Acadia: Nature Galore!

I had the opportunity to visit the USA, thanks to my older brother who lives there. And what a holiday it was! It was around the same time as my 25^th birthday that we made a road trip to the north-eastern part of the country.

Driving away from the city of Washington DC, exiting from one national highway to another only to reach Interstate highway 95, stopping by at Subways to grab a bite, passing through one state to another was an exciting journey by itself.

Rocky terrain of Maine

Our eagerness was more to getting to the place that my brother had kept a secret from me as it was my first time in the country.

After 8-9 hours of driving, we finally got to Maine in the state of New England. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost portion of New England. It has a rocky coastline, its mountains make it look as good as a landscape painting and its forested interior and waterways make the place look very serene and scenic. The place is well-known for the seafood, especially lobsters.

Mount Desert Island, located in Maine is the third-largest island on the eastern seaboard of the USA. Acadia National Park, one of the biggest national parks on the eastern coast is located on this rock-bound island. You will find soaring granite cliffs butting up against sand and cobblestone beaches. In winter, glacier-carved mountains rear up from the sea cupping deep lakes in their valleys. There are meadowlands, marshes and dense evergreen.

Acadia’s coastal location makes for plenty of ever-changing weather. Including days of brilliant sunshine and occasional mornings when the island is wrapped in a soft blanket of fog. It’s proximity to water also takes the edges off the summer heat and winter chill. Whatever season you visit Acadia be prepared for changes in weather and dress in layers.

Acadia’s not only a feast for the eyes, no visitor can claim to have truly experienced Maine without having sampled the specialties as boiled lobsters, steamed clams, clam chowder, baked beans and blueberry pancakes and pies.

Along with the mouthwatering savories, Acadia also boasts of varied and dramatic scenery including a coastline of chiseled granite, the ocean dotted with islands, 17 mountain peaks (constitute the highest headlands along the eastern seaboard) close to a dozen glacial lakes and ponds and Somes Sound, the only fjord (glacially-carved, u-shaped valley bordered by steep cliffs) in the contiguous 48 states.

Thunder Hole

Acadia is donned with many places that are worthy of appreciation. Many of the natural attractions are found along the 20-mile, two lane road that winds through the eastern half of Mount Desert, i.e.  Park Loop Road). The shoreline section of the park is the most heavily travelled in Acadia. The road offers marvelous views of the Frenchman Bay.

In this otherwise rock-bound park, Sand Beach is a graceful anomaly. Swimming at Sand Beach is not for the faint of heart. Ocean temperatures seldom climb over 55 degrees F. Another feature of the Park Loop Road is the Thunder Hole. Timing is of vital importance here. As wind-driven tides sweep into the narrow granite channel, air is trapped escaping with a thunderous sound. At low tide on a calm day, the Thunder Hole is stubbornly silent.

View of Frenchman and Blue Hill Islands

Whether driving from Park Loop Road to the top of its 1,530-feet summit or hiking up one of the trails, most visitors like we did consider Cadillac Mountain, the high-point – both literally and figuratively, the park’s highest peak, but it is also the tallest mountain of the Atlantic coast north of Brazil. On a clear day (visibility is best during fall and winter), the views Cadillac commands are panoramic and unparalleled. Spread out below are island-dappled Frenchman and Blue Hill bays, the whole of the park, and beyond that much of Maine itself. Some visitors arrive at Cadillac to see the sun rise in one of the first places in the US. Others prefer the mountain’s equally dazzling sunsets. Whenever they come, most visitors spend hours clambering over the bald granite dome.

The nature and wildlife of Acadia, is rich in diversity. For centuries, evergreens dominated much of northern Maine. Of the evergreens, red spruce still predominates. Outside the park, red spruce is heavily logged for pulp. White spruce is also found here. It is because of this that Maine is known as the ‘Pine Tree State’. The park is home to about 165 species of native plants, about 60 species of land and marine mammals and more than 100 breeding species of birds. Acadia also attracts more than 300 species of sea, shore, and land birds from the common loon to the majestic bald eagle and peregrine falcon. Sea ducks also frequent the coastal waters, particularly in winter. The other species include buffleheads, red-breasted mergansers, common eiders, black scoters, surf scoters and white-winged scoters. Dozens of brightly coloured warblers summer in Acadia, filling the woods with their cheerful songs. It is no wonder Acadia is known as a birdwatcher’s and a photographer’s paradise.

The sunset from Mount Cadillac

This pre-birthday surprise made an etching image in my memory for the years to come.

-          Srividya Iyer