Whatever the sun was up to here, other than being the sun of course, its selective lighting created a colorful photo op that Peggy and I could not ignore— even though it involved fitting our long F-150 into a space it was clearly not designed for. “Good job!” I told Peggy. I was impressed. Had there been some park rangers around, they might have had another opinion. But given the government shutdown, none were to be found. Acadia National Park was packed with leaf-peepers and visitors were on their own. Our infraction was mild in comparison to some we saw.
This was our second time visiting Acadia during leaf peeping season. The first took place in 1999 when Peggy and I both took sabbaticals from our jobs to explore North America with a focus on National Parks. (We visited 50.) Before reaching Maine, we had already been enjoying fall colors for three months! Our adventure had started in June with a drive up the Alaska Highway to Alaska. By the time we finished exploring the state, backpacking, and kayaking, it was mid-August. The leaves were already changing. We followed the advent of fall down through western Canada and across the northern tier of midwestern states to Maine. It was color the whole way. And It continued for another 2000 miles as we traveled down the Appalachian chain of mountains into Georgia.
I concluded my last post with a photo of what we considered the most colorful section of the park. This was from the same area. The combination of being close to the trees and bright sunlight made the colors pop out.With distance and lack of sun, the colors faded in this view across Jordan Pond…And blended, like an impressionistic painting. Still beautiful.Roads continued to provide the opportunity to get up close and personal with the fall foliage, however— and traffic.The roads were full. Wherever there was a pulloff meant to feature the beauty of the park, it was packed. Even large parking areas were filled to the brim with people fighting to get into spaces whenever they opened up. While Peggy and I normally avoid national parks during peak season, we knew there was no option when peak-season is defined by peep-season. Still, it was a bit much for us. We headed for roads just outside of the park where the views were similar but traffic was minimal.We came on a small local park near Northeast Harbor named the Asticou Azalea Garden that demanded our attention. It was too late for the azaleas, but the fall colors made up for it…Cascading down…Providing a backdrop for a large granite boulder…And hosting an Oriental sculpture with brilliant red.The pond provided an interesting perspective on fallen leaves and pine needles floating on water while being divided between light and darkPeggy got into the act by providing an opportunity for a final photo of the garden’s colors.Having worked up an appetite, we headed into the nearby town of Northeast Harbor for lunch. It was busy shutting down for winter. Our waitress told us it was the restaurant’s last day for the year. After lunch, Peggy captured this colorful collection of pumpkins and squash on the sidewalk outside with her iPhone. Few things say ‘fall’ better.She was also attracted by a unique sculpture made out of shells in front of the Maritime Museum. It made us think of Davy Jones Locker in Pirates of the Caribbean.We found a small road (Sergeant Drive) leading out of Northeast Harbor along Somes Sound that fit our needs perfectly. It had all of the beauty of Acadia National Park with minimal traffic. Make that zero. We didn’t see any.It provided a number of views across the sound.Dark grey skies provided interesting silhouettes of the trees. I was particularly fascinated by the one on the right with its matching curves.Suminsby Park, created in memory of a beloved scoutmaster and selectman whose efforts helped preserve the area, provided us with closer views of Somes Sound and a peaceful stop.A golden, brown rockweed in the sound added to the fall colors.Looking down the sound from the park. Note the rockweed’s contribution.Looking up the sound.A wrap-up for today: Christmasy red and green leaves hovered above the memorial to Bob Suminsby. I couldn’t help but believe that the old scoutmaster and local leader would be well-pleased with the park that had been given his name. That’s it for today. Next up Peggy and I travel down the Maine coast to the town of Belfast, where we discover Curtis Island. I insisted we check it out.Curtis Island, Maine with its lighthouse. The island, btw, isn’t named after me, sigh, it’s named for Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis, founder of the Saturday Evening Post.
Wandering through Time and Place 