What would this travel blog be if it did not include at least one entry about a road trip through the colored leaves of the fall? After getting back from Missouri, I needed to get away with Janet and enjoy the fall colors. We decided that Columbus Day weekend would be a great day to head north to Bar Harbor, Maine. I’d heard a lot about the town, and knew that nearby Acadia National Forest was a site to behold. I’ve shared my love for gardens in previous posts. I had seen a sign for a Hampstead seniors tour to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Booth Bay, so we arranged to visit there on Saturday, then drive up the coast and spend the night in Belfast and then see Bar Harbor on Sunday.

Looking back, I’m not sure what was my favorite part. The Botanical Gardens were everything I’d hoped for. In the children’s garden there were tributes to some of Maine’s most popular children’s literature authors including Charlotte’s Web author E.B. White and Blueberries for Sal author Robert McCloskey. Even though it was fall, there were beautiful flowers in bloom and trails that led down to the tidal pool. As in Sandwich, there were gardens hidden in the woods. My favorite was a Zen garden with meditation sculptures. I would love to go back at Christmas time when the gardens are lit in dazzling colors. Of course I want to go back in the spring and early summer to see more of the warmer weather blossoms.

Our hotel in Belfast faced the ocean, and at the bottom of the lawn was a walkway to get to the water. Janet stayed in the hotel room, but I found it very relaxing to wake early in the morning and sit by the shore listening to the waves ripple on the rocks as I drank my morning coffee.

The drive to Bar Harbor was foggy with drizzly rain. I suppose for most drives this would be kind of a bummer. I’ve found, though that when you’re on a color tour, all that moisture makes the bark darker and the color of the leaves more vibrant. We were certainly not disappointed as we arrived at one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

Acadia National Park is on an island off the mainland and is crowned by Cadillac mountain. We stopped at the visitors center to make sure we had the appropriate passes to enter the park, and picked up a automobile tour CD. This was probably one of the best investments of the entire weekend. We put the CD in the car and it told us everything we ever wanted to know about the park, including directions for stopping and seeing all the best sites. We learned that there are two parts to Acadia, the part before the fire, and the part after the fire. In 1947, a wildfire ravaged much of the park as well as many millionaire summer homes that were located on the property. A small portion of the park is untouched and traveling through that part is like going back in time. The trees are much denser and the old growth is almost creepy. It made me think of a fairy tale forest filled with magical creatures. The shoreline included those rocky coasts famous for their crashing waves. We didn’t see any moose, but we did see a beaver dam and lodge.

Our only regret was driving to the top of Cadillac Mountain and only seeing fog. It was cold too.

After the park, we made it into the town of Bar Harbor. Two cruise ships were anchored in the harbor so there were many visitors in town. We decided to skip walking around the shops of downtown as there were just too many people. We opted instead for a crab shack a few blocks away.  We both had some of the best clam chowder we’d ever had.

We made one last drive around the town, and it really is a beautiful town, before heading out. On our way home, we’d spot groups of trees that were in the peak of color and say, “Oh I like that one” or “Those are really pretty.”  After 15 or 20 of these we just began to call out numbers 22, 23, 24.  I guess you had to be there.

Of all my trips in New England, this is one of my favorites. It really captured the spirit of living in New England like a tourist.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller