White Mountain National Forest

After we left Acadia National Park we were headed towards the border between Vermont and New Hampshire.  We could have taken the drive back down the way we'd come along the Maine coast, but I didn't want to go over the same ground twice if we could help it.  Instead we headed across Maine towards the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  It looked like it would be a beautiful scenic route.

The White Mountain National Forest in eastern New Hampshire and western Maine ranges from mountainous hardwood forests to majestic alpine peaks. Come experience the breathtaking scenery, clear mountain lakes and streams, wildlife, and outdoor recreation opportunities year round.
--from White Mountain National Forest website

We drove through the National Forest along the Kancamagus Highway.

We made our first stop at the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area.  While the National Forest is free to drive through the various sites are technically fee areas.  We were covered by our Interagency pass and so didn't have to worry about paying, though I did put our pass in the hang tag on our review mirror the whole time we were in the area.

We walked along a short trail towards Rocky Gorge once we left the parking lot.

I spotted this beautiful leaf at one point along the path.  I thought it was fascinating to see the shading of three different colors.

 I enjoy seeing evergreen boughs up close.

The view from the bottom of the gorge was simply amazing, though I had to wait a bit to get a shot with no people in it.

We even crossed over the bridge and walked a bit on the other side.

In the gorge itself you can get a good view of the bridge and more of the gorge downstream.

Using my iPhone I took a Live Photo and then turned it into a long exposure of the waterfall.

After we kept driving we eventually passed over the Kancamagus pass.

Our next stop as at Pemigewasset Overlook, a small rest area just beyond the pass.

I walked down to this small pavilion and then looked out over the mountains.

Once again the scenery was breathtaking.  I wish that we'd had time to explore the area instead of just driving through.

Finally in what felt like a reversal of our normal policy we exited the National Forest as we came to North Woodstock, Vermont, and there we stopped at a visitor center for the area.

Inside I got to see the whole extent of the National Forest.

We even saw a large stuffed moose.  Sadly we didn't see any live moose on the trip.

Unlike National Park Service lands that are typically preserved National Forest lands are often managed.

The rest of the exhibits told the history of the area from lumber operations to artists to tourists.  You can view all of the pictures from our time in the National Forest in this album.

~Matt

Acadia National Park - Part VI - Cadillac Mountain

Our last major visit in Acadia National Park was to Cadillac Mountain.  After we had left Sand Beach behind we ended up driving around the loop road to the Cadillac Mountain road.  You can actually drive up to the top of the mountain, which makes it a convenient place to visit.

Since it is the highest point on the American Atlantic seaboard it is the first spot on the coast to see the sunrise each day.  We briefly thought about driving up to see it, but with only two days in the park, several young kids, and it being summer we quickly decided against that plan and instead just decided to head up during the day.

Cadillac Mountain is the major destination for visitors to Acadia National Park. Accessible by car, it is the highest point on the east coast of the U.S., and offers magnificent views of a glaciated coastal and island landscape.
--from Acadia National Park website

On our way to the mountain we saw Eagle Lake.

Up at the top we headed for the trails.

We were careful to leave no trace behind.  Unfortunately not all visitors to this heavily trafficked location do the same.

The summit does have plenty of trails where you can wander around.

Extensive sections are also bare rock.  You can get some great views of the ocean and the many islands located off the shore of Mount Desert Island.

This panoramic shot captures some of the grandeur visible at the top of the mountain.

We spotted a cruise ship off the coast of Bar Harbor.

It was quite windy as we walked around the paths.

Several different hotels were built on the mountain top, but none lasted long.  The one pictured here only lasted from 1883 to 1884

After walking around we headed into the gift shop for a few minutes

I ended up buying us one of the frosted white and green pint glasses, our second glass from the park.  In the months since we've gotten home it has enjoyed plenty of use.

You can view all of these pictures and a few more from our trip to the summit in this album.

~Matt

Acadia National Park - Part V - Sand Beach

On our second day of exploring Acadia we decided to get on the road a bit earlier than we had the day before.  When we'd driven around the loop road the previous day we'd gone by Sand Beach but hadn't stopped since there had been so little parking available.

If you live next to another coast you might wonder why I'm making a big deal out of a sandy beach, after all they're quite common on many coastlines--but not the coastline of Acadia National Park.

All the other beaches that we saw in the park were rocky beaches, like the cobblestone beach where I recorded a video of the waves.  Sand Beach is an unusual beach in the park and quite popular due to its unusual nature.

Make sure you read up on the regulations before you visit the beach.

Apparently the property at one time was purchased by JP Morgan who gave it to his daughter Louisa Satterlee.  His granddaughter (the Eleanor Morgan Satterlee referenced in the sign) eventually gave it to the park service.  You can read more about the history on this blog I found.

A nice structure is provided for changing and we utilized it to get the kids changed into swim suits.  We knew the water wasn't warm and so the kids weren't likely to get in it much, but if we didn't change them they'd likely get their clothes soaked, so better safe than sorry seemed to be a wise policy to abide by.

The walkway to the beach just looked like typical Acadia scenery.

Once you got down on the beach you saw the interesting juxtaposition between the typical Maine coast and the sand.

You can see how much water runs over the beach.  Apparently the tides on the beach have a 12-foot variance.

Even behind the beach you can get a typical "beach" shot with the dune grasses.

The high tide line is quite a ways up the beach as you can see here.

Quite a few people came down to the beach and left it while we were enjoying our time on the sands.

I had to take my shoes off and made quite a few footprints in the sand.

The clouds cooperated for even better pictures during part of our time there.

We all got to experience the chilly waters of the North Atlantic.

Drawing in the sand was quite fun.

I had fun writing a number of things.

The kids even got into the action with their own sticks.

I walked (carefully) over to the section of beach with quite a few rocks, trying to avoid stepping on the seaweed.

As you can see the seaweed covered most of the rocks in the area.

However, I managed to spot a number of interesting shells affixed to the rocks.

I don't remember if the tide was coming in or going out, but of course we saw plenty of waves.

Before too long it was time to go, so we headed up the stairs.

Back at the changing building we hosed off the sand and got changed back into regular clothes.

Before we drove off I spotted these beautiful flowers.

All of the pictures from Sand Beach as well as the other ones taken throughout much of the park as seen in the past few days of blogs can be seen in this album.

~Matt