On our way to Ponderosa Pines Campground on Hopewell Cape from Saint Johns, we made a side trip to Cape Enrage. Cape Enrage was on our itinerary for the next day but we wanted to take the opportunity to see the lighthouse and surrounding area during the low tide. We knew that we would be visiting at high tide the following day. This particular area can see upwards of 35’ difference between high and low tide. The cape was originally named by the French and named for the turbulent and sometimes dangerous conditions do to the tides, weather, and reef to the south.
Fishing Boats in Alma New Brunswick waiting for the tide to come in.
The lighthouse was originally constructed in 1840 and moved
from its original location three times due to erosion on the cliff face. The light was originally steam powered and
the steam was generated from a coal burner.
It was a huge manpower effort to keep the light active. The light and foghorn were automated in the
1970s and are still controlled by the Canadian Coast Guard.
Restaurant Building
Sea Side of Restaurant Building
Automated Fog Horn
135db Fog Horn may cause damage to human hearing
Having the good fortune to be at Cape Enrage during both
extremes of the tide we were able to get several comparison pictures from
different viewpoints near the lighthouse.
During low tide we were able to take the stairs down to the
beach and explore the rocky beach for a short time. Other than the large number of small snails,
we didn’t see any cool wildlife. The seaweed
was abundant, and we have been told it is indeed edible. We did not try it, however.
Another interesting display at Cape Enrage is the collection
of plant fossils that have been discovered in the area. It interesting to note that although plant
fossils are very abundant, no animal fossils have ever been found in the area.
In 1992 the site was reimagined by Moncton Hight School teacher Dennison Tate and his wife Anne. They worked to restore the lighthouse and establish the site as an adventure park as well a conservation and tourism not-for-profit enterprise. The site has a restaurant, gift shop, boarding for some of the seasonal workers, a zip line and repelling setup.
Today we got up and left early, well 9:00. I should tell you Texas family that we are 2 hours AHEAD of you now. When you try to message us we try to go to bed around 10:00pm here – it’s only 8:00pm there.
As we traveled from point A to point B we stopped at 2 places. One, a lobster place called, Alma Lobster Shop. What a cute shop. Zoom Zoom bought a pound of frozen, cooked lobster for a mere $36.00! Then we stopped at tomorrow’s stop for a sneak preview, Cape Enrage, to check out the lighthouse. Let me tell you, the roads to the lighthouse are probably some of the worst roads we have been on yet. I kept pretending I was riding a bucking bronco! Yes, that bad!
Tonight the tour had a campfire and we all got to know each other a little better. The mosquitos got to know a few of us a little better too. They don’t seem to mind the non aerosol stuff (don’t waste your money.) I took the Cutter and sprayed my hands and wiped it all over my face. Those suckers love to chew on me!
My kind of lobster!
Ann telling Jeff about the lobster tools! A ‘must have.’
25 pounder!
Sneak peek!
We will be at this location for 2 nights. Hopefully the internet will hold up. We have not had the best of luck in that department, nor phone service! My phone service at this very moment is through Telus.
First off, let me just start with how friendly everyone has been so far. This trip is only on the 4th day of 39 and we have had the best reception from the locals. They get a kick out of sharing about their beautiful city and telling about its history. So far, Canada looks like I thought it would. It is much hotter than I thought though. Right now it is 91 degrees!
Zoom Zoom and I were able to squeeze a lot in in the few hours we were in Saint John (NOT Saint John’s – that’s in Newfoundland.)
The company we are signed up with, Adventure Treks, arranged for us to take a tour of the city on a bus. Wow it was FANTASTIC! The bus driver was super engaging and so knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. One of the places he stopped at was the City Market. It has been around since 1887. I bought a delicious cup of coffee and Zoom Zoom had lemonade and a donut.
Hand made rain gear for little ones!
Our bus driver, Paul.
OMG! They even have a giraffe onesie!
