Day 2: Arrive at Acadia N.P.

7:43am
We're up and showering and getting ready to go. We thought we'd be up earlier than this, but I slept really well - and I guess we all did. It obviously rained in the night, though Eric says it's not raining now. We'll see what the motel breakfast is, and either do that or have an Egg McMuffin on the road. The drive to Acadia should be about an hour, and we're hiking today, rain or shine.

11:37am

Causeway to Bar Island at low tide

We just tried to register at Blackwoods Campground and were told that check-in is at noon and to come back then. Really?!? We can't go to our site 20 minutes early? Apparently this is strictly a "by the book" operation....

The campground is an easy drive from the town of Bar Harbor. We stopped on the way in, first at the Visitor Center (where we got some maps and an Acadia sticker for my guitar case), then at the causeway to Bar Island. Eric had read about this hike - at low tide, you can walk on dry land over to Bar Island, but when the tide comes in, the causeway is underwater and it's actually an island. It was a fun little walk, and the salt breeze smelled great. Beautiful sights, and there was a breeze and a fog coming in off the ocean.

12:25pm
Blackwoods Campground, site A-17. On our first drive through the campground, we marked how cool one site was, in a natural amphitheater surrounded by rocks. It turns out that's our site! We're happy to be here - tents are up and we're unpacking. It's gray, and the forecast at the check-in station says heavy rain after 1pm and into this evening. All we can do is hope for the best.

1:20pm
John and Eric made an A-frame lean-to out of the huge tarp they got at Walmart last night. It's a little unwieldy, but it will give us shelter if it rains. We're making sandwiches at the picnic table and looking at what hike to do this afternoon.

Ocean Trail, Acadia N.P.

2:03pm
Otter Point trailhead and the Ocean Trail. As the name suggests, the trail runs along the rocks at the ocean's edge. It shouldn't be a strenuous hike, but the views right from the beginning are amazing.

3:37pm
We've hiked down the Ocean Trail to Sand Beach - appropriately named, as it's the only sandy beach for miles around. We're taking a break. It hasn't been a hard hike - an oceanside walk is closer to the truth. There's no reason to be in any hurry, and we're not - we're making frequent stops to look at the vistas (classic Maine rocky coastline!) and take pics.

Eric has a nice camera, John has a point-and-shoot, and I have both a POS (which can stand for whatever you want :-)) and a phone. It's not raining, and not even threatening, but it's gray and a little foggy, and Eric is wishing the light was better. He's afraid we're going to have a whole lot of indistinguishable gray pics. John and I don't know enough to say, and we're happily snapping away.

It's breezy and a little cool, but I'm fine in shorts and a t-shirt. This will be our turnaround point, as we have to hike back, and we have to get firewood, and optimally before dark.

4:15pm

We're at Thunder Hole - a point where the waves come into an opening, have no place to go, and shoot straight up into the air. The tide isn't high enough (or the waves strong enough) to give a really good show, but the power of the ocean is still impressive. There are dark threatening clouds, and rain looks imminent.

Puffins apparently live in these rocky cliffs, but I'm sure they can only be seen from the water. If I were to see one, I'd be the envy of every female in my house.

4:40pm
Back at Otter point trailhead. That was a fantastic walk (I can't honestly call it a hike.) Gorgeous rocky coastline scenery. It's easy to see why Acadia is such a tourist attraction.

5:55pm
Relaxing in camp. The campground doesn't sell firewood, but it's for sale at many places just outside the CG - most of the houses have bundles at the street - take what you want and leave $3/bundle. The campfire is burning nicely, and we (by which I mean John and Eric) will add charcoal soon. Steaks are on the menu. It's still very gray, but so far no rain. Spirits are good, but it's a little subdued without Ted here.

10:15pm

Site A-17, Blackwoods campground

We're tired and ready to hit the sack. Eric and I are in my 3-man tent (which is really a 2-man tent - adding a third person would be *awfully* snug!), and John is in his solo tent. We like our campsite as much as we thought we would - we discussed some of our favorite campsites over the years, and this ranks right up there.

We were also treated to live music tonight, which was a delight - and I'm not talking about myself. I did get out my guitar and played for a while, which is a great pleasure. But as it got dark and I put my guitar away, we realized as we sat around our campfire that we heard another guitar. And then a beautiful female voice. It was from the campsite next door. There was a middle-aged couple, and the woman was singing and accompanying herself. She did two songs I *love* right away - Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" and Judy Collins' "Someday Soon", and as far as I know it might have actually been Joni or Judy at the next site. She sang for a while longer - some songs we recognized and some we didn't - but she was very talented. We clapped and whistled after most songs, and she thanked us with a laugh.

Tomorrow we'll hike to the summit of Cadillac Mountain - an actual hike, and the signature hike of the park.