Acadia National Park

Today we drove the 27 mile park loop road. This was our second time around the loop but the first time with the sun shining. It was a very different experience. Our first stop was Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll into. At the end of this inlet, down low, is a small cavern where, when the rush of the wave arrives, air and water is forced out like a clap of distant thunder. Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar! Hence the name: Thunder Hole.

We drove past Otter Cliff, Otter Point, around the park, and up Cadillac Mountain. Next we drove to the southwest side of Mt. Desert Island and the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. It was a sunny day, the air was cool and crisp. The view from the lighthouse was great and you could hear the buoy bells gently clanging out in the water. I think the head of the coastguard in the area and his family get to live in this lighthouse. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, if you can get past all the tourists walking just outside your windows. (The larger section of house is behind the light tower.)


The last stop of the day was the wonderland trail. This flat, easy little trail took us out to some tide pools, which we timed rather well, and explored at low tide. We sat out on some large granite rocks for a while, listening to the birds and waves, soaking up the late afternoon sun. Perfect.