Saturday, July 30 The morning was a slow-go as we organized and packed the inside and the outside of the Silvermine for 30 days of non-rally camping. Tom cooked a breakfast of hash/eggs, and we packed in measured motion as we said good-bye to our NOVA friends. We pulled out at about 10:00 a.m. The drive to Bar Harbor was just under 200 miles, but slow as it was mostly back, winding roads, with only a few miles on Interstate 95. We stopped at a toll-road service station for lunch, and arrived at Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort, just 6 miles from Bar Harbor, at 2:00. Our site was one down from ocean-front and nicely shaded. (We had hoped to get a site in Acadia National Park, but even though we were “on it” on the first day available – we did not score. We dumped our tanks and have water and electric at our site. The temperature was in the high 70’s and there was a brisk ocean breeze. About 15 other Airstreamers had the same idea that we had, landing at this campground after leaving the International Rally. We got comfortable in our new home, which we will be in for about 6 days, and then did an exploratory trip into Bar Harbor, about 5 miles away. We parked down by the harbor (Frenchman Bay) by Adamant Park and Town Pier. We walked a few of the shopping-district streets which we well remembered from our last visit years ago with Caleb. Traffic was picking up on the street . . . and on the sidewalks. At 5:30 we left the downtown area and drove back to our campground (and one mile past) to a lobster pond. Tom asked for two large lobsters; when we got them back to the campsite, they were so big we only cooked one. The one monster was plenty for the evening meal, and the other is . . . on deck for tomorrow! Sunday July 31, 2022 No rush this morning as Tom fixed our bacon and eggs, and it wasn’t until 10:00 that we were off to explore Acadia National Park. The last time we were here was with Caleb 10-15 years ago, and we are finding things very different. As we jumped on the Park Loop Road we pulled into the Hills Cove Visitor Center – absolutely no place to park! Driving on down the Loop Road we passed the turn-off to Cadillac Mountain – must have a reservation “ticket” for a specific morning or afternoon to drive that road! Luckily, we do have a reservation for tomorrow – but it is no longer possible to show up and just decide to take the drive! As we continued down the road to the Bubble Rock pull-off, there were, again, no parking space. Finally, at Jordon Pond we scored a parking space and were able to walk some of the paths down to the pond and then back up to the Jordon Pond House . . . and gift shop. Shortly after that point the loop road turned into a one-way road (the other way!) and we got off on Highway 3 for the drive back to our campground for lunch. So, the big conclusion from today’s excursion is that this park is heavily jam-packed with cars and people. Tomorrow our goal will be to set out earlier to score some parking spots. In the afternoon we were due for a major reinforcement of food stocks, and with a list we drove back into the little town of Ellsworth. First, we walked the sweet little streets of Ellsworth, although many stores were closed on Sunday. Then, we hit up a grocery store before returning to our campsite at 4:30. Our big lobster was still alive – but not for long! After dinner we went for a drive around Bar Harbor returning home just as the sun set. A shower in the campground bath house ended my evening. Lesson learned today – get up and go early if you want a parking spot! Monday, August 1 We were up early and anxious to continue exploring Acadia. Quickly we discovered that it was not as crowded as it had been on Sunday, and we were able to park at various stopping points along the Park Loop Road. As we started our drive the temperature was almost 70 and the sky was overcast with a grey haze over the water. That later changed to clear views and blue sky. The Hulls Cove Visitor Center was not open when we arrived at 8:00 so we drove on to Sand Beach. Tom went all the way down onto the beach, but I stayed on top with Pippa – no dogs on the beach! Despite the name, the beach is not made of sand . . . but, small ground up seashells! We stopped next at Thunder Hole where the ocean waves funnel into a narrow channel and where escaping air creates a deep “thunder” noise. The tide was out, so not as much water was booming through, but we were able to hear some baby boomers! We stopped at Otter Cliffs and continued the one-way drive back past Jordan Pond and the turnoff to Cadillac Mountain and back to the Hull Cove Visitor Center . . . which was now open with parking available. The National Park Center has the last laugh, though – there are 52 steps to reach the Visitor Center! That is a lot of climbing for little Pippa Joy! Vehicle reservations are required to drive on the Cadillac Summit Road from sunrise to sunset from May 25-October 22. This is another indication that tourism at Acadia is booming! Tom bought our reservation on-line months ago. The Summit Road is only 3.5 miles long and was built in 1931. The top of Cadillac Mountain is the first point that the sunlight hits on the Eastern Seaboard – 1,530 feet high! We were right on time for our 5:30 trip to the top. True to the Park Service’s intent, there were lots of parking spots on top and a reasonable number of tourists. There is a ½ mile trail that you can follow around the summit for good views of the harbor down below with other paths feeding off of it for observation areas. The paths are rough from upheaval and there are lots of uneven steps. I am sure I navigated it all with more agility 15 years ago! It was very windy on top, and poor little Pippa looked to be blown away. We stayed on the top for an hour, and then returned to our camper by 7:00 for supper.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |