Acadia National Park and the Atlantic Ocean

So I decided to split up our week in Maine.

We camped in Trenton, just outside of Acadia National Park.  Acadia means-people of the first light.  Acadia Park is on Mount Desert Island with the largest town being Bar Harbor.  Bar Harbor receives 2 - 3 cruises ships a day during tourist season. The poor town is overrun with tourists from about 8 to 5 daily. Acadia National Park is one of the busiest 10 national parks in the country and receives 3.5 million visitors per year. Thankfully we arrived after most of the tourist season was over. The highest point on the island is Cadillac Mountain at about 1500'.  A frenchman named Cadillac bought the island but only stayed here about 2 years, then went on to found the city of Detroit in 1701. That is where the name Cadillac comes from. On Sunday we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to catch the early sunrise. It is the highest most Easterly point on the Atlantic seacoast and allows you to catch the earliest possible sunrise on the Atlantic coast. We did several hiking trails, as you can see by many of the photos, that allowed for some outstanding views. Bar Harbor and each of the small seaports all have many restaurants and of course, we are in Maine so, they really push the lobster here.  You can find lobster dishes for breakfast,  lunch and dinner.  We elected to buy lobster from a local fisherman. We brought it home and cooked it there. It was far more reasonable that way at $6 a pound. One day, since it was a little drizzly, we decide to take to the road and drove to Quoddy Point Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine.  This lighthouse is the Northeastern most lighthouse and the small town there is as far North and East as you can go on the coast of the U. S.  From the coast we drove North all the way to the Canadian border and then South, back towards Bar Harbor in an attempt to find some fall leaves. Leaves are just now starting to change. The seacoast here is much different then the California coast as it does not have hardly any driftwood and no bull kelp and the beaches are very clean.  The locals here seem to really try to cash in on the tourist trade as nearly every home has camp fire wood, lobster or clams or other sea fare for sale. Surrounding Mount Desert island are other islands that can be driven to via a car, a ferry, or one island that can be visited, that's part of Acadia National Park, by a foot trail during low tide. Acadia Park has about a 125 miles of hiking trails and another 45 or 50 miles of carriage road trails that can be bicycled, hiked or ridden on by horseback.  - Mike

First glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean 

At Sand Beach

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse 

Lobster Roll for lunch

Bar Harbor

Cruise 

View from Cadillac Mountain 

View of the Cranberry Islands

                     

Cruise ships in Bar Harbor 

Looking towards the Mainland 

Our dinner

Our spot for the week

First glimpse of the sunrise 

Quoddy Lighthouse 

Fall colors near Calais, Maine 

We even went off road to get 

better pictures 

One of the trails

Looking over the cliff

Ivy is so colorful 

Niagra Falls and Old Niagra Fort

What a fun and relaxing day trip we made today. We are camping in NW New York (definitely much slower pace than in the City) and we traveled up to Niagra Falls and Old Niagra Fort.

First we hit the big tourist attraction at the Falls. People can tell you that it is big but big just doesn't do it justice.  The American Falls is 179 feet tall and it has 75,000 gallons per second falling in the summer. 

The Horseshoe Falls are 167 feet tall and they have 675,000 gallons per second falling. "Why such a difference" you may ask. Well it is because the Horseshoe Falls are almost 3 times the size in width than the American Falls. Another thing that I didn't realize was that there are multiple falls around Niagra. Right next to American Falls is the Bridal Veil Falls. Another that amazed me was how close you get to this raging river- 10 feet in some areas.

We also went on the Maid of the Mist boat below the Falls. Thatc was fun and we got drenched.  The boat practically parked near the Horseshoe Falls.  There was so much "mist" (more like a rain) that we couldn't even see the Falls once we got there.

The Niagra River is really wide too.  There were so many rapids coming down the river that I can only imagine what it would be like to fall into it and be pushed over the falls. On the boat, we were told that in 1901, a 63 year old woman went over the Falls in a barrel and lived. I don't know how; There are huge rocks on the bottom.

Old Fort Niagra is at the mouth of the River where it goes into Lake Ontario. It was a Fort that was built by the French Military.  The French befriended the Iroquois Nation and asked if they could build the Fort. They built it to not look too imposing to the Natives.

The history of Old Fort Niagara spans more than 300 years. During the colonial wars in North America, a fort at the mouth of the Niagara River was vital, for it controlled access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the continent. With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, however, the strategic value of Fort Niagara diminished. It nonetheless remained an active military post well into the 20th century.

The three flags flown daily above the parade ground symbolize the nations which have held Fort Niagara (French, England and America).

We caught it on a very relaxed day. I guess it can get quite a large group in there during their re-enactments. 

Across Lake Ontario, you can see Toronto, Canada on the other side, and the Lake 26 miles wide.

The fort is the oldest structure on the  great lakes. 

We are soaked after going on 

the Maid of the Mist boat

American Falls from boat

Rainbow Bridge from

New York to Canada 

Rainbow over Horseshoe Falls

American Falls with Horseshoe Falls 

in the background 

Niagara River looking South 

Niagara River above Bridal Veil Falls

American Falls from Goat Island on the left

American Falls 

Bridal Veil Falls 

People at the Cave of the Winds

Top of the Bridal Veil Falls 

Rainbow Over Horseshoe Falls

Overlooking the Horseshoe Falls 

from the US side

Side of the Horseshoe Falls 

Wondering if these Canadian Geese 

have Passports

Water in the River above the Horseshoe Falls 

This River was raging quickly 

American Falls from the boat at the bottom 

Looking back at the American Falls 

Looking towards Toronto,Canada 

(26 miles across)

across Lake Ontario 

Toronto across the Lake

Old Fort Niagara 

Looking towards the French Castle 

Trenches showing how the French tried getting an advantage over the English troops

French, American and British Flags 

representing the 3 Counties that have occupied the Fort

The French Castle from inside the gates

One of the Towers

The other Tower

Cross that was placed in memory of the Jesuit Priest he erected a cross for God's Favor when the French were battling the English Army

Inside of the Canon Tower

(Sleeping quarters on the bottom floor)

Old windows 

Looking down the stairs onto the bottom floor

Looking down from the Canon Tower 

(Third story)

Looking West from the Cannon Tower

Looking North over Lake Ontario 

Looking South over the Grounds

*Inside the French Castle*

The Commissary 

Indoor well that still had water at the bottom 

Map on wall

French Castle Kitchen

Dining area and Council Chamber

Crest of Arms

More bunk areas in the jail area on

 the bottom floor

Indoor powder keg area and storage

More bunks on the bottom floor

Second floor chapel

Second floor original windows

More bunks in the second floor

Carpenter's Room

Carpenter's sleeping quarters

Officers Quarters 

View from Officers quarters

Storage room between Officers Quarters and Commander's Quarters

Officers Dining Hall

Commander's Quarters

Commander of the French 

Commander's writing desk

Third Floor Barracks 

Shooting slots in windiw

The story of Betsy Doyle 

The mouth of the Niagara River going into

 Lake Ontario 

Lean to on Fort grounds

Looking back at the Fort Hospital 

where 48 Kentucky Soldiers were killed during the American Civil War

Inside the Hospital 

Across the Grounds

"French Soldier" firing a Musket