Acadia National Park - Dining Our Way Across Mt. Desert Island

Just the thought of spending any time over Memorial Day weekend in the tourist town of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island was enough to inject fear into Alan’s heart and mine.  Those of us who are “socially selective” tend to favor opportunities for solitude in our National Parks over holiday bedlam.  That was reason enough to leap out of bed at o’dark-thirty on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  Okay, let’s face it, we no longer “leap” anywhere.  But we were up and out early on our way to Café This Way.  Which way?  This way . . .

We stumbled upon Café This Way (link HERE) when we visited Acadia in 2014.  A humble looking cottage style café, this sweet gem of a restaurant is tucked into an alley off Mt. Desert Street in Bar Harbor.  In an effort to stay one step ahead of the weekend crowds, we were parked and seated well before the parking meters took effect in Bar Harbor.  And yet, the Café was already busy.  For some reason, this eatery reminds me of both an internet coffee shop and a library.  The ambience is warm and cozy, the staff is wonderful and the food is delicious.  I ordered “The Harney” – the Café’s own corned beef hash, two poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce and sourdough toast.  Hold the Hollandaise, and add an order of homefries, please. I’m a sucker for homemade corned beef hash; this one was flavorfully seasoned, and definitely did not disappoint.

Café This Way - indoor and outdoor seating available

As we circled the Village Green on our way to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in Acadia National Park, we passed the Bar Harbor Fire Department, and spotted the carved wooden lobster bench outside of Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium.  Seeing both of these landmarks prompted memories of our first trip to Acadia in 2011, when Ryan was 17 and Kyra was 12.  At the time, Ryan was a member of our local volunteer fire department, and we were able to snap a photo of him standing next to one of the Bar Harbor fire trucks.  Another photo from that trip is of Kyra seated on the lobster bench with Ryan standing next to her.  We’ve enjoyed amazing adventures at many magnificent destinations as a family, and there’s always a bittersweet tug at my heartstrings when Alan and I re-visit one of those places without the kids.

I still miss our kids when we travel!

After a quick stop at Hulls Cove to garner some advice from the Park Rangers, Alan and I jumped on the Park Loop Road.  Our intention was to travel the loop early in the day before weekend travelers were even on the road, and that plan paid off.  Our first stop was Sand Beach.  This beach and the trailhead at the end of it are so popular that summer traffic fills the parking lot early in the day, and parked cars are often stretched out along the Park Loop Road.  When we arrived at Sand Beach, there were a number of vehicles in the parking lot, but it didn’t appear to be overly crowded.  So far, so good.  As we headed down the steps to the beach, the payoff for “leaping” out of bed so early became apparent – the beach was practically empty.  This visit marked the only time that I had been able to photograph Sand Beach with no other tourists in the picture.  The third time’s a charm!

Sand Beach - without a soul in sight

Hoping that our good fortune would continue, Alan and I made our way to Thunder Hole, so named for the crashing sound the waves make as they enter a large “hole” in the rocks along the shoreline.  The action at Thunder Hole fluctuates according to the condition of the surf.  When the water is calm, first time visitors wonder what the big deal is.  When the surf is pounding and the thunder reverberates in the hole, it’s quite impressive.  On the day of our visit, the ocean waters were somewhere between dead calm and somewhat exciting, reminding us more of a distant summer thunderstorm than a dangerous storm overhead.  Alan was watching the ocean for incoming swells; I was waiting with my camera ready.  He’d give me a heads up when a more powerful one was about to hit, and I got my shots that way.  As with much of nature photography, patience is often rewarded.  It was interesting to me to see others watch for a minute and then move on to something better.  Those of us who switched over to “ocean time,” and waited patiently for nature’s theatrical displays, were rewarded with the booming sound of ocean “thunder.” 

Thunder Hole - better than some days, not as spectacular as others

When we rounded the bend at Otter Cove, we noticed that it was low tide, and the pond on the side of the road opposite the cove was mostly drained.  Otter Cove is a favorite of ours, and we spent quite a bit of time exploring the rocky beach when we were there with the kids.  I find the ocean waters on one side of the road and the small pond framed by mountains (at high tide) on the other to be an intriguing juxtaposition.  If the cove was named for living, breathing otters, we’ve never seen them – but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop looking.  Vowing to return again – at high tide, preferably – we continued on.

