it did some damage to the trails.  We should have reached the top from the other side!  Also thankfully, the summit is only 407'.

The guidebook touts "great 360* views".  Here's the best one I could find.

If you look super, duper close you might see the ocean.

The way down, which should have been the way up, we did see some Showy Mountain Ash

and some peeks of the Kebo Valley Club, the 8th oldest golf club in the nation.

This section of the trail was recently reworked and was pretty easy on our legs.

Once we found our way down, we were still unsure which way to return to the car but Magellan figured out a way, although it turned out to be the long way!  

We ended up on the Great Meadow Loop, the Hemlock Road and the Jesup Path.  There was evidence of some early color along the Hemlock Road.

Admittedly, the Jesup Path is one of my favorites.  It's a nice boardwalk with benches located along the way.  We stopped and had lunch here but were a little disappointed that we didn't see any wildlife and it was very quiet...no birds, no frogs, no nothin'.

The View at Lunch

The ferns were beautiful!

Overall, it was an easy hike, even though we totally screwed it up.

We planned to go to the Asticou Inn for more popovers but it was too early so we headed to Northeast Harbor to walk around and kill some time.

It's a cute little town with a small Main Street and a large harbor, although there are a lot of places to visit on the town map.

We wandered into a couple of stores but didn't see anything we absolutely needed to have.  I did, however, want a cold beverage and we ended up in the 123 Main Street.  A small, clean "grab 'n' go" establishment with fresh sandwiches made daily, lots of yummy pastries (many gluten free) and cold drinks.  Since we were still planning on popovers and tea, we ordered lemonades.  

They were very good, not too tart and not too sweet.  We were siting on the available couch, just chilaxin and the owner brought us a palmier, saying she couldn't watch us sit there without something sweet and we should try this French pastry.  Well...it was delicious!  A very light sweet pastry and easily divided, although we both could have eaten the entire thing alone.

Very sly sales technique on her part because it was so good, we bought two to take with us.

By the time we left, we decided we didn't need to go for popovers, so we headed home.  But first, we searched out a "hidden gem" that I saw posted on a FB page I follow called I Love Bar Harbor Maine.

As it turns out, it isn't far from where we stay.  It's a small lake at the very fringe of Acadia, called Lake Wood.

We walked down a short hill from the small parking lot and voilá, there it was.  Funny thing...there were two women along the shore who turned out to be sisters.  They grew up in Bar Harbor, their father had been a summer park ranger for years and neither one of them was aware of this lake.  It had a nice beach and one of the sisters has a neighbor that says he swims here all the time.  This will be beautiful when the foliage is peak and the sky is blue.

We sat in chairs by the shore and read for awhile and I visited with Wendy.  It's totally different when the tide is out and is going to be one of the perfect places to spend my everafter.

Bill grilled chicken early and we went to Hadley Point to watch the sunset.  There was a large cloud bank along the horizon and we thought it would be a wasted trip, but we were very surprised.  The sunset was spectacular.

These were from my cell phone but Bill took better ones with the "real" camera.  

(insert sunset photos here)

We ate dinner when we got home, I took a shower and we watched the season openers of the Chicago shows.

Thanks for stopping by...
:o)