September 27, 2011

Our last trip to Mount Desert Island and the Acadia National Park was made today. The air is still a little hazy and makes getting crisp photos somewhat difficult. Much of the haze is caused by the wind currents picking up the pollution of NYC and Boston and carrying it into Maine. A day spent sightseeing on Mount Desert Island can be very challenging. In the past few years the cruise lines have added Bar Harbor to their points of interest, and this week, thirteen will be visiting. One will be the Queen Mary 2. Each time there is an arrival, a caravan of buses springs into action and the roads hum with the sound of diesel engines. The ships can carry from 600 to 3000 people and remain in port for about 10 hours. This is the Eurodam which carries 2104 passengers.

Sand Beach is one of a very few places on the island suitable for getting into the water. You can see the sand on the right side of the photo. The rest of the area is covered by giant slabs of pink granite.

Along the coast, the rock has collapsed in several places and formed small caves.

Thunder Hole was formed in the same manner as the caves. During high tide and rough seas, the water flows into the “hole” and a thunderous boom results from the water striking the back of the hole. Spray from the hole can, and does, blow skyward.

Otter Cliff, 110 feet high, is one of the highest Atlantic coastal headlands north of Rio de Janeiro.

Some parts of the coast look like a stone mason stacked the granite.

A seagull rests on a balanced slab of granite.

During high tide, Otter Cove backs up through three culverts and forms this pond. We came by during low tide two days ago and the pond was empty.

During high tide, the culverts are used to travel between the cove and the pond.

Tomorrow we will be leaving Ellsworth with a stop by Penobscot Narrows Observatory on our way to Haverhill, MA.