Day 2 Acadia National Park

Today we enjoyed a quiet morning as we awoke to fog surrounding our cottage in the woods. Todd and I brewed a pot of coffee and enjoyed some leisurely conversation while the house slept. 

Showers and breakfast led us all to moving out the door mid morning heading east to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.  It’s one of the ten most visited national parks with over 4 million visitors a year. And we added six to that number! 

Here we are at the top of Cadillac Mountain. We found some short hikes and the visitors center…which was up a few flights of beautifully crafted stone stairs. The day was delightful with some light fog but warm temperatures. A perfect day for walking and enjoying nature. The park is huge and extends down to the ocean. We found kids splashing around and enjoying the waves while we enjoyed a few snapshots and sent thankful thoughts to the parking gods that blessed us with a close spot.

Yelp guided us to Melt which was a hit for some and a miss for others. The loaded fries were awesome and the Philly cheesesteak was enjoyed by some and both by others. The lobster roll was good, not great, and the crab melt was not what they expected. 

So it was a mixed bag of reviews on the food, but the views from the park where we ate, 10/10. 

The fog burned off and the views of the bay were gorgeous. We walked around and shopped in all the shops. We got shirts and magnets and ice cream. Ice cream is always a must on vacation and it seems like these are always strategically placed in touristy towns like this. We may have walked passed half a dozen spots offering sweet treats.

Apparently this town also thinks they are “Fog City” as well since many storefronts boasted this slogan. We are used to seeing that in SF or Pacifica. Why fight over such a terrible weather aspect? Maybe some people love the fog but I’m a lover of seasons and sunshine. 

We hit up a Walmart on the drive back to Castine. We got necessities like a few cigarette USB chargers since our rental has only one usb port and our phones require more juice than that. 

We drove through quaint little towns and checked Zillow to see the differences between the east and west coast. There’s a difference! 

We made it back to the AirBnB and commenced with lots of relaxation and couch sitting as we reminisced about our first full day on vacation and all the things that we’ve seen around these here parts. It’s a pretty area for sure but we read that they average 50-70 inches of snowfall along the coast, and that’s a big no from this California kid who likes to play in snow but doesn’t like to live in it. I shoveled too much as a kid so I’ve been cured of that itch to live in the winter. Sure is pretty in the summer though!

We saw fireflies before bed which is always a treat when you’re from California and we don’t have those 💕