BAR HARBOR REDUX PT 1 …

Bar Harbor viewed from
Bar Island

So it’s back to Bar Harbor where we hope that Dave is: a) fixed and has no further problems with the DEF system (least likely scenario) or b) throws another error code and hopefully the techs at Darling GMC in Ellsworth can get to the bottom of what ails him.  We make it from Lubec to the Bar Harbor campground with no problems.  After we get checked in we head across the highway to the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound.  Last time we had two of their lobster dinners but this time we opt for their crab cake with a side of fries and fried whole clams & fries.  The crab cake was amazing all crab with hardly any fillers– one of the best ever! However, the clams left a bit to be desired…

Bass Harbor Head Light

The next morning we head into Acadia NP to pick up a current car pass then head over to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  This is the only lighthouse on Desert Island.  There are two paths leading to the sea from the parking lot.  One paved that takes us to the base of the lighthouse, the other winds through the woods to the rocky cliffs on the other side of the lighthouse.  Both end with spectacular views of the harbor and the sea.  The keeper’s house here is the current residence for the commander of the local Coast Guard Unit.

Brewery where they
Save The Ales

On the way back we stop at the Atlantic BrewingCompany.   Following the signs we turn into the driveway next to a typical New England white clapboard house and are assaulted by the aroma of BBQ… (WTF this is lobsta country???)  It feels like we’re at a family get together in grandma’s back yard… (If gramps was a microbrewer and granny was a BBQ queen that is…) This place is a twofer… Atlantic Brewery and Mainely Meat BBQ. 

We sign up for a brewery tour that will start in about 45 min… so… while we’re waiting for our tour to start we order up a couple of pints and a half rack of ribs. The ribs are dry rubbed and super smoky… falling off the bone tender and juicy.  There are two BBQ sauces in squirt bottles on the table, one sweet and one hot and tangy.  We discover that a combination of the two is perfect for our taste buds.  

After our snack we do the brewery tour.  It’s informational and finishes with a tasting of Atlantic and Bar Harbor Brews. (Atlantic bought out Bar Harbor Brewery a few years back when the Bar Harbor folks retired and continue to produce the BHB ales in addition to their products.)  Since we’re dark ales and stouts drinkers this gives us a nice selection of brews for out taste.  Now we know that this can be our one stop shopping for Atlantic and Bar Harbor Brews while we’re here… YEA! 

A few days later we return to buy more beer and have the Mainely Meat Sampler plate, a super deal… Ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork with corn bread, Cole slaw, potato salad and beans… one order is plenty for two (unless you are a really big eater or want to take home leftovers.)  Maine may not be the BBQ capital of the world… we’ll let Texas, Kansas and North Carolina duke that out… but Mainely Meats dishes up some pretty fine Q, and a nice antidote for Lobster overload!

So far Dave is acting fine, but we are not fully confident… we need more miles and a re-gen cycle… so we head over to the Petit MananWildlife Refuge some 47 miles east to do some hiking.   On the way Dave does a re-gen… cross our fingers and hope for the best.  It’s a beautiful day we start the Hollingsworth trail through a field of ferns and wild flowers and continue through a forest of jack pines and onto wooden walkways over wetland vegetation back through forest to a sandy beach.  We scramble along the rocky coast for a bit and then rejoin the trail back through forest and over wetlands and loop back to the parking area.  A great hike with lots of photo ops… PERFECT!  Once we get back onto highway one Dave throws an error code… SHIT… SHIT… SHIT!

The next morning we call the dealer and make arrangements for Dave to go in the next day.  OK… for today we do stuff geographically closer….

Blue Lobster

The Mount Desert Oceanarium is just down the road.  This attraction is different from other aquariums or museums in that they don’t have any self guided tours.  The basic price of admission includes three modules: Lobster trapping, a touch pool of local sea life and a lobster hatchery.   A fourth module, a docent led hike of the sea marsh can be added for a nominal fee.  Since we are of the “WTF GO FOR IT” mindset we do all four. 

Lobster mama with eggs

The Lobster trapping lecture is intriguing with a real clear explanation of the physical, social, economic and political aspects of this career.  The touch pool is unique.  The docent pulls creatures from the tank, talks about them and allows visitors to touch or hold… this actually is better for the animals… touch tanks where kids reach into the water and indiscriminately touch or pick up is really not a great model for the animals.  There are also a few aquarium tanks with local sea life including some rare blue lobsters.  The Lobster hatchery is absolutely fascinating.  Females loaded with fertilized eggs are caught in the wild in lobster pots and delivered to the hatchery where they are held until the eggs hatch.  The hatchlings are raised first in aerated tanks and then individual lobster condos until they are released into the sea.  This increases the number of juveniles in the area and hopefully the end harvest of legal lobster. 

