Day 9: Bar Harbor, Maine

Sunrise in Bar Harbor was at 4:50am . . . I missed it.  No matter how good you think you close the blinds and curtains the sun still shines in brightly.  Today is dedicated to Acadia National Park.  Oh yes you know what that means for Colin . . . Junior Ranger time!  He was thrilled.  The one requirement is you must attend a Ranger Talk so off we went to Precipice Trailhead to learn all about the Peregrine Falcons.  It was a great presentation.  The one thing I learned (and remembered) is that Peregrine Falcons are the worlds fastest animal.  They can travel up to 200 miles per hour while in a dive.  While the ranger had powerful scopes set up to see the falcons, I never saw them . . . somewhere in this photo is the nest . . .

I took the ranger's word, and we continued driving on the Park Loop Road.  Next stop was Sand Beach.  Just as the name says it is a beach with sand.  Colin wanted to swim to which I said no but let him run around bare footed.  The water was super cold and there was absolutely no one in the water above their ankles!

All the books and reviews I have read said you must stop at Jordan Pond House and eat a popover.  I dropped my parents off to go inside to buy us some but they only sell them if you sit down in the restaurant  So we did not get popovers . . . I would have gladly paid extra to get it to go but they held their ground.  So back on the road . . .

The drive in Acadia is beautiful . . . with the windows down and a cool breeze sure made us not miss the heat of Texas.  We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain and had a picnic lunch.

 We finished the Park Loop Road and then took a detour to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse . . .

. . . a Coast Guard family actually lives in the house next to the lighthouse.  We made our way back to the Visitor's Center so Colin could return his Junior Ranger book for his patch.

He always gets a little nervous when he turns in his book because some rangers are tough with the questions.  He came out with a big smile and said, "this was the guys second Junior Ranger badge to give out . . . he didn't really know what to do . . . it was easy!"   A quick stop at the hotel to drop off some items and back down town Bar Harbor for dinner.  Tonight it was a lobster roll taste test at Fish House Grill.

It was good . . . the lobster was a lot more shredded but still tasty and we did not have to wait in a line for a long time.  Oh and it only cost $16 for my entire meal even with the extra charge for onion rings.  The best part was the onion rings . . . they were some of the best I have ever eaten!  It was still early and promised Colin I would go for a swim.  The hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool.  I went to feel the outdoor pool and it was really warm so we quickly changed and headed outdoors in the 55 degrees to swim.  It was nice but after about 30 minutes I got in the super hot whirlpool.  What a great way to end the day.