Bar Harbor overlook
Picturesque bridge in Acadia
Sand Beach
We managed to take lots of pictures - it was such a beautiful day, but I hate taking pictures with strangers cluttering up the landscape. So, there were many times that I "held my fire" in order to let people walk out of the frame. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on Mount Desert Island, and as we drove up, the light dimmed. We were literally driving into the clouds. When we reached the top, we could see the clouds blowing over and around us, but we could not see the whole island as we would be able to on a clear day. I was both disappointed and intrigued. I tried to take a picture of the mountain-top cloud storm. It probably just looks foggy.
Into the clouds.
On top of Cadillac Mountain.
After the park loop trip, we drove into Bar Harbor. It is very busy, touristy, and still charming. We were hungry so we found a restaurant that give discounts to our motel - it was located on the harbor with a nice view of the boats and the water beyond. They had relatively good prices for a Bar Harbor restaurant and I ordered stuffed lobster (delicious!) while Dennis ordered lobster alfredo pasta. One of the things we really liked about this restaurant was the olive tapenade they brought to the table with the bread - yummy!
When we got up this morning, we drank coffee, ate a bit of breakfast and planned our travels. We decided to see all of the areas of interest on the "quiet" side of the island. I wanted to do a lot more walking today, so I pointed out two places that had walking paths that did not look too long or treacherous for Dennis.
We started by taking the wrong turn and taking a much longer, but very nice, drive along Somes Sound. We easily got back on the right road and found our first stop - a self-guided look at the Carroll Homestead. This looked like it used to be a short hike with a brochure to guide the walker. Now it is in disrepair and the walkers are on their own. We were completely on our own, but I liked the location. It is hard to imagine a family raising 8 children in this house. We forget how luxurious our lives are in the U.S. especially in comparison to the lives of those who settled this country.
Carroll Homestead then
Carroll Homestead now
We then drove out Fernald Point Road thinking there was a small walking trail there. Instead we found a very nice neighborhood where folks probably did not want us tramping around in their yards! Oops! We got back onto the road and drove to the natural seawall. This was a stunning, stoney location. It was a look at how desolate this island must have been when it was first settled. Near the seawall is the aptly named Seawall Campground. Dennis and I drove in and I stopped to tell the ranger that we were not camping we just wanted to look for future reference. The section of campground for tents (and pop-ups) was beautiful. The campsites were large and private. We would love to camp there. The loop devoted to trailers and RVs was a different story all together. The sites were cheek-by-jowl with absolutely no privacy. We saw a couple of examples of RVs whose walls were less than a foot from one another. This is not my idea of camping!
Southwest Harbor
Natural Seawall
We went on to Ship Harbor. This harbor had a walking path out to the harbor that was marked as 1.3 miles. We are pretty sure the distance was wrong. The beginning of the path was fine - flat and easy through the woods. Then we got to a place that was much steeper and rockier. In places I went ahead to see if the path actually did continue since you could not see a path on the rock surface! This walk proved challenging for Dennis and we forgot to take our walking sticks with us - what careless walkers! We did take some nice pictures of the harbor and the rock formations and we definitely got our exercise.
Seemed longer than 1.3 mi!
Ship Harbor from the woods.
Ship Harbor in the sun.
Rocky shore and peaceful sailing ship.
We drove to Bass Harbor next. It looked like there was a small path out to the lighthouse, but when we got there the entrance to the path was closed. It looks like they are renovating the light house. So we took the other path. This led to a set of steps down to rocks. From one large rock, I could see one corner of the light house. I took pictures. Then bunches more people came down and one couple, dressed in brightly colored sweatshirts, climbed up on the rocks near the lighthouse, sat down, and got out food and began to eat. There was no way to get a picture of the lighthouse without them in it! I gave up and we walked back to the car. This walk down and up steep steps was also a workout.
Bass Harbor Lighthouse
We thought we would drive through the town of Bass Harbor to see if there was a place to grab a bite to eat and a beer. We somehow missed the road into Bass Harbor, but we saw another town across the harbor so we continued on the road and went to Bernard. Bernard is tiny and we didn't think we would have any luck until Dennis spotted a restaurant with it's screens down to protect from the rain. He said it was Thurston's. I had been wondering where Thurston's was - I had seen a recommendation for it. It is right down at the harbor in Bernard. We went in and had lobster roll and lobster salad with locally brewed beers. It was sensational. I'm so glad that Dennis' sharp eyes spotted this place.
Pretty Marsh Harbor
Old picnic shelter overlooking Pretty Marsh Harbor.
We drove up the far side of the island and found little stop near Pretty Marsh. It was near, but not on, the water, so I walked down to get a better look. We found the old original picnic shelter and a set of steps down to the edge of the Pretty Marsh Harbor. It was very photogenic. Despite being rained on and getting turned around a few time, we felt very pleased that we had been able to see so much of Acadia in one day.
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