Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are a slice of America everyone must-see. I grew up in Oak Harbor, Washington's seafaring town. Commercial fishing and crabbing were things I did when I was a kid. Maine reminds me of these things; our main goal was to visit Acadia National Park. That really didn't go as planned.
The first day we took a taxi to Bar Harbor, we toured the town on foot. We had a wonderful lunch at the Terrace Grill at the Bar Harbor Inn and Spa. The view at lunch was an experience. It was a perfect lunch. Although filled with tourists, Bar Harbor still had a small seafaring town feel. With a mixture of seaside parks and restaurants, it was a fun town, it was a good day.
We did go to Acadia National Park, which had a horde of people. We could not even stop at any of the overlooks because of the parking. We did find the natural garden in the park, which gave us a good horticultural breakdown of the plants in the area. This was a neat experience, but the crowds were a dark cloud; at least I did get my National Park Stamp.
After visiting the National Park Garden, we drove south to Southwest Harbor, absolutely pristine and not a tourist destination. This is what Bar Harbor must have been in the past. We sat on a park bench and watched a lobster boatload load its traps. In the park next to the marina was a Lobster Food Truck. We had a lobster roll and enjoyed the sunshine.
Once back at the RV Park, we walked across the street to the lobster and clam shack for a final meal. The lobster bake was fantastic. The whole work was baked lobster, potatoes, and corn on the cob.
Maine is somewhere I could live. Tomorrow we start our long trek home. I'm missing the lobster rolls already. It's been a great trip walking parts of the Appalachian Trail in all the states that it runs through. Seeing Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park was the icing on the cake. I hope to make it back to Maine in the future; what a great state.
