Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park is immense and we only drove the Loop Road while Doodle slept.

Our first pull-out was at Sandy Beach. Several people were remarking about the different kind of sand found here. When it poured through your fingers it wasn't sticky -- it was pure crushed shells!

Next stop was Thunder Hole -- and a huge tour bus from a cruise ship. We learned from

Captain John that they sell Leaf Peeping Cruises, but actually they need to get the ships far from hurricane country at this time of year. I heard a cruiser speak to her husband, "Well, I don't see anything. It must be down there in those rocks. It doesn't look like it's blowing anyway. C'mon let's get back on the bus." Why do some people even bother traveling?

Thunder Hole isn't a blow hole at all. There's a huge crack in the granite near the water level and when the water crashes into it, it sounds like thunder! During a storm, the water crashes so tremendously that it kind of looks like a blow hole though. Peanut thought it sounded like a big walrus and Little Man and I thought it sounded like a whale.

In any event, this must be the epitome of the scenic rocky Atlantic. The area is incredibly pristine and the sound of water splashing against the granite cliffs is indescribable. The granite itself is gorgeous and sparkly in the sun -- pink, gray and green -- and the roads are actually lined in it. Imagine having beautiful granite curbs?

Grandma's first visit to the Atlantic has been all it should have been!