September 13, 2013 - Rest day in Bar Harbor
Awoke to a very heavy fog that sat over Frenchman's Bay like a blanket. We decided to take the convenient bus into town to catch the Acadia National Park tour. Our motel is located a little less than a mile from town along Hwy 3, along with a lot of others. The city runs a constant free bus shuttle out which is wonderful. No bikes for us today.
It was lightly raining and still heavy fog as we began the bus tour. We learned that the Queen Mary 2 was anchored out in the bay and, in fact, several of their passengers were on the bus tour with us. However, it was impossible to see the ship due to the fog. We had an excellent tour guide, a gentleman from the area who obviously knew his history and had many interesting stories to tell. That was a good thing, because we could essentially see nothing due to the fog and rain. He would say something like, "And off to the right is the sand bar to Bar Harbor Island you can walk across at low ride," or "one of the carriage trails built by Rockefeller in the early 1900's is on the left." Everyone would crane their necks and see nothing. So, I more or less took to just closing my eyes and imagining based on his very good descriptions. We stopped at several places along the way and got out to see the little museums and shops. Among those were Sieur de Monts and Jordan Pond House. As we rode along the one way Park Loop Road, we also saw several groups of bicyclists riding in the rain. There was a group here for a few days who had been on a 400+ mile ride in Maine and were staying in Bar Harbor for a few days.
Fortunately, the rain and fog had cleared up enough that we did get to see one of the major attractions up close - Thunder Hole, described as, "a large partially submerged crevice with vertical granite walls.....when waves roll into Thunder Hole, their power is concentrated...inrushing waves capture and compress air in the back of Thunder Hole, sometimes producing a thundering 'boom'..." I took several pictures, including one last picture of Randy and me.
The one major attraction we did not get to see that I most wanted to see was Cadillac Mountain. At an elevation of 1532 feet, it is the highest elevation on the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Rio De Janeiro. They say this is the first spot the sun rises on. I found that fascinating. Due to the fog, however, the driver didn't even attempt to go there because we would not have been able to see anything anyway.
One of the biggest takeaways from the bus tour was that apparently Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor was once a haven for the wealthy who would build large summer "cottages" here. Reminded me of the "camps" on Lake Placid. Many of these wealthy families were responsible for the development of the Acadia National Forest, including such things as the carriage roads. The carriage roads are unpaved paths for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicle use that wind throughout the park and give a unique view and perspective. There are also numerous hiking trails. In 1947, there was a huge fire that wiped out many of these summer cottages. What was rebuilt in place were many of the present day hotels and inns, and Bar Harbor became more of a tourist destination.
After the bus tour, Randy and I had lunch then went our separate ways for the afternoon. He went to find the Heritage Museum, and I more or less wandered around town. The fog had continued to clear, and the Queen Mary 2 was now visible in the harbor. It looked like a Phoenix rising from the fog and was simply magnificent. I took the shore line path around the harbor and snapped numerous pictures of the ship and shore line from all angles.
The path ended up near the Village Green, where I was to catch the bus back to the motel. I noticed a couple of trees on the Village Green that had leaves turning color, and chose one as my official "Tour of the Leaves" tree ending the ride in Bar Harbor proper. Then, I picked up several of the colorful leaves from that tree to press and take home as soveigners - Del, I picked up a very special leaf for you.
Tomorrow, Randy and I are riding to Seasport, and plan on staying at the Yarham Motel - the place I stayed last Wednesday that I liked so much. Randy plans to leave Sunday morning and head towards Syracuse along the same route I took to get here. I have given him all my input as to the route and motels as far as Middlebury, VT. I am thinking I will stay in Seasport until Monday and gear up for the final week. I am riding 185 miles south to Kennebunk, former home of Mary Jean Tarr; then 28 miles back to Portland, ME to catch a flight to Atlanta next Saturday.
