Kim's Thoughts

Continuing on with photos from my recent motor home adventure through the New England States. To recap — I’ve posted about all the lobster and crab we ate, our time in Connecticut – where we spent three nights in the Niantic / Mystic area, day trips into Massachusetts to visit Salem, Plymouth, Gloucester, and the home of the NE Patriots. I left off on the last post when we stopped for the night in Saco, ME, near Portland.

Our next major stop was Bar Harbor, where we stayed three nights in the Bar Harbor Ocean Side KOA – a fantastic KOA park right on the water with fresh lobster dinners available every night! While there, we pretty much covered the entire island that Bar Harbor is located on – Mount Desert Island…..we did all the different loops in Acadia National Park, took a bus tour up Cadillac Mountain, and drove the perimeter of the island to get to a fantastic working lighthouse on the tip of the island and then back up using a different route back to Bar Harbor. What an amazing place!!! Everything was soooooo beautiful!

I was very excited to see Bar Harbor, in particular. I went on a New England / Canada cruise a couple years ago and Bar Harbor was one of the scheduled ports, but the fog was so thick that they wouldn’t let us tender in and the cruise ship raised anchors and moved on to the next port! So, this is the second chance I’ve been waiting for. I was also excited to try to do the tour I had planned on my shore excursion that didn’t happen – a boat tour to see all the lighthouses on the island! Unfortunately, the fog, again, kept me from doing that particular tour – they weren’t taking boats out the two days I was able to attempt the tour! 😦 But…..the time we spent in Bar Harbor was still amazing! I absolutely LOVED it and hope to return someday!

Here are some photos:

Taken at the KOA Campground:

Our campsite at the KOA — just a stone’s throw from the shore!

Every day, a guy set up cooking these fabulous lobster dinners – the lobsters were caught each morning fresh by the guy’s cousin! We enjoyed these dinners twice while we were there.

Ellie, enjoying the sunshine and the view!

And, the warm grass!

Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain:

On the first day, we took a bus tour on the Park Loop and up Cadillac Mountain. The fog prevented us from going all the way to the summit and the visibility was low, but what we did get to see was amazing! On the second day, we drove ourselves around the Park Loop and another loop – the visibility was better and we had more time to stop at scenic overlooks – it was still too foggy at the summit, but we really enjoyed our time in the park.

Thunder Hole — at high tide, the surf rushes in here and sounds just like thunder and the waves shoot super high into the air against the rocks! We weren’t there at high tide, but it was still very impressive!

Beaver home

There are “carriage roads” throughout the park – roads that can only be traveled by bike, foot, or horse

We tried the local favorite – Blueberry Soda! The first sip was “OK”, but my thought was that I was glad I tried it, but probably wouldn’t finish it……but, I drank some more and then some more and it grew on me —- once I got into it, it was actually very good! I’d definitely drink it again, if I ever get the chance!

The Village of Bar Harbor:

Both days we took time to wander around downtown Bar Harbor — LOVED IT! The shops were so quaint and the town was so lovely! I could have spent a LOT more time there! The first day, there were two cruise ships anchored, so there were several thousand cruise passengers on shore! The next day – no cruise ships – so, it was easier to get around and the stores were less crowded.

I had a wonderful breakfast of fresh Maine wild blueberry crepes, wild blueberry muffin, and a cup of tea!

I learned that whoopie pies originated in the area of Bar Harbor……this is a coffee bar that had whoopies in every flavor imaginable!!!

The only kind of moose we saw! 😦

I got these cool ornaments at a Christmas shop…..the claw is an actual lobster claw!

Bass Harbor Light House:

Located on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island in Tremont.

And……the sunsets!!!!

That’s all for Maine…….one last post will wrap up the rest of the trip through New Hampshire and Vermont!