Mmmm…
Probably the coolest thing we saw was the Reversing Falls. We went on our own with some new friends the day before the tour to see the “falls” going in the opposite direction and it just so happen that we caught them at “slack tide.” That’s when the high and low tides are about evened out. We proceeded to dinner returned and the falls had started going in (or out) I could never tell which side was the Bay of Fundy and which side was the Saint John River. BUT, you could see the river definitely flowing in a particular direction! Going left. The next day, on our bus tour, the river was at opposite tide as the night before and the falls were very strong! They were flowing extremely fast to the right! The tour guide said they can flow as fast as 60 mph. Also, there were these black birds called cormorants, diving in and catching fish. We would know they caught one because when they popped up they would shake their heads (adjusting the direction of the fish) and swallow the fish.
Water moving to the Bay of Fundy
Water moving from the bay to the river
Some of our new friends.
Water moving from the bay to the river
High tide – going towards the river
Paper factory in the background – stanky!
Slack tide
Slack tide
Slack tide
Fisherman in a calm area in the middle of the rushing waters.
Water moving towards the Saint John River
Super windy here!
Water moving to the bay
Going down for food
Water moving to the river
Water moving very fast to the river
Bird taking off.
The birds would fly upstream, land and float down to try and catch their fish.
Bird diving
Cormorant- fishing bird
Seal. He was swimming up the river. Poor guy.
As we drove around town, I noticed all their neat signs. This section is designated to signs around Saint John.
The’?’ is the Information Center
Camping spot sign
Don’t you just love the checkerboard on the edge?
I love the Incredible Hulk sticker.
Guiness World Book of Record holders!
American Embassy
The maple leaf is in the center of the ‘M’ of the McDonald’s logo.
Expensive soda
Too cute
This will be a shocker to my children. Zoom Zoom and I went to a brewery with our new friend to taste beer. Yep! I went and tasted beer at Moosehead Brewery! I usually say that if someone was going to make me drink donkey pee, I think it would taste just like beer! Zoom Zoom took care of me and got us a flight of beer that had flavored beers in it. We learned that neither one of us like IPA beers: gross, nasty, disgusting,and yes, donkey pee is what those taste like. We purchased a 6 pack of Radler. It wasn’t so bad.
Jethro makes this place look cool!
ATM inside, where Zoom Zoom got our Canadian money.
Bullwinkle got himself a day job!
David
David
Ann & David
Ann & David
#3 tasted just like donkey pee (I’m sure of it!)
While we were on the bus tour our guide talked a lot about how old the town was. A lot of the city was built in 1887. What I started to notice was how intricate their doors were back then. Today, there are a lot of fancy doors and front stoops. Some people can afford to decorate with flowers and flowerpots. This next set of photos is some of those doors. They are interesting, intriguing,cute, and plain doors. I wonder what stories are behind them? Some I took while on the bus tour, there might be a bit of a glare from off the window.
City Market Gates
I can picture Grandma and Grandpa on one side and the daughter or son and their family on the other side.
I love the cement work above the door.
City MArket Gate open
Assisted Living facility
This photo is blurry. I kept it because the gentle man was sitting on the stoop looking at himself in the mirror. Daily affirmations?
Our bus driver’s front door.
These last photos don’t fit nicely in any one category. I tried to capture the spirit of the city as I saw it. We were lucky that the weather was beautiful the 2 days we were there. Fast and furious – but we saw a lot!
Bright buildings
Kids out playing
Everett
Beautiful artwork along the road
Community garden. Pay $10.00 a year. Name goes in a lottery. There are 5 community gardens throughout the city.
Very nice restaurant-we ate there on day 3.
Both of us had the Fish and Chips. I could only eat one piece of fish.
See the Gingerbread Man?
Marigolds planted for the Guiness record
21- 6′ salmon throughout the city
Ships’ captains come here to drink and eat between trips.
Most buildings were stamped with the year they were made.
These blocks are on City Hall. The locals call them ‘Legos.’ cost the city $250,00.00 for them.
All the water pipes are being replaced. They are 150 years old.
Cute bike rack.
Mailbox
Love the work in the cement
Church spire with a fish on it.
My handsome Zoom Zoom outside our tour bus.
This lady is unloading popcorn for the movie theater. I hope she didn’t have to pop it at her house!
More popcorn!
The Irvings employ mostof the town. They own most of the industries in town.
love the colorful roofs!
The lake near our campground.
I see Wally and Jethro.
These stones came from inside the bottom of ships. It helped keep them from tipping over.
