During my pre and early teens, my parents would take my brother and myself to Mt Desert Island in Maine. Recently I found myself thinking of the place once more and decided to spend a few days there.

I barely scratched the surface of what was to be seen.

I spent most of my time in Bar Harbor, so named because of a sand bar leading out to Bar Island, which is part of the Acadia National Park.

The picture on the left was taken at 3:15 and the one on the right at 6:11 of the same day. The tidal difference is about 8-12 feet and the water temperature hovers around 45 fahrenheit, far colder than most people want to swim. Visitors are frequently caught on the Bar Island and while some of the charter services in Bar Harbor will take folks off, it will cost them $150. Cars have also been totaled by the incoming sea.

This is the Margaret Todd, a four mast schooner owned and operated by Windjammers. I took a morning tour with them and even helped raise one of her sails. What amazed most was how quiet she was once the sails were up and the engine had been turned off.

The next day I visited Acadia National Park where I drove the Park Loop Road and hiked Cadillac Mountain.

I only spent one day there, long enough to realize just how much there was to see. I hope t come back again with more time and something resembling a plan.

This feature is called the Thunder Hole. If you've seen the accompanying video, you will know why.

For my last day, I booked a tour on the Bay King III to see Acadia Park from the sea,  hear about the lighthouses and even watch some of the wildlife.

All of the lighthouses are now automated, although some people will lease one of them for their own reasons. Our last stop before heading we got a chance to see a number of harbor seals resting on the rocks. A few swam out to look at us, although I didn't try to photograph them. There were also some Bald Eagles on the rocks. whenever one tried to fly, the sea gulls would harass them until they were forced to land.