Homeward bound

It's our last day. Sad to leave, but it's nice to know this place is within a day's drive from home. We lingered a while in the village of Southwest Harbor, visiting the little library which inside, feels like being in the hold of a ship. We picked up some fresh baked bread for our folks at the Little Notch Bakery.

We took our time driving home, stopping in Camden to get lattes and admire it's pretty little harbor. We tried to get what are reported to be the best lobster rolls on the eastern seaboard in Wiscassettat at Red's Eats. After standing in line for 20 minutes and not moving, we decided to forgo Red's this time. Instead we continued on our way and later stopped at a familiar spot, BG's Boathouse in Newcastle, New Hampshire, a place we often frequented with my parents during our many summer vacations at Rye Beach.

This was a relaxed and laid-back trip - just what we wanted. We know we'll make the trek back to Acadia again because we didn't get nearly enough of it this time around.

All our photos are on Flickr.

Bikes and hikes

Today we rented bikes and toured a couple of the many carriage roads that lace the island. These broken-stone roads were designed and constructed in the early 1900's by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who later bequeathed them to the government with the stipulation that automobiles never be allowed to use them. They are intersected by several lovely stone bridges and cover nearly 50 miles. The Friends of Acadia have done a great job in recent years restoring the paths to their original condition so that now, walkers, bikers and horseback riders can enjoy the pristine forest and lakes without any motorized distractions.

We picked up our bikes in Bar Harbor and got on a neat bicycle shuttle bus that took us to the beginning of the Eagle Lake carriage road. We spent the rest of the morning riding around the lake - almost 6 miles altogether, and then taking another road up to and around the smaller Witch Hole Pond. We passed a picturesque beaver lodge and rode up some pretty long hills where I had to get off and walk, but mr. lo managed to keep going, albeit slowly. It was great fun and wonderful being able to ride so far in the peaceful woods.

After the ride, the shuttle was there to take us back to Bar Harbor where we returned the bikes and had lunch at Stewman's Lobster Pound, right on the harbor where we could watch the boats come and go, and then browsed for a while in some of the shops.


We decided that was enough of "city" life, so we lit out to find a lighthouse (no pun intended [maybe]). The Bass Harbor Light, found at the bottom of a long, steep flight of wooden stairs over outcroppings of pink granite on the water's edge, fit the bill perfectly.







Then it was off to hike the Wonderland Trail which opened up out of thick forest onto a small secluded - and utterly deserted - rocky beach. By now we were both thinking, "We could live here".
More photos are on Flickr.

Driving the Park Loop Road

Today began at Visitors Center at the entrance of Acadia National Park. We watched the introductory film, gathered up a bunch of maps and started our drive over the Loop Road that circles the park.

Our first stop provided the first of what would be a series of spectacular views - this one of Frenchman's Bay. There were two enormous cruise ships in port today - the Explorer of the Seas and the Norwegian Spirit. We could see the little tenders shuttling the passengers into Bar Harbor and back to the ships. We have couldn't asked for more perfect weather. The foliage is just beginning to show some color and the air is crisp and just a little bit cool.

We drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, at 1530 feet the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, where we had more spectacular views of inland lakes, off-shore islands and the brilliant blue sea. It was cold and windy up there, but we walked out as far as we could on the path to take in the panoramic views.

Coming off the mountain, we stopped to hike up to Bubble Rock and then took a break for lunch, tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House.




We strolled through the Wild Gardens of Acadia near the Abbey Museum, which had already closed for the day, before taking a final short hike down the Overlook trail where we shamelessly used our binoculars to spy on someone's luxurious summer home out on Schooner Head.

We stopped to check out Thunder Hole, which was silent today, and to walk on Sand Beach as the sun descended toward the ocean. We have spent this entire day traversing this one 27-mile road, just basking in the fresh air and stunning land- and seascapes.

Once back "home" in Southwest Harbor, we decided to try out Eat a Pita for dinner. This funky place had a great menu and a wonderful Pinot Gris. There'll be no problem falling asleep tonight!

See more photos on Flickr.

Down East

We spent the day meandering up the New Hampshire and Maine coasts via Route 1. After a few stops to admire the scenery, a few wrong turns, and lunch in Yarmouth at the Muddy Rudder (a disappointment since the last time we were there), we have arrived in Southwest Harbor on the "quiet side" of Mt. Desert Island. (Bar Harbor, on the eastern side, is the largest and busiest village on the island.)

Thanks to our handy AAA tour book, we were able to call ahead and find a B&B with a vacancy and are pleased with our accommodations at the Clark Point Inn. Our host Honorio recommended the Dry Dock Cafe for dinner. It was a short walk from the B&B to the village where we relaxed and had a lovely meal. Aside from lobster, blueberries are the most ubiquitous food on the menues around here, so I had to finish off my meal with warm blueberry crisp and ice cream, which I shared with mr. lo, and even then we weren't able to finish it. Tomorrow we'll explore Acadia!

Heading North

After a quiet summer at home, mr.lo and I will be heading north in the Jeep next week to check out Acadia National Park and the surrounding area. Look for photos here after we get back. I'm not sure well be able to find Internet access too readily, so I'm going to take a deep breath and leave my laptop at home (I think). It won't be easy, particularly since, according to the How Addicted to Blogging Are You? quiz:

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How about you??