Acadia's Baker Island

We moved on to Ellsworth, Maine so we could explore Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Our first adventure was a ranger-led trip to Baker Island, which is part of Acadia. We started by boarding the Miss Samantha. (The boat, not the lobster.)

We were treated to some excellent commentary by the ranger on our way out to the island, 9 miles away.

The cruise ship Maasdam was in Bar Harbor that day.

We were looking for seals along the way, but instead got to see an ocean sunfish - a strange looking fish and kind of rare here.

Beautiful views along the way.

When we got to the island, we had to put on our life jackets and transfer to the skiff to get ashore. That's Miss Samantha in the background.

We spent some time in the cemetery while we waited for the skiff to ferry all the passengers ashore. The Gilley family arrived here 200 years ago.

We walked up "Main Street" past the old Gilley homestead.

And on to Baker Light.

The lighthouse was first established in 1828.

We then took a little hike through the woods -

To the Dance Floor rock formation. It looks a little difficult to dance on...

But the scenery was gorgeous.

On our way back to Bar Harbor, we learned a bit about lobsters from the ranger, who had a live one on board.

And we got to see a little more of Acadia, such as Otter Cliff - a great place to do some rock climbing.

And Thunder Hole, which we'll see tomorrow.

And a view of Egg Rock Lighthouse. You can never see too many lighthouses...