Maine Meanderings

You can see forever from the top of Cadillac Mountain!
I call this our "Lewis and Clark" photo! 

As most of those close to me know, I have a tight circle of friends, some of whom I travel with annually. My squad of four awesome ladies has traveled together to Paris and California wine country in recent years. For this year's adventure, we picked a new destination for all of us - Maine. We'd heard great things about Acadia National Park, and we decided to see what all the fuss was about. 

Now, a few things to note, right up front:

1.) We typically travel to a destination on the shoulder season. This gets us the best chance of decent weather, fewer crowds, and better prices on airfare and accommodations. This approach has served us really well in the past.

Paul Bunyan is a close personal friend. 

2.) For Acadia National Park, the "season" really begins on Memorial Day weekend, so we were trying to get in and out of the area before then. (We've also noticed that there tend to be Covid spikes right after big holidays where many people have time off to travel. So, another reason to get in and out before Memorial Day weekend.) 

What we didn't know then that we know now is that sweet little Bar Harbor, Maine, which is one of the closest towns to Acadia, actually shuts down during the off-season. What that means - the stores are closed, the restaurants are closed, the museums are closed, everything is closed. 

So, once we'd bought our plane tickets and booked an AirBnb boathouse with an amazing view (sometime in February), we started trying to plan our trip - itinerary, reservations, etc. The only problem - Bar Harbor was closed. And I mean CLOSED. No one picked up the phone. No one answered an email. And pretty much no one answered direct messages to their Facebook page. When you went to the webpages of local businesses, they only noted that they were closed for the 2021 season and didn't include any information regarding when they might re-open for the 2022 season. 

So, we didn't really have a reliable way of knowing who'd be open when we got there and who wouldn't. (Unnerving, as I've never had that experience when planning a vacation before. So just be aware of this anomaly.) 

What that meant was that we had a much looser trip, in general, than we've had in the past. Less pre-planned activity on the whole, and more flying by the seat of our pants. Here's how it worked out:

Day 1

We left our home airport very early. By some miracle, we managed to make a very tight connection in DC and arrive at the Bangor Airport right before lunch. We picked up the Ford Expedition we'd rented at the airport and navigated to Timber Kitchen and Bar for lunch. What we hadn't planned on - That Saturday was graduation day for nearby University of Maine, and the area was busy! We were lucky, though, as we spotted four adjacent seats at the bar and slid right into them. Pretty soon, we were chowing down on seared brussels sprouts, seafood chowder, salads, and more. We loved the food here (We could see them making the pizzas, and they were NOT playing.), the service was friendly and knowledgeable, and prices were reasonable. 

Stephen King's former home sits on a 
pretty street in Bangor.

After lunch, we decided to walk around a bit. We found ourselves in front of a giant, campy statue of Paul Bunyan. A quick Google search revealed that Bangor claims (along with another city in Nebraska) to be the birthplace of Paul Bunyan (who, it should be noted, was not a real person). The statue in Bangor is said to be the "largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world," but as we know, such a claim can be tough to verify. What I do know - Bangor's ol' Paul has got some hokey charm. We snapped some pics, admired the trees flowering around us, and kept strolling.

Marvelously, though Mississippi was already in the throes of early summer, Maine was showing all of the signs of early spring - flowering trees, showy  rhododendrons, and forsythia bursting into bright bloom. Beautiful.

Our next stop before leaving Bangor was a quick one - Stephen King's former home. It's an impressive, multi-story red structure on a pretty street. It boasts a particularly large lot, and you'll know you're in the right place because of the distinctive black iron gate out front, which features bats, scorpions (or are they spiders?), and the letters SK. Up until fairly recently, King maintained residence there, though he has now transferred the property to his foundation, which provides funding to help solve social and environmental problems.  

After gawking a bit, we drove the hour or so to our rental in pretty little Southwest Harbor. We'd chosen this rental for several reasons - four bedrooms, plenty of common space to spread out, but mostly - it was right on the water, with a beautiful view! 

We checked in, unpacked and settled a bit, then headed out for a quick grocery run. As we were unsure regarding what restaurants would be open during our visit, we wanted to be able to have frequent meals at home if need be. There was a grocery store within 1.5 miles, and we stocked up on bottles of wine, breakfast items, things we could pack for picnic lunches, etc. 

