The Maine Attraction!

August 1-14, 2022

Pops about to leave Bar Harbor and head west to Eldridge, Iowa!  June 25. 1992 (not 1993)

I’ve been looking forward to visiting Maine for so very long!  In 1992, my father rode his bicycle home after visiting a navy buddy (Alton) who lived in Millinocket, Maine!  Dad began his journey back to Eldridge, Iowa from Bar Harbor and I had been eager to see where he began his epic adventure!

I'm feeling a bit like a poser!  Oh, wait!  I'm totally posing!

I could only imagine Pops would have dipped his rear wheel in the Atlantic Ocean before heading out.  When exploring around the Bar Harbor Pier area, we found a boat ramp which really was the only accessible spot to the water.  It was fun imagining Pops dipping his tire in the salty water and riding off!

Fifty or more years ago, my parents took my younger sister, Patti, and me on a vacation to Millinocket, Maine. There, we stayed with Alton and his wife Billie along with their daughters, Carla and Wendy.  I’ve been able to stay in contact with Carla and she shared a photo of Mom and Pops as Pops was about to head west.  It was nothing less than amazing when Carla sent me this photo!  I had searched through my photos, asked both of my sisters whether they had Pop’s photos, all to no avail!  I’m telling you, God is so good!  Carla, I can't thank you enough for sending me the photos from all those years ago!  

The photo of Mom and Pops is taken in front of Bee’s, located at 59 Cottage Street in Bar Harbor.  Dick and I rode our own bikes right past there!  The post office from which I mailed postcards to the grandchildren is just a block down the road from this spot.  Across the street from the post office, Dick and I enjoyed a beer at Atlantic Brewing Company.  Dick chose a blueberry beer that was surprisingly refreshing!  Their motto is “Save the Ales”, which can’t help but make you smile!

Bar Harbor is dotted with several small islands, one of which is Bar Island.  I assume it got its name due to the sand bar that is exposed at low tide, linking Bar Harbor to Bar Island.  If you time the tide carefully, you can walk to the island and hike the trails before the tide rises and covers the sandbar again.  

                                              

On the island, we found the ruins of a home that Jack Perkins and his wife lived in from 1984 – 1999.  He was a journalist from Los Angeles and originally intended this to be their summer home, which they named Moosewood.   They soon discovered they liked themselves better when they were at Moosewood and decided to leave all of the hustle and bustle behind and move to Moosewood!  While there, Jack talks of experiencing a spiritual transformation which he writes about in his book, Finding Moosewood, Finding God.  I think I’ve found a new book to put on my reading list!

Sand bar completely open to walk to Bar Island at low tide!

Good time to be back in Bar Harbor!  The tide's coming up!

Oh, if these walls could talk!

View of Bar Harbor from Bar Island

Near Agamont Park is the pier where fishermen bring in their day’s catch.  You don’t have to hang out on the pier for long before you spot a fishing boat pulling up and unloading its catch.  The boat we watched was unloading lobsters directly to a refrigerated truck.  These lobsters would be on customers dinner plates yet that night!  

Agamont Park in Bar Harbor

Lobstermen about to unload their day's catch!

View of the harbor with Bar Island in the background

We enjoyed lunch one afternoon at Getty’s.  Although we didn’t have lobster, we did have a delicious meal!  It’s fun to take in the local scenes.  I had a couple of fun takeaways from this marine-themed restaurant.  The restrooms were identified as Inboard (hers) and Outboard (his) and the sign pointing you to the “Ba” put a smile on my face!  I never did figure out why no one uses their r’s, but if you hang around this area too long, you may be dropping your r’s too!  In fact, by father always called me Ba’b after our visit to Millinocket all those years ago!

Note the sign for the Ba!

