Camping Makes People Tolerable.

On our first afternoon in Acadia we decided to hit Sand Beach after setting up camp. Most of Maine's coast is very rocky due to the volcanic action that helped shape Acadia National Park. Due to some reasons that an actual scientist can explain to you, one section of Acadia has developed into a sand beach surrounded by all the granite and forests that the park is known for. City Girl wasn't a huge fan of all the water plants that washed up with the tide and tangled around your ankles, but we had fun playing in the sand and people watching.

Sand Beach, Acadia, Maine

After a couple hours at the beach we thought it'd be a good idea to check out another of the more famous spots in the park: Thunder Hole. This naturally formed inlet is well known for the loud thunderous noise that waves make as they crash into the cavern. Unfortunately, we didn't make it before the tide came in so we didn't get to witness the phenomenon. Still, the jutting rocks surrounding the area made for an excellent adventure off the beaten path.

Hiking along Ocean Trial

The best part about hiking around the park is all of the different hidden views and paths you can find. There are so many beautiful spots on the island that no matter where you go it's definitely worth the trek in the blistering sun. We spent our entire second day exploring the Ocean Trail, Otter Cliffs, and Park Loop Road. After a quick shower (seriously, we only had four minutes and 10 gallons of water to use) and dinner, we headed up to Cadillac Mountain, the parks highest peak at 1,530 feet.

View of Porcupine Islands from the top of Cadillac Mt.

Sunset atop Cadillac Mt, Acadia, Maine

The drive up was actually easier than we expected. Nature Boy spent a few months driving through the Sierra Mountains a few summers ago and compared to that this seemed like a piece of cake. City Girl would get very excited about the stunning views and very scared about the narrow, sparsely barricaded road at the same time. The combination of excitement and terror resulted in Nature Boy having to witness this the entire ride up: 

Our trip isn't even half way over but we have already learned several things after a few short days of camping together:

1. You'd think that going as far north up the East Coast as possible would save you from an insane heat wave... it doesn't. 

2. Sand reaches the same temperature as lava when it's 92 degrees out.

3. Rising tides have a serious negative effect on Nature Boy's ability to show off his limited engineering skills to his beautiful girlfriend. (Seriously every single time I had the perfect little fortress built, a giant wave came and destroyed it. C'mon Mother Nature!)

4. Water in Maine is insanely cold even during freakishly hot weather.

5. Don't steal the abandoned firewood from neighboring sites after the campers have checked out. If they left them it was probably for a good reason, like the wood sucks and will not catch on fire no matter how hard Nature Boy tries.

6. City Girl has an inconvenient and painful talent for hitting her elbows on anything everywhere.

7. Camping makes people far more tolerable then they are in everyday life. They say good morning as you walk to the bathroom, people in cars wave as they drive by, and everyone is interested in where you're going/where you've been. We have met several interesting and friendly people in our travels so far.

Between the sunset atop a mountain, whale tours out on the Atlantic, hikes along the rocky coast, drives through the pine trees, and the best lobster we've ever eaten, we both agreed that Maine was gonna be difficult to beat. But we still have an entire coastline to travel and plenty more to see and learn.

- Nature Boy & City Girl