Tag Archives: Evening Adventure

Adventure, Troy's Blog

An Evening Adventure Continues…

Bubble Rock in the Dark

The view from this location was spectacular being able to see the remaining remnants of daylight and the glow of several towns off in the distance. Over one of the towns we witnessed fireworks being set off. A great location to see fireworks from above them. Watching fireworks from an airplane is something I would like to do someday. This was as close to that as I can imagine for the time being. Now for the inevitable problem. The trail was extremely difficult to see as there was very little light and trees sheltered the trail from any light at all. We were not carrying flashlights. Our only source of light was a cigarette lighter. As we started the hike back towards the vehicle I wanted to check in with Karen to make sure she was alright and that we were on our way. Wouldn’t you know it, my cell phone battery was dead. Not that I would have had great reception if it did work being that service had been spotty all day as it was. The only option was to get back to were Karen was sitting as fast as possible while traveling in the dark over loose rocks and branches. Seems like a good recipe for disaster.

Our Path Back to the Car

As our eyes adjusted to the limited light conditions you could make out some of the light colored rocks in some areas. At least enough to know where the trail was – thankfully! Did I fail to mention that on our way to Bubble Rock we came across a dad and his two children that had taken a wrong turn and struggling to get back to their car? We could here them off in the distance and eventually met up with them. Once they were pointed in the right direction off they went and we did the same. It was obvious when they found the parking lot as there were loud whoops of joy! That brought a smile to my face as we continued on our hike. I only mention that here because now we were in the position to take a wrong turn and make this an extremely long night. At this point Kristy and Lysa were getting really nervous. I assured them that things would be fine as I have been traveling in the woods in the dark before while getting to my hunting locations. What I did not tell them is I was more familiar with the land when heading to out for hunting. The only familiarity I had here was going up the trail the first time and that was after sunset.

To be Continued….

Adventures, Troy's Blog

An Evening Adventure at Acadia

The Setting Sun in Acadia

After a full day of exploring Acadia National Park, the sun was beginning to wane so off to find a great spot to watch it set. Looking at the photo above I would say we were successful although I’m sure there are a number of great spots to watch both sunrises and sunsets. We pulled over on the side of the road, got the tripod and camera, and found the best spot to view the sun as is slowly merged into the horizon. There were a few other cars that stopped to quickly take a picture and then moved on but for most of the time we were able to enjoy a spectacular sunset on Mount Desert Island, Maine which is were Acadia resides. This was likely going to be our only opportunity for enjoying a sunset as Hurricane Irene was headed our way and the next night would be filled with clouds. Once we were satisfied with the viewing it was time to move on to our evening residence.

Off on Another Trail

Along the way I caught a glimpse of Bubble Rock sitting high above on a ledge of stone. Wanting a longer view of this large rock that appears as though it could tumble over the edge with just the smallest incentive we found a parking lot with a trail to a better viewing area. Earlier in the day this parking lot was full so we continued on planning on returning later. There was about 30 minutes of daylight left and the hiking trail was only 1/4 mile long. Doing the math assuming a walking rate of 2 miles per hour it should take us about 15 minutes to get there, 15 minutes of pictures and enjoying the surrounding and 15 minutes back to the parking lot. I knew it would be getting pretty dark by the time we got back to our vehicle but we should be fine so off on another adventure it was.

An Evening at Bubble Rock

About a third of the way Karen decided she was going to utilize a bench along the trail and would wait for us. I expected that the trail should terminate not to far ahead and we would get a nice look from a viewing point and then return to the car. As we continued on the trail it kept winding back and forth and then began to ascend more than expected. The longer we followed the trail, the darker it got and the more I began to realize this trail led right to the boulder we had seen from a distance below. Well, it shouldn’t be to far now so on we went. Finally we were at the top of the trail and near our objective. It was amazing to me that the National Park Service would allow people to get so close to this rock at the edge of a cliff. Once we finally saw this boulder I understood a little better. There was no way anyone was going to move this rock allowing it to go over the cliff. Once you realize that it has been in this location since the glaciers you can understand how unlikely it is to move.

To be Continued….