Making Friends and Carriage Roads

Our evening after touring and hiking Acadia lands us at a wonderful little pub, McKay's Public House, for dinner. As they are having a large party, seating is limited, but the option for dinner at the bar is one we decide to take. Boy, are we glad we did.


Service and food are excellent but the interactions we have with fellow "bar diners" is the real treat. We met several interesting folk, in particular, Judy and Rick from Charlotte, NC, who we just completely loved. Before leaving, we make arrangements to meet for dinner the following evening.














On this second Acadia day, upon the advise of our ranger, we find a really beautiful carriage road, taking us to a little waterfall off of one of the 17 stone bridges. A delightful hike, meandering through woods with enveloping mountain and water views



The road to Cadillac Summit is spectacular and much chillier and windy. We circle on the 360 degree top path before veering off onto the North Ridge trail. As we head down, we continue to remind ourselves there is going to be the return back up. But, it is so beautiful! After about a mile, we reluctantly begin the retreating climb. So worth the effort!!




We find yet another carriage road that takes us by a beaver dam haven. Signs of the little guys abound but an actual sighting does not occur. The only hikers, we do encounter several bikers also enjoying the beautiful trail. The 4 mile hike winds us down for the afternoon - we are true fans of these carriage roads. Wish we had time to do them all. A return trip seems likely.



Finding the Wild Gardens of Acadia seems to be the perfect setting for our sunflower planting. What a little gem we find here, as well. Blooming is just starting, another two weeks and the color here will be amazing. As we exit this national park, we take with us an incredible sense of wonder. There is still such beauty out there and taking the time to find and explore is essential!




Our final evening in Bar Harbor is delightful as we join our new friends for a lovely dinner. Wine. lobster, laughter and an incredible view makes for the most appropriate ending for our time here. We could easily spend another week, but there is still so much to see out there. We've managed to encompass quite a bit in these few days and we are eternally grateful for the gifts we received here!