ELLSWORTH, ME: We Came for a Week

We've been here since Sept. 20, first for a week, then added 3 days, then 7 more, and now 5 more.  This part of Maine is beautiful - hills all around with mountains in several directions, including those rising out of the sea in Acadia National Park, with more trees than you'll see anywhere else.  It's called the Pine Tree State for a reason, although there are many other varieties as well.  We came to see New England in the fall, and now fall is starting to show her colors. We're at the Forest Ridge Campground in Ellsworth, halfway between Bangor and Bar Harbor, in a rural wooded setting about a mile from town.  The park's facilities are great, including free cable and Wi-Fi.  There's plenty to see when we feel like exploring, and we have a great place to stay when we just want to stay put.  So why leave?  The answer to that is we'll have to leave soon because the park closes down for the winter on October 15, and we don't want to be here past that date since winters are pretty rough here.  Last year they had a foot of snow on Halloween!

 We do NOT want to be in this picture!







 Cliff and Margette from New Mexico, another ham radio couple, were here also.   One night we shared a campfire as well as shortened versions of our life story. Meeting new people with common interests is always enjoyable.

Meanwhile, we're getting accustomed to seeing the huge woodpiles by many houses, as well as  signs about  moose, snowmobiles and snow plows.  Of course, there's plenty of businesses that do the plowing, but many homes have a plow already sitting on their driveway, and some vehicles already have them installed.

We've had several outings in the surrounding areas, including Bangor, and enjoy traveling down the less-traveled roads.  One day we drove east to Desert Island, where Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park is located.  The island is home to several small towns, hiking and biking trails, several mountains, campgrounds, as well as many postcard views. Our first stop was Bar Harbor - a coastal town with a varied history.  Today it's bustling tourist stop and the port of call for several cruise lines. 





Our next stop was Acadia National Park, which covers a good part of Desert Island.  See map here -
http://www.acadia.ws/acadia-map.htm.  We started our tour at the Hulls Core Visitor Center and watched a short film about Acadia.  Then we drove along the Park Loop Ride - a 27 mile road that is one-way on much of the route. The admittance pass is $25 per vehicle, good for 7 days.  We had free admission with our America the Beautiful Senior Pass ($10 lifetime fee) which is good at national, and some state parks as well as historic sites around the USA. 

 Our first stop was Sand Beach.  Not many sandy beaches in Maine.  

 

The beach is longer than shows here.  We didn't want to get down in the sand.

 

 An ocean view from one of the many overlooks along the road.

This is Seal Harbor, although we didn't see any seals.  Lots of fishing boats here as well as pleasure craft.

Our next stop was Cadillac Mountain,  With an elevation of 1,528 feet, its summit is the highest point in Hancock County and the highest within 25 miles of the shoreline of the North American continent between the Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia and Mexican peaks 180 miles south of the Texas border.

This scene was partway up the mountain road.

Here are several views from the 360 degree view at the peak.  The cruise ships are n the harbor at Bar Harbor

 

This was taken as we were going back down the mountain.

It's easy to see why Acadia National Park is so popular.