The pond at Otter Cove - a "high tide" photo from 2011

The only time-related goal of the day was the successful snagging of a table at the Jordan Pond House (link HERE) so that we could enjoy their famous popovers on the lawn overlooking Jordan Pond.  “Tea and Popovers” (or coffee) is a long-standing tradition not just for our family, but for many families.  Dining alfresco is always a special treat, but to do so with a view of Jordan Pond and North and South Bubbles behind the Pond is exquisite.  Admittedly, the weather wasn’t the nicest – it was a mostly a cool, cloudy morning with a threat of showers – but an outdoor table at the Jordan Pond House is not always easy to get, even if the weather isn’t the best.  So, we decided to go for it that day, remembering that there wasn’t anything preventing us from returning on Tuesday when we were back in the park.  Knowing that the restaurant opened at 11:00 a.m., we planned to arrive early and be at the head of the line for a table.  What we didn’t know, however, is that the restaurant staff graciously opens a customer service window at 10:30 a.m., and takes reservations for the early birds.  Early birds – that’s us!  When the doors opened at 11:00, we were one of the first parties seated on the lawn.  Delightful!  While  Alan and I are generally conservative when it comes to the dining out portion of our budget, Tea and Popovers at Acadia’s Jordan Pond House is one of those unique experiences that, in my mind, is most definitely worth whatever it costs.  Because I know you’re just dying to ask . . . Two popovers, served with Maine-made strawberry jam and butter, plus coffee or tea, set us back $12.99 each when we visited in May.  And, if you think we spent big bucks on that tasty treat, wait until you see what we splurged on when we returned the following Tuesday!  But, I digress.

Jordan Pond from the lawn of the Jordan Pond House - the Bubbles at the back right

While my posts here at Reflections Around the Campfire highlight the RV lifestyle, we are a family of boaters just as surely as we’re a family of campers.  Alan’s father owned a small sailboat when Alan and his siblings were young, and Alan’s brother has owned at least two boats that I can recall.  One of Alan’s sisters and her husband owned a sailboat.  Alan and I bought our first powerboat over 30 years ago; we’re on our second one now.  We’ve slept in slips at marinas, cruised up and down rivers, navigated locks and outrun storms ferociously chasing us across a lake.   We have water skis and those ridiculous inflatables with screaming kids attached that you drag behind a boat.  I’m happy to say that the love of being out on the water has been passed down to our kids:  Ryan and his wife, Anya, own a jet ski; Kyra water skis and has rented a stand-up paddle board.  Family vacation at our favorite lake every summer combines the best of both worlds – camping and boating.  Now that it’s way too late to make a long story short . . .

Ready to hit the water at our family's favorite lake - another memory from years past

Whenever Alan and I are near coastal towns, you’ll often find us hanging around at the harbor.  While other travelers may gravitate to museums or historic sites, we’re consistently drawn to the water – and what better place to explore harbors and lighthouses than along the New England coast.  In our local waters, we see mainly pleasure boats, along with freighters and hard-working tugs pushing barges along to commercial ports.  In contrast, many of the marinas and harbors in Maine were mostly populated with commercial fishing boats.   After all, “Maine” is practically synonymous with “lobster.”  Or should I say, “lob-sta?”

The harbor at Northeast Harbor

After our delightful treat of popovers at the Jordan Pond House, we exited Acadia National Park and made our way over to the small, quaint town of Northeast Harbor.  Adorable little shops lined the main street of Northeast Harbor, but it was to the docks that Alan and I were drawn.  The setting was perfect – easy access to parking and restrooms, plus benches along the water overlooking a harbor full of lobster boats.  Northeast Harbor was our kind of place.  Inevitably, at harbors and marinas like this, our conversation turns to the merits of powerboats over sailboats, the relative condition of one boat in the harbor compared to others, the Sea Ray 55 Flybridge I’ve been lusting after for years and what difficult lives commercial fishermen must lead.  While we pass the time conversing - or just observing the activities around the harbor - life slows down to match the rhythmic rumble of a boat engine out on the water, and sea birds dot the sky around us.  It doesn’t take much to make either one of us happy.  That Alan – he’s a cheap date.

