Denton Diaries: June 2011

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Sand Beach

Today we decided to hike the Ocean Path, a two-mile walk (four miles round-trip) which begins at Sand Beach - a sandy beach between mountains and rocky shores in Acadia National Park.

I didn't do much research before we went (only enough to know that it's an easy hike and a pretty one), so I wasn't prepared for the ethereal, misty beauty. I also wasn't prepared to see a bunch of people SWIMMING in the ocean when it was 59 degrees outside!

My plan was to go on the hike, eat our little picnic lunch and maybe check out the beach for a few minutes before we left. Wrong.

The hike begins at the beach, so we couldn't help but hear the waves crashing and lots of people laughing and squealing. When we came within sight of the water, my boys were mesmerized. Forget hiking - it was all about the beach!! They peeled their shoes off and took off like wild ponies. I told them not to get wet, but ... well, I could see what was going to happen. They chased waves and chased each other, threw sand, splashed and eventually fell into the surf and rolled around happily. I took lots of pictures and just let them play for a few minutes before making them head back to the car where they could strip their wet clothes off and warm up. We had to leave because I didn't have extra clothes. Next time, I'll be prepared.

This is a must-see place if you're in Bar Harbor. Sand Beach is hugely popular, and it costs $10 per car for a seven-day pass. We caught a glimpse of the hiking path and some of the amazing views as we were driving away. We will definitely be going back.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Into the Woods

Today we hiked the Jordan Pond Nature Trail and half of the Jordan Pond Shore Trail in Acadia National Park, and it was amazing. The weather was perfect for hiking (60s and sunny), and the boys were in their element. After hiking the easy, level trails, we stopped at the Jordan Pond House (a restaurant right there in the park) and had lunch on the lawn overlooking the pristine blue pond. The place is famous for its popovers, so we had to get some. (If you're wondering, a popover is a hollow muffin served with butter and jam. These were hot, fresh and very tasty.)

The Jordan Pond area is nice for families because you can choose short, easy nature paths or venture out on a longer (but still easy) route.

And, of course, the scenery is gorgeous.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Getting Our Bearings

It's hard to believe we've been here four whole days already! I feel we should be doing more to experience as much as we can, but we're just getting our bearings and taking it slowly.

Mostly we've been exploring the beach in front of our cottage - I think the kids would be happy if that's all we did - and we ventured downtown for some lobster rolls and a trip to the library.

There's a great mile-long, family-friendly trail called the Shore Path that starts at the Bar Harbor town pier. We loved that and we'll be going back for sure. There's a giant boulder along the way, and it's something of a tradition for people to try to push it into the ocean. We gave it a try, too.

And just enjoyed the view ...

We had dinner at a friend's beautiful, waterfront home Saturday night. He made us blueberry mojitos. Soooo good and so perfect for a June evening in Maine.

We found a little cove near our cottage that's great for wading and rock-throwing. The weather is getting a little warmer, which is good because it's hard to keep the kids out of the water (even with all the seaweed).