Fort
Rifle Range Hill
Paper Factory
Moosehead Brewery
‘Haunted House’
Loyalist Burial Ground
Bus driver’s chimney. Or as he says,’chim-lee’
Birds
Rose Tea heir’s house. By now someone else lives here.
Being by the ocean made it easy for St. Andrews to set up an Ocean Sciences Aquarium. It has been in existence for 50 years. As far as aquariums go, it was on the tiny side. We didn’t care, it was a neat experience. The highlight for us was playing in the “touch” pool. Zoom Zoom was able to pick up and hold as many aquatic animals as he wanted to. The worst part was trying to survive the ice-cold water!
Oh my goodness! Zoom Zoom and I went to the most beautiful place on earth today! The estate and land that comprise the Kingsbrae Garden were donated by John and Lucinda Flemer. Their estate always had beautiful gardens and they wanted to expand this heritage and share it with others. I’m thankful for that. They have also included a sculpture garden which has competition pieces in it.
Simply enjoy!
Where we entered the garden. Such a beautiful place.
Phone booth with an actual phone!
These bunnies don’t match the chart! I don’t know if the kids have noticed.
This one looks like Jessica’s Chocolate Chip. Such sweet memories!
Mamma and her baby
Alpaca
So cute! My second favorite animal!
This little fella was our favorite one.
Just a handsome bird!
I love this sculpture.
For sale- $5,000.00
Entrance to the secret Garden…shh!
Container Garden
These are so pretty.
Two of the ducks were camera shy!
nom…nom…nom…
Dr. Seuss flower!
Art cottage
Aphrodite
On Guard
The Breach
Arming by Clara
Windy Day
Ursus Deux
In Between
Oceans of Indiana
The Mantis and the Mayfly
Salmon Vortex
Just your everyday humongous spade.
Aelian Symphony
Avian Dreams
The Fountain
Eagle
The Sea Below
Le de’jeuner sur l’herbe
Thread of Life
Cardinals in Branches
Excuse Me, Ma’am? You Have a Hole in Your Ozone Layer
Zoom Zoom and I went to jail today and paid to get out. We were not arrested; it was a tour. We paired up with another couple from the RV Trek Adventure and headed into town after visiting Ministers Island.
The neat thing about the jail is Thomas still lives there-he is one of the resident ghosts. He keeps the door pulled closed tightly, so I had to pull a little more on the front door to get in. Our guide was a sweet girl named Claire. She is a college student working for her college fund. She did an excellent job explaining all about the jail and the courthouse.
The jail went into service in 1832 and was decommissioned in 1979. It originally housed inmates on death row. Back then you were executed by hanging. As it got closer to the 1900’s, the jail became a debtor’s jail and still along with the jail for those on death row. The entire jail had 14 cells. None of the cells had heat or air conditioning (especially back in the 1800’s 😊). If you were a debtor, you lived upstairs for 6 months with your family until your sentence had been served. Everyone else lived downstairs. The rooms were your typical 8’x8’ish with a “window” that was probably 3” wide by 12” tall. There was no glass in the window, so the inmates were exposed to the elements. There was no electricity at first. It was extremely dark in the rooms. The inmates spent from 6am- 6pm in the hallway of the jail and from 6pm- 6am back in the cell. The hallway was approximately 6’ x 30’. Claire told us one story about how the jailer forgot to lock the main jail door. All the inmates took off out the front door of the jailhouse. It happened that it was winter and brutally cold. They stepped outside – had no winter gear and turned right around back into the jail.
The last
hanging was in 1942 of a Royal Air Force man. He left a dance one night with a
girl who was found murdered the next morning. He had a spot of blood on his shirt. He swore
he didn’t know what had happened to her. But when they found the spot of blood that’s
all it took. If it were today’s times, we would at least have DNA to look at
and all our other forensics have come a long way. Unfortunately, the gallows weren’t
built correctly, and he ended up hanging there between 12-18 minutes before he
was pronounced. The time discrepancy still has not been settled. This gentleman
happens to be one of the Thomas’s that frequent the jail.
The other Thomas that resides at the jail conspired with his girlfriend to kill her husband. She was given 7 years and he was given the death penalty. Most likely the girlfriend is the one that wanted her husband killed since this was her second husband she did this to.
