It's Acadia Time

Woohoo!  It's that time of the year when we visit Bar Harbor and Acadia.  

Neither of us slept very well but we managed to get up around 7:30 and leave the house around 9:40.  It was 73*, clear and sunny.  We got breakfast at the McDonalds in Sanford, then headed to Biddeford to drop Tessa off at Bark Ave for the week.  We got as far as the blueberry plains when Bill remembered he didn't pack his hiking boots.  Back home we went.  At least it provided both of us an opportunity to use the bathroom...again.

We got to Bark Ave around 10:50 and were on the road headed north by 11:00.  

We stopped in Belfast at 1:00 for lunch at McDonalds and sat outside in the sun.  81* and mostly sunny.  It felt good!  

Back on the road at 1:45, stopping again in Ellsworth for iced coffees from Aroma Joe's at 2:35.  It took them forever but they were tasty.  Got gas in Trenton at the Shell station, $3.64/gallon ($2.49 last year).  Grrrrr.  We sat for ten minutes waiting for some ******* from CA to come back out, actually pump some gas, then go back inside to pay.  

As we have done for the past 18 years, maybe, we are staying at the Edgewater Motel and Cottages.  This is our first year in Cottage No. 4, it's a lot larger than our usual No. 6 but the view is less than spectacular, as it's sandwiched between the two cottages in front of us. ;o(  

We arrived at Edgewater at 3:30, 77* and cloudy.  Got everything unpacked, paid our balance, said "hi" to Dave and took a ride around the Loop Road.  So much traffic. :o(. Took a spin through Bar Harbor and found a parking space at the harbor.  Bill had a hankering for fish tacos so we ate dinner at the Fish House Grill, sitting on the deck. It was a beautiful evening.

The view at dinner

The tacos were good (not as good as the ones at Margaritaville in Key West)  but we didn't realize when the waitress asked if we preferred chips or fries, that we would be charged an extra $3 each for fries.  Since the tacos were $18, it was a rather expensive meal, considering it was TACOS.

We left at 6:26, walked along the pier and watched the Mary Todd raise the sails...very cool.  From there we drove to Hadley Point to watch the sunset.  

When we first discovered this beach several years ago, there were literally only two or three cars there.  Now we have to pack in the back row because the place is packed.  

There were numerous groups with beach fires, which smelled kind of good; however, the sunset was underwhelming.

It wasn't a complete loss tho.  I joined a FB group called "Welcome to Bar Harbor's Famous Parking Show".  From the title, you can imagine the posts it generates.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and this picture speaks for itself...

When you're from NY or CT, the rules don't apply to you

The signs clearly say..."No Parking Between Signs".  The reason being, there is a ramp there that people can drive down in order to unload/load their canoes, kayaks, boats, etc.  Obviously, they can't use it when other vehicles are parked in the way.  It was a pleasure to post this online.

We arrived back at our home away from home at 7:00, got everything unpacked and put in it's proper place by 8:15.  

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Happy Day

Today we headed north on our annual visit to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.  We left around 9:20, 59* and cloudy.  We got breakfast at McDonalds and hit the road at 9:43.  Wendy suggested we stop at the Wild Grace Farm, across from Lake St. George State Park in Liberty, ME.  She is familiar with it because they carry her products.

We arrived at noon, 64*, looked around spotting the Beedandy items and sending pictures back to Wendy. They carry local meat and veggies, as well as other Maine made products and have a small cafe.  Bill bought Bixby sea salted caramels and we ordered apple, cheddar and honey paninis, along with a side of fruit. 

There were tables available outside, so we picked one and waited for our order to be called.  The food was very good but there were a lot of bees, drawn to the sweet honey, no doubt.  We were done and back on the road by 12:45.

We stopped at the McDonalds in Ellsworth for iced coffees at 1:58. The line was around the building and we didn't get going until 2:12.  Stopped to get gas ($2.89) at Dysarts.

We arrived in the area of Edgewater at 2:37, too early to check in, so took a ride through the park.  Oh My God...hordes of people, everywhere!  I had been reading on FB all summer about how crowded it was. Well...they weren't kidding.  We drove along the Loop Road, which was very foggy and then into town, also incredibly crowded.  I was very disheartened to see so many people.  

We arrived at Edgewater at 4:10, were unpacked and settled by 6:00. 

4:48 pm, 63*, overcast

Bill spotted a bald eagle in the tree across the cove, which we watched for several minutes.  We snacked on pretzels and pub cheese, had crab cakes and salad for dinner. I took a shower, washed and dried my hair and we watched an episode of Yellowstone.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Bar Harbor Here We Come

It's finally here, our annual visit to our "home away from home" or at least that's how we feel.  

