BA(AA)R HARBOR MAINE ON MOUNT DESSERT ISLAND

When we got to shore at Bar Harbor we boarded a bus for a ride to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

     I am getting pretty good at snapping photos on the fly, from buses and cars.  I thought this
                                       house was typical of the beauty of the town.

Though the sky was overcast, the vegetation was an intense green.

At 1,530 feet Cadillac is the highest point along the North Atlantic Seaboard and therefor the first place to view the sunrise from October 7th thru March 6th.  It is a favorite trek by car, bike or foot to see that sight.

Unfortunately, that day it was cloudy, but for a moment you could still see the islands in the distance.

So, on a cloudy or foggy day when the light is poor for scenery, you photograph flowers, and there were plenty of those, if you looked

 On the way down we stopped at a special place called "Thunder Hole".

As you can see from the people at the right, it is a very popular stop, and makes a sound like thunder when a wave comes in.  We however chose not to join them - I just enjoyed the scenery.

                           

    This is how it would look on a big surf day.

We passed this sheltered cove with a nice beach, and occupied by 1 elderly man who has a shack in the woods to the right.  He lives on what he can catch in the cove, and gather from the woods.

On the way down the mountain we stopped at a nice facility above Jordan Lake.  I took this photo down by the lake edge, a beautiful spot showing the evidence of the ice that had such an influence

 in the area.  The restaurant etc. was up on the moraine above me and the lake itself filled the U-shaped valley carved by the mile thick glacier. The ice sheets coming from the north smoothed the mountain tops. depositing rock, dirt & sand creating a natural dam or Moraine. As the ice melted the water filled the valley behind creating Jordan Lake.

The sheer cliffs carved by the glaciers cause hikers on Jordan Trail to scale rung ladders to reach the summit of Penobscot Mountain.

But trees grip the rocky lake shore and lichen decorate their trunks

Back at the harbor small cottages, now shops line the waterfront. 

The dock is filled with restaurants, displaying umbrellas to shade customers while they dine on lobster.

While this statue reminds people of its past.  I sincerely hope the great beautiful, gentle whales

continue to make a recovery from the years of slaughter.

A last look of Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, and Bar Harbor as we head out to sea.

 This spectacular home was viewable from our cabin window, so I had to take a photo of it as we left.
And also a bit of of blue sky over the harbor - which I would have welcomed earlier.  On to Halifax.