Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Acadia
Breakfast was a very formal affair, compared to Kay's inn. We went downstairs at 8 and selected a table by the window in the breakfast room. The meal came in several courses, served by our innkeeper. First he brought us a strawberry/yogurt parfait. Then he brought around a basket of gingerbread muffins. Then he served polenta and something called Breakfast Eggs, which were quite good.
We headed to Acadia and found the base of the Cadillac Mountain South Ridge trail, which we had read was the most challenging. We found it pretty easy, actually, compared to Sleeping Giant and Ascutney. There were some vicious mosquitoes in the woods at the beginning, but once we were out on the open rock, they were no longer a problem. Instead we had to deal with strong winds that at times felt like they would blow me off the mountain and into the sea. The rocks were amazing though, carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Dan's cap was blown into a glacial pool and we had to rescue it with a branch I tore off a nearby scrub bush-- the only thing I could find in the time we had before the cap would sink to the bottom.
The tourist area at the top of the mountain was a disappointment-- nothing like climbing to the top of a mountain and finding it full of tour buses stopped at a gift shop. But there are certain advantages to finding clean restrooms, water and trail mix at the summit of a mountain, so we took advantage of those before heading back down. By now the wind was even stronger and there were times when I had to crouch down and stay low for a few moments while the gusts passed before I could continue safely. Between the wind and the mosquitoes in the woods at the base of the mountain, I was glad to get back to the car.
Then we went for a little drive around the island that Bar Harbor and Acadia sit on. The other side of the island is much quieter and we saw Bass Harbor light. It was okay, but we couldn't go into the lighthouse or onto the beach because it is Coast Guard property.
We drove back to the B&B and told them we would be leaving early the next morning and would be skipping breakfast. They kindly offered to pack us a breakfast for the road, which was nice. Then we went to Jordan Pond Tea House for popovers and tea outside on the patio. There were a lot of bugs, but it was also windy, so they weren't completely unbearable. After our snack we went back to Sand Beach and hiked around the cliff head and down onto the rocks. The tides and wind were amazing.
We went back to the inn to dress for dinner and do some laundry. We had noticed we were just around the corner from a laundromat, so we figured we might as well get our clothes in order before heading to Monhegan. The laundry prices were highway robbery, but it was good to get everything clean. While the laundry was drying we went up the street to a place called Tahini's. We had the most incredible crab cakes I'd ever had in my life. Then I went back to the laundromat, took our clean clothes back to the inn and got back to the restaurant in time for dinner. I had sea bass and Dan had lobster penne. I think it was the best fish I'd ever had in my life! We shared a vanilla flan for dessert. The restaurant owner was an energetic young man whose family owned a nearby organic farm, which was where they got all their vegetables. His chef was from Belgium and trained in France. He was supposedly the best chef in the area. From the taste of the food, it wasn't hard to believe. Incredibly, the owner had lived in Harlingen, Texas, for awhile, so it was fun to meet someone who was almost from home.
After dinner we went for a walk in town where we found an internet café. I had some decaf coffee and checked my email. I also checked out the official race times from Sunday and got caught up on a little news. Then we went back to the inn, showered and packed. We had to be up early for our trip south to Port Clyde to catch the ferry to Monhegan Island.
We headed to Acadia and found the base of the Cadillac Mountain South Ridge trail, which we had read was the most challenging. We found it pretty easy, actually, compared to Sleeping Giant and Ascutney. There were some vicious mosquitoes in the woods at the beginning, but once we were out on the open rock, they were no longer a problem. Instead we had to deal with strong winds that at times felt like they would blow me off the mountain and into the sea. The rocks were amazing though, carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Dan's cap was blown into a glacial pool and we had to rescue it with a branch I tore off a nearby scrub bush-- the only thing I could find in the time we had before the cap would sink to the bottom.
The tourist area at the top of the mountain was a disappointment-- nothing like climbing to the top of a mountain and finding it full of tour buses stopped at a gift shop. But there are certain advantages to finding clean restrooms, water and trail mix at the summit of a mountain, so we took advantage of those before heading back down. By now the wind was even stronger and there were times when I had to crouch down and stay low for a few moments while the gusts passed before I could continue safely. Between the wind and the mosquitoes in the woods at the base of the mountain, I was glad to get back to the car.
Then we went for a little drive around the island that Bar Harbor and Acadia sit on. The other side of the island is much quieter and we saw Bass Harbor light. It was okay, but we couldn't go into the lighthouse or onto the beach because it is Coast Guard property.
We drove back to the B&B and told them we would be leaving early the next morning and would be skipping breakfast. They kindly offered to pack us a breakfast for the road, which was nice. Then we went to Jordan Pond Tea House for popovers and tea outside on the patio. There were a lot of bugs, but it was also windy, so they weren't completely unbearable. After our snack we went back to Sand Beach and hiked around the cliff head and down onto the rocks. The tides and wind were amazing.
