Mount Desert Island… doesn’t sound inviting does it? I think it needs a name make over… It would be easy … just slip an extra S in there. Who wouldn’t go to a place called Mount Dessert Island? The visions of cupcakes, and bunt cakes, makes the idea not half-baked. Although here it would be more appropriate to line the street with popovers, pies, and ice-cream stands. All three of which are well established and/or plentiful on the island. I’m sure I’m not the first to suggest this, nor will I be the last. But Mainers’ will do what Mainers do… just smile and go about their business of not letting anyone into their business. And if that doesn’t work and you are still going on about your ideas they will fix it with what they fix everything… a short little piece of duct tape strategically placed should do the trick. I’m not kidding. It seems to be the running joke… they have whole books on the subject and I could probably write a whole blog on it but that would be called plagiarism. I couldn’t imagine half the uses/jokes Mainer’s have come up with for this universal fix-all. And with that you realize Mainers have more in common with red-necks than you would think… but that’s an entirely different blog. Lol.
So where do I go from here? Ahhh yes, Adah came to visit last week. It was a great visit and what was particularly fun for me was to see Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park through her eyes. She worked here for a season about 15 years ago. It was surprising to me how little has changed. Sure… a restaurant here or a shop there but for the most part the island has remained as she remembered it. That was very cool! There are not many places you can say that about.
This is not to say Bar Harbor is backwards or old fashioned in their ideas. As a vacation destination, it has progressed with the times. The Lobster Pounds take credit cards now, Internet cafes have infiltrated Cottage St, and campgrounds now have more RV sites than tent sites all without ruining the island experience. Just recently they successfully defended a referendum that would have allowed big “box” stores. It is really nice to know that the future of the quaint and overpriced shops in town will be here for the next generations. Seriously though, it’s a good thing because just a few miles off the island you can find Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, and a variety other 10K+ square ft stores and I suppose keeping the balance of box vs. non box / on shore vs. off shore keeps the balance of a healthy tourist economy for both.
But I d
igress… during Adah’s visit we finally took a drive around the entire “park loop” of Acadia. Her narrative was priceless as we maneuvered the cliffs overlooking Seal Harbor, Thunder Hole, Cadillac Mountain, and so on… I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. One thing you will notice is that it was wet, foggy, and chilly. Where is my summer? Rumor has it this is the wettest June since ever! And we are averaging 10 degrees under the norm… aside from that… it is fabulous here! Lol. And someday the weather will be nice enough to see more than the entrances to the hike trails and carriage roads… but until then the best I can do are the do’s and don’ts of the local fare:
- Galyn’s for lunch on Main St, Bar Harbor – Do
- Town Hill Market for Pizza – Don’t
- Jordan’s Pond House in Acadia for just about anything – Do
- 2 Cats for breakfast, Bar Harbor – Do Do Do
- Ruth & Wimpy’s Kitchen, Hancock - local greasy spoon… if you must… then – Do
- Thirsty Whale, Bar Harbor – lobster rolls and local banter – Do
- China Hill, Trenton – the obligatory Chinese joint in Ellsworth – Don’t ever
- Mainly Meat and Atlantic Brewery, Town Hill for the obvious - Do
Peace, Love, and Tasty Rain Drops, barbie
I almost forgot... Sign of the Day: I was thinking... Why is that Frisbee getting so Big, and then it hit me!
Link to more pictures: http://my.inbox.com/photos/brv?CAID=b57bf1sBf7Tf82gY1MjF5&_=1
