The treasures of Seal Cove Pond

Sunday August 3, 2013
Acadia National Park

 

 

It’s only 7:20 when I am in my kayak, in the water and taking this photograph of David.  A nice early start and we have the pond to ourselves.  

The reflections are fabulous wherever the fog isn’t.

As we put in we hear what we know is a loon although it isn’t the normal plaintive call.  David looks around toward the sound and sees one flying through the air calling.  I’ve never heard this call before and even so, we both knew it was a loon.   Sure hope we get to see them.

 

 

I turn toward the south end of the pond through these tall grasses.  The fog is at the edge of the pond.  The further out from the edge you go, the clearer it becomes.

 

 

 

 

 

I can see this is going to be a wonderful serene day.  The water droplets are still on the grass stems.  Everything is moist with dew and fog.   The water lilies are open.  The sun is moving up in the sky.

We hear the loon calling from far behind us on the pond.  Are they teasing us???

 

 

 

     

 

 

The stream flowing out of Seal Cove Pond, through Seal Cove and into the Atlantic goes through here. I wonder how far we can follow it?

Pickerel Weed, lily pads and grasses try to hide the entrance to the stream.

 

 

It takes me a while to locate the stream as I spend time admiring the glory of this pond.  The closer I look and the slower I go  the more I am stunned by the beauty here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I start down the stream, grasses and reeds on each side, water lilies increasingly covering from side to side.

 

 

 

 

 

Another type of lily appears, still covered with dew.  It looks like a plant full of sunshine.

 

 

 

Ultimately the waterway disappears and becomes nothing but grasses as it moves off toward the sea.  No choice but to turn around.

 

On my way back out, off to my left I see a beaver lodge.

 

 

As I watch, a bird flies in and lands on the top most stick and begins singing.  I’m not good with bird silhouettes so perhaps Judy can identify him.

 

 

 

 

The pickerel weed and water lilies at the stream head do an excellent job of camouflaging it from the greater part of the pond.   If you weren’t looking for it, you’d never know it is there.

The sky is so blue it appears to be painted with tiny white clouds just above the hills in the distance.

 

 

I continue on around the pond’s edge and through the lily pads.  The reflections are superb today.

 

 

         

 

 

I can see Beech Mountain in the distance.  We hope to climb it on Tuesday.  It will  look very different then.  Today it looks very fine reflected in the water lilied pond.

 

 

The reflections are the hit of the day.  I especially like the huge granite rocks lining the shore.

 

 

The pink is the park’s signature Cadillac Granite.

 

 

 

I glide around a corner and find this little family resting on one of the boulders.

As I watch quietly making no sound or movement with my oars, Mama gets up and  looks around.  Baby flaps his wings.  Mama moves back into the pond, notice her reflection.  As you can tell, I just love the reflections today.
The little ones follow her and the family sails off.

 

 

 

 

David is over along the other shore.  The fog has moved in after him.  Can you even see him there? The way the fog creeps in and moves around reminds me of Carl Sandburg’s poem

FOG

The fog comes
on little cat feet

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

 

 

I paddle on around finding gorgeous scenes everywhere I turn.

The ferns, the flowers, the mosses just make you want to burst into joyous song.   I love being in the natural world more than anything else I ever do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I drift along the shore I hear the unmistakable sound of a stream splashing down and into the pond.   I move closer and closer trying to find it.   And then I see it just to the left and behind the pink granite rock on the shore.   But the bigger sound is coming from beyond the shore deep in the trees.

 

 

 

I find what looks like an opening near by.  I dock my boat and go on foot in search of this laughing water.

 

 

 

Without much trouble I find it splashing merrily along,

 

 

 

tumbling down rocks on its way to the pond

 

 

Back in the kayak, I push off from the shore and turn toward the middle of the pond. At that moment I see them.