We went back to the inn to dress for dinner and do some laundry. We had noticed we were just around the corner from a laundromat, so we figured we might as well get our clothes in order before heading to Monhegan. The laundry prices were highway robbery, but it was good to get everything clean. While the laundry was drying we went up the street to a place called Tahini's. We had the most incredible crab cakes I'd ever had in my life. Then I went back to the laundromat, took our clean clothes back to the inn and got back to the restaurant in time for dinner. I had sea bass and Dan had lobster penne. I think it was the best fish I'd ever had in my life! We shared a vanilla flan for dessert. The restaurant owner was an energetic young man whose family owned a nearby organic farm, which was where they got all their vegetables. His chef was from Belgium and trained in France. He was supposedly the best chef in the area. From the taste of the food, it wasn't hard to believe. Incredibly, the owner had lived in Harlingen, Texas, for awhile, so it was fun to meet someone who was almost from home.
After dinner we went for a walk in town where we found an internet café. I had some decaf coffee and checked my email. I also checked out the official race times from Sunday and got caught up on a little news. Then we went back to the inn, showered and packed. We had to be up early for our trip south to Port Clyde to catch the ferry to Monhegan Island.
Monday, June 02, 2003
Bar Harbor
We got up early and had breakfast. Kay always makes more food than any sane human can eat, so when she saw we had no room for her freshly baked sticky buns she packed them for us to take along. We stopped at the post office and mailed some postcards, then headed toward Maine, via the indirect route, since there are no fast east/west roads in that part of the country.
We stopped at some very nice rest stops in New Hampshire and Maine and got maps and area guides. Around noon we stopped near Pitsfield, Maine, and had a picnic lunch of leftover tandoori chicken and basmati rice from the night before, and sticky buns courtesy of Kay.
We arrived in Bar Harbor at 3 and got settled in at our B&B. This took longer than it should've because some pushy walk-ins from Alabama kept interrupting the innkeeper. It didn't help that the innkeeper had a rather lengthy spiel that he felt he had to give us before he would show us to our room. But the room was lovely and very elegant. It was much fancier than Kay's place, although the inn lacked the same "at-home" feel that we always get with Kay.
We skipped tea and went to a nearby bike shop to check on rentals for the next day. Then we went to Acadia where we immediately decided it would be more work than fun to ride road bikes, not to mention that it would be dangerous to ride the winding hilly roads with no shoulder. I suggested we rent mountain bikes and do the carriage trails, but he thought they would be too crowded and we could just hike instead.
In the meantime we were driving the park road and eventually stopped at Sand Beach to take pictures. It was very picturesque, but also sanitized and touristy compared to Vermont. We had dinner at the Jordan Pond House. The popovers and tea were great and the food was quite good, but a bit overpriced. With the incredible views all around, what could one expect? After dinner we walked the pond trail a bit and then went back to the inn and strolled through town. We saw some nightlife and some questionable characters, but no one bothered us. We bought some coffee at an ice cream shop that sold lobster ice cream, but we passed on the offer of samples. Instead we went back to the inn and sat on the porch for awhile, planning the next day's events.
We concluded we were a little disappointed with Bar Harbor. It was less picturesque than Cape Cod and less rustic than Vermont. We had expected it to be more like the Cape, with everything designed to blend into the original architecture of the place, and with efforts made to keep it looking quaint. Well, if we hadn't gone, we would've always wondered.
We stopped at some very nice rest stops in New Hampshire and Maine and got maps and area guides. Around noon we stopped near Pitsfield, Maine, and had a picnic lunch of leftover tandoori chicken and basmati rice from the night before, and sticky buns courtesy of Kay.
We arrived in Bar Harbor at 3 and got settled in at our B&B. This took longer than it should've because some pushy walk-ins from Alabama kept interrupting the innkeeper. It didn't help that the innkeeper had a rather lengthy spiel that he felt he had to give us before he would show us to our room. But the room was lovely and very elegant. It was much fancier than Kay's place, although the inn lacked the same "at-home" feel that we always get with Kay.
We skipped tea and went to a nearby bike shop to check on rentals for the next day. Then we went to Acadia where we immediately decided it would be more work than fun to ride road bikes, not to mention that it would be dangerous to ride the winding hilly roads with no shoulder. I suggested we rent mountain bikes and do the carriage trails, but he thought they would be too crowded and we could just hike instead.
In the meantime we were driving the park road and eventually stopped at Sand Beach to take pictures. It was very picturesque, but also sanitized and touristy compared to Vermont. We had dinner at the Jordan Pond House. The popovers and tea were great and the food was quite good, but a bit overpriced. With the incredible views all around, what could one expect? After dinner we walked the pond trail a bit and then went back to the inn and strolled through town. We saw some nightlife and some questionable characters, but no one bothered us. We bought some coffee at an ice cream shop that sold lobster ice cream, but we passed on the offer of samples. Instead we went back to the inn and sat on the porch for awhile, planning the next day's events.
We concluded we were a little disappointed with Bar Harbor. It was less picturesque than Cape Cod and less rustic than Vermont. We had expected it to be more like the Cape, with everything designed to blend into the original architecture of the place, and with efforts made to keep it looking quaint. Well, if we hadn't gone, we would've always wondered.
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