Then, it was back to the rental, where we cooked up a pan of pasta, tossed a salad, opened a bottle wine, and enjoyed our evening. After a busy day of traveling, we went to bed early that first night.

Sunrise over the harbor from the boat house

Day 2

We had eggs and fruit for breakfast, packed ourselves a picnic lunch, bundled up (it was a bit chilly that morning), and headed to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in Acadia National Park. There, we bought our park pass for the week, got some maps, and bought a quick guide for easy day hikes. Then, we were off!

We decided to start our experience at Acadia with a headliner - the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Though some choose to hike up this behemoth, we preferred a more gentle start to our day, so we drove to the top and walked the Summit Loop Trail, which is only about half a mile. (During high season, you need a reservation to go to the top of Cadillac Mountain. But because we were there a couple of weeks before that, we were able to just drive up. Easy.) 

Amazing views from Cadillac Mountain

Views are expansive from up there; you can see for miles! I was glad we'd bundled up, because the elevation and the wind were both terrific! We walked the loop, taking goofy photos and admiring the view, before popping into the open gift shop. We purchased a couple of items, and then went to use the adjacent restroom, only to find it closed. The shop attendant let us know that the closest open bathroom was at Jordan Pond, so we went there for our next hike. 

On the Jordan Pond Loop Trail

Though Jordan Pond Restaurant was still closed (We missed you, popovers!), they did have an open vault restroom in the parking lot. We stopped in, then made our way to the trail. The Jordan Pond Loop Trail is about 3 miles of relatively flat trail - some crushed gravel, some elevated boardwalk) with beautiful views of the pond and surrounding mountains. There is one section of boulder scramble, but most of this trail is pretty easy. 

After we finished hiking this trail, we grabbed our lunch from the car and enjoyed it on a picnic table at the trailhead. Then, we made our way back to the visitor center to use the restroom again (as the one restroom at Jordan Pond was now being cleaned) and to get a better idea of what to expect in the park re: bathroom facilities, as clearly all the facilities marked on the park map were NOT open. 

We got clarification at the information desk, then decided to head back to the boat house for a break. At around 6 p.m., we walked the scant block or two from our rental to a local restaurant - Peter Trout's Tavern and Inn - for dinner, but we realized upon entering that it was Mother's Day, and the restaurant was PACKED. The staff told us they wouldn't be able to accommodate us, so we went back to the rental and cooked up hamburgers and fries from our own kitchen. 

I will admit, I went to sleep this night worrying that maybe we'd arrived in the area too early, and that Acadia wasn't really ready for visitors yet. 

The water in Jordan Pond is incredibly clear.

Day 3

After watching a stunning sunrise from our rental, we breakfasted on avocado toast and fruit. Then, we opted to go into little Bar Harbor, Maine, for the morning. Though many shops were still closed for the season, several were open, so we browsed the stacks at Sherman's bookstore, bought gorgeous jewelry at Native Arts Gallery, and found tons of cute souvenirs. We also walked a little piece of the Shore Path.

 

Blueberry Giggle Juice at Geddy's!

When our tummies started to rumble, we stopped in at Geddy's for lunch. What fun! I chose the mini lobster bake, which featured a cup of clam chowder, a mini lobster roll, and a blueberry tart. I washed it down with a Blueberry Giggle Juice, a concoction of blueberry compote, prosecco, vodka, lemonade, and Sprite. 

Sated, we rested our eyes in pretty Agamont Park and then headed over near the Village Green. After enjoying the sunshine a bit, we drove back to the rental to gussy up. We were having our photos made that evening at sunset back in the park/Bar Harbor area, and we didn't want to be late! Sunset found us at Sand Beach, where we took some photos before moving into the Bar Harbor area for some additional shots. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Getting a professional to take a few group photos for you on vacation is a good investment. It's fun, everyone's in the photos, and the images are quality ones. It's worth investing in! If you can't find a photographer through services like Flytographer, you can usually find someone local via internet search. 

After our photo session was done, we popped into dinner at Gaylyn's. I loved this place! I had a glass of red and the delicious lobster fettuccine. Service was so friendly, knowledgeable, and prompt here, and the food was YUM! 

Then, it was back to the rental and to bed! 

More to come . . . 

Good night, Bar Harbor!