Up at Dawn with Ed

I have photographic proof that Ed got up at dawn today!  We had to make our 7 a.m. entrance time for Cadillac Mountain and it really was a special event for me to share the sunrise with Ed.  We joined a quiet procession of campers to see the sunrise over Frenchman’s Bay.  The hazy darkness gave way to a glowing bath of dawn.  Couples were gathered on the playground to get the best view and in the twilight you could see the outline of fellow campers on the swings, couples in their robes and slippers and all of us were there to witness the new day.  Once we saw that indeed, the sun did rise again, folks quietly dispersed.

Cadillac Mountain

Traveling through the park in the early hours was extremely calm compared to mid-day.  Maybe it was because of the timed entry or possibly because visitors were just not out so early; whatever the case, we enjoyed it.  We found parking easy (for a change) and climbed the walkway to the overlook.   The view was all encompassing!  You could see 360 degree around: Bar Harbor, the Gulf of Main with its many islands, Eagle Lake and more.  It was good to see how i all fit together.  After our Whale Watching tour and driving through the park for a few days, and now the view from atop Cadillac Mountain, I feel like we are getting a better lay of the land and water relation.  

Time for a Recharge

We headed back to RV and our pets.  There we spent a few hours to recharge and refuel.  Camping in the RV, we are pretty independent.  We have a residential size refrigerator and I brought enough food to feed a big family.  I had cooked a Cornish hen in my tiny crock pot with vegetables (my friend Larry, at USSRC gave me the idea), and we had BBQ leftovers. But on this return trip, I fixed the breakfast we didn’t have time for when we left. 

Ed caught up on that sleep he lost at dawn and I worked on my blog.  It’s funny how we learn to work our schedules out.  I’m not much of a napper, but I really love an early bedtime.

Once More Around the Park Loop

In the afternoon we loaded up Toby for a doggie-day-out adventure.  It was his first time with us in the Jeep this trip and he was a bit nervous (he’s always nervous)! We intended to do the Park Loop and see some of the overlooks that we had missed before, but we finally made it to the gated entrance, they were waving us off!  The park had closed for some kind of medical emergency.  We ended up at an Sooner Head overlook close by (Egg Island) and found some nice travelers and a little trail down to the rocky shore. Serendipity!  We traveled our little trail and back ending in the discovery that the park had reopened just minutes before.  

Once again, we were blessed with less people.  I’m sorry, but crowds just get to me after a bit.  On this reentry to the park, around 3:30 pm on Friday (9-12), it was a whole different experience. Our first stop was at Sand Beach. We had been unable to get anywhere close to the Sand Beach on Tuesday because of the crowds, but on Friday we just slipped on down there.  

Sand Beach is the largest beach in the park. It has 290 yards of a crescent shaped shore.  The granite cliffs cup the beach in a little cove.  The beach is made of a pink shell-fragment sand.  Even though the water was in the 50’s, people were swimming! 

From there we went on to find Thunder Hole.  This tiny inlet was formed by waves battering the shore and forming a small cavern. As the waves hit the rocks, a release of air from the cavern causes a thunderous boom! Thus the name: Thunder Hole.  You just have to add this to your stop list if you get to come.  The day we visited, the waves were not very rough, but the sound was so unique!

We ended up our day in the park at dusk and headed back to our little camp-site.  Lots of campers had switched out since our departure that morning.  Fridays are busy traveling days for those that aren’t retired yet.  We plan on pulling out of here on Monday, September 15th.