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

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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