Will be camping at Seawall Campground, Acadia National Park, Maine, arriving late afternoon on August 2 and leaving the morning of August 10. Will try to update daily with words and photos.

A few first pictures – last night’s moon and a morning walk at Wonderland. More words coming later. Internet not consistently available at campsite. Posting will not be once a day. Maybe a few times, depending when I’m in service area.

Click on small image for larger pic.

August 2

Left Wheeler Hill about 3:30 AM. Full moon was shining bright, as was Jupiter. Perfect departure setting.

In dark of night (or is it morning) cruising east along I-86. How often I have driven this road to places off to the north and east of the hill. The route out that takes me to other roads that then take me to the Adirondacks, Albany area, Bennington, Portland, Acadia. Too many times to try to count.

Then there were all the years prior to living on Wheeler Hill. How many times leaving from wherever I was living, making my way to Acadia? Starting out on I-90, the New York State Thruway, either with thumb or driving, while I lived in Buffalo and in the hills south of the city. So many goings to Acadia in the more than 52 years since I first showed up here with thumb and backpack.

For a long time, driving to Acadia from Wheeler Hill, I would stay on the expressways all the way to Bangor. I-86, I-88, I-90, I-290, I-495, I-95. It was the fastest way to get there. Never enjoyable, especially through eastern MA. But, in more recent years, I’ve taken a different route, from Albany heading out across Vermont and New Hampshire, mostly off of expressways. Much more enjoyable driving and not all that much longer, only an hour or so. That slight extra time well worth the effort.

Arrived at the campground around 5:00 PM. Set up camp, fixed a little supper then went out to the shore to watch the just-beyond-full moon rise over the Atlantic. Just in time, as the very first orange light started to appear above the dark ocean. As it rose higher in the sky its reflection on the dark water created an orange streak that was spectacular. While gazing at it, a quick flash of a meteor zipped by to the south. A perfect arriving gift, as was the morning moon and Jupiter were a perfect departing gift.

August 3

Out and about about 6:00 AM for a hike on the Woderland trail, just a mile or so down the road from the campground. This trail leads out the the rocky shore that is mostly somewhat large flat slabs of rock. A perfect place to hike easily along the shore and to explore tidepools. I had checked the tide chart before leaving and this morning was to be the lowest low tide of the eight days being here. The trail is level and winds through forest out to a point of land.

Along the first part of the hike a hermit thrush sand out repeatedly as we ambled through the woods. On the forest floor there were a lot of ripe bunchberries. The cluster of small red berries are edible, though quite bland.

After reaching the end of the forest we walked out to explore the rocks and tide pools, which is always fascinating with an abundance of sea life visible. I was pleased to find four live crabs on the rocks above the water. It is easy to discover dead crabs, shells and legs scattered about after having been food for seagulls.

Whenever we camp here we have breakfast at Common Good, in Southwest Harbor, a few miles from the campground and the nearest village. Common Good runs a soup kitchen year round and does a lot of good work for the needy on the island. In summer they serve breakfast of oatmeal and popovers as a fundraiser for the soup kitchen. This is an outdoor setting in the center of town. No set price but a freewill donation is requested. Musicians often perform while breakfast is going on.

Just after walking into the space, Marlene, an older woman who was baking the popovers, came over to us with open arms and a big hug. She said she had just been looking at a book of my poetry and was thinking about me, wondering where I’ve been. The last time we saw her was three years ago! Another wonderful welcoming.

I talked with Marlene a bit and gave her a copy of my newest book, “Becoming Who I Needed to Be”, my poetic memoir. Before leaving, she commented that we must have known each other in a previous lifetime!

So, that’s it for the moment. I will update this page at various times throughout the stay here. Maybe more than once a day, depending on internet access. Please feel free to share the page with anyone you think might be interested.

(Was not able to connect online last night. Not reliable internet service here on the island!)

