Acadia National Park

July 6th...Harley ride to Bass Harbor Headlight...

 I took these pictures along the way from the back of the bike...

The cottages were so pretty...

...lots of antiques and treasures to plunder through...

...lobster traps everywhere...

...

...wild flowers with Blue Hill Bay in the background...

and families having fun! It was a beautiful day.

Bass Harbor Headlight is located on the cliffside at Bass Harbor which is on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park.The lighthouse was built of brick in 1858 on a stone foundation. The grounds are open to the public but a Coast Guard family now lives in the keeper's house. The best view of the headlight is from the rocks or the water.

Climbing the rocks for a better view/picture...

...the lighthouse was automated in 1974 and remains an active aid to navigation today.

The coast along  Blue Hill Bay just left of the lighthouse.

On July 5th...Harley ride to Acadia National Park...Acadia National Park is the first National Park east of the Mississippi. Originally created as Lafayette National Park in 1919, it was renamed Acadia in 1929. The park reserves much of Mount Desert Island and associated smaller islands. It is composed of seven or eight mountains rising to bare-rock summits from slopes of birch, fir, and pine. From 1915 to 1933 John D. Rockefeller,Jr. financed, designed, and directed the construction of a network of carriage trails throughout the park. The network encompassed over 50 miles of gravel trails, 17 granite bridges, and 2 gate lodges, almost all of which are maintained and in use today. Cut granite stones placed along the edges of the trails act as guard rails and are locally known as "coping stones" to help visitors cope with the steep edges. They are also called "Rockefeller's teeth".

The park includes mountains, an ocean shoreline, woodlands and lakes. In total, Acadia National Park consists of more than 47,000 acres.

Volunteers contribute more that 25,000 hours to Acadia National Park each year....more than 2,000 people annually make the time to give something back to the only national park in Maine.

Park Loop Road winds up and down and all around the east side of Mount Desert Island...

Going "car free" is is part of the Centennial Initiative celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016. This gives visitors an opportunity to explore by foot, bicycle, or shuttle bus.

A view from Cadillac Mountain on the eastern side of the island. Its green lichen-covered pink granite summit is because of its eastern location and height...one of the first places in the U.S. to see the sunrise.

"Coping stones" and I sure am glad.....quite a drop-off!

Sand Beach is a gorgeous little beach nestled between mountains and rocky shores on the east side of Mt. Desert Island. The beach is largely comprised of unique sand of shell fragments created by the pounding surf. The ocean temperature rarely exceeds 55 degrees in the summer. The beach area provides changing rooms and restrooms.