 

    

 

I hardly notice at first since I see only one and it has its head down so it takes me a minute to compute that the dark spot is one of the loons we’ve been hearing since we arrived.  Loons have long streamlined bodies and float very low in the water.

 

 

All of a sudden he disappears.  He dives down and is gone.   I sit and watch for him on the water.   He pops up a long way from where he went down.  I paddle out toward him and am able to get a few more pictures before he disappears again.

 

 

 

 

This time when he reappears there are two but they never get close enough together for me to get a closer shot of them.  And then they too dive and disappear.  I decide I’ll give them some peace and go find David to tell him that I’ve seen them.

 

 

 

And then I get mesmerized by the shore reflections again.

 

       

 

David has seen me paddling like crazy toward the loons and has returned from the northern end of the pond to find out what I’m up to.

We have been staying on the south, east and northern ends of the pond.  The entire east side is National Park Land.  The west side is private property.  Here’s what it looks like.  But early in the morning, no one is up and the pond is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

The loons call again and again and eventually David gets to see them.
They are stately somehow.   We are not moving other than floating and watching them when all of a sudden the loon we are watching begins to run across the water to the far side of the pond.  What an amazing sight that is.  He doesn’t fly, he runs.

 

 

 

 

The sun is higher up in the sky, the folks are starting to come out on the water from their homes on the west side.  Other paddlers have come to the pond. One group of three we pass tells me that they have JUST seen a bald eagle circling over the pond.  They are heading north, we south so the eagle was behind us.

We decide it’s time to go.  What a fantastic day we’ve had on Seal Cove Pond.  I’d return here in a heartbeat to spend many other mornings.   I jokingly remark that seeing that bald eagle would have put the icing on the cake.

 

As we are paddling toward the take out this huge water droplet on a lily pad catches my eye.  Nature is just amazing.

 

 

 

I am busy photographing it when David casually says “Here’s your bald eagle”. 

I look where he is pointing and amazingly enough there it is high in a conifer on the  shore.   Do you see him in the picture below.

 

 

Well that’s just incredible is all I have to say.  What a morning!!

 

Just another gorgeous day on an Acadia Pond. 
Life just couldn’t get any better.

      These are my parting shots of Seal Cove Pond what a glorious spot!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are pretty seriously gleeful about our wonderful morning on the pond as we put the kayaks back on the car.  Karen Phillips of Wish Upon an RV Star left me a comment suggesting that when driving through Southwest Harbor we should have stopped at the bakery.   Bakery?  You bet! 

We decide to rectify that this morning. Southwest Harbor is close and we definitely feel like celebrating. 

We are looking for the bakery when we see a parking spot and decide to park and walk.   When I get out of the car I see that we are parked almost directly in front of Little Notch Bakery.

 

 

 

Here’s a better shot in case you are driving through Southwest Harbor looking for it.  Too bad I couldn’t get Ruby, who is one car off to the left, in the picture.

 

 

 

Here’s what’s inside.  Now how do we choose???

 

And fresh home made bread too.

 

 

It’s 11:30  on a Sunday morning and business is good.

 

 

We take a table outside.  David has coffee and a chocolate danish.  I have water and a sticky bun.  Delicious!!

 

 

 

After finishing our impromptu second breakfast we go for a short walk around this little town.  Right next door to the bakery is the library and they are having a used book sale. 

 

 

 

David suggests I might want to pick up a copy of Standing Firm.
HA HA David, some joke.

Dan Quayle.
How in the world did he ever become VP?
Does anyone even remember him?

 

 

We walk by the Quietside Cafe another recommended spot we’ve wanted to visit but not today, we’ve just eaten.

 

 

 

The town has some beautiful houses.

 

And beautiful flowers everywhere.  But flamingos in Maine?  Really??
It must be a local joke.

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

Pretty cute, these two look like they are sitting at the table having drinks.  Someone’s got a great sense of humor.  I think I like this little town.

 

 

Ruby waits patiently until we’ve done the once around the block and then it’s home we go.