6-9 August
We breakfasted in Ellie’s, near our hotel in Providence, before picking up our rucksacks, avoiding the down-and-outs waiting for the soup kitchen across the road, and walked to the Amtrak station. We had plenty of time to sup a coffee at the station and take a photo of the Senate building.
There were quite a lot of trains on the departure board, both Amtrak and North Eastern – very different from the Amtrak station at Atlanta, with only two trains per day, one southbound and one northbound.
We were on the train for less than half an hour, alighting at Route 128 station. Descending the long escalator, we were delighted to see Chris and Becca, waiting for us at the bottom. Great because we had managed to meet up somewhere in America, and great as we hadn’t seen them for over 5 months!
A long car journey awaited us to arrive at Bar Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, on the Atlantic coast, in Maine. We were further north than Toronto, but still south of Great Britain.
We had a lunch break in Portland, Maine. It was Sunday lunchtime and we found a great pub, with the sound of live music from the street outside and delicious food.
It was early evening when we arrived at our destination. The weather was kind, allowing us to walk to one of the many eateries on offer and enjoy a local ice-cream after dinner. Lynne enjoyed her first lobster roll, a local delight denied to Peter due to his allergy, for a change.
We had two full days in Bar Harbor. The weather was glorious the first day, but slated to rain on the second day. So we profited from the sunshine, by climbing Mount Cadillac, which is the first place to see the sun rise in continental USA, from October to March.
It was a glorious climb, with magnificent views of the sea and various islands. We also had the added bonus of a detour, which saw us climbing an interesting temporary path. Mt Cadillac consists of pink granite which meant there was a lot of climbing on bedrock.
We had been lucky to find a parking space on the loop road, near the start of the North Ridge Trail. After the four and a half km steep climb, It was odd to find a very busy car park and many more visitors at the top!
Up the Cadillac
Down we go
We decided to follow a different route down, via the Gorge Trail, which would take us straight back to the car. It was a great trail down, but steep and vertiginous, as we clambered down the boulders to get to the Gorge. Then a lovely descent through the forest, by a stream, arriving right by the car.
We didn’t have much resting time before setting off to the harbour for our sea-kayaking adventure out to Porcupine Island and around Bar Island. We were lucky to see a bald-headed eagle in full flight. The weather was turning as we raced back to the jetty, over the sand bar, with no chance of enjoying the sunset, due to cloud cover.
As predicted, it rained the following day. We enjoyed an American breakfast in a traditional diner – Chris had their signature blueberry pancakes. Then Chris, Becca and Lynne went for a 12-13 mile cycle ride on the carriageway in Acadia National Park. The carriageway is only open to cyclists, walkers and horse-drawn carriages, of which we encountered two.
It was a lovely, but challenging cycle round three lakes (Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond and Bubble Pond). With the rain, there weren’t many cyclists or walkers on the path, but when we arrived at Jordan Pond, the wait for tea in the restaurant was a full hour, as there was a car park full of cars and a couple of local buses.
Deciding not to wait, we set off down a long hill as the rain became torrential, only to discover at the bottom of the hill, that we had taken the wrong route. A long, wet slog awaited us, back to the tea house. Should we have availed ourselves of that local bus service? By the time we worked out the correct route, the rain had relented to a steady drizzle. We were so wet, we determined to carry on and finish our planned route.
It could have been Scotland – the hills, woodland, the clear lakes and the rain and low cloud in the middle of summer! Wet doesn’t begin to describe how we felt when we returned the bikes, but delighted with our work-out!
Wet Wet
It rained all evening and the cyclists had to make use of welcome hotel umbrellas, as their rain jackets took all night to dry! Even Chris and Becca’s log fire in their luxurious room didn’t dry out all their gear! Bar Harbour is very popular, very noticeable when searching for a restaurant without an hour long or more queue (line). In the rain.
After trying a handful of restaurants, we found one with a twenty five minute wait time and a bar to keep out of the rain. Lady Luck shone on us, and we were allowed a table early, and had a great dinner under a canvas canopy, rain drumming loudly on the canvas.
Leaving Bar Harbour, we followed the coast road down to Portland, before setting off to New London, our next destination. En-route lunch break at a deli in Camden, right over the water, by the marina.
The scenery is pretty in Maine, with its lakes, rivers, greenery and fine weatherboard houses. It is apparent why this has become a holiday destination for East Coast Americans, but it is a long drive from Boston or further south.
Had a lovely few days with you guys! Wonderful place although I feel like we only finally got everything dry two days later..
We recognise that experience.
It was really great to explore some of Becca’s old haunts with you both.
We look forward to catching up with you again in Udine (as well as the rest of the family!)
We love Maine! So glad you enjoyed Acadia and Mount Desert Isle and the Bar Harbor and Portland and Camden restaurants! Indeed it is a bit of a drive but definitely one of our favorite places! Your weekend with Rebecca and Chris inspired me to plan another getaway there for our first September weekend.