MAINE PHOTOS PAGE 1

Continued on Page 2 The Balance Rock Inn is a B and B right on the water in downtown Bah Hahbah (sorry, Bar Harbor). The inn was built as one of the many Summer "cottages" for the wealthy. Most were built in the 1880's but this one was built circa 1905. I have never figured out why even a wealthy person would want a place so large, but I guess ya have to be one to know. The views are great and so is breakfast. But it ain't cheap! Porcupine Island provides a beautiful evening view from our private deck at the Balance Rock Inn. Our deck is the one on the upper left in the previous picture. See the Balance Rock Inn Web page for info on the accommodations. We enjoyed our stay. Get a full breakfast in the morning and take a nice evening stroll along the harbor and in town without moving your car. Acadia National Park is located on the coast of Maine. You are looking out to sea near the Thunder Hole - Sand Beach area on the South-East side of the island. This area provides easy, scenic hiking and a great spot to relax and listen to the waves break on the rocky shore. The Portland Head Light is located at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland. The area is a large park. You can see another light on the right side of the photo. This is a great spot to spend a day picnicing and relaxing. Cabin 8 is our home for 5 nights. Not what we expected. These are rather old I think and less than 100 yards from busy Rt. 3. It is about 4 miles to Bar Harbor. They have a TV, small kitchen and a bath. There is a restaurant and miniture golf a very short walk up Rt. 3. Not all the cabins are equipped the same. All-in-all it worked out fine. We do prefer to stay right in Bar Harbor so we can walk into town in the evening. We got off season rates which were reasonable. July and August are the busy months. The adventure begins with the climbing of Beehive Precipice. It is a short climb, not a hike, to 542'. There is a fair amount of open cliff face climbing. So if you don't like sheer drop offs, avoid this one. In really steep areas there are metal rungs to help you along. That's what we see in the photo. Remember, you do not have to return this way. That would be worse than going up. There is a relatively easy route down The Bowl Trail. Beehive from the base. You can see a person in this shot (red arrow). This is a person retreating. She has had enough. She did not make it to the top. Unfortunately some folks didn't realize they did not have to return on this route. Their fear of the return trip made them quit the climb. It pays to study your maps. If you are a serious hiker, purchase a good map in the gift shop on Cadillac Mountain. "A Walk in the Park" by Tom St. Germain is a great book to purchase too. It gives a complete description of each trail including maps, where to park, level of difficulty and more. Champlain Mtn. the easy way, via Bear Brook Trail. There is more than one way to skin a cat and climb a mountain at Acadia. Champlain is the mountain reached by the infamous Precipice Climb which is worse than Beehive. Fortunately for me, Precipice was closed because the Peregrine Falcons were nesting there. The rangers had a spotting scope set up so you could see the birds. The trail usually reopens in mid August; although we have been there after that and the trail was still closed for repairs. The sign a top the post announces the name of the mountain and the height of 1058'. I believe that is Cadillac Mountain in the background, at 1532'. A veiw from Champlain Mountain out to sea. This is facing northeast. That pile of rocks on the right is not just some random pile of rocks. This is known as a cairn. Cairns, in conjunction with blue paint and blue metal triangles driven into trees mark your trail. Please stay on the trails and off the fragile vegetation.

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Last Update: 05/26/2000