Over at the courthouse, Claire told us they use a micro jury (10 jurors). The person on trial sits at the back of the courtroom in a box that resembles a penalty box. Smack dab in the center of the room is a long table. The opposing counsels face each other during trial. When a witness is called you can swear on any type of religious book you’d like, and then while giving your testimony they don’t let you sit. They believe you are more apt to tell the truth if you are uncomfortable.
Jailhouse
Main jail door
Some of the infractions
Cell door
Cell
Cell
Hall
Thomas’s room
Thomas’s gallow
Shackle
Courthouse
One of the council engraved his name during a boring trial!
Today we
carpooled across the bottom of the ocean floor to Ministers Island. The only
way this is possible is to wait for the tide to go out! Not many people can say
they drove on the bottom of the ocean floor, Wally proudly did and did a
fantastic job representing the Jeep brand!
How did the
island get its name? In 1791, the town’s minister bought the land. Reverend
Samuel Andrews built a small stone cottage, which is still standing today! He
decided to sell the property in 1798. No one wanted the property though. In
1818, when the minister passed on, he still owned the land. The land started
being passed on through his family until in 1891 when Sir William bought it from
one of the minister’s distant relatives.
When all the
participants of the RV caravan arrived, our guide for the tour met us. Her name
was Suzie and she sure lived up to her name. She was a hoot. She took us
through the property of Sir William Van Horne. He was instrumental in bringing
the railroad system to Canada. The residence we toured was built in 1891 had: 50
rooms, 11 bathrooms, 11 fireplaces, 1 huge dining room that had a table for 24,
a butler’s pantry, several of the rooms were servant’s quarters (he had as many
as 32 servants on staff at a time), several of the rooms were libraries, one
enormous billiard room with a table that was 6’ x 12’. In spit of his
corpulence, he and his butler, who was a billiards expert, would take on guests
and beat them with their billiard prowess.
Von Horne
had a Bathhouse built right on the tip of the island. This circular structure
is where he would paint. Right outside the circular structure (ocean side) was
an enormous pit left from all the digging for the building of the home. They
used the sand from the beach to make the bricks for the house. He ended up with
a natural swimming pool. When the tide would go out it left the pool full.
Pretty neat idea!
Sir William
Von Horne also had a great love for animals and built a beautiful 3 story
barn. One day when he was driving by, he
noticed some of his workers faces looking out the barn windows and to him that
meant they weren’t working so the next day he had them raised up! Now you must
be the Jolly Green Giant to see out the windows!
Later in the
day Zoom Zoom and our carpoolers went back to take pictures of the ocean floor
as the tide covered it up. Good thing we made it back in time!
Heading out to cross the ocean floor.
Someone got stuck!
Zoom Zoom is ScArEd!
More ocean floor
Made it to the island
Shot out to where we crossed
Sir William
Beautiful windows
Suzie
Our new friends
Bath house
Bath houe ceiling
Bricks made from the sand just outside the bath house
Pool from all the digging
Pool from all the digging
Cobblestone walkway
Original columns with gold leaf – they were dull
One of Sir William’s paintings
Dining room
Dining room fireplace with another original painting
Servants’ kitchen
Linen press
Cute highchair
Butler’s pantry
Kitchen
Washmachine
More washers through time
Bissel vaccuum
Original paintings
Original Paintings
6’x12′ table – HUGE
His shiping room. One of the boats is called the UPS
Short and
sweet. We came here for one night before heading into Canada. We needed to do
our laundry, get propane, dump our black tank (poop tank), fill our water tank,
and top off our gas tanks in Wally and Jethro.
This KOA
boasts a restaurant! It’s really a trailer you order in. They give your order to Alex and he cooks
your meal outside. It’s your basic food truck with about 4 items on the menu.
Only one of which I could eat, and it was delicious.
