Bah hah bah.....otherwise known as Bar Harbor!

Saturday, July 22

We decided a little activity other than hiking was in order for the day, and I was in the mood for some shopping, so we headed to Bar Harbor, also on Mount Desert Island, to enjoy a lovely sunny day exploring there.  Desert is pronounced like dessert here, which is apparently due to the French pronunciation having been changed at some point....just something that occurs to me as I write it for the first time!

At any rate, we found parking, and started walking and hitting the stores.  However, after two or three of the same.....tee shirts and mugs, and various tourist paraphernalia, I started skipping stores!!  Such a disappointment!  Maybe one or two galleries, but mostly just tourist stuff.  But the harbor was beautiful, and we strolled on the green and watched the boats, then pondered lunch.

 I'm not sure what it is about ice cream here, but it is on every corner it seems!

The stores run all the way down to the harbor.

 The square, or green, sits on the harbor, and folks sit on the grass and enjoy the view and sometimes a bag lunch.

 A friendly couple strolling, and more familiar with town, told us about two restaurants where the food was good, and we ended up at our first choice, which was the old Bar Harbor Inn, with outside tables on the water.


We had a lovely leisurely lunch with a great view, and a friendly waiter, and got to witness a wedding being held on the lawn to boot!  There are several large B&B's and the town is quaint and lovely, and we enjoyed sitting a while on the adirondack chairs in the shade of big old trees on the front lawn of the hotel  after lunch.

Our view at lunch!

Bar Harbor Inn

Lovely flower gardens are everywhere!

Clem thought a bloody Mary was just the thing for such a lovely day. 

We sat on the town green and sampled one of the many ice cream stores, then strolled around and saw this old church, containing many stained glass windows,  12 of which are Tiffany! 

We found a  museum of the Wabanaki Indians from the area somewhat informative, and yet disappointing in its lack of material.  It deals with recolonization of the tribes, and the Wabanaki people decide what is presented and how, and  it lacks history and artifacts, and deals more with their life  today.  Not what we expected of a museum. 

A young Wabanki ...is that traditional dress??.....teaching a basket weaving class.  

One of the very lovely new baskets displayed....but no ancient ones to be seen.  

We then headed for the park loop road to see the Egg Rock Lighthouse, not realizing it could only be viewed from high above, because it sat on an island in the middle of the bay!  But it was a fortuitous trip, because we then passed the turnoff to Cadillac Mountain, and decided to go since we were there, instead of  returning the next day as planned.  The highest point on the east coast, it is merely 1500 feet, and we had to admit our skepticism as we ascended the road to the summit, since in Portland we lived 1000 feet up!  Mountains there are snow capped dormant volcanoes that reach 11,000 feet!  This is barely a hill!  But we soon had our doubts squelched as we looked out on the magnificent views that surround!

The day was clear and the view was great, and we could see the places we had been to in the park, and the buildings in Bar Harbor, and as the tide went out, even the sand bar that provides a walking trip to Bar Island from the town.   I regretted that I  only had my cell phone camera, but as I have said before, the best camera is the one you have with you, so I got what I could, and we simply enjoyed.

The islands of Frenchmans Harbor and Scoodic Peninsula as seen from the summit. 

The sand bar leading to Bar Island from Bar Harbor, which can be seen and walked during low tide, and disappears as the tide comes in.   Better time your return trip carefully!

The Bridges and Carriage Roads of Acadia

Another early departure in order to catch up with a Ranger Program to learn about and take us along the Carriage Roads to a couple of the 16 bridges in the park.  Built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr, partly for his own use to get him away from the growing automobile traffic that was beginning to fill the park, they are a wonder of engineering as well as attention to detail and beauty!  What a gift!  He even brought in a landscape architect, and worked in conjunction in parts with Frederick Law Olmsted, of great park building fame, to ensure the beauty along with functionality.

In those days, a master feat of hand labor, supplied apparently by local craftsmen, sometimes working in cooperation with the CCC, they remain....or have been restored to, full functionality for hikers and bikers and horseback riders, but banned from automobile traffic.  As the ranger pointed out, ironic that Rockefeller, who made his money in oil, should have shunned the auto traffic!

Our group was small, and our ranger, like most, was educated and knowledgeable, in addition to being fun and pleasant.  Again, a wonderful service provided by the park system at no charge.  We have attended a couple of the programs over our travels, and we should take advantage of more!  It maybe takes a bit longer, but so full of information, and all our questions answered and the some!

First stop along the trail, Ranger Anne explains about the signs that were installed to guide hikers, and the later numbering system which helped make them more clear.  

The signs were actually constructed by the CCC crews, and though not the originals, are always constructed in the same unusual manner to preserve what was here then. 

Our first glimpse of Hemlock Bridge. 

After seeing it from the Carriage Road, and admiring what is actually cement and steel construction, covered by "ashtars" or veneers of rock, chipped away on the top to look more natural, we descended to one of the trails below in order to see it from below, and admire the attention to detail, where even the underside is covered, and not left bare cement, as it could easily have been.  Rockefeller wanted hikers to have a beautiful view also, and spent a great deal making sure no detail was overlooked, and that the bridges would last.

Perhaps even prettier from this view

A horseman came along to complete our experience!  Horse carriage rides are available, should you wish to get the full experience of what Roosevelt would have experienced, and we may take advantage of that.  

We opted for walking back with the ranger and another couple, rather than taking some of the hiking trails, but I wish we had brought our lunch along and been able to do that.  Clem was not really up for more hiking anyway, and Northeast Harbor was not far, so we decided to check out the town, and then find a historic old inn and have lunch there.  

Our first view of Asticou Inn from the parking lot was these adorable little cottages!  Probably not so historic, but pretty cute, and a great view of the water!

Though we missed the popovers at Jordan Pond House, these were excellent, and not the crowds, and an even better water view!  We enjoyed the great view,  and a lobster inspired lunch, and an occasional breeze, but it was a very warm day!  I asked the waiter what happened.......am I really in Maine??   

 A lovely old inn, one of many it seems, built to cater to the wealthy who vacationed here in the 1800's.  

A view of Somes Harbor along our ride back to camp, the only fjard......that is correct, by the way, not fjord......on the east coast and one of only a few in the country.  Not quite qualifying as a fjord because of the lack of steep vertical sides, it is a glacial slash in the earth which nearly splits the island in half.   Officials opted to change the vowel, which in no way makes it less stunning.

So many options for our days ahead, we may ride to Somes Point and see the harbor from there, then take a ride to the "quiet side" of the park, but we will have to make a list and set priorities! A lot to see and do here!