Park Unit 99 Acadia NP Day 2

We started out this morning at the Hull Cove Visitor's Center where we got oriented and picked up maps. We drove to downtown Bar Harbor for our morning sail on the 151' Windjammer Schooner. It was a sunny, warm, calm morning and perfect for touring the harbor islands. We helped raise the sails (it took three people on each halyard!) and spent 2 hours going around the islands. We got to see seals, harbor porpoises and a huge, amazing sunfish. A wonderful trip!
























 

After our sail, we went into town to a quilt shop to visit a friend of the family who gave us great suggestions for places to visit. On her advice we went to the restaurant at Jordan Pond in Acadia to have amazing popovers with our lunch, overlooking the gardens and lawn around the pond. We also had good views of the Bubble Mountains.

 Next we drove up to the crest of Cadillac Mountain and took one of the trails around the top. The views were incredible, and the granite outcroppings so interesting. It was windy and cool and felt very refreshing in August!

We then drove further on the loop road to Sieur de Monts which has a small visitor's center and houses the Wild Gardens of Acadia. This is a charming trail organized by the type of habitat (field, bog, seashore) with the plants that are typical for that habitat, all labeled. We enjoyed learning the names of many of the plants we've seen so far in the park.

We left the park and returned to Bar Harbor for dinner a fun tapas restaurant. The weather was so perfect restaurant front was open and we could enjoy the happenings on the square. We also stopped at the National Park Visitor's Center, a fabulous shop that sells flavored oils and vinegars, a country store, toy store, and ice cream. It was a fabulous day and we went back to our hotel exhausted!