This time
Zoom Zoom decided he would order a whole lobster. The price was $23.00. So
inexpensive! Zoom Zoom has never eaten a whole lobster before. The plate he had
had directions on the outer rim, they were of no use! He started with the
claws. This is funny because we had a big debate over whether there was meat in
the claws or not. Zoom Zoom thought he was supposed to suck on the claws and suck
out the “juice”. I thought there was meat in the claws. Drum roll…there is
meat. It looked delicious! He ended up needing a “cracker” because the claws
are extremely hard. Now comes the GROSS part. Zoom Zoom was ready to eat the
tail. He tried to break the tail off from the body. It was so nasty. Instead of
the tail breaking off cleanly, the insides came out too. This lobster was a
carnivore! It liked sea urchins, crabs, clams, mussels and sometimes it even
became a Jeffrey Dahmer! There was a
long piece of orange colored “poop” and a lot of green liquid stuff. The green
liquid spilled out and over the tail. <insert vomit sounds> Bless Zoom Zoom’s
heart. He did not give up. He got some paper towels. Used those to wipe the
lobster guts and then carried on eating the tail. I’m the curious sort and have done a bit of
research. The orange colored “poop” was eggs! Zoom Zoom had a female lobster.
The green stuff was the lobster’s tummy juices, equivalent to our pancreas and
liver. Some people eat this as a delicacy and like Zoom Zoom, some avoid it.
Zoom Zoom still had the legs to suck out. He decided to forgo them. He is going
to stick with the lobster rolls from now on.
Me, I had
chicken salad. Zoom Zoom got my croissant.
Before they were Zoom Zoom’s dinner.
Boiling water
Alex is chopping the lobsters so the customers have an easier time eating them.
I’m going to write this very differently! Safety tips first in case you EVER come to this park! Most important tip-invest in some excellent bug spray! Their mosquitos put Texas mosquitos to shame. They are extra-large, and their bites are even worse. For some reason they like me more than they liked Zoom Zoom. I put deet everywhere except my face. Those darn bugs bit my face and neck up! Now I put that stuff all over my face and neck like it’s my new and favorite skin regimen. Secondly, wear hiking shoes to hike in! We saw so many people hiking in flip-flops, sandals, tennis shoes with no grip, and even one gentleman wearing his Sunday best dress shoes! The trails in Acadia are full of rocks. When we hiked the trails, we would be stepping on, around, and over large rocks and tree branches and logs. As we came down Cadillac Mountain, we needed the grip to help us not just slid on down the mountain to the bottom. If we were traversing a babbling brook, we were defiantly thankful for the grippy bottoms of our shoes. The water is so pretty, but it’s also so cold! Next, wear clothing appropriate for the weather. Here is where I will say please look in the mirror friends if you plan on wearing yoga pants to hike in. Not all of us were meant to wear these outsides of the perimeter of our homes. I know I’m supposed to be uplifting to all my women friends, but let’s face it some of us have a real problem with GBB (Golf Ball Butt) and it’s NOT pretty in yoga pants! Family members it’s time to tell the truth, if we ask if these make our butt look big – be honest and just tell us “no” it’s our big butts making the pants/ yoga pants look big. Also, if you are asking the question – you already know the answer! I hike in shorts or jeans. My favorite jeans to hike in are the Levi’s with the ripped knees. These bend so nicely especially when we must climb up on boulders. Last tip bring plenty of water! We see so many hikers hiking with NO water. Sure, you feel great in the parking lot before you’ve started. Climb a few hundred feet and you’ll start to feel it. When we hiked Devil’s Tower, we gave a couple bottles of water away to a family that didn’t bring any for their family. As we were hiking down the mountain this time and we would pass people we always asked if they had plenty of water because they were going to need it
These are my great hiking jeans with the ripped knees. Zoom Zoom carries the backpack with the camelbak water bottle. We both wear Merrell hiking shoes.
On to the
nitty gritty! Acadia National Park is the nations most eastern national park.
It was also the first national park whose land was entirely donated by private
citizens. Of course, these citizens were wealthy members of society, but at
least they were thinking ahead about conservation. Acadia is more than 49,000
acres on an island called Mount Desert (pronounced “dessert”). The park has 158
miles of hiking trails (Zoom Zoom and I proudly hiked almost 7.5 of them), and
46 miles of carriage trails for bikes and horses that Rockefellers put in
before he donated his portion. Luckily there are over 500 camping spots, all
primitive, which means no hook-ups.
