The Maine Event- Part 2

Bar Harbor, Maine Days 3-5

Day 3

The next morning we headed NE to Bar Harbor and if you are not in a hurry (you are on vacation of course you are not in a hurry), take the scenic route on U.S. 1. This beautiful coastal road will take you through every quintessential small Maine town along the ocean. Take time to get out of your car do some shopping, get a few bites to eat, and take in the scenery. Some pictures from our drive:

The staff at the Allagash Brewery recommended getting a picnic lunch and taking a hike up to Bald Rock. There are two different ways to get to the top of Bald Rock, the first is through the main entrance of Camden State Park, and the second is through the trailhead in Lincolnville. For more detailed information: http://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trail/camden-hills-state-park-northern-trail-network/. We took the trailhead from Lincolnville that has a parking lot.

  

I would say that this hike is pretty strenuous as it is 2.5 miles completely uphill. Most of the hike is on cleared large paths but at the end it begins to get steeper. If I can do it, I have no doubt it you and the end reward is worth it! Pictures really don’t do it justice but have a look anyways.   

We then checked into our hotel, the Best Western Acadia Park Inn. I would highly recommend this hotel. The rooms were nice, it was a short drive from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and the price was very reasonable. There are many motels along state highway 3 that seemed to be vacant as it was not “tourist season” but I it would take more investigating to find out their availability.

We settled into our hotel and then headed down to Bar Harbor for dinner. Generally I would describe the town as touristy but romantic, again we didn’t technically go at peak visiting time but there were a few cruise ships in town. We ate at Rupununi Restaurant that offered your typical Maine Fare. We chose the restaurant because we wanted to people watch on the patio. Erik had the Rueben burger with rosemary fries, I had the crab cake appetizer, sweet potato rounds, and “special sauce” green beans. It wasn’t the best meal in the world but it did the trick that night.

After dinner we shopped and wandered around the streets. It was another beautiful night.

      

Day 4

The next morning we visited Acadia National Park. That day was one of the most memorable days of my life. Acadia National Park has it all, beaches, forests, lakes, cliffs, and amazing views. We had one day at the park and once we got there we realized we could have spent a week there (we hope to in the future). We drove a long Park Loop Rd and visited the Sand Beach, Beaver Dam Pond, Jordan Pond House, and basked in the views atop Cadillac Mountain. To plan your visit:http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

    

That night we wanted an authentic lobster boil. Side note: neither of us really love seafood but when in Rome. I believe everyone should go to a lobster boil on the side of the highway. We had no idea what we were doing when it came to us; it reminded me of dissecting something in science class except that you eat it at the end. But it tasted great and the price was reasonable.

    

That night we wandered around Bar Harbor again, got some pizza for our second dinner at Rosalie’s Pizza, and brought a bottle of wine back to our hotel.

     

Day 5

I had never seen a whale in the wild before our trip to Maine, and sadly I have still never seen a whale in the wild. This fact is sad, not because I deserve to see a whale in the wild or I am mad I paid a lot of money to see one and didn’t… but because our tour guides shared that normally the time we visited was prime whale viewing normally. But because of changes in water temperature (approximately 3 degrees higher that normal) the whale’s food was somewhere else changing their migration patterns.

On a bright note, we took a glorious tour through the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. and saw many seals and sea birds; it was very informative and beautiful. And because we did not actually see a whale our ticket is good for another free trip for as long as we live until we see a whale on their cruise (we will be back).

We slowly headed back to Portland, ME after our cruise, bellied up to the bar a the Great Lost Bear again and played some cribbage.

Day 6

We only had a little time in the morning but we made sure not to leave without checking out the brunch at Local 188 which was suggested over and over to us by our servers in Portland. It was amazing, do not leave Portland without eating there. My husband ordered one of the best bloody mary’s I have ever had and I had a delicious mimosa. For breakfast I ordered the Caribbean corned beef hash and my husband had the biscuits and gravy. You must go there.

 

In closing, I couldn’t recommend Maine for an awesome cost-efficient honeymoon. It was truly spectacular, and if you love food and craft beer it is perfect for you! Questions? Ask away!