Later in the day we drove across the backside of the island on a dirt road that goes by one of the places I always try to visit when I’m here – the Kelley Cemetery. I first discovered it a few decades ago. It was just an old, unkempt small cemetery with only a few tombstones. The John W. Kellay lost at sea one, captivated me. I couldn’t let go of that idea of being lost at sea. I wrote the following, which is in my book, “Sea Smoke and Sand Dollars”, a collection of poems from Acadia.

Michael’s Available Books

Sometimes Not Even Ashes

Last two hours of daylight on the last day of Spring, I sat at the shore, alone. Tide approached full as I arrived, receded as I left. Sitting, watching, listening, smelling, feeling. Stillness.

One more turn of seasons. Spring ending, Summer beginning. Longest daylight of the year, then light receding – like tide when I left shore, headed back to camp. Tide, daylight, life.

Now fire crackles in fire pit, wood burns to ash. In the week we have been camped here we have burned through a few armloads of wood. All that remains is ash in the pit – and memories.

On Seal Cove Road, a few miles from here, there is an old cemetery. On one gravestone is the following inscription:

In memory of

Captain John W. Kellay

Lost at Sea

Dec. 17, 1874

AE 34 yrs. 4 mo. + 10 days

Sometimes not even ashes.

Stillness. We all move toward it. No escape. Memories remain with others, for awhile, then . . .

Light at a maximum now. Another Summer beginning. Was it a half year ago the Winter solstice, the depth of night? This my fifty-second Summer solstice. How many have I been aware of? How many more the possibility of being aware of?

Some get lost at sea, others just lost, though remaining in plain view. Not all deaths have to do with dying.

Visible from where I sat at shore were two high points of rock just holding their own against high tide, part of Long Ledge. Yesterday we hiked out the length of the ledge, across those two points, at low tide. At the far end of the ledge, on the rocks most remote from shore, a few dozen seals, old and young, resting. We came fairly close, a few hundred feet or so, then they slid off rocks into safer water. An exciting experience beyond space where most people venture. Still, if not careful, incoming tide could have stranded us on distant rocks, left us marooned as waters rose, covered ground we had walked out on – a possible tragedy. We knew better, watched time, knew tide.

We don’t always know better.

Fire has now burned down to embers, ash, a tiny bit of remaining wood still flaming.

Also interesting was the name change along the way, changing Kellay to Kelley. When and why? Also, nice to see how it has been “refurbished” even though there are only a few remaining stones.

Rain forecast for tomorrow, so have plans for visiting with friends. The people side of my triangle being focused on.

August 4

At camp, talked with April and Auste, two young women in a group of six. I noticed a Geneseo sweatshirt so walked over to enquire. They all went to Geneseo and now, the two of them, live in Brooklyn. Auste is Lithuanian. They’ll be camped here till Monday. I recited my two usual poems to them and mentioned Anemone Cave and Big Heath. I’ll drop off a contact card for them and hopefully get to talk a little more.

While eating breakfast at Common Good heavy rain started to fall, just like predicted. A good day for visiting friends.

Siggi lives in Ellsworth, on the mainland about 20 miles from Southwest Harbor. She’s someone we met in person a couple of years ago and one of the regular attendees on my weekly Tuesday ZOOM programs I’ve been hosting since the pandemic began. We picked her up and went to lunch at Helen’s, a local fixture in Ellsworth since 1950. We waited about 15 minutes to get seated as the rain sent a lot of people into the towns for the day.

Siggi is one of those wonderful characters who is a pleasure to spend time with. She has fascinating stories to share and a good sense of humor. One of her favorite sayings is, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!” The time together passed by quickly. A pleasurable lunch with enjoyable conversation and a delicious bowl of haddock chowder.

When we dropped Siggi off back home we met her friend, Carla, who works with, and promotes, the need of elderly and handicapped people to have clean underwear! It’s something we don’t think about. She does laundry for folks who find it to be a difficult chore to do themselves.

