Cruise Day 1: Bar Harbor, Maine

Our cruise left Boston late afternoon and then sailed through the night to Maine. We forgot the laptop, so we couldn't blog during the trip, so here are several entries, and the rest will be put up tomorrow. Goodbye Boston Harbor!

We awoke to a gorgeous blue sky in Bar Harbor, Maine.  After breakfast we took a life boat to shore.  The ship is too big to dock , so it anchors just offshore.  We walked right to a bike rental shop and rented two bikes.  We decided we wanted to see Acadia National Park and some of the sights within the park.  The ride was very hilly and the surprisingly warm temperatures had us sweating right away.  Our first stop was a scenic lookout within fantastic views of the Atlantic Ocean.  The smell was equally amazing.  The pine forest scent is very pungent, but awesome!  Our next stop at the Schooner Overlook had even better views.  We parked our bikes and hiked the rugged rocks down to the water.  We couldn't get over the rock formations and the unspoiled nature everywhere.  We even saw a lighthouse!

  

A short distance from there was the main attraction, Thunder Hole.  It's a rock formation that's been eroded by the water and has formed a hole.  When the waves crash against the hole, it makes a funny sound and spits the water back out.  This was a great spot for more picture taking, souvenir shopping, and Gatorade refills.  

We continued along Ocean Drive which parallels the water and offers stunning scenery.  We probably would have enjoyed it more had the road not been so hilly.  We had to stop again for for Gatorade a few miles later and took Carriage Road(no cars allowed) past two lakes, Jordan Pond and Eagle Lake.  We stopped for a photo op at Eagle Lake.  We've never seen such clear water!  

A little tired, but still biking strong.

5 minutes later....wiped out!

The sweat marks from our backpacks starting to stand out!

Thoroughly exhausted after a grueling 21 miles bike ride that took us 4 1/2 hours, we made it back to town for lunch.  We had lobster quesadillas, a lobster roll, and local beers.  It was just what our stomachs and sore legs needed.  

We had only about 30 minutes to do some quick shopping for candy and a refrigerator magnet before we needed to get back on the ship.  We were so worn out, we ordered room service and spent the rest of the night in our cabin.  We are looking forward to day 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia...if our bodies recover that is.