May 19, 2026 – Wild Gardens and Trail Hiking

We decided to drive to a spot where we saw many cars parked on Monday, Sierra du Monts Nature Center. We knew the center was closed, but several hiking trails originated from this spot.

The garden area was beautiful and showcased many of the plants one encounters in Acadia.

Once through the gardens we could choose from any number of paths. We met some men who were just descending from the Mount Kebo Trail. They said, “You’ll be fine going up with your walking sticks. It’s not like you’re going to be crawling up.” 🤔 Hmm, that man was probably 6’2” with knees a foot higher than mine, and some of those rocks were pretty big.

Lucky for me I had my Sherpa with me to give my butt a little boost when the rear end was sagging. The rocks we had to climb in the beginning were a little challenging, but turning around and descending those rocks would’ve been worse.

At some point we must’ve veered off the Kebo Brook Trail, which had a 138.4 ft elevation gain, and ended up on the Kebo Mountain Trail, which was considerably more of an elevation gain.

I was completely overdressed for our hike and took a shower as soon as we got back to the parking lot! (The benefit of traveling with your bathroom.)

After the hike we headed off to see the lighthouse in Bass Harbor, but unfortunately the area did not accommodate RVs so we had to find something else to do.

We decided to get some lunch in Southwest Harbor at Peter Trout’s Tavern and Inn.

Ok, so maybe it was dinner also.

My attempt at a harbor view. Gouache #4. Not too found of this. The foreground is supposed to be a group of rocks. That didn’t come off right. I can’t help but see the crocodile I painted in Watercolor class several years ago.

Today we’re off on bikes to Thunder Hole.