Day 7 - Bar Harbor, ME - Portland, ME

Day 7 began with us checking out of the amazing Bar Harbor Motel and then going downtown for a bit.  We visited Sherman's Book Shop for a few items and then walked down to the Frenchman Bay harbor.  The weather continued to be fantastic, with just the slightest tinge of clouds and chilly temps.

Echo Lake Beach was the first touring stop of the day.  Located on the next peninsula over from Bar Harbor, it has a sandy beach and is freshwater, meaning folks flock to it during the summer.  For today, it was a family having fun and a few walkers.

Our main morning goal was Bass Harbor Head Light Station (lighthouse for us common folk).  It "was constructed in 1858 from funds appropriated by Congress and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988."  While the National Park Service owns the land and buildings, the Coast Guard operates and maintains the light.  The lighthouse itself is 37 feet tall and contains a fourth-order Frensel lens.

We found lunch in downtown Ellsworth and then made the turn southwest towards Portland.  The trees along our route continued to be amazing.  Before we knew it, we arrived in Rockland to visit the Farnsworth Art Museum.  "First Friday at the Farnsworth" took place that evening, so we were able to enter the museum free of charge...bonus!  "The museum has one of the largest public collections of works by sculptor Louise Nevelson, while its Wyeth Center features works of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth."  It even had Thomas Cole's first painting ever (see Day 1's blog for more info on him).  After viewing the Farnsworth, we passed a really cool wood paneled building as we walked to our car.  We enjoyed another amazing coastal meal in Freeport (right across from the L.L. Bean flagship store (open 24 hours a day).  Shortly we arrived at our hotel in Portland and climbed into bed, ready for more adventures!

Day 6 - Bar Harbor, ME

Bar Harbor, nestled along Frenchman Bay, was known as Pemetic by the Wabanaki Indians before Champlain's arrival in 1604.  It was officially settled in 1763 and over time became one of the summer vacation spots for many of the Guilded Age wealthy families, often rivaling Newport, Rhode Island.  Nelson Rockefeller, future vice-president and brother to Winthrop (of the Arkansas Rockefellers), was born here.

Today was focused on Acadia National Park, which surrounds Bar Harbor.  It was founded as a national park in 1919 and includes "the tallest mountain on the Atlantic Coast (Cadillac Mountain), exposed granite domes, glacial erratics, U-shaped valleys, and cobble beaches.  Weaved into this landscape is a historic carriage road system financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr.  In total, it encompasses 49,000 acres."  At 4 million visits a year, it's one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States and today was no exception as we discovered people everywhere (quite a change from our trip thus far).

We took the Park Loop Road from the Visitor Center south around the island and soaked in the views of the coast, forests, and lakes.

We had lunch reservations at Jordan Pond House, "a restaurant with a long tradition within Acadia National Park, sits on a hill overlooking a beautiful lawn along the Jordan Pond. Guests have been enjoying these amazing views and dining at this site since 1893 when Nellie McIntire, the first proprietor, started baking and serving her famous popovers out of the restaurant. Ever since then, they have been serving popovers and tea."  We were fortunate to get an outside table with a clear sky, warm sun, and excellent food.  The view wasn't bad either!

After lunch and a short walk around Jordan Pond, we headed southwest to the Northeast Harbor area and came upon the Lower Hadlock Pond, which had a couple canoeing on its waters.  It was a wonderfully peaceful and serene scene.

On the way back to Acadia, we stumbled across the Asticou Azalea Gardens.  "Created in 1957 by Charles K. Savage using plants purchased from Beatrix Farrand’s Reef Point garden upon its closing, the gardens provide a good display area" for the vast amount of "azaleas along the shores of the pond to increase the effects of their beautiful blooms in the reflections of the water."  Although, obviously, no azaleas were blooming today, but the gardens themselves were teeming with fall color and touches of Japanese garden design purposefully built by Savage.

At about 4:00, we headed up Cadillac Mountain, which rises 1,500 feet above the coast.  At the summit, we enjoyed views of all the islands and peninsulas of the area and we even ran into a Conway, AR native on her honeymoon.  As sunset approached, we headed to the west side of the summit.  It wasn't a particularly gorgeous sunset, but still stunning as it sank over the distant mountains.  

We headed back to Bar Harbor for another excellent meal and were soon back at our motel.  Later that evening I ventured over to the vending machine for a late night iced tea and was fortunate to have been treated to the moon, plane contrails, and a row of pine trees.