We LOVE it here and it never gets old!

View from our cottage - Edgewater No. 6

We left home about 9:20, stopped at McDonalds for breakfast and were on the road by 9:55.  We stopped in Belfast for lunch and arrived at our cottage at 2:20.  It was 81* and partly cloudy!  We brought in all our stuff, then went for a drive along the Park Look Road.

We seldom see much wildlife while driving but today we spotted one deer along the side of the road, although we weren't able to stop.  Then, not too much further along, we saw another one, then another and another.  Three of them right in front of us.

We could have sat and watched them all afternoon but someone was coming up quickly behind us and we were afraid we would get run over, plus they got scared and ran off.  

We stopped at Sand Beach and were surprised to see such large waves.  It's usually pretty calm.

Mostly because I didn't want wet, sandy feet, I didn't want to get my feet wet but was wondering how cold it was, so Bill went and checked it out.

He said it was chilly but not super cold.

From there we drove to Thunder Hole, where we got out and watched the surf for awhile.  It was pretty rough and the bottom section of the walk was closed.

While we were walking back to the car, we noticed one of the cruise ships heading out.

There were three anchored off the coast today.  There have been more the past week due to Hurricane Florence making landfall in NC causing them to divert their course.

We took a terrible selfie, which seems to be the norm lately.  

We had dinner with Wendy and Dan to celebrate their seventh anniversary, on the 23rd.  We brought fillets, they provided corn and green beans and some wonderful garlic butter.  We even found a gluten free dessert!  Bill won the game of Racko, we said good night and walked next door to our cottage.

Hiking tomorrow ;o)

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Edgewater No. 6

Monday, Sept. 19, 2015

Time for our annual Bar Harbor trip, woohoo!  It always feels like our home away from home.  We have stayed at The Edgewater Motel and Cottages for the past several years and we are so glad we found it.  It's the perfect place for us...quiet, on the water, no kids.

We arrived earlier than usual this year because we didn't stop at L.L. Beans since they haven't had anything interesting for the past few years.  It was 54* when we arrived last year...76* this year, way better!

We unloaded our bikes and suitcases, then headed to the Visitor's Center to get our park pass, then into town for lunch.  We stopped at a new place, Choco-latte, where Bill ordered a coffee and a bagel and I enjoyed an iced chai tea and a scone.

We were gong to sit outside until it started sprinkling, so we sat inside and the rain promptly stopped.

We walked to the Village Green to check out the art show and found Wendy and Dan having lunch at the Blaze, their favorite Bar Harbor eatery.  Said "hi" and proceeded on our way.  Nothing much for us at the art show but fun to look.

Actually, I think we enjoyed the gardens more than the art.

Village Green garden

We wandered down the hill to the harbor and decided to return to our car along the Shore Path.  It's a nice, flat walk, about a mile in length, along the shore that parallels the main street and would bring us out fairly close to the car.

I had no idea this path was so old until I looked at the picture. 

Flowers gone to see...thistle, maybe?

pano picture

Such a beautiful day!

I love the way this island is being swallowed by the fog.

It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the car but we decided to drive the Loop Road until we found a sunny spot to sit and read.  We stopped near the Fabbri picnic area and Ottor Cliffs, dragged our chairs across the road and onto a fairly flat, rocky area and read till the sun dropped behind the mountains.

It was nearly 6:00 when we packed our chairs into the car and headed back to the cottage.  We were gone so long Wendy actually texted to check on us.  

We grilled some Trader Joe's chicken that Greg had recommended (which we really liked), added some of Kim's Kitchen quinoa salad and enjoyed dinner with Wendy and Dan.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o) 

Settling in

This is our tenth trip to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  We.Are.Home. or at least it feels that way.  We truly love it here.  

We dropped off the latest foster puppies at the shelter and were on the road heading north by 10:30.  It was a delightful, uneventful trip and we arrived safe and sound around 3:00.  After checking in, we took a quick trip around the Loop Road to check out the "high surf" created by a hurricane far away in the ocean, which didn't look much different than any of the other nine times we drove the same route.  

We made a quick stop at the grocery store, then returned to Edgewater No. 7 to sit outside for awhile and watch the tide come in.  It was cloudy and a little breezy; I got cold and came in to unpack.  Bill enjoyed some quiet time by himself.

Homegrown tomatoes and the view from No. 7

Can you find Bill?

From our first visit...September, 2003

Sand Beach from Great Head Trail (one of the "best easy day hikes")

On the rocks near Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, southern tip of Mt. Desert Island

 We were much younger then ;o)

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

I like this photo...a lot

Far end of the Jordan Pond Trail

The weather looks GREAT for the week, we'll be out hiking tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)