There is a road that loops around the park called Park Loop Road, it’s
about 27 miles round trip. It’s a great way to see the park. The unfortunate
thing is most of it is one way. The hiking
trails are horribly marked with small posts and if you don’t know what you are
looking for you will pass right by your trail. We did that 2 times! Then you must
go around again! It’s not an easy park to navigate. Zoom Zoom accidentally
found a short cut after the second miss and somehow, we found our trail head
for Cadillac Mountain.
Trail marker on a tiny fence post! Plus, lies! All lies!
Cadillac
Mountain Hike– The
book we had had the trail marked as “moderate”. Oh boy, what a lie! It was at a
minimum, “semi-strenuous” with a side of “whip- ass!” Both Zoom Zoom and I were taxed on the climb
up. Plus, we thought the distance seemed way off. It seemed a lot farther than
2.2 miles. I guess when you are climbing almost straight up 2.2 does seem
longer. The park marked the trail in two ways. One was using “cairns”
(pronounced “kern”) which are stacked rocks and the other was by painting a
blue dash on a boulder every 20-30 yards. Zoom Zoom figured out they painted
the dash in the direction we should hike. He’s so smart! Occasionally, we would
have this little panicky feeling because we wouldn’t see a blue dash and then
wah-lah there would be one! The book also suggested the trail would take approximately
2.5 hours to hike, 5 hours total. It took us 6 hours total. We hiked our slow
and sexy pace. Zoom Zoom has a bum knee and we didn’t want to add to it. I know
you are thinking, “Then why did they hike a mountain?” Well, that answer is
easy, we wanted to. Zoom Zoom survived. I even took him to Walmart, and we got
him another knee brace-the kind with the hinges on the outside. I know, he’s
spoiled! He’s a lucky guy!
Blue dash shows the way to go.
Glaciers from over ten thousnad years ago caused these ridges.
Tree seedlings growing in cracks of rocks.
This root made a pot for the plant. Too sweet.
I love wildflowers.
Another beautiful wildflower.
It’s a mountain, we have to go up.
Who lives here? We found several dens along the trail.
Who lives here?
I found this handsome man. Makes my toes curl!
Babbling brook.
Heart rock!
We are getting closer to the top!
Looking back on how far we came.
Zoom Zoom enjoying the view from the top of the mountain.
Bar Harbor, Maine
We made it! Celebrate!
While frequenting the Maine region you MUST partake in at least one lobster roll (unless you are allergic to shellfish). Zoom Zoom had his first one at a local place called the Dog & Pony. The co-owner was our server. She was so kind and attentive. Zoom Zoom had his lobster roll with tater tots. I had a burger, sans bun, and fries. We had a brownie sundae for dessert (shared). If you remember back to when we bought the bread at the farmer’s market – well I ate some – HUGE MISTAKE! I guess that gluten is an enemy for real. Anything that has wheat, or wheat flour I am now avoiding like the plague! Zoom Zoom likes this. He got the entire brownie to himself! Zoom Zoom’s second lobster roll was the very next day at a place called Stewman’s. This place had all the ambiance of a Disney themed indoor/outdoor fishing restaurant. Our waiter, Eddie, became Zoom Zoom’s best friend. I don’t know how Eddie did it. Zoom Zoom would need another drink and it seem as if Eddie blinked and he vanished, and he blinked again, and he returned. I never saw someone so efficient. Before we ordered Eddie rattled off the specials and something appealed to Zoom Zoom so he asked Eddie what he recommended, and Eddie said the lobster roll for sure. Zoom Zom had his with French fries. I ordered a grilled chicken salad with a poppy seed dressing. Mine was amazing – I could have eaten another one! We shared a slice of blueberry pie and ice cream. Yep, I oops and ate a bite with some crust – another MISTAKE! Oh man it hurts so badly. Zoom Zoom finished off the ice cream and pie. He was a happy camper! I think we are going to gain a few pounds before coming back! We NEVER eat dessert at home. It’s something about being on vacation that entices us to step out and go for it. We are definitely going to have to cut back.
Delicious adult beverages.
Zoom Zoom’s first lobster roll.
Before
Eddie’s choice for Zoom Zoom
Zoom Zoom is making this face because he dove into the dessert before the photo was taken! Rookie!
