A Trip to Maine: Acadia Under Blue Skies & White Clouds 🌊

My Eastern US trip all started with a post. A few photos of Acadia National Park and a couple of lines describing Maine’s summer were enough to make me decide—I had to go see it for myself. So, I squeezed in the trip during the last few days before my boss left for a vacation, heading north, and once again, I was greeted by unforgettable scenery.😢😢😢 Maine’s summer sun is just as bright as anywhere else, but the temperature never gets too high. Especially when the sea breeze blows, there’s a rare, refreshing coolness that’s hard to find elsewhere. On our first day in Acadia, we stuck to the eastern part of the park—visiting spots, wandering around Bar Harbor, and taking it nice and chill.🤞🤞🤞 Day 2 was all about hiking trails. Acadia’s most challenging trail, the Precipice Trail, was closed because peregrine falcons needed to nest. Instead, we went for Beehive Trail—its “mini version.” The trail isn’t long, but it’s supposedly super tough. Before I even started hiking, I realized just how popular it was: I drove all the way to the trailhead and couldn’t find a single parking spot. In the end, I had to park a mile away and walk back. Let me be clear—this trail is challenging. There are sections where you have to scramble up using both hands and feet, with sheer cliffs right below you. The mental pressure was real! But the view from the top was the best reward. Looking down at the eastern part of the park, every inch of it was breathtaking. After we made it back down, my wife handed me a fridge magnet with a photo of Beehive’s summit, grinning and saying, “This is a reward for the brave.” 🧗♂️ In the afternoon, we hiked Jordan Pond Trail—all about soaking in the scenery. This small lake sits nestled between mountains, its water so clear you can see the bottom. When the sun shines on it, it’s absolutely stunning. They say Jordan Pond is the “heart of Acadia” and Maine’s clearest water source—and I believe it. Everywhere you look, there are signs that say “$500 fine for swimming in the lake.” No wonder the water’s so clean! 💧 The biggest highlight of Day 3 was watching the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain’s summit—after all, it was those sunrise photos that drew me here in the first place. But this spot is extremely popular—so popular, in fact, that you need to (snag) a parking spot online two days in advance, and all spots get taken within 30 seconds. After finally securing one, we had to get up in the middle of the night to drive up the mountain road before the 5 AM sunrise. It felt like a total “special forces” mission! Thankfully, the sunrise didn’t disappoint. The moment the sun fully rose over the horizon, everyone there started clapping and cheering in unison. In that instant, I knew waking up so early was totally worth it. 🌅 I’ve written so much, but I still don’t know if I’ve captured everything worth remembering. But here’s the thing—travel is more about the feeling than the details. Maybe years from now, I’ll forget the small stuff, but I’ll definitely remember these few days in Maine during the summer of 2025. The sunshine, the sea breeze, the forests, the lake, the lobster… and that ocean sunrise that made the line from ancient Chinese poetry pop into my head—“The sun and moon rise from within it; the stars and rivers shine forth from it” (from Cao Cao’s Ode to the Sea). All of these will be beautiful notes in my memories. #AcadiaNationalPark #Maine #BlueSkyWhiteCloudsAndTheSea #EasternUSTravel