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.

Bah Hahbah

July 3...Joe and I rode the Harley to Bar Harbor. What a great time. The ride over from Ellsworth, about 30 miles, was a pretty ride. I enjoyed all the cottages and lobster pounds along the way.

We had fresh bay caught haddock for lunch at a waterfront restaurant. Quite tasty! We enjoyed watching the boats and the people and the weather was perfect!

The store fronts are so pretty and inviting...

...and of course we are drawn to the pet boutiques!

July 4...Joe and I went to the Seafood Festival and local arts/crafts fair. We went because I wanted fresh strawberry shortcake. Boy was I in for a treat. It was fresh strawberries on shortbread...not like we have in Georgia...but real shortbread and lots of thick whip cream! I could have eatten at least 2 bowls, but we got there just in time to get the last of the servings.....I know why it went so fast!

Joe has always liked scrimshaw so he was quite pleased to meet a scrimshaw artist. Mr. Cambridge owns a shop in Bar Harbor that somehow we missed the day before. Joe had a nice visit with the owner and his son who is also very talented. In fact, it was the son's (his name is Tucker) art on display at the fair. Joe bought a couple of pieces. One of them was a pendant of the Bass Harbor Head Light.

I like pottery so I bought a piece from Lisbeth Faulkner. We both like her work and she was also interesting to visit with. She spends her winters on a boat in the Bahamas! Anyway, her gallery is Seal Cove Pottery and Gallery located in Seal Cove. Check out her web site...www.sealcovepottery.com...Joe and I enjoy visiting with the local artists.