As she talked about this I asked her if she reads poetry, and she said she does. I asked if she knew of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. She did. I then asked if she knew his poem, “Underwear”. She didn’t, but immediately looked it up on her phone. I asked if she would like me to read it. So, there we stood on the sidewalk in Ellsworth, ME with me reading the long poem of his, with them laughing almost constantly. The poem struck a cord for Carla and the work that she is doing.

We spent the evening with a couple of old friends who live by Raccoon Cove, Diana and Terry. I first met Diana when we both worked for the Acadia Corporation, the concessionaire for Acadia National Park, in 1980. We have been friends ever since. She is an artist and Terry, her partner, has worked in various positions over the years, all outdoors and on the sea. We had dinner at their house and caught up our lives since last seeing each other two years ago. They had just recently returned from a trip to Japan, so had a lot of stories to tell.

We drove back to camp in the dark, rainy night, hoping the tent held up to the rain squalls that had just passed through. It did, with only a little wetness inside.

August 5

Lightning and heavy rain fell for the early part of the night. The tent held up well once again.

Oatmeal and popovers again at Common Ground. After another welcoming hug, Marlene said she started reading my memoir and said she was really enjoying it. Then she asked me about Margaret, who appears often in the book, especially early on? I explained who she was and that she’s still a part of my life. Marlene was pleased to hear that.

Common Good does wonderful, needful work on the island. She told me that it is harder than ever for residents on the island. Hourly wage has gone up for workers, but other expenses have gone up even higher, so people just scraping by have it even harder than before. Here’s a link to their webpage: https://commongoodsoupkitchen.com/ I highly recommend throwing a little support their way if you can.

A little possibility of a shower this morning, but then dry and forecast to be dry for through Monday, so a lot of outdoor time ahead. Stay tuned for a lot of photos up ahead!

Stopped at the Carroll Homestead, a farm that was run by four generations of the Carroll family, from 1825 to 1917. It is now part of the park and today they had park interpreters there to share information and activities. There were old games to play, such as Graces, with hoops and sticks, a throw and catch game. The old house was open to tour and there were other informative displays including the old outhouse.

As we were starting to head out I stopped at a last table and began talking with the young woman sitting there, a park employee. I mentioned being from upstate NY and she said she went to school in Syracuse. I immediately asked, “ESF.” Yes, she replied. She graduated the same year as Chapin and said she recognized him but didn’t really know him. We continued talking and Julia shared some of her plans for future work and a serendipitous story about her experience hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail. Before leaving I shared my Chickadee poem with her. A pleasant, not expected exchange/connection.

Had our one-time-in-each-trip-here visit to a lobster pound for a meal. Thurston’s, which we have been to many times. A treat that we indulge ourselves with when here. I had mussels and lobsters and it was definitely a treat.

While out and about I took pictures of some of the wildflowers I’ve been seeing. Nothing unusual, but always pleasant to make note of.

Now, late in the day, hanging at camp, relaxing, sipping tea and deciding whether or not to have a campfire or just turn in early and save a fire for tomorrow. Ah, the tough decisions that need to be made.

Clkick on images for larger photo.

August 6 

Up early for a walk along the shore from the Seawall picnic area out toward Wonderland. The shore is along a little cove with a natural stone seawall along part of it. Just as we started walking a spotted a mature Bald Eagle on the far side of the cove. It landed in a tree next to another one then a minute or two later flew off.

A short time later, I noticed a commotion on the water in a cove and saw two seals surfacing and diving. There was a school of mackerel running and the seals were feeding on them! A couple of cormorants were nearby, too. We watched for maybe five minutes or so before moving on.

As we got to the far side of the cove we heard an eagle call out nearby but couldn’t see it, though the screech seemed quite close. Eventually we saw it in the top of a tree. Saw most of it anyway. Its head was hidden in the branches. I was able to get a few pictures on its body. It was facing me, but its head wasn’t visible. Then it turned around on the branch just before flying off. See the series of pictures below.

On the way back an Osprey flew by. I was able to get a fair picture of it as it passed.

