Acadia NP - The North and South Bubble Summits and Bubble Rock

 

Trailhead marker for the South Bubbles & Bubbles Rock Hikes.  We departed 7:30 a.m. to be sure to get a parking spot at the lot for our hikes. It's a holiday weekend and evidence from our Cadillac Mountain sunrise trip, the park is full. 

. The Bubbles are two mountains at the north end of Jorden Pond.  As you can see, various rocks need to be scrambled to hike the trail.  We decided to hike the North Bubble first. 

This is one of the few flat sections of the trail. 

Average trails in Acadia NP exceed 17% grade, so you are going up quickly. 

Large rocks need to be climbed as well. It is rocky, but if you are in good shape, it's not a problem. 

As you near the top, boulders form your pathway.  Some are wet and slippery, so you have to be careful. 

Blue paint, as seen in this photo are painted on rocks to mark your way. Think of these as breadcrumbs, so when in doubt as to which way to go, look for blue paint. 

A nice view of Jorden's Pond at the North Bubble.  The hike was .7 miles to the top, but the trail was fairly steep.  

Elevation 873 feet at the summit. You can move around and see other views great views of the pond. 

Me at the top.  While called a pond, this is a lake in my book.  Jorden Pond is 150 feet deep. That's a pretty deep pond!

We hiked back to the trail marker to travel to the South Bubble.  The trail was very similar to hike for the North Bubble but a little shorter in length.

The South Bubble Trail is 0.4 in length.  The area around Bubble Rock is a great place to take photos and explore, but you have to be careful as the cliffs are quite steep.

Once at the top you have views of two mountains, one pond and one Lake.

Eagles Lake at the South Bubbles 

Kathy uses a program called "Map My Walk" to track our trails and times. This hike was a great warm up for other planned hikes in Acadia National Park. 

Cadillac Mountain Sunrise at Acadia National Park

The Cadillac Mountain sunrise is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring natural phenomena that you will ever witness. With an incredible view of both land and sea, it may be the greatest sunrise you’ll ever see.  Vehicle reservations are required to drive the Cadillac Summit Road. Our vehicle pass was valid for 5:00 a.m. to enter Cadillac Road. It is a windy, paved 3.5 miles up to the summit.  We had to drive from the RV campground 30 minutes early to arrive at 5:00 a.m. 

It’s important to dress appropriately for sunrise at Cadillac Mountain. Remember to dress in layers so you can stay warm, but also be comfortable.  We did not do our due diligence and were not dressed appropriately for this event. 

At 1,530 feet tall, Cadillac Mountain is the tallest mountain on the eastern seaboard and the tallest mountain in Acadia National Park. Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, Cadillac Mountain only receives the first light in the United States between October 7 and March 6

 

  

Your vehicle pass does not mean you have a specific parking spot.  We made sure we arrived early for a 5:55 sunrise. Kathy was much better prepared than I was.  I went back to the truck to get warm and waited till 20-minute before sunrise. 

The moon was still visible, even after sunrise. Cadillac Mountain reservations limit the stress on park rangers and visitors alike. With a reservation system, Cadillac Mountain sunrise is a much more enjoyable experience.

The parking lot was full.  There are 150 park passes and 150 parking spots.  We were extremely lucky that there was no fog, nor rain so it was an unbelievable experience.  So much, we have another pass for another day. 

The following photos were taken on a trike ride later that day.  The harbor is a great place for cruise ships to catch a glimpse of the spectacular sunrise. 

A photo of the harbor. 

Not sure if this is a lighthouse but it's the only building on the island. 

Of course! Any viewpoint facing east is a great place to watch the sunrise and great views of Bar Harbor and its surrounding. This looks like a million-dollar house. We thoroughly enjoyed the sunrise and the trike ride later that day. 

 

 

 

Bay of Fundy National Park - Hikes & Cape Enrage Lighthouse

 

All set up at the Bay of Fundy National Park for 2-days.  We previously stayed at Loch Lomond, a campground in Amherst NS.   We wanted to see different views of the Bay of Fundy. 

Experience the World's highest tides along the overlook at the Bay of Fundy NP.  They even had seating for us to just sit and relax. The views were beautiful. The day we arrived the weather was beautiful.  We decided to complete a couple of hikes because rain was forecasted for the entire next day.  We also managed to get some photos of the tides as well. 

In the Bay of Fundy, you can see two high and two low tides each day. The time between a high and low tide, on average, is six hours and 13 minutes.  Obviously, this is low tide. 

If you could zoom in on this photo, you would see metal supports at the rear of the ship to keep it stable.  We tried to make sure we took photos at low and high tide at the same location. 

