Welcome to Bar Harbor!

Ryan and I just got back from an amazing trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. 

 

We flew into Portland, and drove a few hours up the coast to the island.  Since we have had lobster on our mind since we booked the trip months ago, it didn't take us long to find the nearest lobster pound alongside the road and stop for lunch.  Here is the famous Maine Lobster Roll and seafood chowder.  It was amazing!

We stayed at the The Coach Stop Inn B & B.  After doing alot of research we found it was one of the most reasonable places on the island.  It was about 6 minutes from downtown, but it actually was kind of nice to be away from the business of town.  Deborah, the owner, made a fantastic breakfast each morning.  She also had the dining room open at all times for us to stop in for tea, coffee, cider and her daily freshly baked dessert!





 

As you can see, we made ourselves comfortable during our stay!

One of the first things we did when we got there was walk to Bar Island.  Two hours before and after low tide each day, the sandbar is exposed to walk across from Bar Harbor to the smaller Bar Island.  They showed pictures of people who left their cars on the sandbar, only to come back and find they were underwater when high tide came in.  I definitely made sure I was back in time since I don't know how to swim!

We also celebrated a big day while we were there.............our 9 Month Anniversary! :)  We are such an old married couple!



View of Bar Harbor in the background



One of the main reasons why we were there was to check out Acadia National Park, especially during the fall foliage.  Luckily we timed it just about right.  We had a lot of great color, but their peak is actually mid to late October.  One thing we did find out though was that after Columbus Day, a lot of the businesses and restaurants will close for the season.  So you would have to be willing to deal with having less choices for places to dine if you went later.

While in Acadia we stopped at all the main attractions.  There were lots of beautiful ocean overlooks and lakes to take pictures of. 

This is Sand Beach, one of the big swimming areas in the summer.

Thunder Hole is great to see at high tide.  We saw alot of neat pictures with huge waves splashing up and it supposedly makes a large thunder noise.  Unfortunately we didn't hit it at the right time, so thunder hole was a dud.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the park.  We felt a little out of place with my little canon camera.  There were tons of people with expensive cameras and tripods waiting to get the perfect sunset shot.  It was a beautiful spot!

Cadillac Mountain is very famous to Acadia Park.  It is known as the place where the sun hits the United States first as it rises.  We woke up at 5am one morning to join the crowds to see the sunrise.  The only time I ever wake up earlier than that is when I hike Longs Peak.  Fortunately, we got to drive up this mountain though!  It is a beautiful 360 degree view from the top.

Jordans Pond is also another beautiful lake we hiked around and up the "Bubbles" you see in the distance.  They have a really neat restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the lake which is famous for its lunch and ice cream.

We also took a 3.5 hr whale watching tour through Bar Harbor Whales.  We saw some seals, and thats about where the excitement ended.  Its coming to the end of the season, so you take your chances getting lucky to see one.  The tour the day before saw some pilot whales, but we didn't see anything!  Boo!

We went to the restaurants recommended by our host at the B & B.  She suggested The Chartroom which was very good.  Ryan had his first whole lobster there.  We also went to Blaze, which is a new stone grilled pizza place which was very good.

To get the real authentic experience we went one night to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound.  Now this is nothing fancy...you choose your live lobster from a fridge and they put it into the boiling pots outside.  Then when its cooked, they place it on a steal pan and your ready to eat.  Meet Larry the Lobster below.   I felt bad when he was staring at me like that, knowing what his near future looked like.  But he was tasty!

Its a messy job!

My next blog I will post about the hikes we did in Acadia.  Looking forward to sharing with you the beautiful views we captured!