Acadia National Park ~ 2010 summer vacation

-No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one.  ~Elbert Hubbard

Well, here it is folks, the wildly anticipated and highly acclaimed account of the Huntley family’s 2010 summer vacation. You may remember that last summer, we spent a week in Acadia National Park in Maine, camping and doing all the touristy things listed in the official guides. Well, we had so much fun last year, that we decided to produce the sequel this summer.  And just like almost every other sequel of a box office smash, it was good, but didn’t match the first trip.

Now I’m not saying that we didn’t have fun, or that we won’t go there again. We are experienced Rusticators now, and there is still so much to do and see. Our trip this year just hit a few snags. We believe in Karma, and it certainly seemed to believe in us this year, and as the week went on, things just got better and better.

So sit back, pour yourself a favorite beverage, pop some corn and prepare to read another fascinating account of the Huntleys in vacation mode.

First let me say that we really needed a vacation this summer.  The weeks leading up to vacation had been very stressful. I had used a lot of vacation time already this year, so I didn’t have a full week. We decided to leave on a Monday afternoon, after I worked all day Sunday and Monday morning. Perfect! We would stay in a motel an hour or so from Sewall Campground and arrive in the morning around 9, in time for check out/sign in. Since it was mid week and the last week of summer for most families, there shouldn’t be a problem getting a spot in this very economical, first come first serve national park campground.Well, that was mistake number one.

We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Belfast the first night, and I was a little shocked at the $150 price tag, but the view of the ocean was nice and there was a hot tub, sauna, heated pool and restaurant. One night of luxury before roughing it was ok.

Tuesday

We got up early, ate a complimentary full breakfast in the dining room, and then we were out the door, all before 8 O'clock. We arrived at the campground around 10:00 AM only to find a line of 20 cars and people ahead of us, some of whom had camped in their cars overnight.

Aaggh…no room at the inn, they said.

We got in line and decided to wait for a while and ponder our choices. From talking to a few others in line, I learned that all the private campsites on Mount Desert Island were full and that here, they were only letting people in as others left. We weren’t going to give up, but what to do?

Well… Lady Luck found us! A woman with a family, in line behind us, had talked to the rangers and found out that there were a couple of group camping sites open, but just for the night. If we wanted to sign on with 3 other families, we could have one and then come back in the morning to wait in line. We would be given spots, if available, before the new-comers, but after the renewal people who were just lengthening the stay at their already secured spots. At first we hesitated, but as the prospects for a personal campsite seemed bleak, we decided to go for it.

We found our group campsite, which was actually a much better spot than the single sites… bigger, sunnier, grassy and open.  It really worked out.

We set up just the essentials and then left for Southwest Harbor for Sandwiches and Ice Cream at the Quietside Cafe, one of our favorite stops. Last year the place was listed as “for sale,” and we were afraid one the best stops on the trip would be gone, but we lucked out and it was still there.

After we ate, we went back south to Sewall and spent the afternoon on the rocky beach. We left around dusk, cooked supper in camp, and then had a fire and S’mores with our Site-mates. It was fun camping with and meeting new people!

 

Wednesday

Wednesday dawned early for us. The Ranger had told us to be at the station at 5 AM to get a jump on the line, so the two dads,  Michigan and New Hampshire, (that’s what the rangers called us), hiked down to the station at the crack of dawn… shorts, sandals, messy hair and with out coffee.

We thought we had been duped at first. There were two cars in line already, but no rangers and nobody else around. That changed at 5:45. The cars started lining up and other change-site people showed up, as well as the people who wanted to keep their sites and stay longer. My crew showed up around 6:30. Tracy had woken the kids and they ate, broke camp, packed the car and brought me coffee and a breakfast bar. Is that service or what!

We actually had to wait around until 9 when the ranger station officially opened, then we got our tickets…Michigan was 1 and I got numero 2. Apparently our group stay caused quite a commotion at headquarters, as one of our group, a guy who hadn’t even stayed the night, complained at the ranger station about the lack of sites and the neccesity of group camping. This caused all kinds of problems, as the group site we received was normally not allowed for the likes of us or to be used in this fashion. The Rangers felt bad for our families and hooked us up, apparently against the rules.  No good deed goes un-punished, I guess. I’m sure they got some good Karma out of it… they went out of their way to help us and I couldn’t be more appreciative.  But, in any case, by 10:00, people left, and we had a site, and so went off to set up camp.

By this time, it seemed like most of the day was shot. We drove up along the Sommes Sound, got taco salads and quesidillas at a stand and then went to the Park Visitor Center. It’s a cool place to stop, lots of gifts, a video to watch and…bathrooms! Then we piled in the car again and drove up Cadillac Mountain. We spent the afternoon hiking around with the multitudes on the peak, snapping pics and enjoying the views. Yup…touristy, I know, but the kids had to come here at least once. It’s one of those places you HAVE to visit if you come to Acadia. 

