Enroute to Acadia National Park and there..
October 9, 2009
Though we had been crazy about visiting Acadia National Park, I got to be honest! We enjoyed the ride upto ANP, through VT, NH and ME more than the ANP itself! Probably because of the time of the year we chose for the trip.. Autumn. The foliage in NE is certainly much more gorgeous than in Ohio where we lived longer than anywhere else in US.
It is a long drive from our home, but the ride through the fall foliage and through the state highways made the drive that much easier and enjoyable than the ride back home mostly along the highways... Our first stop was for breakfast at Papa Pete's just outside Bennington, VT. It was an amazing breakfast! We actually wouldn't mind a bit to go there on a normal weekend, though it was a 45 min drive from home.. After reaching Brattleboro, VT, we took the highway I-91 up North and went east to go through the White Mountain National Forest. That is where the Mt. Washington is located. Along the way, we stopped at every vista point to catch a glimpse of the foliage... It seemed like an eternity to reach the destination!
Mt. Washington: By the time we reached there, we were disappointed to hear from the staff at entrance that because of the icy conditions, the 8-mile road to summit has been shutdown at the 4 mile mark! We should have expected that if we had known a tad bit more about the facts! But, even to the point where we were allowed to drive upto, it was a beautiful ride with amazing views... Even the foggy landscape presented a different perspective.. It would have been much better on a clear day.
By the time we decided to leave this place, it was getting dark and we decided to make a non-stop drive to Bangor, except of course for gas and food.
We took the state roads to east, got on to I-95 N and headed towards Bangor.. We had dinner at a Ruby Tuesday along the way and headed south to ANP..By the time we reached our humble abode, it was past midnight... All four of us crashed almost immediately..
Next day, we woke up relaxingly and had our breakfast at the 2Cats Cafe. It was a smally cozy place serving great breakfast.. We had to wait almost 45 min to get a table and they served fresh food with Organic offerings including Organic Coffee! We decided to take the Loop Road inside the ANP and our first stop was at the Sand Beach which was nestled between cliffs..
We had a beautiful view from here and then proceeded to the Thunderhole, which is where a mishap happened a few weeks before our trip. The conditions were milder during our visit though...
Our next stop was at the Jordan Pond area.. This pond was surrounded by bubble mountains, berry fields and spectacular greenery and foliage.. Lots of nice views. The windy conditions there made it really cold though.. We had our lunch/snack at the Jordan Pond restaurant.
Then, we proceeded to the Cadillac Mountain Summit.. It was so windy that we felt like holding on to some rails to avoid being blown away! The almost 360 degree span from the summit gave a glimpse of various landscapes - Atlantic ocean, mountains, fall foliage and combinations... But for the wind and chillness, one could have easily spent a lot of time there.. Originally, we had planned to go there for a sunrise, but owing to the chillness we experienced, we decided not to go there for the sunrise!
From Cadillac Mountain, we decided to give it a try to the nearest lighthouse at the NE Harbor before the sunset. The sun was just about to set when we reached there and we got some time to catch a few snaps before and during the sunset...
Overall it was a long day that ended with a dinner at a Mexican Restaurant (Pancho Villa) in Bangor, ME. Nice food and we went back to the hotel..
The next day, we checked out and took the highways (as much as possible) all the way back home to make the drive faster...
Though we had been crazy about visiting Acadia National Park, I got to be honest! We enjoyed the ride upto ANP, through VT, NH and ME more than the ANP itself! Probably because of the time of the year we chose for the trip.. Autumn. The foliage in NE is certainly much more gorgeous than in Ohio where we lived longer than anywhere else in US.
It is a long drive from our home, but the ride through the fall foliage and through the state highways made the drive that much easier and enjoyable than the ride back home mostly along the highways... Our first stop was for breakfast at Papa Pete's just outside Bennington, VT. It was an amazing breakfast! We actually wouldn't mind a bit to go there on a normal weekend, though it was a 45 min drive from home.. After reaching Brattleboro, VT, we took the highway I-91 up North and went east to go through the White Mountain National Forest. That is where the Mt. Washington is located. Along the way, we stopped at every vista point to catch a glimpse of the foliage... It seemed like an eternity to reach the destination!
By the time we decided to leave this place, it was getting dark and we decided to make a non-stop drive to Bangor, except of course for gas and food.
We took the state roads to east, got on to I-95 N and headed towards Bangor.. We had dinner at a Ruby Tuesday along the way and headed south to ANP..By the time we reached our humble abode, it was past midnight... All four of us crashed almost immediately..
Next day, we woke up relaxingly and had our breakfast at the 2Cats Cafe. It was a smally cozy place serving great breakfast.. We had to wait almost 45 min to get a table and they served fresh food with Organic offerings including Organic Coffee! We decided to take the Loop Road inside the ANP and our first stop was at the Sand Beach which was nestled between cliffs..
We had a beautiful view from here and then proceeded to the Thunderhole, which is where a mishap happened a few weeks before our trip. The conditions were milder during our visit though...
Our next stop was at the Jordan Pond area.. This pond was surrounded by bubble mountains, berry fields and spectacular greenery and foliage.. Lots of nice views. The windy conditions there made it really cold though.. We had our lunch/snack at the Jordan Pond restaurant.
Then, we proceeded to the Cadillac Mountain Summit.. It was so windy that we felt like holding on to some rails to avoid being blown away! The almost 360 degree span from the summit gave a glimpse of various landscapes - Atlantic ocean, mountains, fall foliage and combinations... But for the wind and chillness, one could have easily spent a lot of time there.. Originally, we had planned to go there for a sunrise, but owing to the chillness we experienced, we decided not to go there for the sunrise!
From Cadillac Mountain, we decided to give it a try to the nearest lighthouse at the NE Harbor before the sunset. The sun was just about to set when we reached there and we got some time to catch a few snaps before and during the sunset...
The next day, we checked out and took the highways (as much as possible) all the way back home to make the drive faster...
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