Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine, August 14-18, 2022 阿卡迪亚国家公园，缅因州巴尔港，2022 年 8 月 14 日至 18 日

Howdy summer. Tired of the lack of fresh air in the big city and the depression of the pandemic, last week we joined in the ACAP 2022 summer trip to revisit Bar Harbor, Maine. Fourteen years have gone by since the last visit, and the world has undergone tremendous changes, from globalization to de-globalization, from economic prosperity to the shadow of financial crisis and depression, from the Middle East war to Russia-Ukraine fighting, from Sino-US cooperation to conflict, and the most seriously the Covid-19 epidemic to restriction of our life in many aspects. However, despite the ever-changing world, only one thing remains eternal: the beauty and peace of nature. We can’t change the world, but we can always enjoy life.

你好夏天。 厌倦了缺乏新鲜空气的大城市和疫情后的萧条，上周我们参加了 ACAP 2022 夏季之旅，重访缅因州巴尔港。 离上一次的造访十四年过去了， 世界发生了翻天覆地的变化，从全球化到逆全球化，从经济繁荣到金融危机和萧条的阴影，从中东战争到俄乌冲突，从中国 -美国合作到对抗，最严重的是Covid-19流行病在许多方面限制了我们的生活。 然而，尽管世界千变万化，但只有一件事是永恒的：自然的美丽与和平。 我们无法改变世界，但我们总是可以享受生活。

Acadia National Park is the name card of Bar harbor, and a must-see when visiting Maine. It is located on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, encompassing a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area, attracting 4 million visits every year. The park has remarkable landscapes includes woodlands, lakes or ponds, rocky beaches, and volcano-originated and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast. Within and alongside of the park, there are an abundance of habitats for wild life. Visitors can enjoy many activities, but my favorites are hiking along the mountains and beaches, and watching native wild life.

The day before we arrived at Bar Harbor, we booked 6:00am entry pass, the earliest entry ticket to Cadillac mountain, in order to watch the sunrise next day, but it turned out to be a beautiful mistake. When we drove to the peak of the mountain as scheduled, the Sun was already hanging in the sky. I later googled for the sunrising time, and found out it is between at 5:00 to 5:30AM in August. Although it was a bit disappointed, we were happy to see very few tourists around, so we could have unobstructed 360-degree views of the landmarks, sea, beaches, the porcupine islands, ponds or lakes from the top of the mountain. The peak of the mountain is actually only 1530 feet or 466m high, but I felt like on the top of the world. I couldn’t help muttering ” Standing on the peak of the mountain”, but just in one second, I realized I would never hear “All mountains under my feet” loudly from surroundings as response, as I did when I was in Taishan 40 years ago. Folk, I said to myself, I am in America now.

阿卡迪亚国家公园是巴尔港的名片，也是游览缅因州必去的地方。 它位于缅因州的沙漠山岛上，包括一个 47,000 英亩的大西洋海岸休闲区，每年吸引 400 万人次访问。 公园拥有非凡的景观，包括林地、湖泊或池塘、岩石海滩以及火山起源和冰川冲刷的花岗岩山峰，比如美国东海岸的最高点凯迪拉克山。公园内和公园周边有着丰富的野生动物栖息地。 游客可以享受许多活动，但我最喜欢的是沿着山和海滩徒步旅行，观看当地的野生动物。

到达巴尔港的前一天，为了看第二天的日出，我们订了早上六点进凯迪拉克山门票， 但结果这是个美丽的错误。 当我们如期开车到山顶时，太阳已经挂在半空了。 后来我上网搜索发现在8月份这里的太阳通常在凌晨 5:00 到 5:30 之间就已经升起。 虽然有点失望，但我们很高兴看到周围很少的游客，这样我们就可以从山顶360度无阻碍地观看地标、大海、沙滩、豪猪群岛和池塘或湖泊。其实山峰只有 1530 英尺或 466m 高，但我感觉就像在世界之巅。 我忍不住嘟囔一句“会当凌绝顶“，但顷刻间，我意识到我再也不会像40年前在泰山顶上那样听到周围响亮的”一览众山小”作为回应。伙计，我对自己说，我现在在美国。

Back down from the Cadillac mountain, we drove slowly along the park loop road, passed the eagle lake, Bubble rocks, and finally stopped at Jordan Pond. The name of pond and Jordan Pond House are named after the farmhouse that was built by the Jordan family. The pond occupies 187 acres, has a maximum depth of 150 feet, and is surrounded by 3.6miles of shoreline. Both Jordan Pond and the Bubbles were a result of glaciation. During the last glacial period, melting glaciers left behind a moraine that blocked the water and formed Jordan Pond.

The Jordan Pond House is the best place to overlook the magnificent Jordan pond and the North and South Bubbles in the distance. It is the only service restaurant within the park.

As I sat on the deck of Jordan pond house, watching the glacial passage leading to the pond, I seemed to have a sense of déjà vu. The pristine water and the breathtaking scenes reminded me that I was here before. After I got home, I dug out the photos from14 years go, and yes, it is the exact same location where we had lunch and enjoyment during the last visit. I posted two photos took 14 years ago at the end pf this section for comparison.