Eagles, seals, Osprey. A rewarding early morning outing. And just before getting back to the car, a deer was lying in the woods not more than 10 feet from the trail. It just looked at me, let me take a few pictures and then I continued on to the car.

The deer here are almost tame and a real problem. A drive from the campground never is without seeing deer, some just walking lazily on the road. Bucks with big antlers, does and fawns. They are a nuisance and a problem. At times it almost seems like this is a petting zoo for deer.

After the hike we again went again to Common Good for breakfast. This morning the Common Good Band was performing. I counted 19 musicians playing a wide range of instruments! They truly enjoy performing and all of the money that gets donated to them goes to Common Good. They also perform in other places on the island and cupan taethose performances are to raise money for Common Good. Over 140 families are helped through the year, especially off-season, with the food bank and other services CG supplies.

Marlene had a gift for me, a mug with the Irish words “Is maith liom cupán tae” inscribed on it. It translates to I like a cup of tea. A wonderful gesture on her part.

Later we went for a couple of short hikes in the woods in the interior of this side of the island. This western side of the island is known as the “quiet side”. The east side is where Cadillac Mountain, Ocean Drive, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach and most of the main “attractions” of the park are located. The west side is less dramatic, thus not as visited. The hikes on this side can be done with seeing very few other people. We saw two hikers when we hiked the Great Notch and Sluiceway trails and the hour and a half hiking along the shore in early morning was devoid of anyone else.

Tomorrow we’ll head over to the busy side, but we’ll do so first thing in the morning, around 6 AM or so, just to beat the crowds.

Click on small images for larger pic.

August 7

We left camp about 6 AM, and between there and the nearest village, Southwest Harbor, a little less that four miles away, we counted 22 deer! Not in any one large grouping, but solitary to maybe three at a time. Many of them were right alongside of the road or even walking across the road. SLOW is the operative word for how to drive here.

We wanted to get out on the Park Loop Road and Ocean Drive as soon as possible, before it got too crowded with cars and people.

The pictures below were from the morning outing.

Click on small image for larger photo.

After the morning exploring the park area we went over to hike up Asticou Terrace to Thuya Lodge and Gardens. The Terrace and Lodge were built by Joseph H. Curtis in the nineteen teens and twenties. I have often walked up the terrace steps and path to visit the lodge and gardens. Peaceful, quiet contentment.

See pics.

August 8

Today was forecast to be very rainy starting mid to late morn. There was fog hanging in the air so we decided to head back to Ocean Drive to take in the views. It was quite a change from the previous day. I always want to experience one foggy day while at Acadia. This was it. The pictures tell the story, especially if you compare some of them to the previous day’s pics.

At Sand Beach we came upon a wedding in progress! This was about 6:15 in the morning. Not a sight we expected to see.

There was also a man and woman walking up from the beach carrying fishing poles and bucket. I asked if they had caught anything and the woman said they didn’t. This led into a 15 minute or so conversation with Victoria and Mikhail. They live in Ottawa, Ontario but are originally from Belarus. Victoria’s English was quite good, Mikhail, not so. Victoria was well spoken and knowledgeable. We talked a little bout Russian literature. Tolstoy novels were “too big’ but he was a “giant.” Her favorite author is Gogol. She wrote poetry when she was younger and actually had a few pieces published in magazines. I recited my short poem, “A Short Winter Hike” and she immediately responded with a short breath out. Then she translated the poem for Mikhail. Upon leaving I gave them a copy of my memoir and we took pictures of each other. They were genuinely excited about the encounter, as were we, and Victoria said they don’t get to have this kind of a conversation often.

So now, mid-afternoon, rain is falling, and I’m at the Southwest Harbor Library finishing this up and then getting ready for my ZOOM program this evening, which I’ll probably have to broadcast from the car in Southwest Harbor, as it sounds like the rain will continue until tomorrow morning. Internet and phone connection is spotty here, so I’ll connect with either the library or The Harbor House internet.

Tomorrow the final full day here. Forecast to be clear after a possible morning shower.