Sand Beach and Thunder Hole
Sand Beach is on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island, about a mile from Thunder Hole. I had a tough time finding it because I got separated from the other vehicles in our group, and I didn't have a map of the island. But we got there eventually.
Sand Beach isn't the biggest beach you'll find in Maine - I'd say it's on the smaller side. But it seems to be a popular spot anyway. It is a pretty spot, with nice views in either direction.
From the Sand Beach parking lot you can also see the mountain shown below. You probably can't tell from the small picture, but there are people up and down the steep rock face. Looks like a fun hike. Maybe I'll do it someday when I don't have a group of teenagers with me.
When we got down to the beach I thought for sure everyone would go in - after all, most of the teens went in the ocean last year when it was cold and raining and drizzly. So, wouldn't you expect them to go in on a bright sunshiny day? Well, most of them just stood on the beach with their toes in the water and said, "I'm not going in there...it's cold!"
So at first no one was in but the leaders, but after a little while some of the teens started getting a little rowdy and throwing each other in, so eventually I think everyone had the opportunity to "enjoy" the brisk, invigorating feel of Atlantic water!
But being in the water didn't hold much appeal in the long term - especially since there were no waves breaking against the shore, so we headed up to the parking lot to eat lunch. Poor Daniel ended up sharing his lunch with a seagull; the bird walked right up to him, grabbed his paper plate in its beak and flipped it over, grabbing a couple mouthfuls of food in the process. I cleaned up the mess, and Glen said, "Aren't you going to just leave it for the seagulls?" I said, "Are you kidding? I'm not going to give that stupid bird the satisfaction!"
After lunch quite a few of the teens played football for awhile. Here's some of our manly boys waiting to play...
The game apparently didn't last long, as they were somewhat cramped for space, and the people lounging on the beach nearby got nervous about being hit with the ball (or a teen!) so they were asked to stop playing.
Meanwhile, I hiked the trail from Sand Beach down to Thunder Hole. If you're really into hiking, this is not a trail that will excite you too much; it pretty much just follows the road, instead of going over the rocks and through the woods. Thunder Hole was at its most boring point in the tide cycle, so it wasn't making any noise - hardly even a gurgle.
For anyone who doesn't know, Thunder Hole makes a thundering noise at certain times of the day, because of a hollowed out undercut in the rock face. Water flows into the crevice, and air gets trapped inside. The water compresses the air, and when it releases, it releases with a boom that sounds remarkably like thunder.
But you have to be there at the right time of day, so try to find out before you plan your trip when is the best time to go there.
After a little more swim time, we packed up and headed for home, stopping at Pizza Hut in Ellsworth for supper. It was a long trip home, and between Bucksport and Belfast we were driving through some pretty heavy fog. But we finally made it home, and I was exhausted, so I only stayed up long enough to do my Quote Puzzler and then went right to bed!
You can read more about our youth group's trip to Acadia National Park by reading the journal entries listed below.
Seawall Campground and the Seawall - Acadia National Park
Bass Harbor, Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia National Park
Posted On Aug 29, 2005 at 7:31 AM
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