There are several cruises of the harbor you can take.  Dick and I chose to go on the Puffin Cruise!  Puffins migrate south for their breeding season.  In fact, their beaks and feet turn to the bright orange during breeding season.  One location they come to is a short boat cruise from Bar Harbor.  Although this is towards the end of their season here, we were able to spot a few puffins still around.  Most of them have already headed back north for the winter!  Crazy birds!  I think they have this whole migration thing backwards!  

On board the Puffin Cruise boat.  It wasn't long before we needed to put on our coats!

On the cruise, there was a naturalist who not only pointed out puffins, but also spotted a mola mola (ocean sunfish), lots of seals and several porpoises!  He also explained the myriad of buoys floating all over the place.  Each lobsterman has his own unique buoy colors and uses the buoys to mark the location of his lobster traps!  The lobsterman’s boat also is identified with his buoy colors so you can ensure the correct lobsterman is emptying the correct trap.  We also learned the lobster trap has two compartments:  the parlor and the kitchen.  It’s estimated that for every 20 lobsters that enter the trap, only one is caught.  Another interesting thing we learned about lobsters is that they shed their shells every year.  

Buoys marking lobster traps

When ordering lobsters, you can often choose if you want a hard-shell or a soft-shell lobster.  The hard-shell lobsters are more expensive, have more meat, may be tougher and are harder to pick (getting the meat out).  The soft-shell lobsters are less expensive, have more water, may be more tender and are easier to pick.  

We don’t eat out very often, but we are sure breaking that habit here in Maine!  We had to watch a YouTube or two, but did manage to pick our first lobster (which was delicious!), enjoyed lobster bisque (also delicious), lobster rolls, and had a couple of lobster salads (picture a Cobb salad with a big scoop of lobster in the center).  All so good!  We also enjoyed a variety of other seafood yummies, such as haddock sandwiches and clam chowder.  Everything is so fresh and delicious!  

Lobster traps and buoys outside of Stewman's Lobster Pound

The view from Stewman's Lobster Pound

When we first arrived in the area, I noticed on Facebook that a couple we met at the campground while visiting Yosemite National Park was also in the area!  Joan and Steve were kind enough to invite us to their campground for dinner one evening where we grilled burgers, caught up with each others' adventures and took in a spectacular sunset!  Joan and Steve live in Tennessee, so who knows, we may see them again in a few months!

Steve grilled up some wicked good burgers!

Good food and great company!

Acadia National Park!  What can I say?!?!  This park is truly a little gem!  Acadia N.P. has quite the shuttle system, making it very easy to leave your car behind and let someone else do the driving!  They can even accommodate bicycles!

About to board the shuttle to ride some of Acadia's Carriage Roads

The one place the shuttles don’t go to in the park is Cadillac Mountain and this is a “must see” site!  Since the shuttles don’t go up the mountain and there is limited parking at the top, you have to go online and get a timed pass.  The most popular time to go is for the sunrise.  From the top of Cadillac Mountain, you can be the first person in the nation to see the sun come up!  By the time we tried to get tickets (several days in advance), all of the sunrise tickets were taken.  We settled for 8:30 am and were not disappointed!  You’ve heard of Mary Kay Cosmetics and its pink Cadillacs.  Well, Cadillac Mountain sure tops that!  This mountain made entirely of pink granite is incredible!  From the top, you get a panoramic view of the area and really understand that Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are on an island -- Mount Desert Island!  It was fun to hike the short trail around the top, taking in all of the views!

View from the top of Cadillac Mountain

The long island to the left is Bar Island

As long as we had the truck, we drove the “loop”, but we could have easily taken the shuttle for this.  Along the loop, we stopped at Seal beach and skipped rocks, took in the spectacular rocky shoreline at Thunder Hole, and several scenic overlooks.          

A schooner heading for Bar Harbor

Skipping rocks at Seal Beach

Near Thunder Hole

We really didn’t need to go to Cadillac Mountain for the sunrise, as our campground (Narrows Too Camping Resort) provided us with impressive sunrises.  All I had to do was manage to get myself out of bed in time.  This far east, the sun comes up pretty darn early -- 5:34 am starts the day here!  

