Anemone Cave,Thunder Hole, South Bubble, and the drive up Cadillac Mountain

We woke up Friday morning to cloudy skies. Normally, I would have been concerned, but I have been camping on Mt. Desert Island enough times to know the clouds should burn off. A weather app on my phone confirmed my theory. We had a nice leisurely morning, complete with a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and English muffins. Thom packed us a lunch while I did the dishes, and by the time we were both showered and dressed for the day, the sun was out and the skies were clear. Today was going to be a good day.

Our first stop of the day was to the Acadia National Park visitor center, where we were delighted to find out that our seven day pass was only $10. This was because it was still considered off-season. The season actually started on June 23, at which point the rate jumps to $20 for a seven day pass. For those keeping count, we got the discount for arriving two days before the price increase. I was happy.

Once we had our pass, we headed down the Park Loop Road. There were a bunch of look outs over Frenchmen's Bay and the mountains on the island, so we took our time driving and enjoyed each other's company. We passed an active beaver pond, but unfortunately beavers are nocturnal so everyone was sleeping. Just before passing through the entry gates, we headed down to Schooner Head for lunch, and to explore Anemone Cave. The cave is not found on most maps of the park due to the fragility of the wild life within it. We had lunch over looking the cave, and then I very carefully climbed down into the cave to investigate. The rocks are slick, and I jammed my ankle hard on the climb back up, but the pictures are certainly worth it.

Thom sitting at the entrance to the cave

Sea anemones

Looking out to sea from inside the cave, note Thom's profile

Barnicles

After climbing out of Anemone Cave, we went through the park entrance and ventured over to Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small cave in the rocky coast line. The cave fills with air, and when an ocean wave crashes into it, the result is a loud booming sound with a splash. The best effects are just before high tide; unfortunately, we arrived at low tide. We still got some booming and splashing!

Before

After

After Thunder Hole, we decided it was time to explore the mountains. We climbed the South Bubble, which has some amazing views over Jordan Pond and the Atlantic Oceans. I will post more about that tomorrow. We also decided to drive up Cadillac Mountain. Thom and I honeymooned in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. While there, we drove up Mount Washington. Driving up Cadillac Mountain reminded us of our honeymoon, although the road was much shorter and Thom did not have a white-knuckled death grip on the steering wheel. We did not walk the extra .2 of a mile to the summit from the auto-road, I want to save that for the day I actually hike to the top of Cadillac. In the meantime, it was a perfectly clear day and the views from the "top" of Cadillac were amazing.

Bar Harbor and Frenchmen's Bay

Looking towards the mainland, in the distance you can see Mt Katahdin

Porcupine Islands, and a cruise ship

After driving down from Cadillac, we decided it was time to call it a day. We headed back to camp, built a fire, had dinner, and roasted a few marshmallows. Such a beautiful day in a beautiful location.