We were going to go into Bar Harbor, but every one was kind of hungry and tired, so around 5 we headed back to camp. As I started setting up for dinner, Tracy went to light the Coleman stove and noticed the fuel tank leaking profusely. We made a quick decision to scrap the 15 year old stove and pick up a newer propane one. We cooked beans and dogs, made a fire and roasted S’mores again, and hit the sack around 10.

Thursday

Thursday dawned a beautiful day! I woke at 5 AM again (for some unknown reason) but I made the best of it and got up and made coffee. I sat by the remains of our fire, sipping coffee and reading “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” until Grace peeped out of her tent.

She loves camping and hiking, but she’s also a bit of a chatty-Kathy, so we decided to take a hike and let the sleepers sleep. We walked to the amphitheater and hiked around the bogs and woods there, then explored the entire campground for next year’s spot. We found some great places and a cool little cemetery, too.

Once back in camp, we ate hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, melon, yogurt, coffee and cocoa. We packed up the car and shot off toward the other side of the island for some hiking along the Sandy Beach/Thunder Hole trail. It’s a beautiful hike along rocky cliffs and beaches. Of course, we went off the trail and hiked the rocks. We spent all day here. 

Later we went into Bar Harbor and got Ice cream at another great stop, Ben & Bill’s. We ate out on the sidewalk and looked in a few shop windows, but didn’t really feel like doing the shopping thing.

We headed back around home around 7. We hit the store on the way and got supper sandwiches, breakfast and day hike snack supplies and then went back into camp and made supper. Sandwiches are key for supper fare! No cooking, little cleanup and quick; plus everyone gets to “do” something. Once again the kids cooked some S’mores at the fire after dinner and we hit the hay early.

Friday

Friday started out a repeat of Thursday. Grace and I took a hike over to Sewall beach this time. We decided that today would be “Bar Harbor day”, although we wanted to do something outside first, so we went south a bit to the Abbe museum and the Wild Gardens at Acadia and Sieur de Mont spring. I loved the wild gardens. All the plants I deal with as a surveyor and wetland scientist are here, planted and set up in little natural communities and labeled. We spent quite a while exploring and playing. Around 1:00 we ate our snacks in the parking lot under some shade trees then headed off to Town.

Bar Harbor is such a cool little town. Every year we spend at least one day here, checking out all the shops, galleries, music and eateries. This time there was a big music festival going on in the common and some funky, jazzy band was playing… so… there wasn’t anything in the way of parking for at least 1/2 a mile.

We were going to park at a spot near the school, and then hike back, but just as we were passing through the center of town, Lady luck blessed us again. We were stopped at an intersection, and I decided to let a couple car loads of tourists and a bus pull out. “Oh well,” I said “They’ll probably find all the good spots, but maybe it’s good Karma.” No sooner had I said that, than a spot opened right in front of us, right on the common. Nice!

So we spent a fun afternoon moseying around town. We all bought something. Jeremiah bought a battle-axe of all things at a sword and knife shop, Tracy and Grace bought wrap around, multi use skirt/dress things and I bought a woven basket for picking vegetables in the garden. So… I’m boring.

The evening was a repeat, too, except we did go to the amphitheater around 8:30 where the rangers were hosting a show put on by the national weather service. After the show we walked back to camp and went to bed.

Saturday

This was Cranberry Islands day. Since I was a kid, coming here with my folks, I had always wanted to visit the Cranberry Islands. Brochures all over mount Desert Island boast of the wonders of the islands, the history, the museums and the cafés. We caught the ferry in Southwest Harbor around AM and went over to the isles. the ferry ride was fun. The weather was beautiful and we saw harbor porpoises, seals and an osprey.

We spent the day ferrying around from island to island, checking off each stop the brochures suggested.

   

The afternoon started to cloud up, and we were hungry, so around 4 we took a very chilly ride back to the main island. We went to this cool place we had been driving by every day, called Eat-a-pita and Cafe2. You can read about our dinner here. Afterwards, we had our traditional last night desert at the Quietside Cafe and then went back to camp. It was a dark and moonless night because of the clouds that had moved in, there were a few sprinkles, and the air was heavy. It looked like rain.

Sunday

Sunday morning arrived and so did the rain. We actually managed to eat and break camp before a drop hit. We even said our goodbyes to the beach at Sewall, and just as we pulled out and headed north towards Southwest Harbor, the full onslaught of the the rain hit. In fact, it rained the entire 7 hour ride home.

 

And for 2011…

Of course, we plan to come back again next year. This time with a few tricks up our sleeve, now that we are experienced Rusticators.

Sunday morning is THE day to arrive. That’s when most people are leaving for the week.  We also found that, starting this year, 1/2 the campsites can be reserved on-line, so we’re not taking any chances.  And… now that we have done about all the touristy things that everybody with a  few days to spend can do, next year we’re going to do more hiking, biking, kayaking and exploring…and I’ll make sure to keep a full weeks vacation available.

Happy Trails!