While we have been hanging out on the coast of Maine we have been curious about the relationship between the lobsters, their food supply and the catchers.  YouTube has a number of videos showing lobsters going in and out of traps.  So it’s basically: drop a pot and hope that when you pull it up, there is a lobster in it. Ironically the Lobster traps are the major food source for the lobsters as they move toward the coast and warmer waters in the summer months.  (Lobster ranching? Lobster farming? What shall we call it?)  Finally, the hike/tour of the marsh is interesting, informative, dot connecting and worth the extra few coins.

Cairn smasher

Cairns on Bar Island 

One of the benefits of staying here is the free shuttle.  After checking the tide charts, we take the bus into town and walk to the land bridge that connects Bar Island to the mainland during lowtide.  A truck on the bar is renting kayaks.  Once we get to the Island, we watch the National Park Ranger smashing pseudo cairns that folks have build along the shore… ok we get it… leave no trace… but WTF this just seems mean!  OK what ever… We hike up to the summit of Bar Island, great views of the harbor on the way back down we spot a yearling deer buck and a doe in a meadow. Like most National Park Wild Life they have no fear of humans.  They lift their heads, look at us and go back to eating.  Once we get back to the sand bar, the sun is setting and the kayakers are heading back to the truck.  Soon the tide will be in and it will be another six hours before folks can walk to the island.

Kayaks at Sunset

Lobstapalooza at the
Cottage St. Pub

Back in Bar Harbor we head up to Cottage St and swing by the Cottage St. Bakery for some pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast and then head to the Cottage St Pub.  The place is packed but the window seats have just been vacated, so we grab these and order our first round.  Folks come and go and we chat with most of them.  One group arrives sporting lobster hats. It’s an annual family reunion. They live all over the U.S. and they meet in different locations each year. The 78 year-old matriarch is celebrating along with them. (She had open-heart surgery 6 weeks ago and had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to make it.)  We join in with their celebration.  Suddenly it’s 10:15 and the last shuttle bus leaves at 10:30.  So we quickly pay or tab and dash to the bus stop where our Island Explorer designated driver is ready to take us home.

Dave goes back into the shop.  All the diagnostics can’t seem to pinpoint his ailment.  A possible culprit may be bad fuel. So to rule this out they clear the error message and instruct us to get a fresh tank of fuel once we’re down to a quarter tank or so and see if the error comes back.   Looks like we’ll be here for a bit and explore some of the outlying towns and attractions…

"YOU HAVE TO GO TO BAR HARBOR!"

or… “YE GATTA GO TA BAW HAWBAW.”  We’ve heard this a lot since we’ve been in New England.  So DUH… we head to Mount Desert Island and visit Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor.  There are quite a few campgrounds in this area and we choose Bar Harbor Campground.  It’s unique in that they take no reservations and no credit cards.  We get a full hookup site at the back with decent WIFI close to the office and bus stop.

View of Bar Harbor from
Cadillac Mountain

The year round population of Mount Desert Island is about 10,000 but it is estimated that two and a half million tourists visit the island each year. A FREE bus line, The Island Explorer is available to get onto and around the island. These busses are equipped with bike racks and there is also a Bicycle Express trailer that carries overflow bikes along the route. With crowded streets and limited parking on the Island, this is not a luxury it’s a necessity… plus… did I mention? It’s FREE!

The Solitude of Cadillac Mountain

In the Acadia National Park visitor center we catch a film about the park. It touts the reasons folks come to Acadia: the views, the trails and the solitude.  We’ll give them the views and the trails, but those 2.5 mil. visitors kinda mess with the solitude during the summer months. We hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain. At 1,528 feet it is the highest point along the eastern seaboard.  

Views from Schoodic

Although most of the park is on Mount Desert Island, there is a small section on the Schoodic peninsula.  On our way to this section of the park, we stop and check out the MainStay Cottages and RV Park in Winter Harbor. (Someplace we may stay in the future.) The owner encourages us to visit the Wharf Gallery & Grill in Corea for lunch and to be sure to drive to Grindstone Neck to see the cottages of the rich and famous.  We then drive into the park stopping to hike to Schoodic Head for views of Frenchman’s Bay and Cadillac Mountain.  And then proceed to Schoodic point and find granite outcroppings, pounding surf, spruce, jack pines and the solitude of Acadia.

