Wilderness Wandering

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

We set out for the east coast to attend Tim’s oldest son, Ryan’s wedding in Greenville, SC. We did not take Calypso. We drove Tim’s Acura TSX Sports Wagon. We drove until late and stayed at a hotel along the interstate. 

Thursday, October 9, 2025

We made it to the Asheville, NC area and hiked The Grassy Ridge Bald to get some beautiful views of the Appalachian Mountains. It sits on the border of TN and NC and it’s part of The Appalachian Trail.  Grassy Ridge Bald was a 5 mile relatively easy hike. We could see Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia from the summit.

We did see several through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. We drove through the quaint town of Mars Hill and stumbled across two cool things. First, there was a Rosenwald School there that is being renovated. Julius Rosenwald, the president of Sears, Roebuck and Company built about 5,000 schools forAfrican American students in the South during the early 20th century. These schools came about through a partnership between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald.

Second -there was a small university and Tim can’t resist those. We toured the campus of Mars Hill University. Until a few years ago Mars’s Hill had a collegiate cycling team.  

We continued into downtown Asheville and really enjoyed wandering the main shopping area. We sampled a flight of beers at Wicked Weed Brewing and enjoyed dinner at Zambra. 

Friday and Saturday

We wanted to drive part of The Blue Ridge Parkway. We drove to the south east side of Asheville and entered the Blue Ridge Parkway. What a treat it was! We had no idea it was composed of narrow, twisty lanes through gorgeous hill country. There were frequent places to pull off and enjoy the views. Tim has a new bucket list item. You guessed it-ride the entirety of the Blue Ridge Parkway on his bike. The parkway is 469 miles long and runs through Virginia and North Carolina. 

We then explored the campus of Clemson University. We attended Ryan and Alyson’s rehearsal dinner and the wedding. It was a fantastic two days celebrating the happy couple. 

Sunday, October 12, 2025

We were up early and on the road and drove straight up the east coast from South Carolina to Maine. My bottom was very sore from so much sitting. 

Monday, October 13, 2025

We arrived at Acadia National Park at 1:30 PM Monday. It was Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day.  This was our 63rd and concluding NP to visit. We took our photo with our 63/63 sign and the park sign. It was a happy moment for us!

It was the last day of the season for the park shuttle bus system. The Visitor Center was closed due  to the government shut down the country is currently experiencing. 

We drove the 27 mile park road. The park was super crowded! Parking was difficult.  We did see some beautiful leaves as we drove the road. The forest and ocean are breathtaking. 

Acadia NP is one of the few NPs comprised entirely of donated land. Much of the land was donated by George Dorr and John D. Rockefeller. 

It is a very popular park with a record breaking  4 million plus visitors this year. 

The park is adjacent to Bar Harbor, Maine. Much of the park is on Mount Desert Island, but there are additional islands and the Schoodic Peninsula part of the park is on the mainland. The land and the water here are rugged. The park is on The Atlantic Ocean. The week before we arrived the forecast was for a strong nor’easter storm to land while we were there and it looked like we would have a lot of rain. But the day before we arrived, the forecast changed to lots of clouds and cool fall temps, but not much rain! Whew!

We checked into our hotel and had dinner at the attached restaurant, The Nor’easter, which ended up being fantastic!

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

We were up and on the road by about 6:10 AM to be in the park for sunrise. We parked at Sand Beach to do the Beehive Trail. We decided to watch sunrise from Sand Beach. It was really lovely! We drew #63 in the sand and took photos with it. 

Then we hiked and hiked and hiked some more! 

We did the iconic Beehive Trail, a 1.5 mile trail rated as difficult primarily due to the steep climb up a rock face where you pull yourself up with iron rungs mounted into the rocks.  

It was very fun! But, it would not be fun if the rungs were wet or the trail was crowded. The views along the way were great! The land was very rocky and at times it was very tough to see the trail. The park makes it easier to stay on trail with painted blue marks on rocks and trees and cairns.  

We made it a loop by adding the  Gorham Mountain and Ocean Path trails. The total for the loop was 3.86 miles. The Ocean Path trail was flat and followed along the coast. The weather was very windy so the ocean waves were dramatic. There is a spot along the path called Thunder Hole, where when the tide is high and the waves are strong enough, the water rushes through and it makes a thunderous noise. We did get to experience that!

There’s very little food in the park. We were extremely lucky to get a parking spot at The Jordan Pond House. Jordan Pond House is a restaurant that sits on the shore of Jordan Pond. There’s great outdoor seating.  

They are famous for their popovers. If you’ve never had one, a popover is a light, hollow  pastry.  I got in line for the popovers. Tim got in a different line for the blueberry lemonade. He came back smiling.  Tim was wearing a National Parks hat. The wait person asked “Do you work for the park system?”  Tim responded “What if I did?” She said “Your drink would be free.” Tim told the her that while he was not a National Parks employee, that we had just seen all 63 parks. She was so impressed that she gave him the lemonade for free. We loved warm popovers with butter and strawberry jam and the fresh Maine blueberry lemonade. 

