Welcome back to another issue. This week I’m taking you to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, where the trail was peaceful, the town was perfect, and the night took a turn I did not see coming.
✦ LIFE — When the day surprises you
I headed to Acadia National Park and started with the easiest trail — the Jordan Pond Path. At just 3.2 miles, it loops around the crystal clear Jordan Pond with the iconic North and South Bubble mountains framing the view. I wasn’t expecting it to be so peaceful, or so quiet. It wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be. The Mount Desert Island views were spectacular and I spent a couple of hours just chilling. The bugs weren’t an issue at all which made the whole experience even more serene.
As the day passed, I headed to Bar Harbor — one of the prettiest towns I have ever been to. A cute downtown, the ocean at a walkable distance, so many boats, and yes, the smell of fish. (I know, I know — but it was worth it.) One of my favorite things about the downtown was how one end of the main street opened into ocean views and the other end into the mountains of Acadia. A perfect mountain town with ocean views. I didn’t know Bar Harbor would take my breath away like that.
Cadillac Mountain, right in the heart of Acadia, is one of the first places in the United States to see the sunrise — between October and March, it’s literally the first spot in the entire country where the sun hits. I was there over Labor Day weekend in September, a month too early to witness it. Honestly though, it didn’t take anything away from the views.
As I walked through the downtown I found cute spots, small antique stores, and a beautiful pottery store I could have spent hours in. Bar Harbor has some incredible oyster bars, and if you’re visiting — do yourself a favor and grab some lobster rolls with local beers. Most local bars and restaurants along the downtown strip carry local brews, and Maine Beer Co. is an absolute must.
It was shaping up to be the perfect travel day. Food, nature, scenic views, great beer, seafood. And then it got even better.
As I walked through downtown, I bumped into a group of friends from my master’s days in New York — traveling together, completely by chance. I invited them over to the Airbnb without a second thought. What followed was a full night — a bonfire, big speakers, fun snacks, drinks, and the kind of conversation that only happens when you haven’t seen people in a while. Everybody had passed out by 5am.
Somehow, I made it through to the sunrise. Because if the sunset on day one was that spectacular, I knew the sunrise would bring something else entirely — quiet, peace, and a sky worth staying up for.
But that’s a story for next week.
✦ GROWTH — Say yes to the detour
The day had a plan. Trail, town, food, back to the Airbnb. And then I ran into some familiar faces and said yes without overthinking it.
That one yes turned a perfect travel day into an unforgettable one.
The detour is almost always the best part. The unplanned conversation, the spontaneous invite, the night that wasn’t on the itinerary. We spend so much time protecting our plans that we forget to leave room for the moment that changes everything.
Say yes to the detour. The plan will survive.
✦ ACTION — Say yes
Think of the last spontaneous invite you talked yourself out of. The one you overthought until it was too late.
The next one comes — say yes before your brain catches up.
Hit reply and tell me what it was. I’d love to hear it.
✦ POSTCARDS — Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor, Maine
Mountains on one end. Ocean on the other. And friends you didn’t expect right in the middle.
📸 More moments like this @nemo.moments on Instagram.
Until next Sunday,
Namita
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