Bah-Haaabah
Two most common letters in that phonetic spelling leads to “aaaaahhh” – what is said when one is relaxing. This could not have fit more perfectly than in Bar Harbor, Maine. I was looking forward to this one.
Why? For one, it was my first proper campfire of the trip. Secondly, the campsite was just yards from the shore (yet safe from the tide). Lastly, and how could one forget, the lobster. Sure, it’s not everyone’s favorite shellfish, but I couldn’t wait to taste that sweet, sweet flesh. Here are all the aforementioned, combined into one:
After dinner, I occupied myself with the goal of building a bigger fire until, soon enough, I ran out of firewood. Not wanting to maneuver around the campground after a six-pack (of soda, of course), I decided to call it a night. I crawled into my solo tent, read a bit from my guidebook using my trick LED-headlamp, and was out-cold before I knew it.
Now, aside from the campfires and the basic simplicity of the outdoors, the one thing I cherished the most about camping, was waking at dawn, to the clean, crisp air, hitting your nose, and the various sounds made by the outdoors, grazing by your ears. The mornings in Maine were no exception. These aspects of the morning make you forget about the frigid temps and far walks to wash up.
Soon afterwards, I went into town and hunted for some coffee and WiFi (almost synonymous with coffee). After being ripped-off for some internet and struggling for cell phone coverage, I headed towards Acadia National Park. Like most parks I’d encountered, there is a main route you drive along and stop at various places to see the sights. First sight for me was the wild gardens in Acadia. Now, this might be a plant-lovers dream, but to me, it looked like some overgrown backyard, heavily shaded by trees.
I hiked on one of the many short trails but I suspect I had gotten lost as what I aimed to see at the end didn’t surface.
Next stop – Sand Beach. I arrived to a very serene (read: empty) beach. Not too many folks around so after snapping a few photos, I went back to the car and traded my camera for a blanket. What I had planned to be a brief nap turned into a full 80 minutes or so. No harm done as I had covered my face with a cap the whole way through.
Refreshed, I headed further down the park loop road to Thunder hole. Imagine simply a beach, with each grain of sand replaced with rock big and small. It leads to quite a site when the waves come crashing in.
I soon headed out of the main loop road, back through town, and drove south. The park rangers there claimed that it is the most photographed lighthouse in the states. Hearing anything of this sort gets you excited to go see and photograph it as well. Here it is – I’ll reserve my comments until after the photo is presented.
I don’t see what the big deal is. Firstly, it’s not the biggest or tallest one I’ve seen. Also, you can only see two sides of the flippin thing – the other side doesn’t give for much of a view. Maybe it simply wasn’t what I was expecting. This is more house than light whereas I was expected one tall column with the light on top and a small base at the bottom.
Nonetheless, not every aspect of a particular spot can aim to please. There are countless paradigms it faces from equally as many visitors and it can’t be all things to all people. Maine visited, four corners of the U.S. (LA is southwest enough) accomplished.
Fuel Efficiency stats:
- Miles Driven (up to last fill): 14,698.4
- Gallons Pumped: 549.416
- Miles per Gallon: 26.75