We hiked around Jordan Pond, (3.3 miles easy and flat) and did The South Bubble hike (.7 miles moderate) too. The view of the entire pond from the top of South Bubble was really wonderful.

There was a  Backroads tour resting at the summit. Tim struck up a conversation with the tour leader about their current trip and the bicycles they use. With the advent of e-bikes, Backroads tours have grown dramatically because so many more people are capable of doing them. This group was hiking and cycling in Acadia.

When we returned to Jordan Pond Restaurant, Tim wanted another lemonade. He came back and said the woman wanted to meet me too. So I went and met Kara and her co worker Sophie. Kara also hopes to visit all the parks. 

A reservation is required to visit the top of Cadillac Mountain. I had not been lucky enough to get a sunrise reservation, but we had one for mid afternoon, so we went. The views were breathtaking.

I wanted lobster for dinner. My research showed that The Tavern at Timberland’s lobster rolls got great ratings. We drove there and enjoyed a totally unhealthy dinner of lobster rolls and onion rings. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

We slept in until the sun was up and got downtown to be at the bike shop when it opened at 9 AM. We rented bikes at Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop for a 1/2 day and rode the carriage paths of Acadia. We rented basic but functional standard bikes.  It was one of the best things we’ve ever done in a National Park! The carriage paths were the idea of John D. Rockefeller. Between 1913 and 1940 spent $30 million of his own money on the carriage paths and roads of Acadia. He built 45 miles of car free, motor free roads.  About the time the carriage paths were finished the automobile really took off, so not all that many people used the paths and they fell into disrepair over the years. From 1992 to 1995 Acadia rehabilitated the roads into the park jewels they now are. The carriage roads are a unique combination of clay and fine gravel and made a wonderful surface for cycling. The trails were somewhat hilly and very scenic. The paths were being taken full advantage of by cyclists and walkers.  It was a fabulous morning.

When we returned, we asked Jill, the owner if they rent more standard classic bikes or e-bikes. She said it depends on the season. During summer, it’s 70% standard because it’s family groups. After Labor Day, it’s 70% e-bikes because it’s the Newlyweds and Nearly Deads as she put it! 

After we returned our bikes, we drove to Travelin’ Lobster and shared clam chowder and a 1.5 pound lobster dinner. We stopped to see The Somesville Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Maine. 

We went back to the hotel to change out of our cycling clothes. Then we went into Bar Harbor. We explored the campus of College of the Atlantic. What an interesting place! College of the Atlantic is the first college in the US to focus on the relationship between humans and the environment. The intentionally small school of 350 students and 35 faculty enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy—human ecology. Human ecology is their only major and there are no required courses. Tuition is $60,000 per year. The buildings on campus were unique and they had a wavy stone art installation by artist Andy Goldsworthy that ran from the outer edge of the campus to the ocean.

Then we stopped at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Parish to see the stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the renowned stained glass artist.  The church is housed in the oldest public building on Mount Desert Island, built in 1878. The Church and all the windows were gorgeous.

Tiffany was interested in reproducing the type of glass used in medieval windows and developed and patented his technique. The church has 43 beautiful windows. Ten of them are by Tiffany. One of Tiffany’s windows was stolen in 1988 and has not been recovered to date! Thank you to my friend Vicki for telling me about the church.  

Then we went downtown to The Bar Harbor Inn. We hoped to celebrate by dining at The Reading Room Restaurant. The beautiful hotel building has existed since 1887. It has been an oasis for the rich (Vanderbilts, Pulitzers, and Morgan’s), a military headquarters, and an oceanfront resort.  We had not been able to get a reservation. We asked if we could get a table or possibly eat at the bar. The hostess said she’d see what she could do. We ordered drinks at the bar. Then the manager told us he had a table, but we would need to be done by 6:30. We agreed. We feasted on lobster bisque, a pear salad and delicious fresh Atlantic halibut! They brought us a delicious dessert with candles to celebrate our 63 parks and my 63rd birthday. It was a very special celebration!

Thursday, October 16, 2025

The experts say today is peak color. It is gorgeous! Very cloudy and windy today with a high temperature of 49. We drove about an hour and a half to the less visited part of Acadia, the Schoodic Peninsula. The Schoodic Peninsula is near Lubec, Maine, the easternmost city in the US. 

It misted while we were there. We stopped first at a viewpoint that isn’t on the map, Ravens Nest. I learned of it from the Acadia FB page. The park service doesn’t put it on the map because it on cliffs with no safety guards. One could slip and fall if you’re not careful. The views were amazing.

Next we hiked the Anvil, Schoodic Head and Alder Trails, about 3 miles, mostly moderate. The trees were so thick that we hardly felt the mist. We were pretty much alone on the hike we did. After Schoodic Peninsula, we stopped at Tidal Falls Reserve overlooking the Taunton River to look for starfish and see the reversing river. We didn’t see any starfish though. 