Sunrise at Narrows Too Camping Resort

Our map is getting filled in!

Another unique feature Acadia N.P. offers is the 45 miles of Carriage Roads.  These roads were designed for horses and carriages (no horseless carriages allowed!) with construction beginning in 1913.  John D. Rockefeller Jr. gifted these roads to us and today they continue to be widely used.  While we only saw two horses, we saw many hikers and bicyclists while we peddled our bikes on the pea gravel roads.  We started at the top of Eagle Lake, rode along the west edge of the lake and then followed the carriage road signs to Jordan Pond as a start to our ride.  

Eagle Lake Carriage Road

Horses and bikes but no carriages!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign!

A view of the Bubbles across Jordon Pond

Jordan Pond House Lawn

The CCC was busy here in the park and many beautiful stone bridges adorn the carriage roads.  Our favorite was the Cobblestone Bridge!  It was quite the downhill route to get there, giving us a challenging climb back up.  Totally worth it!  

My favorite bridge in Acadia - the Cobblestone Bridge!

We had a 3:15 pm tea time scheduled at Jordan Pond House where we replenished our energy level with lobster bisque, popovers and blueberry tea.  Popovers have been being served here since 1895!  We chose to enjoy our lunch on the lawn with a view of Jordan Pond; however, it’s bee season and the pollinators were as attracted to the jam as they were the beautiful flower gardens.  Maybe indoors would have been a more relaxing scene for this time of year!

I kept hearing about Acadia’s “Bubbles” and I wasn’t sure what they were talking about.  It turns out the bubbles are nicely rounded peaks with elevation gains of over 800-900 feet.  They give you great views of Jordan Pond and Eagle Lake and mountains within the park.  While we didn’t have time to hike the Bubble Trail, it’s definitely something I’ll do on our next trip here!

Another view of the Bubbles.  Can you find the frog in Jordan Pond?

We did take the shuttle to the visitor center and hiked a bit of one of the carriage roads.  It was while hiking to Witch Hole Pond that we discovered Maine’s wild blueberries!  When setting my backpack aside for a photo, I laid eyes on delightfully ripe, tiny blueberries!  This started a whole thing!  To date, we have enjoyed blueberry lemonade, blueberry tea, blueberry lavender latte, blueberry pie, fresh blueberries on our cereal, a blueberry mojito, blueberry donuts, blueberry muffins … you get the idea!

Tiny but they pack a wicked strong punch of blueberry flavor!

Witch Hole Pond

It was while hiking this carriage road that we met a couple who visit this area each summer.  In talking with them, they recommended we eat at Thurston’s Lobster Pound.  Thurston’s is located in Bernard, on the southern tip on Mount Desert Island.  It was about a 20-minute drive from our campground and we were looking forward to eating at a “true lobster pound” (to quote this couple)!

Dinner is served!

Lobster pounds were a new concept for us.  I’d never heard of them before arriving in Maine, but you certainly see signs advertising them.  Everyone claims to be a lobster pound but many are apparently not TRUE lobster pounds.  Lobster pounds differ from restaurants in several ways.  Often, they are right on the shoreline, giving you beautiful views!  As such, they are conveniently located next to the fishing piers where they can purchase directly from the lobstermen when the boat comes in.  When you arrive at a true lobster pound, you order from the counter (selecting your lobster from the pre-sorted-by-weight, salt water tubs) and then find a table -- often picnic table style -- while your dinner is being prepared.  You get both candy for your eyes and your mouth!

Thurston's Lobster Pound!

The view from our table at Thurston's

Not far from Thurston’s is Bass Harbor Head Light Station (lighthouse)  Unbeknown to us, this is the spot to be for the sunset and we happened to get here about an hour before sunset.  Driving our large pickup can be a bit of a challenge, so we didn’t stick around for long.  The parking situation was alrighty a little dicey!  We still managed to get beautiful photos and make it out of the parking lot without removing any paint from any other vehicle.  I call that a win!

