Acadia Day 2

Low tide on our second day was 9:15 am. Our main morning goal was to see some tide pools. There are many good tide pool areas in Acadia. We thought the beach bridge in Bar Harbor sounded unique. When the tide goes out here a land bridge is formed between Bar Harbor and an island. If you don’t come back before the tide comes in you can get stuck on the island for the day. During our visits we love to see something we can’t see elsewhere this fit our new things category perfectly.

First thing we noticed was this tide pool experience was very different from any we have had before. The entire area was like a beach with small creatures, especially barnacles, everywhere. It was hard to walk around without feeling like you were stepping on something. We walked out to a rocky area where we found snails, crabs, mussels, sea stars, sand dollars, and hermit crabs. There was a lot of “look here”, “I found”, and “wows” going on. The sea gulls were tide pooling as well and we enjoyed watched them eat their crab breakfast. We were there for about an hour before we went back to shore. We found a delicious smoothie place, Thrive, to refill. Our next stop was the Beehive hike and we needed all the energy we could get for it.

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We took the shuttle back to Sand Beach and headed for Beehive. This is a hike up the side of the mountain. It has a strenuous warning for good reason. It is not an easy hike. It is however not difficult for anyone in relatively good shape or at least with a will to press through. A lot of the hike is more like a climb. For a lot of the hike you are on metal ladders and rungs scaling the side of a cliff. We are proud to say our kids did great. The big kids scalped it with no problem, while the little kids got a bit frightened from time to time and needed light assistance. Everyone conquered it and our reward was foggy views, honey packs, and lunch. after lunch though the fog had lifted a bit and the views of Sand Beach were gorgeous. The way out is much less strenuous to navigate although not necessarily easy either. We picked our way through granite boulders back to Sand Beach, with a few slips and a bit of tears. Well ok more like a screaming child for a bit, but in reality we rarely make it a day without someone screaming (one in particular) so for us it is normal. Our kids have big personalities and big feeling to go with it. At least we always know what they are feeling because they hold nothing back.

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Although making another stop, or two, was desired the park was pretty full and again the idea of not getting a shuttle back was a possibility. We decided to head back to our home in the visitor parking lot, and spend some more time in Bar Harbor. We parked in one of the two RV lots in Bar Harbor. They have them marked well and we had no problem finding a spot for the beast.

In Bar Harbor we enjoyed shopping as the fog rolled in and the day cooled off. Our seafood loving family could not leave Maine without some lobster. We checked out one place that could not get us in for 3 hours!! Lucky for us there are lots of good restaurants around we stoped at Testa’s Bar and Grill and they could get us in right away. Lucky them, 5 of our crew ordered full lobster meals! Jen ordered the lobster tacos which were amazing, and spent a good portion of the evening racking the kids lobsters. Everything was fabulous our meal could not have been better. The staff was so friendly and helpful, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect. The kids all learned how to crack a lobster and eat every bit of meat. They also enjoyed clams, mussels, and chowder. It was definitely the biggest meal of our adventure but worth it for the experience, memories, and smiles.

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We made our way back to camp late but still got in showers and good conversation with neighbors before bed. This day is sure to become one of the more memorable days of our trip.