Where the road takes you

July 26, 2017 by brownsignslut 9 Comments

It is approximately, depending on your driving route, 1000 miles between Durham, North Carolina and Acadia National Park.  Two days in the car to breathe in the slightly salty air and take in the aroma of hemlock and spruce and feel the spray of the ocean as the waves crash on pink Cadillac Mountain granite.  One day in the car to forget the 97 degree days and feel compelled to dig out your polar fleece (it was 57 degrees).  And, just a moment settled into the car with Rita to leave the DPS email behind.

 

Vacation.

 

Finally.

 

It seems like forever since spring break and the last brown sign (El Cajas National Park in Ecuador) and even longer since the last American brown sign (Death Valley National Park).  But, I have once again arrived in a happy place.

 

Acadia is not a new brown sign for me.  I came here when I was 8 months pregnant with Tim.  However, I don’t remember much about that experience– it was a last get away before my world was forever changed by a wonderful little boy (now a wonderful young man).  Mount Desert Island was socked in by fog the entire time and it all seems eerily dreamlike in my memory.  I’m grateful for this opportunity to revisit the park in the sunshine and take in its beauty (though it is still beautiful in the fog, for sure).

 

We arrived in Acadia on Tuesday, having been forced by the time of arrival (and Rita) to bypass the brown sign on Monday night and head to the hotel.  I can sum up the drive this way:  drive, talk, get stuck in traffic, opt to take the mountain route instead I-95 (good choice), overnight in Wilkes-Barre, PA (thanks Hotwire), traffic slowdowns, incredible views of the Hudson Valley, more traffic slowdowns, lots of tolls (the NC Quick Pass does work in EZ Pass lanes!), late arrival at the Red Barn Motel.  It also included 2 Panera Breads and 2 LL Bean outlets (someone forgot her polar fleece).

 

After a bit of a slow start, we headed out to Acadia.  I’d been warned about the summer crowds at Acadia and in this way, the visitor center did not disappoint.  It was reminiscent of any of the jam-packed western parks.  Here’s a word of advice though:  buy the park pass.  Here, you must display it from your windshield at all times and we’ve not only been stopped and asked for it (and ID), we’ve also seen people ticketed for not having one.  So, it’s serious business here.  Not at all like Voyageurs, where they couldn’t seem to care less.  You can get a day pass, of course, but we always opt for the year-long one– ever hopeful it will get more use during the year.

 

We left the Red Barn Motel (sparse, but functional & with a view overlooking the Narraguagus River, although too far from the park for my tastes) about 10 (I know, but a girl’s gotta get some rest on vacation, right?) and headed to the well-traveled part of the park on Mount Desert Island.  We took the Park Loop Rd and spent most of the morning along the shore, taking in the views and the spray, as well as some of the famous spots (Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, Otter Point).  The guide book suggested that summer visitors are often disappointed by Thunder Hole, which in the calmer seas of summer does not sound like thunder– but, well prepared, we were not disappointed by the lack of thunder action, and instead just enjoyed watching the energy of the waves dissipate as the water funneled into the channel in the rock.  Then, we moved on to a quieter exploration of Otter Point.

 

Following the advice of a ranger (always ask a ranger for advice), we stopped at a lot near the Brown Gatehouse and mounted the bikes for a fabulous ride on the carriage roads.  We brought bikes from North Carolina, but they are easily available to rent for about $25 a day (lowered price for multiple days).  Still, it’s fun to have your own bike.  I am SO glad we brought them.  The carriage roads put the strolling paths through Duke Forest to shame.  They are beautiful, wondrous paths that the Rockefellers built to entertain guests, with amazing stone bridges (think Blue Ridge Parkway but more quaint) that open to magnificent views of the ocean and inland ponds and streams.  It’d be super fun to spend a full week exploring them.  That said, it’s surprising how mountainous the terrain is on Mount Desert Island.  I know the name should be a hint, but still, it’s an island, so to go from sea level to 1000 ft of elevation is still a bit of a surprise to me.  Cadillac Mountain is actually 1530 ft tall, but we haven’t been there yet.

 

We took a route that was deemed “easy” by someone, but it provided plenty of uphill challenge for us.  We wandered around Upper Haddock Pond, crossed 3 stone carriage bridges, and the gatehouse.  It was glorious way to spend the afternoon.  Arriving at the gatehouse (which was thankfully by the car), Rita had a bit of a mechanical bike breakdown, with her chain getting wrapped and jammed against the frame.  Luckily, there was a family from Illinois picnicking by our car and the man was handy with a screwdriver and managed to save us a trip to the bikeshop for sure.  I know folks complain about how self-focused people are, but my experience has really largely demonstrated the opposite:  I am grateful for all those who have helped us along our travels, asking nothing in return.  Today, we are particularly grateful for the help of a family of four from Illinois.

 

After the ride, we went in search of a quintessential Maine lobster boil and found just the one a little off the beaten path on “the quiet side” of Mount Desert Island (the western side).  Rita had gotten a tip about Thurston’s Lobster Pound.  It is in Bernard (stop in Somesville on the way– it is really lovely).  Rita’s second ever lobster got a little well done, so they replaced it with her third and gave us 2 blueberry pies as compensation.  For the record, you should order the blueberry pie from the start– we’d have missed it– and it shouldn’t be missed.  Dinner was great and the view was superb.  

 

We watched the sunset over Pretty Marsh (which was pretty, but had no marsh that we could see) with one other family.  I’m sure this was less crowded than the sunset at Cadillac Mountain, but I probably won’t make it there for sunset to compare.  I find I prefer the quieter spots, away from the crowds and cell phones.

 

All told, we’ve traveled a bunch of miles in this trip so far– but I don’t begrudge a mile of them.  If we’d opted for a shorter route, we’d have missed the magical moments, like when the wrong turn on the carriage trail lands you on a mountain ridge watching peregrine falcons spiral and dive and call out to each other.  You just have to go where the road takes you and enjoy the ride, eh?