Then we went back to Acadia Mount Desert Island to Little Hunters Beach. This beach is a hidden gem. The entire beach is made up of perfectly round smooth cobblestones.  The granite walls of the cove are the perfect environment to create a rock tumbler to polish the stones.  

We also checked out the Blackwoods Campground. Gorgeous! We would have greatly enjoyed camping in Calypso there.  We made two stops trying to get Maine blueberry pie and both places were sold out. We did buy blueberry scones for breakfast. For dinner we checked out the Side Street Cafe. Their lobster stew was fabulous with large chunks of lobster. We also attended a concert at the Jesup Memorial Library by Lyle de Vitry, a musician from Asheville who was in town to run the Bar Harbor Marathon on Sunday. 

Friday, October 17, 2025

We got up super early to take a shuttle to the top of Cadillac Mountain for sunrise. Cadillac Mt. is known as the furthest east place in the U.S. to see the sunrise.  We knew it would be cold so we were wearing all our clothes. It was clear where we boarded the shuttle. But the summit was clouded in. We didn’t see anything and we froze our asses off! It was a slightly disappointing end to our visit. We were very happy that we had driven up to the summit during the day earlier in the week!

The van driver pulled over on the way down the mountain so we could enjoy the colorful views of the leaves. We went back to the hotel and packed up and headed north – destination New Brunswick, Canada. 

We stopped at Quoddy State Park in Lubec, Maine to see the beautiful lighthouse. The interior was closed for renovations.

Then we crossed into Canada and went to Campobello Island to visit the summer home of FDR and Eleanor. It was a wonderful museum! The cottage was not super fancy, but we could see why they loved it there!

We even enjoyed tea with Eleanor! This was a program where they served us tea and fresh gingersnap cookies while two docents regaled us with stories of Eleanor Rosevelt’s life and look accomplishments. She really was an incredible person!

Then we crossed back into the U.S. en route to St. John New Brunswick. They did let Tim back into the country.  The fall color was still quite good. We ended the day in St. John, New Brunswick. 

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Our goal for this day was to see a bit of the New Brunswick province and The Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy experiences the largest swing in tides of anywhere in the world. 

We started the day at The Reversing River in St. John at the Bridge Road Lookout. The Reversing River is a series of rapids on the Saint John River where the flow of water is reversed twice a day by the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy. At low tide, the river flows toward the bay, creating rapids. Six hours later, at high tide, the bay’s tide is so high it pushes water back up the river, creating a similar, but reversed, effect.

Then we drove about an hour north and paid the fee for the Fundy Trail Parkway, a 30 km scenic road with many sites to see along the road. The day we were there happened to be the last day of their season. They will be closed until April. Many attractions are closing in the next week or so up here.  We enjoyed many of the viewpoints and several of the hikes. The fall color was a little past peak up here, but there was still so much beauty.

The sun peaked out a few times, but the day was mostly cloudy.  One of the last sites was Walnut Grove Gorge, the New Brunswick “Grand Canyon”.

At one of the interpretive centers, we enjoyed a great conversation and  history  lesson from docents Beverly and Dominick.

We experienced high tide in the morning in St. John. We watched the tide go out all day as we stopped at the Bay of Fundy viewpoints. The best way to observe it would have been spending the entire day at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Center. In season, at high tide you can kayak in the bay and at low tide you can walk on the ocean floor. I hope to do this in the future! 

After our New Brunswick explorations, we began our drive back to WI. We reentered the U.S. in Maine. We stopped at a truck stop for more spectacular Maine blueberry pie and decided to buy a whole one for the road.

Sunday, October 19, 2025

We slept briefly at a seaside hotel in Seabrook, NH and continued on to VT. The leaf peeping through NH and VT was really wonderful! After entering Vermont, Tim and I have now been to all 50 states and all 63 National Parks. 

We drove through Brattleboro, VT and Troy, NY. 

Brattleboro is famous as the home of Rudyard Kipling at the time he wrote The Jungle Book. It was also the home to several large book binderies and one of the largest pipe organ manufacturers in the world. The town was very picturesque and we wished we had more time to investigate it. 

Troy, NY is the hometown of Uncle Sam. According to local folklore, Troy native Samuel Wilson was nicknamed “Uncle Sam.”  When the War of 1812 broke out, Wilson worked as a meat packer and made shipments to the United States Army. It was joked that the “U.S.” stamped on the barrels of meat stood for Uncle Sam. The “United States” and “Uncle Sam” soon became synonymous. 

We ended up in Niagara Falls, NY since neither of us had been to Niagara Falls. It began to rain as we arrived. We viewed the falls and toured the welcome center and left for home. The falls were very impressive. The water flow is 75,000 gallons per second!

We drove straight through from Niagara Falls and arrived home at 4:50 AM Monday. It is good to be home. On that long drive, we reflected on what a wonderful journey we had seeing the  US National Parks! 

Now we have to decide which ones we have to go back to!