Bass Harbor Head Light Station

Our second stay in Maine was a little south of Bar Harbor in the town of Wells.  We stayed for five nights at Riverside Park Campground.  Although the sites were small and fairly close to neighbors, it provided us with a great location to see this area of Maine!

The highlight of this stop was having dinner with Carla (Pop’s navy buddy’s daughter) and meet her husband, Art!  Carla and Art live in Buxton, Maine and were sweet enough to suggest we meet for dinner at Oarweed Restaurant in Ogunquit.  Although we hadn’t seen each other in 50+ years, it was nonstop conversation and the evening flew by!  Our fathers each had great admiration for each other and I’d say that is true of Carla and me too!  Hopefully, our paths cross again in the near future – possibly this January in Florida!

Sorry, Art!  Order your own!

50 years later ... it was like no time had ever passed!

While we were staying in Vermont, a fellow camper recommended we walk the Marginal Way in Ogunquit.  It so happened that the restaurant we met Carla and Art at is located at one end of the trail.  What are the odds of that?  The Marginal Way was donated to the town of Ogunquit in 1925 by Josiah Chase, Jr.  This mile and a quarter trail follows the rocky coastline from Oarweed Cove to Ogunquit Beach offering scenic views of the Atlantic shoreline.  Strategically placed along the trail are benches from which you can pause and take in the views.  Dick and I went a little early and took the opportunity to walk the trail and check out the town of Ogunquit!  

No words can express this beauty!

Look closely for the sail boat!

While walking the footpath, not only did we find the beauty of the sea, but a plaque with an amazing quote from John Muir. 

 Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

Places to pray in and play in,

Where nature may heal and cheer,

And give strength to the body and soul alike.

Well, that quote pretty well sums up the benefits of strolling this trail!  You certainly don’t need to be a hiker to walk this path.  It’s a paved trail with very little elevation change.  I’d certainly put it on my list of “must dos” for this area.

Another “must do” is Drakes Island Beach.  It was an easy, two-mile walk from our campground to this beach.  The day we went was a hot and humid day.  Sweat was dripping down my forehead and into my eyes, making them burn and sting.  The moment we approached the beach, a cool breeze met us and instantly cooled our sweaty brows!  It must be amazing to own one of the beach front properties and have that cool breeze readily available, at least in August!  I wonder what January feels like?  

I’ve continued to participate with the book club I would meet with in Hastings, Minnesota before we began this adventure. We were reading Bad Girls of the Bible, so I took my book with me to the beach and read the next section in preparation of our upcoming meeting.  The gals gather at Ramona’s home and are kind enough to let me join them virtually!  Our next book is going to be The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I’m really looking forward to it!

Drakes Island Beach and an interesting book ... that's a good day!

We get the most amazing tips from complete strangers along this trip!  While we were enjoying a coffee on a sidewalk café in Saratoga Springs, the couple at the table next to us recommended we go to Portland, Maine, go to the docks and purchase a ferry ticket on the mail run.  Sure enough, this is also a “must do”!  For $17 each, we found ourselves on a three-hour, narrated tour, visiting the islands on the outskirts of Portland!  The ferry delivered all types of goods in addition to the mail to each of the islands while we got a glimpse of what island life must be like.  We saw porpoises, seals, osprey nests in addition to the gorgeous scenery!  

Note the cargo being lifted off the boat

Cruising past a fishing boat

Cliff Island stop where we got coffee and a slice of pizza!

You may have already seen this coming, but on the mail run ferry, we met another complete stranger, Debbie.  Debbie told us an absolute “must do” is the Portland Head Light.  This is not only the oldest lighthouse in Maine, but is the most photographed lighthouse in the US and is the fifth most photographed lighthouse in the world!  Yep, another stranger did not lead us astray!

