Family workout for first family, then Obamas eye sights in Maine’s Acadia National Park

By Mark S. Smith, AP
Saturday, July 17, 2010

Good time in Maine for Obama, good news on spill

BAR HARBOR, Maine — Good news for President Barack Obama from the Gulf of Mexico and a good time for the first family on vacation in Maine.

The focus for the Obamas — the president, along with first lady Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha — on Saturday was Acadia National Park, a 47,000-acre gem that brackets this upscale summer resort.

From the Gulf Coast came word that BP was encouraged near the end of a two-day trial run of a massive cap on its busted oil well — there were no signs of new leaks and oil was being kept out of the water.

The first family’s Saturday began with a workout at the Bar Harbor Club, a short drive from their hotel.

After the Obamas’ arrival Friday, it was off for a bicycle ride beside a pristine lake and an exhilarating boat ride through a wind-whipped bay.

The biking was along a secluded park bike trail next to Witch Hole Pond, followed by a motorcade up a switchback road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain — elevation 1,530 feet — to take in a breathtaking, sun-drenched view of Frenchman Bay.

After a stop for ice cream in Bar Harbor, the Obamas boarded a National Park Service boat for a tour of the bay — only to have it cut short when clouds and fog rolled in, and rain threatened.

But that just made the first family a little early for dinner at a harborside restaurant. A small crowd gathered along the seafront to watch the Obamas’ boat chug up to the dock — the president seated in the stern, one arm around Malia, the other waving at well-wishers snapping pictures on shore.

Online:

Acadia National Park: www.nps.gov/acad

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