Checking out Acadia and a ride on the Carriage Roads.

Had a nice breakfast at the hotel where we met a family from California.  We chatted with them and hit the road headed for Acadia National Park which is only 2 miles from our hotel.  First stop was the Visitors Center where we talked to the workers and got our park map.  We headed out on the park loop road just to get the lay of the land more or less.  First stop was Sandy Beach.

It was pretty but after all the beaches in Nova Scotia where we were just about alone there were sure a lot of people there!

Next we stopped at a place Bill had remembered photographing when he was here with Tony Sweet's photo class years ago.  Bill called it boulder beach, the guy at the visitor center called it something much less impressive - maybe pebble beach?

And Bill had a buddy.

Then to Cadillac Mountain - the view from the top was impressive.  We will be going there tomorrow to attempt to photograph sunrise.

We had made arrangements to take a horse drawn carriage ride on the carriage roads the the Rockefellers made.  They were very involved in developing the roads and donated a great deal of land to the park.  It was a lovely 2 hr. ride and we learned a lot!

So this was the "office dog" in it's costume.

Our carriage.

Betty and Reba pulling us thru one of the stone bridges the Rockefellers built.

A second stone bridge.

At the third bridge - the only one that is cobblestone - we were able to get down and walk to see the lower part of the bridge.  Here are Betty and Reba.

The dated keystone.

When we got to a place where the carriage road crossed traffic someone had to open the gates - guess who did a fine job?

The gate keeper's house.

The horses turning around to accomplish a sharp turn.

I had to say goodbye and thank you to our new friends....

A couple of days ago one of my best friends in high school posted that she was visiting the Maine coast.  I replied where - we will be in Bar Harbor tomorrow and she and her family were going to be there!  So today, after they got finished hiking she sent me a message and we met them for a drink at a local brewery.  I have seen Barbie once in the last probably 30 years, so it was a real treat to catch up.  I think you can tell from this picture - my smile is almost exploding!

Later we walked down the street and ended up at Finback Alehouse for dinner - because they had an empty table - and it was delicious!  Tomorrow - sunrise at Cadillac Mountain.