ABT Blueberry pie. ABT= already been tasted
The day
after we tortured ourselves on the mountain, we chose an easier route. We took
the Ocean Path – rated “easy”. It was a 3.6-mile hike. It was supposed to be
level. Now I don’t know who wrote their books, but their definition of “level”
and ours are not the same. We had to climb up and down some rocks and boulders
and there were plenty of steps along the way. My thighs were screaming at me,”
Oh Lordy, not again! It hasn’t been a year! Why? Oh why, are you exercising so
soon?” I just told them to shut up and
move. And you know what they did? Tripped me! Yep. In front of a ton of people
too. So embarrassing. Now I’m bruised on my elbow and my knee! I look like I’ve
been practicing for Ninja Warrior. The
“easy” 3.6-mile hike was another fabrication by the writers of the Acadia
National Park services booklet. I bet the writers never hiked the trails – they
just looked at them and took a stab at what they should be rated. 😊 Nevertheless, the scenery is amazing, picture postcard worthy. I didn’t take as many photos as I thought I
would only because the postcards look just like our photos. We stumbled upon a park ranger talk and
learned why trees grow from rocks. They are nurtured in what are called
“nursery rocks” which have a combination of two kinds of mosses. Those mosses
provide the perfect type of “soil” for the seeds of the trees to start to grow.
The seeds get caught in the cracks of the rocks and germinate there. After
several years they become trees. I always wondered why they did this- know I
know! She also told us why there are harbor bells out in the harbor- they mark
where there are rocks in the water, so ships don’t hit them when the tide is
in. She talked a lot about conservation and for some reason the waters off the
coast of Maine are warming faster than any other body of water in the world. No
one knows why. This is problematic for the lobster fishermen because lobster
only like colder waters. The lobster fishermen will lose their way of life and
if all the waters warm up, we will have more and more endangered or extinct sea
life. Along the path we also passed a
natural phenomenon where the water splashes into a cave making a very loud
sound resembling thunder. This place is called Thunder Hole. We accidentally
stumbled along the hole at the right time at the beginning of our hike, about 2
hours before high tide. We got some great photos. Two hours later the tide was
to high and it couldn’t slap into the hole.
Part of the path along the ocean.
Thunder Hole
Thunder Hole
Beautiful scenery.
Sea rose.
Nursery rock.
Trees growing from rocks.
Amazing – tree growing from a rock!
Park ranger talk.
Buoy and to the right of the boat is the “whale.”
Cute little pinecones.
Ice cold water!
Now for a funny story…on our way back to Jethro we stopped at the Thunder Hole again to see what it looked like. There were lots of people there. Several people were looking out towards the ocean. I finally asked a lady what they were looking at and she happily exclaimed they were watching a whale playing. She was pointing out in the direction of the harbor bell and told us to look at about 2:00. I pulled out my binoculars. I looked and looked. I couldn’t see any whale. ☹ She said it looks like it is flapping its tail over and over. Zoom Zoom and I kind of look at each other and smiled. We hated to break her heart. I tell her that’s not a whale, it’s rocks. I show her the harbor bell and explain to her what the park ranger told us. Plus, a whale would be on the move. At first, she looked at us in disbelief. I asked her if they were going to hike to Otter Point, if so, she could see up close the set of rocks if the tide was still out enough. Her husband was giggling and said, “Honey, how many people did you point out the “whale” to since we have been here?”
To the right of the harbor bell is the “whale.”
You can see the “whale” easier in the photo.