An Unlikely Lunch Spot

Corea

Next on the agenda is lunch in Corea, a classic Down East fishing village.  We follow the hand made cardboard signs with “Warf Grill Open” written in black sharpie, to a dirt lane with a small group of ramshackle fish shacks perched over the harbor to The Wharf Gallery and Grill.  The Gallery displays some wonderful vintage photographs (1940-1960) by local photographer Louise Z. Young.  The outdoor kitchen serves up Whole Lobsters and a limited menu.  We try the Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich:  chunks of Lobster and cheese between thick Texas Toast style bread smothered in butter and toasted to perfection.  The Haddock Chowder is flavorful with plenty of fish and potatoes, although it could be better if the stock was reduced and thickened a bit.  The best part is the ambiance, a sunny deck with picnic tables amongst the lobster pots, with harbor views.

In the town of Winter Harbor we stop at the Five and Dime, this packed-to-the- rafters emporium is reminiscent F.W. Woolworth and other Dime Stores of the mid-twentieth century.  There’s everything from hardware to gardening to craft supplies, fabrics and patterns and tons of great tchotskies.  While sitting on a bench outside the store admiring our purchases, a local man stops to chat.  He recommends we drive to Grindstone Neck to see the cottages.  Since this is our second local recommendation we head off to check it out.  This summer colony was established in 1889. These vacation getaways sport upwards of 7-12 bedrooms and acres of manicured grounds.  Some of the roads dump into private circular driveways. (oops!)   The residents here share in an association that includes a yacht club, nine-hole golf course, tennis courts and a footpath.  The beach at Grindstone Neck is rocky and great for beachcombing small shells, rocks and sea-glass.

The town of Bar Harbor is aptly named. Seems like there is a bar, pub or tavern on every block or so.  We stop at the Bar Harbor Brewing Co. and order up a tasting flight.  IMPRESIVE! Their Cadillac Mountain Stout kicks ass! Right up there with the Rogue brews from Oregon and the Polygamy Ale in Utah.  Too bad BH Brewing only produces 260 barrels of bottled conditioned brew a year… this is one major reason to visit Maine!!!

Great Drinks Here!

The Cottage Street Pub is a great place to stop for an afternoon or after dinner draft or one of their signature cocktails.  Four chalk boards line the wall behind the bar: One with an extensive selection of local beers on tap, one with bottled brews, another with a selection of vintage cocktails and a third with concoctions created on site.  It’s a perfect blend of a local dive bar and tourist friendly watering hole with a selection of adult beverages to please the most discriminating palate.  They pour a mean Remember the Main cocktail and after an afternoon or evening here,  the Island Explorer becomes the “Designated Driver.”

Ok so there is more to Bar Harbor than BARS,  but MUSEUM Harbor or TCHOTSKIE Harbor just lacks that certain cache…  Mixed with the standard tourists shops are upscale boutiques and galleries.  There is a significant absence of national chains, franchises and fast food outlets. (Refreshing!)

The Abbe Museum, affiliated with the Smithsonian Museum, exhibits the native perspective of the region.  Twelve thousand years of history are compacted in a few thousand square feet and their gift shop sells some of the finest modern baskets, jewelry and other art by native artists from Maine and the Maritimes. Well worth the price of admission.

Lucky Day!

Fee Gee Mermaid

Although Tchotskies abound there is one shining spot: The Rockand Art Shop offers fun art, great mineral specimens, fossils and a bit of the weird. They also have a Fee Gee Mermaid on display. (A distant relative of Jake the Alligator Man.)

There are lots of choices when it comes to dining in Bar Harbor.  A couple of the locals recommend the Cottage Street Restaurant & Bakery as the best (and least expensive) for lobsters.  (Lobsters in a bakery???)  It’s a small place with alfresco dining. We order a couple of Boiled Lobster Dinners and are surprised when the waiter delivers our meals dons a pair of plastic gloves and proceeds to shell the lobsters for us.  They are perfectly cooked and come with a tasty corn muffin and an exceptionally good Cole slaw. Had to go inside to pay the bill. The cash register is cleverly located next to the baker case.  Walked out with a bag of scrumptious baked goods. (They didn’t last the night LOL)

2 lobster dinners
served family style

Another great spot for lobster is the Bar Harbor LobsterPound. It is right across the highway from the campground.  No ocean views and it’s right on the highway, but the prices aren’t too bad and the screened dining room is mosquito free on a summer evening.  They offer a couple of options for lobster dinners so we order one with steamed mussels and another with corn and slaw. For desert: it’s blueberry pie a la mode.  Probably one of the best fruit pies ever, crust was flakey and the bottom crust was not soggy, fruit filling not overly sweet. They also serve wine and beer and since we’re walking we can have a couple of adult beverages to accompany this great meal.

We originally planned to stay in Bar Harbor for only a week but at the end of the week Dave threw a DEF Sensor error message.  Fortunately there is a GMC dealer nearby, and Dave is still under warranty, so Dave went to the doctor and had his number one DEF sensor replaced.  While Dave was out of commission, we were still able to get around on the Island Express.  Not a bad place to be stuck for a few extra days…