Travels and Thoughts
On October 13, 2017, Diane and I drove to Bar Harbor to meet up with Billy and Becky. Diane had made arrangements to stay in a beautiful Victorian home. It was really lovely! As I write this in Oct of 2019, I am really taxing my memory, but I'll try to detail the trip as best I can.
Eddie and Christine had made arrangements to rent a lovely cottage in the mountains. It was quaint and commodious.
Bar Harbor is located on the coast of Maine. It has Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard. It is also the "Gateway to Acadia National Park." Since the early 19th century, Bar Harbor is a favorite summer retreat. Originally, wealthy families built "cottages" for summer vacations - the Rockefellers, the Morgans, etc.
It was so much being with Eddie and Christine, Billy and Becky, and, of course, Diane. They are all so easy and fun to be around. We had fun watching episodes of the BBC documentary on Queen Elizabeth after we finished our dinner and walk.
One of the highlights of our stay was the walk along Carriage Roads deep in the woods of the park. The Carriage Roads is a 57 mile network of paths created and funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. He bagan the
project in 1913, and it wasn't completed until 1940. We did not, however, walk for 57 miles, although to these old legs, it seemed we did. The photo above right was taken on that walk. Becky is missing because she took the photo. The roads circle around Jordan Pond where there is a well-known restaurant and small gift house. Although we didn't eat there, we did stop by.
Left is a photo of one of the many bridges that were built along the trail. The workmanship for all of these structures was varied and spectacular. No cars are allowed, but visitors can ride horse (we passed several visitors on horseback. Should I go again, it would be great fun to rent a horse for this amazing trip).
Of course, the primary draw to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park is nature. Every where one looks there are beautiful natural scenes that truly inspire. Hiking and bicyling are also popular. Not being a very adept hiker, I relaxed while Eddie and Christine hicked about. Billy and Beckey joined them for some of their outings.
Right: Every drive presented new views that would awe and inspire. No telephone poles, McDonald's, traffic, noise, nor crowds to distract one from the direct contact with nature. The mountain in this photo is, I think, Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the North Atlantic seaboard. It is also the first point in the United States to greet the morning sun (from Oct. to March). On another trip, I intend to greet the sun on Cadillac Mountain. What an awesome sight that must be! We were on the Park Loop road, which is part of a 27 mile drive that takes one by Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Otter Cliff.
Left: Thunder Hole: as the waves come in, they are funneled into a small cave-like area where, because the waves are trapped, they make a thunderous roar as they splash back toward the ocean. In August of 1969, Carol and I came to Bar Harbor with Barb and Bill. The year sticks in my mind because, as we were travelling north through New York, we saw many young people with signs "Going to Woodstock." If I knew then what I know now, I would have opted to join the masses at Woodstock.
Top Left: Eddie and Christine. Top Right: Christine. Bottom Left: I was intrigued by this flock of birds (I don't know what kind they are, but they looked so happy running about on the rocks). Bottom Right: It was so easy to just sit down, face the ocean, and be calmed. There is something so important about actually getting in touch with our natural world. It is a sublime experience, and one that puts all of the hustle and bustle of our too-busy world in perspective. In my British Lit classes, we always read Wordsworth's great sonnet, "The World is Too Much With Us"
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
It remains, to me, one of the greatest sonnets ever written in the English language. It so clearly and succinctly captures the importance nature should have to man. Would that today's politicians and climate change naysayers could read and be changed by this sonnet!
When we returned to our house, we were all (at least me) a bit weary. We ate out at some really nice restaurants/pubs. The food was great, and the beer was awesome! We also spent time in Bar Habor looking in gift shops. There were so many interesting shops with really unique gifts. It would be really easy to spend a great deal of money quickly.
One of the unavoidable temptations at Acadia National Park is taking pictures, many too many pictures of the sunrise and sunset. I have culled many, but I still have a few that capture, although never as spectacularly as in person, the beauty of sunsets , seascapes, and landscapes.
Above: Billy along the coast. Left: Eddie and Epicot. Epicot seemed to really enjoy the outdoors as much as we did.
It was so much fun being with Diane and some of her family! They are all such wonderful people: warm, kind, amusing, accomplished, and just great fun to be around. I was so grateful that they were willing to include me in their Bar Harbor trip
On the way to Bar Haror, we passed through Portland which appears to be an artsy, interesting town I would enjoy visiting sometime. There was so much more to our trip than I, unfortunately, have recorded. I am really looking forward to another trip north. But for now I have all of these pleasant memories to enjoy of those few days in Maine.
Right: Diane found this wonderful hobby horse in one of the many gift shops in downtown Bar Harbor.