If you are as ignorant as I am, I didn’t know that Bar Harbor is on an island off the coast of Maine called Mount Desert Island. I always thought Bar Harbor was just stuck to regular old Maine-not on an island! It’s a good thing Zoom Zoom lets me get out every now and then. Bar Harbor happens to be adjacent to Acadia National Park, too. It’s a very small tourist town. Most of its income comes from the tourist industry and the average income is only around $35,000 a year. The town offers something for everyone. It also seems there is an ice cream shop every 3-4 shops, so if you get a hankering between store visits or your blood sugar runs low – don’t worry! Now comes the reason I know the average income. We bought new bikes! My old bike probably got ridden 4 times. I fell about ½ of the rides. There was no way to catch myself. I just felt the bike was too big for me. We found a bike shop in Bar Harbor that took our old bikes in for trade. The new bikes are lighter, mine is a “step through”, they swapped our seats for us, both bikes are shorter in length, they are black, and they are the TREK brand. If I need to put my feet down, I can at least put my toes down our jump off the seat. The last time I fell, only two weeks ago, I couldn’t get off my bike. I bruised my right upper thigh and landed on my right elbow. I was concentrating on not hitting my head. I still did – thank goodness for helmets! Adam, the assistant manager, was super helpful. He treated us like we were his parents. He was the one that told us the average income. Their bike shop buys, sells, and rents bikes. The rentals keep the shop going I’m sure. He has two rental properties for his family savings. We talked about this trip we are on and how we can do this at our age. He was surprised that both Zoom Zoom and I were already retired. I told him I retired when I was 50, 6 years ago, and Zoom Zoom retired when he was 53. I told him we just had great financial planning. If we must work later, we will. But now we will be safer while riding and these bikes “fit” us. Those other bikes were really meant for serious riders. If you have seen me lately, you know I’m not a serious rider.
PHOTOS OF BAR HARBOR AND JUST SOME FUN ONES
Campground we stayed in.
Carriage bridge built by Rockefeller
Small part of the Park Loop Road that is 2-way.
She didn’t want to come with us for Thanksgiving. Turkey!
Here she is refusing to get in the Jeep.
Time to cruise!
Nope, no Aaliyah’s
Porcupine Island (1 of 3)
Balance Rock. It’s been like this for a couple of years.
The Washington Auto Road is a privately owned and has a very
interesting history. It first opened to
the public in 1861. Before that the only
way to the summit was on foot or on horseback using one of the existing bridle paths. The road is 7.6 miles long and ascends 4,725
feet.
The day we showed up to drive the road was the morning of the annual Mt. Washington Road Race. They have over 1,000 runners participate. We had to stage up in the parking area waiting for the race to complete.
Staging up for the end of the race
Jethro all staged up
Some of the bikes rolling in
Bikes of all kinds
Once the majority of the runners had come down the mountain the road was open for us to ascend. We paid our toll, received or CD to play in the radio, and made our way to the top. The CD plays the history of the road and points out landmarks on the way up and shares additional information on the way down. On the way down they stress the use of low gear and not riding the brakes, for obvious reasons. It is interesting that the road follows the same path as laid out 150 years ago. While it has been widened and improved over the years it is amazing to think how it was built with hand tools, horses and oxen, and old fashioned blasting powder. Before the invention of dynamite and before Lincoln was President.
At the summit we took our requisite picture at the summit and explored the Tip Top House, The Mt. Washington Weather Observatory, and the Sherman Adams Summit Building. The day we were at the summit the temperature was 52 degrees and the winds were around 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph. It was blowing really good on the back side of the Tip Top House. The Observatory Building is actually chained down as is the row of porta potties. Mt. Washington held the former world record for peak wind speed of 231 mph recorded on April 12, 1934.
Some fun facts lifted from our Auto Road info given to us
before our ascent.
Elevation 6288 ft. Lowest Temperature -47F Highest Temperature +72F Avg. Annual Wind Speed 35 mph Avg. Annual Snow Fall 281.2 inches Greatest Seasonal Snowfall 566.4 inches The summit is in the clouds 60% of the time.
Some Mt. Washington Auto Road Climbing Records:
On Foot Jonathan Wyatt, 2004 56 minutes, 41 seconds Bicycle Thomas Danielson, 2002 49 minutes, 24 seconds Auto Travis Pastrana, 2017 5 minutes, 44.72 seconds
Other than driving or hiking to the summit of Mt. Washington you can take advantage of the Cog Railway that is celebrating its 150th year this year. You can schedule a ride on either the Biodiesel or Steam Trains for your ride to the summit. Reservations recommended. The day we were at the summit we saw two of the Bio Diesel trains reach the summit.
We really enjoyed our day on Mt. Washington and the area surrounding it and encourage everyone to take advantage of a visit to Mt. Washington. Every car that climbs Mt. Washington receives a “This Car Climbed Mt. Washington” bumper sticker. Even the little cars.
