Nothing says “Seize the day!” like waking up at 3:00 AM to drive out for a 4:00 AM sunrise reservation to the Summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. I fully expected to be making this a solo trek, despite having talked up this little adventure yesterday. I mean, who in their right mind gets up hours before the dawn on the first day of vacation? It turns out… WE DO!!!
Just two days ago, I frantically logged into the National Park Service to purchase one of these coveted passes to witness the spectacular sunrise, just as they were released. (I credit last year’s Genie+ training during our Disney trip with the successful procurement one of these limited passes.) Would you believe that all six occupants made it into the car with teeth and hair brushed and without significant grumping and groaning? If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either, and yet, there I was driving along in the blackness, roads blanketed in thick rolling fog, listening to the Foo Fighters. Lucky for me, Rob co-piloted, keeping an eye out for moose and other wildlife and we made it to the park entrance by 4:05, just as the first pink streaks of light began to break through the low-hanging clouds.
It was a slow crawl to the summit parking lot. During the 20-minute ride to the top, the road twisted and turned and we snatched our first glimpses of the incredible Acadia National Park shoreline. Considerably colder and windier at the top, some grumping and groaning promptly followed our short walk to the bedrock areas overlooking the approaching sunrise. Hundreds of people, some huddled in blankets, some with parkas, some carrying small children, and some with full-on picnics, stared out at the horizon, waiting patiently for the sun to come up. Long about 4:45, we came to the grim realization that this would not be the most spectacular visual phenomenon since the thick gray clouds stretching across the sky were not going to lift in time for the 4:52 sunrise. (Let’s be honest… it was still pretty spectacular.)
Even with the partially obstructed view, the sunrise was pretty amazing. Never ones to throw away a chance to explore, we made our way back to the car in a pretty round-about way, both following the footpath and also exploring some of the cliffs by walking across the bedrock. We didn’t get up at some God-forsaken hour to head back to the campsite after an hour. Interestingly, we had shaken off some of the initial grogginess and chill by climbing up and down the summit slopes, marveling at the sheer cliffs and the steep drops down below. After a quick trip to the summit gift shop (I mean, if you don’t get a Sunrise Club sticker for your RV, did you even do the Sunrise Summit?), we took advantage of being in the park by scoping out some of the popular destinations we want to return to visit later in the week. By this time, it was 5:30 AM. We were seizing the day! And there was so much to seize, given that we started the day at 3:00 AM.
While we weren’t really prepared for a big hike, we did check out some of Acadia’s more popular locations: The Bubbles, Jordan Pond (but not the Pond House since it didn’t open until 11 AM – nearly six hours after our visit – but I WILL be back for one of their famous popovers later this week!), Thunder Hole, and scooted through a section of Bar Harbor. Funny story… Rob and I stood looking out over the vastness of the ocean and spotted some activity in the distance. We kept watching and again saw what appeared to be a spout of water burst into the air. We waited and saw it again. And then again. “Do you think it’s a whale?”, I asked Rob. “I think it might be,” said Rob and began pointing again. We created an entire scenario in our minds – two whales playing off the shore. What luck! Surely, they would breach, right? So, Rob ran frantically back to the car for the binoculars. By this time, we had also convinced the kids it was a whale. We waited eagerly for Rob to confirm whale activity. I was a hot second away from telling other visitors about our fortune in this once in a lifetime sighting. After ten seconds Rob confirmed our “whale” sighting was, in fact, water breaking over a large rock, probably on a sandbar. We whipped ourselves up into a frenzy for a whitecap.
After Thunder Hole, the energy in the car turned dark, so Rob and I decided to take our crew back to the Acadia Seashore Camping and Cabins for some real breakfast (more coffee), a nap (delicious), and some well-deserved rest and relaxation. When we arrived at back at the campground after a delicious bite at Acadia Coffee, it was 8:30 AM. Though the fatigue began to set in, I felt accomplished! And then I took my day-seizing behind to bed and recharged for the rest of the day.
Amazingly, I woke up from my nap feeling energized and ready to explore. Rob, Amaya and I took advantage of the low tide and explored the tide pools along the shore trail of the campground. Typical of New England shores, the beach was rocky and scattered with seaweed and shells. We poked around a bit, sank into the mud, looked for crabs, and watched some lobster harvesters pull in their traps. The workampers (people, often adventuresome couples, who volunteer their time to work in campgrounds in exchange for a place to park their camper/RV) in the camp store told us to look for Tracey, a local harvester who owns a seafood and ice cream stand two houses down from the campground. She pulls her traps up in the morning and then sells her fresh catch the same day!
The weather has been absolutely beautiful! It’s hard to believe Maine After a brief pounding storm when we first arrived (which cut down the humidity), it has been dry, sunny, and breezy in the high seventies. In other words: perfection. It was perfect for visiting the bald eagle who roosts in a tree by the campground’s community seating, a cluster of Adirondack chairs overlooking a bluff that faces the ocean. It was perfect for reading a few chapters of my book in the sun, sipping a seltzer and hearing nothing louder than the soft clang of the channel markers in the distance. After a bit of lunch and planning for the rest of our week: a longer hike, a visit to a lighthouse, confirming our whale watch reservation for tomorrow (where we will endeavor to see actual whales and not just seawater crashing over rocks), and figuring out the timing of the tides so we can walk out to Bar Island from downtown Bar Harbor (more on this tomorrow!), we decided on a stroll over to Tracey’s for ice cream. It was the perfect compliment to the quintessential summer vacation day. I highly recommend the blueberry ice cream.
I am absolutely loving this campground. There are no bells and whistles here, just beautifully maintained sites with incredible views, simple picnic tables and firepits. It’s quiet, full of dogs (still not regretting leaving ours), so clean, and the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. Although it is a 45-minute drive from the more bustling Bar Harbor area, Sullivan, ME is a hidden gem. We get the beauty of Acadia without the Bar Harbor traffic. We get to discover some local treasures while still being conveniently within reach of the area’s more famous attractions. It is the best of both worlds.
Seizing the day is not just about the destination. It’s about making the most of every moment. It’s walking barefoot through cool green grass and wrapping up in a cozy flannel by a crackling campfire while reclining to look at a sky full of stars. It’s giggling playing board games crammed in the RV as the rain pounds the roof and throwing a frisbee across an open field as the sun sets into beautiful pinks and purples. It’s looking around you and realizing there is no other place you’d rather be and letting go of the rest of the world, even if just for a few glorious days. It’s days like this that you want to capture every last little moment like fireflies in a jar. It’s days like this that make our lives extraordinary.
” Don’t count the days, make the days count. ”
– Muhammad Ali
Wandering, But Not Lost 