Acadia National Park - Day #2

We started our day on the quiet side of Mount Desert Island at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. We followed the trail that seemed to go away from the lighthouse, but actually leads to a very picturesque view of the lighthouse from the rocks down below. We were early enough that there were very few people there.

The Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Driving back toward Bar Harbor, we had to contend with some detours as there was a marathon being held on the island. We eventually made our way to Cadillac Mountain where we drove to the top and enjoyed the views of the town of Bar Harbor down below. Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the eastern seaboard and is the first place in the US to see the sunrise every day.

That white blob in the photo is a cruise ship anchored in Bar Harbor

After Cadillac Mountain, it was finally time for the Precipice Trail hike that I was simultaneously excited for and nervous about. The Precipice Trail is the most challenging hike in the park. It is a 3.2-mile roundtrip hike that ascends more than 1000 feet in .9 miles. It is similar to the Beehive Trail hike we completed yesterday, however the Precipice Trail is supposed to be both more difficult and scarier. We definitely found this to be true as there were numerous iron rungs to navigate and narrow ledges to traverse. There were several places that I needed a boost up from Jim in order to reach the next handhold. Once at the top, the views were breathtaking!

Getting closer to the top!

We made it to the top!

After the hike, we got cleaned up at the hotel before spending some time browsing in the shops in Bar Harbor. We also walked down to the water at the harbor as the sun was going down. It was a great day in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.

We liked the name of this boat!

Acadia National Park - Day #1

For the final leg of my New England trip, Jim joined me so that we could explore Acadia National Park together. During yesterday's drive north through Maine, we experienced very heavy rain. Luckily, we were met with blue skies and sun this morning - perfect for our morning tour with Lulu's Lobster Boat Tours. The 2-hour ride took us from the harbor out to where this company has their lobster traps set. We got to watch as the captain hauled up the trap, emptied the lobsters out, and then reset the trap. Our guide for the trip was quite a character who was full of information and antics! He taught us how to determine if the lobsters we caught were big enough to be "keepers" or if they had to be thrown back. We were also shown how to tell the difference between a male and female lobster. And we each had a turn banding the lobster's claws. It was fun to see the lobstering business up close and fun to be out on the water too.

Our guide posing with lobsters

After lunch at Geddy's, we drove the short distance to the Acadia National Park Visitor Center where we purchased our refrigerator magnet to commemorate our trip to Acadia NP and also had the requisite picture taken in front of the national park sign. From there, it was time to tackle our first hike - the Beehive Trail. This trail is a short 1.5 mile rung and ladder trail that was a good warm up for the Precipice Trail that we planned to do tomorrow. The Beehive Trail was lots of fun and the views from the summit were gorgeous!

We followed the blue paint markers to stay on the trail

At the summit

After the hike, we spent a few minutes checking out Sand Beach, before driving to see Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole was really crowded with people scrambling all over the rocks in every direction. Luckily, we were able to get a few good pictures.

Sand Beach

Thunder Hole

Continuing to follow the Park Loop Road, we came to Jordan Pond. It was getting late in the day, however we thought we could squeeze in the Jordan Pond Loop (3.3 miles) before it got dark. We had great views of The Bubbles (the mountains at the north end of the pond) and the fall foliage was spectacular along the trail.

The boardwalk along the western side of Jordan Pond with The Bubbles in the distance

We made it back into Bar Harbor to have dinner at Side Street Cafe with some friends who were also visiting Acadia NP at the same time as us.

The Vermont Inn to Inn Walking Tour

Day #1 

The first day of our Vermont Inn to Inn Walking Tour, we started at the Colonial Inn in Weston, Vermont. We loaded our luggage into the Inn's van and were dropped off at our starting point for the walk. It was a rainy morning, but we were prepared with rain ponchos, raincoats, and umbrellas. And even though the 11 miles of walking was a bit wet, the fall colors were gorgeous! We arrived at the second inn, the Inn Victoria in Chester, Vermont by early afternoon. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and were even treated to flambe' made at our table - yummy!

The first Inn that we stayed in

The Colonial Inn

A little bit wet today

Our lodging for the night - The Inn Victoria

Day #2

Today started off chilly, but with no rain! We walked a total of 13 miles today from the Inn Victoria, through the village of Chester, along rolling country roads and eventually arrived in Proctorsville. The Golden Stage Inn was our destination in Proctorsville. We enjoyed cheese/crackers & drinks in the afternoon, followed by another yummy dinner. After receiving our walking instructions for the next day, we played a rowdy game of Taboo in the Inn's living room.

Ready to start walking!

A cemetery in the town of Chester

The Chester Train Depot

One of several stone buildings in Chester built in the early 1800s

We stopped at a roadside farmer's market where Tracy and I played pumpkin tic-tac-toe

A break for lunch

The Golden Stage Inn where we stayed in Proctorsville, VT

Day #3

We started our 11 mile walk today with clear, but chilly weather. Once again, the fall foliage and scenery were beautiful! We had been instructed by the innkeeper to take a slight detour from the rural road we'd been walking on to get a view from the summit overlooking the valley and the town of Ludlow. We were glad we did - it was breathtaking! Once we got into Ludlow, we checked into The Governor's Inn where we had the third floor to ourselves. We had a few hours before dinner was served, so we headed into town for a few drinks at the Killarney Bar. 

Ready to tackle Day #3

On the top of the summit

We made it to Ludlow, VT

Our Inn for the night - The Governor's Inn

Enjoying Killarney's Bar after a full day of walking

Day #4

Our last day of the walk was a 7-mile jaunt that began with the innkeeper dropping us off at a monastery (the starting point of today's walk). We would eventually make our way to the village of Weston where The Vermont Country Store is located. When we got to Weston we decided to keep going to the Colonial Inn (the Inn where we had stayed the 1st night and where our van was parked), load up the van, and then drive back into Weston for lunch and shopping. When we had had our fill of Weston, we started the 3-hour drive toward Boston. Jim met us outside of Boston to pick me up so that he and I could start the Maine portion of the trip. 

Beginning of Day #4

The grounds of the monastery - beautiful!

A stream and bridge as we entered Weston

Weston's town square

We finished the Inn to Inn Walk back where we started it!