Oh, is Sparky sad to leave Bar Harbor....But cheer up, Sparky!...Eldo says there's a 60-40 chance we'll be back next summer. Sparky is holding out for 80-20. Eldy says if he gets satellite TV, (DONE! says Sparky) and better internet, (Sparky will get a booster antenna--DONE!) we'll think about coming back....
So we'll leave you with our recommended list of favorite things to see and do in Bar Harbor/Acadia. These may not be necessarily on everybody's to-do list when they come to see the area, but we thought they were things that shouldn't be missed. And Sparky included some extra visitor tips:
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| View of the Bubbles on a bike ride..a.k.a. "the boobies" by the locals |
2. Take a bridge tour on a horse and carriage ride from Wildwood Stables....
3. When biking the carriage roads, get off your bike and look for trail paths leading down to the lower levels of the Rockefeller bridges so you can see the structures better. The Deer Brook Bridge details are easily missed from up above. Sparky was amazed at how many people had no idea what was underneath their feet or what was unique about the bridges they were passing over.
4. Eat hand tossed pizza at Rosalie's Pizza in downtown Bar Harbor...watch 'em throw the dough up in the air!
5. Great chowder--Rupununi's downtown Bar Harbor or Seafood Ketch in Bass Harbor. Great lobster, just about everywhere. Visit the side streets of Bar Harbor for lesser known but just as good town restaurants and more reasonably priced, like the Side Street Cafe. There are MANY good restaurants in Bar Harbor and all the little harbor towns as well.
6. Purchase pocket hiking and carriage roads books at visitor center at Hull's Cove. Well worth it and inexpensive. Robert Thayer's photographic and informational book about the carriage roads (Acadia's Carriage Roads) and explanation of the bridges' construction, is a terrific book as well.
7. Thunder Hole--very iffy to get the timing of the waves, the tides and storm conditions to see anything. If you do go, at 3/4 tide, after a storm, and when there's wave action, you MIGHT get to see and hear the towering spray and BOOMing sound of the water coming back out from under the rocky shelf. Four times, and we didn't. But it's still beautiful there at the viewing platform and on the surrounding cliffs.
8. Get to Cadillac Mountain EARLY for sunset/sunrise viewing. There are alternative pull outs and places to park on the way down that are just as spectacular viewing as being at the top.
9. Pack a sweater or windbreaker and always have it with you along with water whether hiking or biking. Weather changes rapidly on Mount Desert Island. It can be rainy and cool in Bar Harbor and hot and sunny just a few miles down the road.
10. The state of Maine wants you to think that there is a ratio of moose to people at 3:1...We think that number is an old number, like from about ten years ago. The current population of moose is estimated to be at 75,000 in Maine, but you may be here your entire stay and never see one. We were here seven weeks, explored the Greenville area and Baxter State Park several times and never saw a single one except for this one.
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| A moose at the Maine tollbooth, of all places! |
And we leave you this just in jest- -We're gonna miss the New England/Mainer accents, we love to listen to a true Mainer talk.....
How to Speak Like a Mainer:
1. Words that end in "er" are pronounced like "ah"--chowder is "chowdah", winter is "win-tah" Ex. We were in Bah Habba for seven weeks.
2. Broaden your "a" and "e" sounds...far becomes "fah
3. "There" and "Here" become "they-ah" and "Hee-yah"
4. Mainers drop the "g" on "ing" words..EX. starting becomes "stah-tin'"
5. Might as well forget your "r's" while you're at it--ex. fourth becomes "foth", car becomes "cah"
And that's just for starters...the stronger the accent, the "fahtha" north and east they are from Maine, at least that's what we've heard....
And yes, they have blueberry everything, and lobster everything!
Enough about that, time for a beah! For Eldo, anyway...Sparky will have a glass of wine, thank you! But not on the road, AFTER we get done with our long drive today....
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| Abol River Bridge near Greenville, ME |
Great wrap up. And I think you'll get your 80/20 without too much trouble.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip, thanks for the list
ReplyDeleteThanks for the list and the great blogs during your trip.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully now, did you like Bar Harbor? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wrap up and tips. We have family in southern Maine so we know we'll be spending time up that-a-way someday.
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I'm saving this post for next summer :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed all your insights on Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Now we just need to get there!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great place to visit!
ReplyDeleteThe missing 'r' in bah and cah is simply recycled in words like I-dear. As in, 'that's a good I-dear'.
ReplyDeleteGreat ending to fun visit. we were in Maine for three weeks and had the same experience with lack of moose:)
ReplyDeleteBoy that's an expensive bribe for a return to such a great place. This was a great post Jeannie. I'm putting it in my MAINE file. Since I didn't make it this summer, it's been great to drool over your blog. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThank you everybody for your nice comments! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the establishment with the moose on the roof?
ReplyDelete