brentdanley

Last Monday we packed up from three days of camping at Balsam Cove Campground at Toddy Pond to drive to Acadia National Park to see the park and purchase our annual pass.  Brian, a camper in the site next to us, told us about Seawall Campground inside Acadia that does not take reservations and almost always has availability.  We are glad he did!

After purchasing an annual pass to the park we drove to Seawall.  It’s a beautiful campground on the south side of Acadia that is almost entirely tent-only sites.  In fact, many of the sites are walk-in sites.  Most of the campsites are laid out so that it is difficult to see fellow campers through the trees.  In addition to being somewhat isolated the sites are very large.  And very reasonably priced; our campsite was $20 per night.  A short trip down a path through the woods leads to a very clean and modern bathroom.  The only downside is that there are no public showers available to campers.  It was very cool to sleep with the sounds of woodland animals nearby and crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.  The air was filled with smells of the pine forest mixed with the salty smells of the ocean.  It was, in a word, paradise.

During our three night stay at Acadia we drove to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Bar Harbor, and up Cadillac Mountain.  We ate lunch at Geddy’s and hiked several miles of the gorgeous carriage trails to see pristine ponds and lakes.  We ate fresh wild blueberries we picked along the carriage trail at Paradise Hill and played in the intertidal zone at the end of the Wonderland Trail.

We also walked across the bar that connects Bar Island to Bar Harbor.  At low tide the bar connects the island to the mainland but at high tide it is covered by the water in Frenchman Bay.  We hiked to the summit of the island and as we returned to the trail head a lady asked us if we’d seen two men going up the trail.  I confirmed to her that we had, at the top, afterwhich she told us that their car was in danger of being submerged by the rising tide.  Sure enough, it was parked on the bar and the water was only a few inches from the bottom of the doors.  We stood with many onlookers as the water continued to rise.  Just as the water level approached the doors one of the men emerged from the woods in a full sprint to rescue his car.  We all had a good laugh at this guy from Jersey and were glad he was able to get his car out :)

The girls and I had a blast.  We’ll certainly spend many more days and nights in our glorious national park.

acadia · adventure · camping · maine · outdoors · recreation

brentdanley

Yesterday I took the 9:15 ferry to Peaks Island for a day of kayaking and cycling. The kayaking adventure was a half-day trip with the Maine Island Kayak Company. Five of us met our guide at the ferry terminal before we stopped at the only public restrooms on the island and then a short walk to the beach. After we decided our paddling route we had a thorough safety briefing and paddling introduction before getting into our kayaks and pushing off. We paddled north along Peaks Island before cutting across the shipping channel and through the shipwrecks off Little Diamond Island. Next we paddled up the east shore of Great Diamond Island to a small beach on the west side of Cow Island where we took a break and had a little snack.

From there we headed south around the west side of Great Diamond Island then between the Diamond Islands. On our trip out the tide was lower and strip of land connected the islands. On the way back the water was higher and we could paddle through.

If you live in Maine or are planning a trip Downeast I strongly suggest you contact the Maine Island Kayak Company and reserve your spot on one of their full or half-day trips. The staff are kind, safe, and very experienced.

brentdanley

I was a bit tired after the trip but excited to take a lap around the island on my bike. I walked to Island Avenue where I had locked my bike to a fence earlier in the morning. I changed from my water shoes to my Chucks, packed my bags, and headed out. The ride around Seashore Avenue was nothing short of magnificent. The salty sea air; sounds of waves crashing against rocks and sea gulls calling; the granite cliffs, smooth rocks, deep blue ocean water turning to turquoise then to white foam as it violently meets the shore, and colorful green grass and bright flowers combined to make my little journey one I’ll never forget. I could have stayed there all day; I could stay my whole life. But after a while pangs of missing my family became too much and I decided to get back on the ferry and return to the mainland. When I got home I wanted to crash from exhaustion but I could not, I had 250 pictures to pick through, process, and add to Flickr ;)

adventure · casco bay · cycling · kayaking · maine · outdoors · peaks island · recreation