Arcadia National Park

I am on a road trip with Offspring #2 and her foxhound. We drove through Wisconsin and Illinois before spending the night at a hotel in Indiana. In Indiana I heard  bull frogs and tree frogs calling. The next day we drove east and camped at Black Moshannan state park in Pennsylvania which was very nice. The next morning we drove east into New Jersey, through New York and Connecticut into Rhode Island and we spent 2 nights with Offspring #1 and his family at his place inside Fort Adams State Park. The next day we drove to Arcadia National Park in Maine. And that is where we saw this family of mergansers on an outing. One baby rode on her back while the others swam behind. We saw this on our 3.7 mile hike around Jordan pond.

This is seal harbor. We didn't see any seals but it was nice to see the Atlantic waves rolling toward the beach. Arcadia is a huge national park. The campground was nice but the bathrooms have no soap and no showers. Our campground was called the Sea Wall campground because the ocean formed a natural sea wall by washing up large stones and forming a wall. We spent the evening staring like zombies into the campfire. A winter wren kept us entertained with song in the early morning.

Arcadia National Park has a wildflower garden. Here are yellow lady slippers in full bloom.

 

Ogun Quit

Please do not drop your cigarette butts on the ground. our cat, Ogun, crawls out at night to smoke them and we are trying to make Ogun quit.

We walked a few miles of the very scenic marginal way sea walk. Ogunquit is very much a tourist town and it must be very busy in the summer.

Harlequin ducks, Eider ducks, and red throated loons dove in the bay.

The beaches here have fine sand. We saw clammers digging for clams this morning. A ranger checked the clams for bacteria before he allowed them to take them away. Then the tide came in quickly and clamming time was over.

This is the famous Nubble lighthouse is reportedly the most painted and photographed lighthouse in the world.

 

Ogunquit

 To me, Ogunquit sounds like a plea for peace but it is actually a town in Maine. Maine is one of two states I have never visited so I am excited to spend the night on Ogunquit tonight. Would I rather spend a week in Maine and visit Acadia National Park? Yes, but Maine is Maine and tonight I will be in Maine. The only other state I haven't visited is South Carolina. There are some states I have driven through but not really explored. Delaware, for example, is a state I plan to explore on my way back. West Virginia is another state to explore. This morning I am in Rhode Island. For lunch I will be in New Hampshire. Tonight and tomorrow I will be in Ogunquit which is a native name for "a beautiful place by the sea."