Day Two: Popovers, hiking, and amazing views

Do you have any idea how early the sun gets up in Maine? 5 AM! That is ridiculously early, in my opinion. So, we were awakened at 5, and Mark decided to take a trip downstairs. Along the way he discovered that the sunrise outside was gorgeous as well as bright, so he snuck out on the deck to snap a picture (well, sneaking is probably impossible in this 120 year old house since every door sticks, every floor board creaks, and the antiques sitting on that floor shake with each step).

I got up to see what all the racket was and he told me how beautiful it was outside. I didn't care. I went back to bed (and so did he). I was just grateful we did not bring Banjo, who would not have seen the point in going back to bed at that point.

Once we did get up, we enjoyed a leisurely morning on the porch, ate some breakfast and snapped some pictures. This house is full of kitschy little nooks and crannies that the owners have enjoyed filling, and I took a few more pictures of those little touches.

I also noticed that the window glass is original to the house (that imperfect, wavery look that old glass has) and that the bathroom is not. One wall of the small bathroom is made of the original siding of the house - and when viewed from the outside, it is obviously a built-on lean-to! I guess I will stop complaining about walking down the stairs now . . .

We finally got out of the house and meandered our way to Jordan Pond, where we ate lunch at the Jordan Pond House. Evidently this is a well known place to go for afternoon tea and popovers. I had no idea what Popovers were, but wow. They are like sweet buiscuits filled with air - so good! Amy loved having her tea served in a civilized fashion - the way she'd become accustomed to in London. We ate by an open doorway - and the weather was just perfect.

After lunch we walked down to the "pond"  - which in Indiana would be an inland sea. It was incredibly clear and gorgeous. It is evidently a source of drinking water for the community, so not only may you not swim  - a sign requested NO body contact with the water. So we decided to walk all the way around it, instead. See, this is how we do hiking in our family. We go somewhere, see a trail, and can't stop ourselves from following it. It turned out to be a three mile trail that was right along the lake's edge and incredibly well maintained. There were several spots where boulders had been placed to stabilize the trail, and for about 1/4 of the trail, split logs had been laid. It was amazing.

 It is spring here - the leaves and blossoms are a month - at least - behind Indy.

These split log pathways went on forever! So amazing.

 Baby Froggies! 

 Momma Froggy

After grabbing cold sodas from the cooler at the end of our hike, we drove up Cadillac mountain. This peak (well, really more of a round) is the first place daylight touches the continental United States every day. Judging by the light in our bedroom this morning, I can attest that this must be true. It is a beautiful spot and is evidently popular as a place to watch the sunrise. Mark is considering taking a trip there to see the sunrise one morning. Not me. No way. Nuh-uh. I will ooh and ahh at his pictures instead. From Cadillac we could see Bar Harbor, the ocean, small islands surrounding Mt. Desert island, and a cruise ship ferrying passengers to Bar Harbor.

The lichen covered rocks were beautiful.

Next it was time to see the ocean shoreline - the coast of Maine is rugged, and we knew there were tidal pools somewhere. Low tide was 5pm, so that was our goal. We never did find any tidal pools but we had a good time hopping around on rocks, anyway. Along the way we saw the Thunder Hole - you can hear it before you see it - it is a narrow opening in the rocks that the waves rush into and boom as they smash into a cavern. We want to go back at high tide, which is supposed to be spectacular.

 Thunder Hole

 Boom!

Oh! And we also visited the "visitor's center" today. I put quotes around that because visitor's centers at the last few National Parks we've visited have left a little to be desired. First, the movie. This movie is the main thing they have to offer at the visitor's center. They announce its beginning with warning that the movie is starting and you need to take a seat. The lights dim, you sit in your pew, surrounded by the eight other visitors, and the hokey music comes on. Subtitles dare you not to laugh as they say "contemplative music. soft flute" So goofy. Amy said that she really enjoyed the movie, and that she learned that "Acadia is really beautiful. Really, really beautiful. And it is my friend. And it needs my money. Because it's really, really beautiful." And truly, that's about how well written it was. The center included NO information on the Native Americans who settled there before the Europeans came. No mention was made of the geology of the area. I mean, I would have preferred a few "millions and millions" compared to a vaguely familiar actor gushing about the beauty of the place. We KNOW it's beautiful.

We ended our day with the obligatory vacation trip to Walmart. I will not bore you with the details. It was  . . . a walmart. What are we doing tomorrow? We have no idea! There are a couple of other hikes we'd like to try, and tons more coastline to explore. The surrounding villages have more than the average number of used bookstores and antique stores, so I'm sure we'll find our way to a few of those. Oh, and we haven't had our Lobster Rolls yet! Tonight, we had take and bake pizza and carrots on the porch of our cottage, listening to loons on the sound  . . . and watching the loon on our own deck eat her carrots :)