Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, Maine

Bar Harbor is such a charming little town where everything is within walking distance and curb (or shore) appeal is the name of the game.

President Taft said the summer air in Bar Harbor was like

“champagne in a prohibition state”

How awesome is that?

We kayaked Long Pond before the sun burned off the clouds and morning fog, and it left the shoreline looking like an Andrew Wyeth painting

We headed to Acadia National Park with the weather still not great, and we ascended upon our first hike above Sand Beach. By the time of our descent, the sun had burned off most of the clouds and revealed to us what had been hiding all morning. 

This place embodies the beauty of Maine. It’s full of evergreen, a peachy granite coastline, and blue/green crashing waves that don’t even resemble the same ocean waters found anywhere else.

The park is surrounded by ocean, but also contains several lakes and ponds, each of which has enough beauty to be a destination itself.

Bubble Rock has been precariously sitting atop this mountain for thousands of years, ever since its placement by glacial movements. What is it about these kinds of views? There’s something wonderful about the fact that pictures still don’t do full justice. Some things have to be seen firsthand to really be seen. I love that.

At the top of Cadillac Mountain, we caught a pretty spectacular sunset that changed from every angle and with every switch around the mountaintop. 

Lobster is everywhere in Maine, and it lived up to its reputation at Thurston’s, especially for dinner on a chilly night in the salt water air after a long day of hiking. Also pictured: the best wild blueberry soft serve I've ever had. (Nails unintentionally on point, for once!)

It was well worth the 4:00 am wake up call and freezing cold huddle session back on top of Cadillac Mountain on our last day in Bar Harbor. For a portion of the year, this is the earliest sunrise on the Eastern seaboard. Not bad for my first ever sunrise!

I can't wait to return. For all that we saw, it truly felt like we'd missed just as much of this beautiful place.