从凯迪拉克山顶下来，我们沿着公园环路缓慢行驶，经过鹰湖，泡泡岩，最后在乔丹池塘停下。 这个池塘和乔丹池塘屋的名字源自于乔丹家族在此建造的农舍。 池塘占地 187 英亩，最大深度为 150 英尺，周围环绕着 3.6 英里的海岸线。 在乔丹池塘和泡泡岩都是冰川作用的结果。 在最后一个冰河时期，融化的冰川留下了一个冰碛， 阻塞水流，形成了乔丹池塘。

乔丹池塘屋是俯瞰壮丽的约旦池塘和远处南北泡泡的最佳地点。它是园区内唯一的服务公众的餐厅。

当我坐在乔丹池塘屋的甲板上，看着通往池塘的冰川通道时，我似乎有种似曾相识的感觉。纯净的水和令人叹为观止的景色让我想起了我以前来过这里。 回到家后，我翻出了14年前的照片，没错，这里就是上次我们吃中饭和享受的地方。 我在本节末尾张贴了两张14年前的照片以供比较。

Due to time constrainst, we had to stop at other attractions in Acadia national park and surroundings randomly. Following are the photos taken from Seal harbor beach, Schooner head overlook, Oak hill cliff, views of the Porcupine islands on cruise, Sand beach at night (too many people during daytime, and we couldn’t find park spot), and Thunder hole at rainy day (hoping we could hear louder sound) . Of course, we must have missed many other interesting sights.

由于时间紧张，我们只好在其它阿卡迪亚国家公园及周边景点随意停留。以下是海豹港海滩、大篷车头观景台、橡树山崖、穿越豪猪群岛的船、晚上的沙滩（白天找不到停车位）和在下雨天的雷洞（我们希望在雨天能听到更大的声音）的照片。当然，我们一定错过了许多其他有意思的景点。

Acadia is home to wild animals, fishes, birds and sea animals. We would love to see all these animals, but we had to be selective due to time constraints. We decide to take tour to watch seals and birds first, and then do whale watching next day.

On an early sunny morning, we drove to Northeast Harbor for a seal and wild life tour by Sea Princess. The touring seems like family-run business, and the tour guy has a rich knowledge of wildlife and a good understanding of the history of Arcadia. He led us to see the seals playing in the water and basking on the ledges of East Bunker, and various seabirds perching on the rocks and flying over the sea. We were lucky enough to see an osprey standing on its nest in an island. The boat passed the Somes Sound fjord where majestic mountains with vertical cliffs rise directly out of the sea. During the cruise, we also saw Bear Island Lighthouse, luxurious private residences on the islands, and stunning views of Mount Desert Island and Northeast Harbor.

阿卡迪亚是野生动物、鱼类、鸟类和海洋动物的家园。我们当然希望能看到所有这些动物，但由于时间有限，我们必须有所选择。 我们决定先参观海豹和鸟类，然后在下一天去看鲸鱼。

在一个阳光明媚的清晨，我们驱车前往东北港，乘坐海公主号船进行海豹和野生动物之旅。这个旅游看起来像是家族经营的生意，旅游小哥有着非常丰富的野生动物知识，对阿卡迪亚历史的非常了解。他带领我们看到了海豹在东碉堡的岩架上嬉戏晒太阳，各种海鸟栖息在岩石上和在大海上空飞舞。我们很幸运地看到一只鱼鹰站在岛上的巢穴上。船经过 Somes Sound 峡湾，见到了那里雄伟的山脉和垂直的悬崖直接从海中升起。航行中，我们还看到了熊岛灯塔，岛上豪华的私人住宅，以及沙漠岛和东北港的壮丽景色。

There are about 80 lighthouses in Maine, but only Baker Island Head Light Station, Bass Harbor Head Light Station, and Bear Island Head Light Station, are parts of Acadia National Park. Those three lighthouses currently managed by Acadia, while the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light itself as an aid-to-navigation. These three light stations tell the connection of Acadia to the nautical history of the area.

We did not have time to take specific lighthouse cruise, but on the lobster catching and seal & wild life tours , we had witnessed the magnificence of the Bear Island light house and Egg Rock light. On the last day of our trip, our whale watching tour was cancelled due to heavy rain, so we decided to visit the Bass Harbor Headlight Station instead. We drove to a small town, Tremont, on the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island, where Bass Harbor Headlight Station is located. After visit, we tasted boiled lobster at a local fisherman’s market. This time we did not get an opportunity to see Baker Island Head Light Station.

