July 31 – August 6, 2014
SIT landed in a nice RV spot between Trenton and Bar Harbor.
Our view consisted of water again although Steve discovered the fishing just
isn’t happening in this part of the coast.
Seafood was still on the menu since they have a large
lobster industry in this area.
The Lobster Truck
Busy Bay
We found some local residents that do a bit of
lobstering and we were lucky enough to snag three from them one afternoon fresh
off the boat. That was a tasty dinner.
Oh So Fresh Lobstah!
Our time in Bar Harbor was great although the town itself
was quite crowded so we avoided the town as much as possible. The day we did
tour and walk around a cruise ship was docked so I am sure that added to the
crowd. We can see why people like this part of Maine as it is a gorgeous coast
line. Our picnic lunch one day provided a wonderful water view.
Somes Sound
Bar Harbor sits on Mount Desert Island and the Acadia
National Park takes up about half of the entire island. Part of the history in
this area includes the European explorer Samuel Champlain. We are discovering he
was one busy dude back in the 1600’s. He created the first reliable record of
the island in 1604, and there were attempts to settle the island after his
visit, but 150 years of war between the French and British made it disputed
territory unsafe for habitation until 1761, when English colonists established
the first permanent settlement.
Color in the Rocks
It became a national park in 1919 but had been designated as
a national monument in 1916. The other interesting thing about this park is
much of the land was once privately held and the land owners donated it to the
National Park Service in order to preserve such a diverse place. We hiked the
ocean view trail and when you are in certain places along the rocky coast you
can walk out onto the rocks and if you are brave even go down to the water.
This Might Be A Good Spot to Fish
Lunchtime
The ocean view trail also takes you to a spot called the
Thunder Hole. We were curious to see what a thunder hole is and as we got
closer to the rocks we heard thunder. The rock formation provides a narrow area
where the water rushes in and a cave just below where you are looking. When the wave hits it sounds just like a clap
of thunder. When we were there to observe it the tide was out so I imagine when
it is high tide the sound is even stronger. We could actually hear it from
across the street where they have a gift shop and restrooms.
There are miles of hiking trails/roads and some great scenic
drives. One of the drives takes you to the top of Cadillac Mountain, 1,530 feet
in elevation. The view from the top is amazing and you are able to see Bar
Harbor but also all of the smaller islands along the coast. The day we went was
a bit cloudy and hazy so the pictures don’t give you the best view which means
you will just need to take a trip some day and see for yourself.
Bar Harbor From Above
Green Belly Mushroom
Colorful Little Guy
Golf was on our agenda for the area and we found the Bar
Harbor Golf Course not too far from where we were staying. We enjoyed the first
round of nine holes that we ended up playing it again. The view was great no
matter where you were on the course. It didn’t hurt that we played decently
too!
In order to get to the golf course you went right by the
airport, which happened to be pretty close to the RV park. We were treated to watching
the bi-plane fly around that you could take for a scenic ride, but the one that
would catch our eye is this B-17 Bomber. It is named the Sentimental Journey
and is hanging out at the Bar Harbor airport for some time. You could take a
ride on it as well. It is maintained by a group of volunteers known as the Commemorative
Air Force out of Mesa Arizona. According to the information it never dropped
bombs but later in life it did fight fires when it was owned by a California
company. It has appeared in two movies, the WWII documentary “All the Fine
Young Men” and the John Belushi comedy “1941.” Every time we went by the
airport there were quite a few people hanging out at the plane and taking
pictures. An animated likeness of Betty Grable is painted on the side.
B-17 Bomber
You might be wondering what Izzy gets to do since Steve and
I seem to go and have fun exploring. Well sometimes she does get to come with
us if the weather isn’t too hot. I do get her out for walks and of course
floppy time. However at this particular RV spot she was able to do one of her
favorite things which she hasn’t been able to for quite some time.
We left Bar Harbor on Thursday to head a little farther
south along the Maine coast. More to come from the rocky east coast.
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