Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mt. 10.10.10

Acadia is one of our most favorite places. I’ve been going there all my life and finally last fall Josh and I ventured there together. So, when we were thinking about moving to Maine in the fall we knew that we had to get to Acadia for some “leaf peeping” fun. 

We headed to the east and followed the scenic Rt 1 along the coast. The leaves were turning vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. Each pine tree seemed even greener. Ever turn revealed another landscape that belonged in a travel brochure. Quaint isn’t enough. 

Our first stop was the visitor’s center. We bought a pass and stamped our National Parks Passport. After three visits Josh finally was able to get his. Wu was accompanying us and we asked a few questions about where he was allowed. Off-season is great when you’re traveling with a pet. 

Top of Cadillac Mt. 10.10.10

The island was bustling with tourists. The leaves here hadn’t reached the peak change and already people were flooding here. I can’t blame them since it’s absolutely perfect. After getting a couple deli sandwiches and bring Wu for a walk we hit the Park Loop Road.

First stop, Sand Beach. This was the first time that Wu had ever seen sand or the ocean and we thought that it’s something worth showing him so we brought him down to the shore. It wouldn’t do him justice to say that he went wild. A craze took over him. He was into the water and was planning a swim when he realized that a wave was coming for him. He loves the water enough to keep going back for more. He dabbled and tried a drink. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do when he’s off-leash on the beach. 

Bass Harbor 10.10.10

Once we had wrestled Wu back to the car we headed down to Thunderhole. The tide was out and there wasn’t much for action. No crashing of waves or thunder to be heard.  It was still cool to see it at it’s lowest point. 

Jordan Pond House was too busy to make it into. I was a little disappointed at how busy everything really was. With Wu we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the carriage roads because there were so many people. We headed up to Cadillac Mountain. Stamped the Passports again and bought a few postcards. The wind was gusty up at the top. It was cold and we kept moving to stay warm. A quick shot of us together and we hopped from rock to rock until we it was too cold to stand. 

Wu was ever glad to see us and I was delighted that it wasn’t him that we had heard barking harassingly. He was just chilling and we headed off the east part of the island. With his hopes to swim crushed we decided to stop at a small stream and let him swim. He fetched sticks and ran up and down the shore. And after a few short minutes we had a happy dog. Off we went!

Our final destination was the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. There are two short paths; one leads to the ocean and the other leads to the lighthouse. The ocean path starts with wooden steps then ends in a pink granite stairway. It ends onto the rocky shore and you can scramble across the rocks to picnic or play. The lighthouse path is paved and leads straight to the light. It’s tarred and an easy walk. After snapping a few pictures and taking in the sun behind the clouds we decided to head home. 

When we finally got home we were completely relaxed. We headed up to bed early because we were heading north. 

Acadia NP 10.10.10