Bar Harbor [Acadia National Park]

I was up and out early this morning, wheels up at 6 AM. My motivation was two-fold, one, to beat the crowds and two, to get back to my room in time for the 10 AM release of Cadillac Mountain sunrise vehicle passes.

I first stopped by Thunder Hole. The blow hole (and the thunder) apparently only happen two hours before high tide. And it apparently was not that particular time. Regardless, it was a lovely vista and I was able to capture some early morning images of the coastline. I then headed over to Jordan Pond. It was not yet 8 AM, but the fog had already lifted. On the shoreline, I met Daniel Faiella, a Pleine Air painter who had set up in the same area where I planned to shoot. There was obviously a reason for that, as that location afforded the best overall view of the pond and the mountains. Fortunately, there was room for both of us, but I’m afraid we rather hogged that particular spot for a while. In between painting and shooting, we had a very interesting conversation about painting, photography and art in general. By 9 AM, the sun had chased away the clouds and fog and it was no hardship to head back to my hotel.

After grabbing some breakfast, I sat at my computer with my trigger finger hovering over Friday, the 29th, which was the sunrise date being released. At 9:59 it said 120 places available, but it would not allow you to click on it. At 10:00 AM it said no places available. I have no idea how those 120 people managed to snag places in the space of a few seconds. I purposefully had returned to the hotel to have a fast internet connection. Regardless, it was clear that I needed to figure out plan B.

After downloading and processing my images from the morning I, with some reluctance, headed back into the park to scout other possible sunrise locations. It really was just scouting. In addition to the hordes of people, the midday bright clear conditions were anathema for photography. I would go to the location and take out the compass on my phone to check which direction was east, then look for a foreground. I decided on a location that I hope will work, then drove over to check out the Southwest part of Mt. Desert Island, across Somes Sound. It is less dramatic - there is a reason that the main loop is on the NorthEast side. There are some quiet harbors, ponds and residential communities. And the requisite lighthouse that defied any sort of worthwhile photo.

I did stop on the small Main Street of SouthWest Harbor to get some ice cream for lunch. It has been my habit to occasionally have ice cream for lunch or dinner since the beginning of the summer. I’ve decided that ice cream is a better indicator of the local economy that gas prices, which have remained very stable, averaging around 3.50/gallon since I left CA. Ice cream, on the other hand, has become progressively more expensive as I have traveled NorthEast. In Portland, ME, a single scoop was already over $5.00. In West Harbor, that same scoop was $6.00. I stopped at a gift shop next to the ice cream shop and the proprietor told me that in Bar Harbor proper, that same scoop could be as much as $10.00. I don’t think I will test that theory. I guess when you have a captive clientele, prices are set by demand. The woman in the gift shop was telling me that over the last 10 years, the crowds have gotten progressively worse. And because Acadia is a Fall foliage destination, they don’t even let up after Labor Day.

Tomorrow I will take a break from Acadia and drive North to check out Quoddy Head State Park, located on the Easternmost point in the Continental U.S. I will also try to visit the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, jointly administered by Canada and the U.S. I believe it is the only one of its kind. Because it is a long drive, I will have another early start tomorrow. Aa such, I decided to call it an afternoon and not try to go back into the park this evening. Instead, I took advantage of the laundry facilities in this hotel.

Because tomorrow will be a very long day, and because I hope to make that sunrise shot happen on Friday, blog posts will likely be delayed by a day or two. At some point, especially when I have to drive, sleep becomes a priority.