A photo at the harbor six hours later at high tide.   All things look normal. 

The white boat to the right is the other photo we took. These boats six hours earlier had no water at all in port.   The fishermen must coordinate their fishing trips to coincide with the rising tides. 

As you can see the tides ranges from 20 feet to 49 feet which is awesome. The Highest tide ever recorded was 53.6 feet in 1975, a Guinness Book World Record.

Bay of Fundy is known for having the rarest whales in the world, the highest tides on earth and for being scattered with dinosaur fossils. In 2014 experts made Bay of Fundy one of the natural wonders of the world.

This is the starting point for the Shiphaven Trail. 

Wolfe Point and seating for two. 

This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.

This is a very easy, mostly flat trail with good views of a covered bridge, the remains of an old mill, and a river that feeds into the Bay of Fundy.  You did have to walk up and down steps along the trail.

A view of the covered bridge. 

We had to travel through the bridge on the way to the trailhead. 
 

You can also hike down to the beach as you return on the trail, it adds .3 miles to your trip. 

Just taking a break and watching people walk along the beach. 

The hike was very easy. This was once a busy spot for milling and loading ships.

Dickson Falls Hike. Walk on the boardwalk to a stunning waterfall.   

I did say board walk! The trail is very cool as you walk along the rushing stream. 

This 0.7-mile trail is worth the effort. The stream that trickles down from the falls feeds a lush marsh that carpets the rocks green, as you make your way along the trail.

Not sure how many steps we had to walk down and walk up but it's well worth it.  The longer loop is under construction and was not open to the public. 

There are many vantage points to view the falls and the rushing mountain creek. 

National Parks are maintained for the people – for the ill that they may be restored. For the well that they may be fortified and inspired by sunshine, the fresh air, the beauty, and all the other healing, ennobling and inspiring agencies of nature. 

Words from the First Canadian National Parks Administrator 

We also had the opportunity to visit the Cape Enrage Lighthouse. The drive from the park to the lighthouse is approximately 23 miles. 

Cape Enrage is the name given to the southern tip of Barn Marsh Island, an island located in Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.  

It has been automated and unmanned since the 1980s. They say the foghorn is extremely loud especially if you are close to the lighthouse when it discharges. 

They even have a 600' zip line located on the property.  It was not in use during our visit. 

You can walk down to the beach area as well.  

 Bay of Fundy is a must see on any Canadian Vacation. It is simply a wonder of nature that simply must be experienced to be appreciated.  We had a great time visiting the park and seeing the Bay of Fundy from another side.  

Whale Watching in the Bay of Fundy - Petit Passage

On our way back from hiking the Balancing Rock Trail earlier in the morning, we thought we would check in with Petit Passage Whale Watch Company to see if they had any cancellations for the afternoon trip.  Just our luck, they had seats available for the 1:30 trip.  It's rare that they have a cancellation but it's a good thing for us. 

As you can see, we have plenty room for all passengers.  The upper deck can accommodate up to 12 people.  The captain can steer the boat from the upper deck as well.  A good viewing area to track the whales. 

After about an hour or more drive on the Bay of Fundy, we came upon our first whales. A pair of humpback whales that have been feeding in the area. 

Our first blowhole. When whales dive under water their nasal plug covers their nasal passages to the blowhole, but when they come up for air these muscles contract and allow for the blowhole to open. Some are quite spectacular. 

There is a whale chart on board to help passengers identify different types of whales. 

A humpback whale eats about 1.5 tons of food a day while feeding mainly krill and other small schooling fishes. Everyone is excited to see them.

These humpbacks will travel all the way to Argentina to breed.  They do not eat anything during the breeding season. The blubber they store helps protect them from the cold and provides an enormous, stored energy.  

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We came upon two Baleen whales, a mother and her baby.  When born, the calf is about 23 feet long and weighs 5,000 to 6,000 pounds. 

Our first good view of the whale fin.   We were told that the boat captains take photos of the fin to identify the whales.  Boat Captains carry an identification list, so they identify individual whales. 

Other whale watching companies were also searching for whales as well.  They sometimes shared whale experience but always stay at bay so not to harm the whales. 

 We had a great time seeing the whales. In 2011, we flew our grandkids to Seattle to start a Coast-to-Coast tour with our motorhome. We all went on a whale watching tour, but never got to see a whale.  Disappointing at the time. 

 

 MVI 1948 - YouTube

Here is the best video of our trip.

The seas were very calm, and the weather was fantastic.  We stayed out about 2 hours before returning back to shore.  During our return, we spotted an Ocean Sunfish about 6-7 feet long.  They are the worlds heaviest bony fish. 

We really enjoyed our day hiking and whale watching.  It was an incredible day!