These small boats were swinging from left to right in unison as the breeze blew - synchronized boating!

As we left Northeast Harbor, the travel fairies must have decided that I was a bit too relaxed and what I really needed was a spike in blood pressure.  So, they guided us on a return visit to the Bass Harbor Light Station.  We had visited this iconic lighthouse with the kids back in 2011.  At the time, access to the Light Station was limited, and the best we could do was get an angled photo from the small viewing area at the water’s edge below the Light Station.  That view is still accessible, although the trees have grown in somewhat in the intervening years.

Current view from the old access point

So, what got my blood pressure up?  The new access to the Bass Harbor Light Station, that’s what.  If the objective of constructing a new access path to the Light Station was to get visitors closer to the structure, then that objective was, indeed, met.  If the objective of the new access was to provide a better visitor experience, then that objective (in my humble opinion) was not.  The new access path brought us to the back and side of the Light Station.  Personally, I believe that the beauty of the Bass Harbor Light and its character shine forth from the front and other side of the small Light Station.  The best views of this wonderful beacon are from the old access point and, better yet, the water.  If you search online for images of the Bass Harbor Light Station, you generally won't see this one:

View from the new access point - closer, yes, but not necessarily better.

Swallowing my disappointment, we moved along to our final stop of the day on Mt. Desert Island – Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Bernard (link HERE).  Thurston’s looks out over the waters of Bass Harbor, and it’s your typical low-key, lobster shack kind of establishment that’s prevalent along the coast.  We placed our order for lobster rolls at the counter, and then took a seat at a table on the deck overlooking the harbor to wait for our order to be delivered.  The staff member who took our order was quick to mention Dick Wolf (of Law and Order fame) and how he liked to stop by in his “Batmobile.”  Batmobile?  Really?  I had to check out that little tidbit of information online and, sure enough, one of good ol’ Dick’s three boats looks a lot like . . . the Batmobile.  I kid you not. I’m a huge fan of Dick Wolf, but it really makes me wonder what he was thinking when he bought that boat.  But, I digress.  Again.

Bass Harbor

The lobster rolls were delish, and the view of Bass Harbor would have been superb except that the restaurant had plastic screening to protect guests from the weather.  I appreciate management’s concern, but I didn’t really consider our table to be outdoors, so a small demerit there.   I tried to convince Alan that we should move to one of the few tables that actually were outside, but he had a reasonably reasonable reason why we shouldn’t.  Still, the lobster was fresh and dressed ever so lightly in warm butter – the whole thing practically melted in your mouth.  Thurston’s is the real deal – piles of lobster traps everywhere, friendly, local staff, fresh-as-it-gets lobster and sweet harbor views.  Would I go back?  Yup.  But Dick Wolf and his Batmobile had better be there when I do.

A few lobster traps on the dock near Thurston's

On the way back to Schoodic Woods Campground after a long and busy day full of adventures on Mt. Desert Island, we made one final food-related stop at Morton’s Moo in Ellsworth (link HERE), just north of the Island.  Neither Alan nor I have ever ordered a flight of beer; I don’t like the taste of beer, and he doesn’t drink much of it.  But when we find an establishment that offers flights of homemade ice cream, we don’t ever pass that up!

Flights of Five at Morton's Moo in Ellsworth - Alan's on the left, mine on the right

We can attest to the fact that Morton’s Moo offers absolutely delectable ice cream in a wide variety of flavors, including some unusual ones like Fudgn’ Curmudgeon and Nutty Bovine.  We don’t remember what Alan ordered, but my Flight of Five included Mocha Oreo, Coconut, Blueberry, Nana’s Ginger and Coffee Heath Bar.  All homemade, all amazing!  Nana’s Ginger, especially, was to die for, but thank heaven I didn’t because we still had a week left to our trip and plenty of sightseeing to do.

“Today’s good mood is sponsored by lobster rolls.”  (Unknown)

The next two days of Memorial Day weekend (Saturday and Sunday) would be spent exploring “Down East” as we worked our way along the coast of Maine beyond Acadia’s Schoodic Peninsula.  This territory was all new to us, and we were happily hoping that it would be fairly quiet over the holiday weekend.  Time would tell.