American home logs.. Acadia National Park

Shruthi, my daughter, moved to the USA 8 years ago. Except for the Covid years, I have visited her twice every year. This is possible because Arvind works in the airline industry, and his better half travels using the benefits. Every year of travel, she would have a surprise itinerary planned. This would also match her taste for adventure and desire to explore new places.

My previous visit to Boston was during the winters, which were cold and windy, and we preferred to spend our time at home. When I arrived this year, I was amazed at how nature transforms itself. The bare trees were brimming to life with green leaves. The sky was a brilliant blue; the air was warm and humid.

Her plan for this trip was a drive to Maine Acadia National Park. We set off from Boston for our 5-hour drive to Maine. Starting from home at 8 am, we had planned to reach Bar Harbor by 3 pm with a small break at Portland, Maine Shruthi knows my taste in music, and we cruised along the Highway listening to my fav tracks. We reached the city of Portland in Maine. Stopping for breakfast at a local diner, we had a delicious meal of pancakes and eggs.

Our first stop was at Cape Elizabeth, the home of Portland Head Light. One of the oldest structures, this lighthouse had been in commission since world war 1. The lighthouse is situated along the beautiful shores of Fort Williams Park. We walked along the path leading toward the rocky beach. The sky had darkened by now, and it had started raining. Not realizing the weather forecast had rain through the day, we only had one umbrella between us. 

Getting another rain cover was our thought. Deciding to have a quick stop for a raincoat, we entered the town of Freeport, Maine. We saw a crowd and shops on either side of the road. Providence had driven us to the outlet mall of Maine. With no care in the world, we indulged, shopped to our heart's content, and by the time we reached Bar Harbor, it was 8:15 pm. 

We explored the quaint town of Bar Harbor at night and settled for an early night to catch the sunrise at 4:30 am from the Cadillac mountains at Acadia National Park.

Waking up to a misty morning, we made our way to the top of Cadillac Mountain and saw many cars parked, hoping the mist would magically clear for us to spot the sun's early morning rays. We soon realized we would have to return to this place another time to watch the sunrise.

After a short nap, we set out to explore the national park. Acadia national park offers a dramatic landscape of mountain cliffs, rocky beaches, coastal views, and a landscape filled with rocks formed from melted glaciers. We wanted to explore the park by hiking through the easy paths. Starting at the sandy beach, we walked along the park loop that overlooked the coastline of Maine. There were numerous lookout points. At each juncture, we would make out way to the cliff's edge and wonder at the beautiful nature around us. 

A fascinating aspect of the national park was the different types of beaches. The sandy beach had fine-grained material because of its natural cove formation. Beaches facing the open expanse of Ocean had pebbles, rocks, and boulders.

Acadia national park left us spellbound with its beauty. The stretch of coastline with the waves crashing into the huge rocks, the huge expanse of ocean ahead of us speckled with small islands that would be visible during the low tides, the unending stretch of blue skies left us wanting more. A full exploration of the park would need three full days. 

Spending time with our grown up children is like visiting the most beautiful and precious part of my life.