Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine: We woke to a downpour - after such a pleasant day yesterday. We were going to drive north today, which meant we had to hitch-up in the rain. Yuck. We were also worried about driving on Route 1, along the coast, north to Bar Harbor. As it turns out, the route is only narrow through Camden - after we left town we had a lovely drive (in the rain) along the coast. I found another cleverly named company, "Yankee Strippers" - wood-floor refinishers. Also I need to mention the amusing cross-walks in Camden. On the street it is painted "STOP, WALK, WAVE", for your instructions on how to proceed across the street. Everyone waves at the drivers who stop for you to cross. Quite charming, and probably so much safer.

We arrived in Bar Harbor after a 90 minute drive and found our reserved campsite. It is Memorial Day Weekend, so we thought it would be best to reserve, but because of the weather I can't imagine this campground will fill-up. But, maybe Mainers are like Oregonians - if you can't do stuff in the rain, you just don't do stuff. We are on Mount Desert Island, the home of Acadia National Park. Mount Desert Island, at 108 square miles, is the third largest island off the continental United States, behind Long Island and Martha's Vineyard. (Your trivial fact for the day.) Of course, we are here to visit Acadia National Park, but will try to see as much of the island as we can over the long holiday weekend.

After settling-in for our long (for us) stay, we drove the Honda into the pretty town of Bar Harbor. The town was the summer play ground for the wealthiest of Americans until a huge fire in 1949 burned down the surrounding forests and 90% of the homes. The Rockefellers had arranged for most of the land on Mount Desert Island to be purchased for donation for a National Park, and after the fire, even more land was donated. Bar Harbor is still the summer residence for several prominent Americans, and the town is very pretty and covered with flower basket-lined streets, adorable bed-and-breakfasts, shops, inns and restaurants.

The Holland America ship, Maasdam, was in port! She sails from Boston every week from May through October visiting Martha's Vineyard, Portland, St. John, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Maine and then back to Boston. It was a cold, rainy day in Bar Harbor and not too many passengers were going back and forth in the tender.

The Maasdam, anchored in Bar Harbor, Maine

We took a tour of Bar Harbor, in the car (I mean, seriously, look at the lovely weather we were experiencing!) and then headed back to Our Intrigue. Just a mile short of our goal, DT noticed a small sign reading Atlantic Brewing Company, so he took a left and drove down a little country road. We were sure we were lost, until we stumbled upon a teeny building with a few cars parked outside. The brewery operates all year, but their small tavern opened yesterday for the season. It is in an old building, with no heating and about 8 items on their food menu, and 6 different brews on tap. Our friendly beer-tender, Tim, offered a sample of anything we wanted to try, but DT plunged right in and ordered a SOB (Special Old Bitter) as he adores bitters. I sat there... hmmmm.... it is so rude to ask beer brewers, "Do you have BudLight?" But then something sparked my interest - they had Ginger Beer - Mount Desert Island Ginger. Real beer, brewed with fresh ginger root. So, your correspondent tried (and finished) a micro brew. It didn't even really taste like beer. I can imagine on a warm day the Ginger Beer would be quite refreshing. DT also tried their best-selling Bar Harbor Amber Ale. They also have a "Coal Porter", a blueberry beer and a Bragget Ale with a 12% alcohol content! Wowser. DT just loves a microbrew!

We will enjoy a quiet, cold, dark, cloudy, rainy Shabbat at home.

Added later: This is what I get for updating my website before dinner. Just as we were sitting down to dinner, there was a commotion in the campground. An Elvis impersonator was driving through the park on the back of an overly-decorated golf cart. (And, I swear, I just saw his grave..??) Elvis was in full costume - a pale turquoise jumpsuit, complete with cape. Seems tonight in the RV park's rec-room, Elvis is doing a show! If we weren't ready to eat, we would have gone to the show... but we did put in an Elvis CD to accompany our feast.

RV Park: Mt. Desert Narrows Campground