And Now for Bangor...

After two days of hikes in Acadia, we spend the next two days exploring Bangor.  Saturday was 75 degrees and mostly sunny.   My leg muscles were tight and tired after the two long days of hikes.  But we started off walking to Stephen King's home.  Stephen King grew up in Bangor, Maine and purchased this home in 1980.  He does not currently spend time at this home.  The home sits in the historic Whitney District at 47 W. Broadway among other homes built for sawmill barons during the lumbering days.  King's house is a gothic bring house with a spiky iron fence complete with bats, spiders, and three headed dragons and sculptures in the yard.

Steven King's House

Bats and spiders adorn the fence

Sculpture in the yard 

We continued our walk through neighborhoods leading to the Paul Bunyan statue.  Bangor was lumber town and they lay claim to Paul Bunyan (as does Wisconsin and Minnesota).  As we were walking toward the statue, we passed the horse racing track.  They were racing trotters as we walked by.  The horse track is part of the Hollywood Casino.  The casino was across the street from the Paul Bunyan.  

Horse track stand and horses to the right

Paul Bunyan Statue

Just a short distance from the casino, is the Penobscot River and a trail going along the river.  As we walked along the river, we came across a large outdoor amphitheater where they hold music concerts during the summer.   Further down the path, we saw tents and people gathered.  As we got closer, we saw adults and children in costumes (mostly witches).   There were booths with arts and crafts, tarots cards, etc.  There were was a circle of women in witch costumes singing.  Later, I found out it was part of the Maine Witch Walk.  A portion of the proceeds from this event goes to support a homeless shelter in Bangor.

The lighting for the stage of the amphitheater

Along the Penobscot River

The tents in the distance

A little girl dress as a witch from Hocus Pocus

Circle of singing witches

More witches

Hydrofoils on the river

The path along the river ended where the Kenduskeag Stream flows into the Penobscot and our walk went from the river through the downtown.  There, the businesses were handing out treats to children in costumes.  It was fun to see the kids in costume as we walked along the many little shops and eateries.  From downtown, it is about .9 miles back to our house sit.  It was starting to get gloomier and I needed to head back to take my laundry off the line.

Laundry drying outside in the 75 degree weather

Sunday's high temperature was only 45 degrees and felt really cold after the 75 degrees of the day before.  We did two short walks today.  Our first walk was to the farmer's market near downtown.  It was a nice little farmer's market and I found maple syrup and fresh vegetables.  

On our walks around Bangor, I have noticed that Halloween decorations are much less elaborate and often more subtle.  I saw one house in which the only decoration is a dead person hanging out the window.  Others have gourds and pumpkins.  We saw a few houses getting ready for Trick or Treat with tubes to pass candy out.

The upper left window and the body hanging out

A tube on the rails for send treats

PVC makes a great tube

Our second hike was at the Orono Bogs Boardwalk at the City Forest.  The bog was fascinating with the various mosses, small tree and the floating boardwalk to walk on.  There placards station throughout the walk explaining the vegetation that grows in different area of the bog.  The bog is a partnership between the city and the University of Maine.

The beginning of the bog walk

This part of the bog is in forest

Sphagnum Moss is red

Two days at Acadia National Park...

The weather in Bangor has been really nice -- in the high 60s to low 70s during the day.  We are taking care of a 16 year old cat and while he does have medications in the morning and the evenings, he does not require a lot of care.  He does like to go outside from time to time and will sit out on the deck or walk in the yard.  Then he comes and stands by the door until you let him back in.

Fido sleeping on the couch

It is just over an hours drive to Acadia National Park, so we decided on Thursday to drive to Acadia after feeding Fido (the cat).  As you arrive at Acadia, you see beautiful wooded shorelines as go across a bridge to the island.  The national park and private lands share the scenic island.  Our first stop, was the visitors center, to find out information on what to see and where to hike. Lafayette National Park with its Mount Desert Island became the first eastern national park in 1919.  In 1929, Lafayette National Park was renamed Acadia National Park.  Much of the park was land acquired from private owners who wanted the Federal government to preserve the natural features of the island.

Acadia Visitor's  Center

Visitor's Center

After talking with the park volunteer, we decide to hike the Precipice Loop Trail first.  We understood from the volunteer that this hike is as much a climb as a hike for the .9 miles up to the summit of Champlain Mountain.  He described it as a rung and rail trail.  At points on the trail, you climb straight up.  There are metal rungs on some of the straight up climbs and rails are placed along some of the paths that are narrow.  Although it is a challenging hike, it is worth it when you get to the top.  As the views of the Atlantic and the surrounding islands is phenomenal. The path back down to the bottom is much more gradual.  Although the hike is just over 3 miles, it takes several hours to complete.

Photos from the Precipice Trails

After that, we head to another challenging trail called the Beehive Loop.  This is also a rung and rail trail, but the climbing part is only about .3 miles of the 1.4 mile loop.  From the top of Beehive you can see down to Sand Beach and Atlantic.   The views were beautiful.  After taking the gradual path down from the Beehive, we head to the Sand Beach.  The sand at Sand Beach is made finely  crushed shells that have collected in this unique cove.  We drive on to Thunder Hole, which is a carved out inlet where rushing water can create a thunderous noise before high tide.  

Sand Beach

Sand Beach

The top of Beehive

Rungs and rails on the Beehive Trail

Sand Beach from Beehive Summit

Thunder Hole

The walkway to Thunder Hole

We made our way back out to the bridge and back to Bangor.  We decided to head back to the house to feed Fido and then we went to the Sea Dog Brewing Company for dinner.  The restaurant sits by the river and we were able to sit outside and eat under the outdoor heater.  The restaurant first started in Camden, Maine and now has other locations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Florida.

Thom's birthday dinner at Sea Dog Brewing

Friday, we drove back to Acadia to do the walk up Cadillac Mountain.  This is a 3.5 mile hike (7 miles round trip).  It is a gradual uphill walk through forest with mossy undergrowth and later on a ridgeline of exposed granite.  The trees are at peak or just slightly past peak.  If you stopped walking on the forested part of the trail and stood perfectly still, you could hear the sound of leaves, acorns, and needle falling like a quieter version of a rain stick that has been turned over.  There were great views from the trail to Cadillac Summit and even more beautiful views at the top.

Photos from the hike to Cadillac Mountain

After the hike, we drove to Bass Harbor Lighthouse.  We took a short walk on the Shipyard Trail first and headed to the lighthouse just as the sun was setting.  The parking lot was crowded, but it was worth the wait to see the views.  

Sunset Bass Harbor

From the Shipyard Trail

After two very strenuous days of hiking, it was nice to head back to our housesit to relax.