缅因州有许多灯塔，但只有贝克岛头灯站、巴斯港头灯站和熊岛头灯塔是阿卡迪亚国家公园的一部分。 这三座灯塔目前由阿卡迪亚管理，而美国海岸警卫队则将灯塔本身作为导航辅助。 这三个灯塔诉说着阿卡迪亚与该地区航海历史的联系。

我们没有时间专门乘坐灯塔游览船，但在捕龙虾和野生动物观光游中，我们见证了熊岛头灯塔和蛋岩灯塔的辉煌。在我们旅行的最后一天，由于大雨，我们的赏鲸之旅被取消，所以我们决定改为参观巴斯港头灯站。 我们驱车前往巴斯港头灯站所在地沙漠岛西南角的特里蒙特小镇。参观完灯站后， 我们在一家当地渔家小店品尝了水煮龙虾。这次我们没有机会看到贝克岛头灯站。

Bear Island Lighthouse is located at the southern entrance to Somes Sound. The original light station was established in 1839. The current 31 foot high lighthouse was constructed of brick in 1889.

熊岛灯塔位于萨姆斯通道的南入口。 最初的灯塔建于 1839 年。目前 31 英尺高的灯塔于 1889 年用砖砌成。

Egg Rock Light is in Winter Harbor, but its position is actually closer to Bar Harbor. This is why we could see it during our wild life tour. It is built on 12.5 acre Egg Rock in 1875. This lighthouse has an unique architectural design with a square tower projecting through the square keeper’s house. It stands as a sentinel navigators at the southern entrance to Frenchman Bay.

蛋岩灯塔位于冬季港，但它的位置实际上更靠近巴尔港。 这就是为什么我们可以在野生动物之旅中看到它。 它于 1875 年建在12.5 英亩的 蛋岩上， 具独特的建筑风格上，即它的方形塔楼是从方形灯塔看守人的房子里伸出来的。灯塔作为法国湾南入口处的前岸导航员耸立于此。

Bass Harbor Head Light Station is located in Tremont, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay on the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island. It was constructed in 1858 from funds appropriated by Congress. It appeared on the America the Beautiful quarter in 2012, the NPS centennial postage stamp in 2016, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Aside from the lighthouse, I noticed that on the rock there is bell hanged from the ladder-like structure near seashore. It makes a high-pitched sound when waves, wind, rain and even birds hit it. I was told that the device is another way of warning that the boat is too close to shore or underwater rocks.

巴斯港头灯站位于缅因州特里蒙特，是沙漠山岛西南角的巴斯港和蓝山湾的入口处的标志。 它于 1858 年由国会拨款建造。2012 年《美丽的美国》季刊介绍过它，2016 年美国邮政用作世纪纪念邮票，1988被列入美国国家历史名胜名录。

除了灯塔，我注意到靠近海边的礁石梯状结构上挂着铃铛。 当海浪、风、雨甚至鸟类撞击它时，它会发出高音。 有人告诉我，这个装置是警告船离海岸或水下岩石太近的另一种方式。

Once a small town 14 years ago, Bar Harbor now becomes fairly large tourist attraction. The port has been completely developed and commercialized, and prior accessible beach for people wondering has been covered by a lobster restaurant. All the changes may stand for improvement of infrastructure and high quality of life, but when I quickly recalled the scenes from 14 years ago, I felt nostalgic. Fortunately, the beautiful landscape and culture in this area have changed very little. After all, we come here for enjoying timeless natural beauty, culture, fresh air, and of course, lobster.

Speaking of lobsters, we have lobsters as our dinners and lunches almost every day. We tasted New England Lobster Dish in Paddy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant at West Street, American styled-lobster dinner at Route 66 Restaurant (everything just like 14 years ago, still young lady waitress), Lazy Lobster meal in the Northeast Harbor lobster market, and freshly boiled live lobster in Dockside restaurant at Tremont. The most enjoyable lobster dinner was at Beal’s Lobster Pier in South East Harbor, where all our ACAP team members got together on the last night of the trip despite the heavy rain, having fun and eating seafood. My lobster was almost 3 lbs and I felt the life was really good at the end.

14 年前曾经是一个小镇，巴尔港现在变成了相当大的旅游景点。 只是港口已经完全开发和商业化， 以前可供人们闲逛海滩已被一家龙虾餐厅覆盖。 所有的变化可能代表着基础设施的改善和生活质量的提高，但当我快速回忆起14年前的景像，我却有怀旧的感觉。 好在这个地区的美丽景观和文化改变很少。 毕竟，我们来这里是为了享受永恒的自然美景、文化、新鲜空气，当然还有龙虾。

说到龙虾，我们几乎每天都有龙虾作为我们的晚餐和午餐。 我们品尝过的龙虾餐有在西街的 Paddy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant的新英格兰龙虾菜，在 Route 66 餐厅美式龙虾晚餐（一切都像 14 年前，仍然是年轻的女服务员），在东北港龙虾市场的懒惰龙虾餐， Tremont 的 Dockside 餐厅新鲜烹制的活龙虾。最令人愉快的龙虾晚餐是在东南港的比尔龙虾码头，我们所有的团队成员在旅行的最后一天晚上冒着大雨聚在一起，开心·吃海鲜。我的龙虾差不多有 3 磅重，吃完以后我觉得生活真的很美好。