Debbie also told us where to find the most delicious lobster roll in Portland.  Now, here is a good thing to know!  Dick had tried a lobster roll in Bar Harbor and, honestly, wasn’t crazy about it.  All of the restaurants boast about having the best lobster rolls, but it’s a bit of a roll of the dice if it is going to be any good or not.  I had just avoided them.  Once again, Debbie did not lead us astray!  Ocean House Market is a humble spot, located on the corner of Ocean Street and Sawyer Street in South Portland.  It’s a deli style place, having coolers filled with a selection of beer and other beverages.  In fact, we picked up a half gallon of milk while we were there.  The owners work the deli and made us each a “wicked good” lobster roll (in the New England vernacular)!  I chose the traditional, Maine style of roll (toasted bun filled with chilled lobster bites with a light coating of mayonnaise).  Dick tried the Connecticut style which is pretty much the same only hot butter instead of the mayonnaise.  Although I loved the mayo, I did take a bit of the buttery roll and would say it was good as well! 

Before leaving Portland, we took the advice of Laura (yep, another stranger on the boat) and walked down Portland’s Fisherman Pier, where we found… a fisherman!  He was selling his day’s haul of lobster to the general manager of Luke’s Lobster, located right across the street!  That’s just how fresh the fish is that is served at the restaurants here!

Note the Blue Tuna tails behind the red buoys

Laura also recommended we stop by The Holy Donut, which serves potato-based donuts.  Dick had blueberry while I tried the sweet potato.  Mine was good but Dick’s was out of this world!  

The donuts were heavenly, but I'm not sure I'm an angel!

We also found one of several canals jutting inland from the ocean which allow the fishermen to bring their day’s catch directly to the back door of many restaurants and markets.  I’m going to have a tough time enjoying sea food that’s not directly off the boat after my time in Maine!  I know planes fly fast, but goodness, this is fresh!

A trip to Kennebunkport was another treat!  No stranger told us about this one -- we had to rely on Google!  Five miles from our campground, Google took us to Kennebunk, filled with cute gift shops and lovely restaurants.  Once you cross the bridge in Kennebunk, you enter Kennebunkport.  Two miles from downtown Kennebunkport is Walker’s Point, where we found a spot to park our giant red pick-up and walk the coastline.  We knew the Bush compound was there, but were not sure exactly what house we should be focusing on.  While we were glancing back and forth between the Google map on our phone and the houses around us, a man got out of a black SUV with his black suit and sunglasses on and asked us “Can I help you?”  Yep, pretty sure we found it!  The (we assume) Secret Service guy was very helpful and even told us where to walk to for the best view of George and Laura’s place!  All of the homes in the area were amazing and we were a little surprised that the summer White House for George H. W. Bush didn’t stand out as something more amazing.  The most unique feature about it was the Secret Service vehicle blocking the driveway!  Okay, the fact that it is located on the very point of the peninsula was a pretty cool feature too!  Location, location, location! 

George H. W. Bush Memorial across from his summer White House

We really enjoyed attending Mass at St. Martha’s Church in Kennebunk.  It was a difficult gospel reading (Luke 12:49-53) and I wondered how the priest would tackle it.  He gave a fantastic homily sharing how, while he was praying about writing his homily, he kept hearing “God, disturb me”.  To sum up his message, he shared we sometimes need to be disturbed!  His three examples were when the current politically correct message is not truthful, when we, ourselves, are feeling a little too full of ourselves and when you are feeling the church is without error.  He talked for 20 minutes on this so I’m not doing it justice, but I think it’s enough to remind me of his message!  

Martha, Mary and Jesus

Dick and I enjoyed strolling the streets of Kennebunkport as well as Kennebunk.  It was fun grabbing an iced coffee and popping in and out of the shops lining the streets.  What a fantastic area!  Beautiful beaches, quaint towns, rich in American history, and fantastic weather.  I have to admit, the coastline of Maine stole a little bit of my heart!

Next up:  New Hampshire