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Maine & Acadia National - Three Days of Driving

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Naftali:
Drove up from New York to Bangor on a Tuesday, came back to New York on Thursday. 60-hour vacation; 25-hours of driving (solo). Audiobooks and sandwiches for three days. And the Maine coastline. What a coastline.

Day One:
Driving direct from NYC through Massachusetts, first stop was Portsmouth, NH. Not much to see here. Port area (and views) is predominately industrial.  Main thoroughfare downtown has some of the New England charm of cobblestone streets, buses looking like trolleys, and quaint mom and pop shops.

Over the Piscataqua River and into Maine, first stop was York. Enjoyed the stunning vistas over the York Harbor and hiked the relatively short Cliff Walk in York. Sign indicates that the walk is dangerous. I say it ain’t so.

North on coastal Route 1, through well maintained mobile-home parks and ocean views, the Nubble/Cape Neddick Lighthouse. Yonder off on a nearby island, the park view allows for full view of the lighthouse, in all its glory.

Onward northward, Freeport Maine is the home of LL Bean flagship store(s). A primary store with several ancillary ones. A campus if you may. With a stage and occasional concerts to the delight of some. There is a big shoe (if you get a kick out of that) and lots of guns.

Arrived at Bangor, Maine. Fairfield Inn near the airport. Quiet, free breakfast (kosher yogurts, coffee, etc.) and empty pool at night. $120 a night, stayed for two. Only an hour west of Acadia.

York:





Nubble/Cape Neddick Lighthouse:



Day Two:
Acadia National Park, $25 for the monthly pass. Located on Mt. Desert Island, the park covers most of the northern and southern portions of the island, though a smattering of old whaling towns and Bar Harbor lie beside it on the island. The Park Loop Road on the northern portion of the island is a must. Accessible, easy to navigate, and easy to find parking. Stopped and hiked Sand Beach & Thunder Hole, drove up to Cadillac Mountain peak, but couldn’t find parking at Jordan Pond. The Park Loop Road, showing Maine’s coastline at its finest hour. Words may do no justice; do pictures?

Traveling to the southern portion of the island to Bass Harbor Head Light (a lighthouse –by any other name would smell as sweet) enjoyed the flower bedecked views of the mountaintops over Long Pond northwest from Peabody Road. The Bass Harbor Head Light may not be worth the drive, though worth is a relative value. The best shots are from the northern side down to the beach and some rock skipping to good perspective.

Heading northwest to Bar Harbor, caught glimpses of fine views of Eagle Lake. @BarHarbor, parked at Grant Park, walked the Shore Path, the views the same. The heavens (and oceans) speak of his glory. Bar Harbor, quaint New England at its acme, offers little for the kosher consumer. Clam and lobster joints aplenty. Antique and art shops galore.

Got back to Bangor. Found the Paul Bunyan statute. Did you hear about the attractions in Bangor, Maine? I found him.

Acadia National Park:























Bass Harbor Head Light:



Bar Harbor Shore Path:





Day Three
Heading South. Detour through Wiscasset, absolute waste of life’s most precious commodity. A shack selling lobster roll seems to be popular; I don’t know what lobster roll is. Southern bound, Portland, Maine has a beautiful downtown area (if you’re lucky enough to find parking) of red brick road, shops, and port area. Good for a stroll and a long awaited Starbucks coffee. Several miles east is the Portland Head Lighthouse. Accessible through Ft. Williams Park with great views of the Portland Harbor, the lighthouse is picturesque. And in in the distance, you’ll glimpse yet another lighthouse. Off to the eastern coast of the peninsula, Cape Elizabeth Light (a lighthouse by another name…). Not at visible from Two Light State Park, park at Dyer Cove for best views and free parking.

On to the Bush Compound. A Compound of two Bushes (H.W. & W. and Co.) and family, easily viewed from Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport. The family stays there for the summers (on the family’s Walker Point estate). Fine driving and nice—but busy—downtown. Last stop on trip was Ogunquit. Parking hard to come by. Ending up paying $13 in a backyard makeshift parking lot. Marginal Way, another coastal walking path, is the road more taken, for good reason. Excellent. Homeward bound.

Portland Head Lighthouse:





Cape Elizabeth Light:





Bush Compound - Kennebunkport:




Marginal Way - Ogunquit:

ckmk47:

Gorgeous pictures!!
Some look like they should be a puzzle.
I've been to some of these places. You really show them off well. 

Work-for-ur-muny:
Beautiful pics!
Any post processing?

Z56:
Stunning pictures

What camera did you use to take these pictures?

Yaalili:
Nice pictures!

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