EileenSteed: Acadia National Park - Celebrating 100 years

Acadia National Park was founded in 1916 - the first National Park on the East Coast. It is an island with lakes, mountains, hiking and biking trails, carriage paths, camping, park ranger tours, and unbelievable vistas. When I was planning the trip, I research National Parks and this was on the top of my list for the east coast. It certainly doesn't disappoint.

Thursday morning at 5:30 I left Mt Washington Resort (great old hotel) and noticed that one of my tires was low. I stopped in a gas station and tried to fill it, but the warning light for low tires would not turn off on the dashboard. Not being risk adverse, nor prudent, I continued to drive on it till the stores were open and I could get someone to look at it. I arrived in Augusta, Maine about 9 a.m. and stopped at a Sears Tire Store. It turns out that when I had my tires rotated, they didn't reset the electronics. When I thought I was filling the low front left tire, I needed to be filling the rear left tire. When the tech filled it, the light went off and I was on my way.

I'm staying at The Central House and it is exactly that - right in the middle of town. It was built in the 1800s and became a hotel in 1925. It is the oldest hotel in town. It is a very comfortable old house with ensuite rooms and plenty of space to mingle and hang out. Sitting on the porch you see the whole town walk by. Main Street is a couple blocks to the left. (www.thecentralhousebarharbor.com)

Thursday night I had my first lobster roll. It was tasty and washed it down with a local IPA. The people in this town are very friendly. After dinner I was sitting in the dining room playing Anagrams by myself. Penny, Jill and Dave from Florida asked to join me. We played and laughed for a couple hours. I ran into them the following morning over coffee and invited myself to join them for breakfast in town. Penny and Dave travel all over and offered their home if I am looking for a place to stay in Central Florida. I mentioned they could stay with me if they ever visit Chicago. Hi friends! Jill, can't wait to read your book.

Penny

Jill

After a morning walk, I got in my car and noticed that the warning light was on again. I had called Bay Harbor Auto Repair to schedule a oil change for Saturday morning, but I didn't want to wait a day on the tire. Scott asked me to drive it over. They found a nail in the tire and fixed it, and changed the oil too. Scott was great and very helpful and the price was very reasonable.

After lunch I walked along the coast at Thunder Hole and met a few women Michigan on a tour hiking through the park. MJ is the owner of the tour company. She has taken them all over the US and in various parts of the world. She had 40 women on this trip, typically they do a theater or art destination, but she is finding that more and more women want to be active. Some of the women have been doing these trips for years and reconnect with their tour friends on one of her trips. Tomorrow morning they are gathering on the top of Cadillac Mountain for the sunrise.