New England Road Trip: The End

After twelve wonderful nights in New England, our last full day was finally here.  I guess all good things must come to an end!

But we still had a full day left to enjoy which started with coffee at Coffee Hound, just a short walk from our hotel.  All the lattes I got in New England were so good!

We had another continental breakfast and then drove to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in Acadia where we boarded the Island Explorer shuttle to Jordan Pond. 

It is very difficult to park at Jordan Pond so using the free shuttle was the move.

Jordan Pond is a pristine lake in Acadia surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery.  It's the starting point for several hikes in Acadia and is also where Jordan Pond House is located, a restaurant famous for tea and popovers.  All of this makes it a very popular tourist destination in Acadia.

Jordan Pond House

The two mountains in the background are called the Bubbles, a famous Acadia landmark.  You can hike the Bubbles from Jordan Pond and Ben and I had planned on doing so.  But it was very windy the last two days of our trip with 30-40mph wind gusts.  So we decided to just hike the 3.5 mile loop around Jordan Pond instead. 

Our first destination was Cobblestone Bridge, which is a popular walk of about a mile from Jordan Pond via the carriage road.  The carriage road system in Acadia is the work of millionaire philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., who wanted to devise a system that could be accessed only by walking or by carriage to give city folk an escape to the natural world.

It was a lovely walk in the park.

The bridge, completed in 1917, is the oldest bridge in Acadia and the only one made completely with cobblestones.

I can't believe I forgot to get a picture of me on the top.

Our walk back to Jordan Pond.

Another pretty bridge in the park.

We had a little time before our reservation at Jordan Pond House so we decided to do a short walk at the Pond.

Then it was time for our reservation at Jordan Pond House.  I had to secure this reservation a month in advance and there is no getting in without one!

Ben and his family ate here last year and weren't that impressed, but it was a must-do for me.  We didn't order a full lunch, only tea and popovers.  

After popovers, it was time for the 3.5 mile loop around Jordan Pond.  I thought this would be an easy walk but it was a little more steep and rocky than I thought.  So it took longer than I expected and of course we also had to stop for pictures along the way, as it was really beautiful.

Ben and his family had a rainy day on their trip to Jordan Pond, so I was glad we had such a sunny (albeit windy) day!

It was really windy!

Hiking selfie

It took us almost an hour to make it halfway around Jordan Pond.

That tiny blob back there is Jordan Pond House.

On our way back, we started encountering quite a few people and we also had to go over a few rock scrambles.  By this time, we were really trying to pick up the pace so we could hit the bathroom and make the next shuttle.

We had a great time hiking at beautiful Jordan Pond!

Back at the hotel, you know what time it is!

Cocktail O'Clock

For our last meal, I chose the restaurant Geddy's, where Ben and his family ate their final dinner last year.  

Ben started with lobster bisque.

For my last seafood feast, I ordered the fish and chips made with haddock and served with homemade tartar sauce.  I don't even normally like tartar sauce, but it was delicious.

Our last blueberry pie.  This was our least favorite but there's really no such thing as bad blueberry pie.

The night before, we missed seeing the Northern Lights. We thought maybe we could catch them so Ben tried but we couldn't really see anything.

Aurora Borealis bust.

Then it was departure day, a day neither of us was looking forward to.  I decided we should have a nice relaxing breakfast at the Reading Room restaurant.

This is our I-can't-believe-we're-about-to-travel-for-the-next-12-hours smile.

Everything was delicious and it was a nice way to end our trip.

I wanted to take one more walk down the shore path.  It was extremely windy and pretty miserable but I managed to get a few last pictures of Bar Harbor.

We sat in the lobby until it was time to leave for the airport.

One last latte for the road.

And then it was time to say goodbye to New England.  

Until we meet again.

Making our way out of Bar Harbor.

The town of Bangor where we were headed.

One last look at Maine.

Back home, Texas greeted us with open arms and 94 degrees. Weeks later, Ben and I are still re-living our wonderful trip and all the memories made.

This trip allowed Ben and I to completely relax for the first time in a long time.  We immersed ourselves in the wonderful scenery and came back refreshed.  I'm so thankful to Ben for being willing to drive another 1,000 miles across the country just so I could see New England in the fall.

"Seasons come and go, but the memories of each season stay with us forever."