Our Last Hurrah at Ba Ha Bah.....

Well, we wrapped up our last few days in Trenton, Maine, with a couple of special notes...

One, Eldo decided to explore a trail with Sparky, and he actually enjoyed it! We were driving around Mount Desert Island after a rain shower today, and found a trail that appeared to be new, over near the Seal Harbor area. It's so new, we think the crowds have not discovered it yet....SH-H-H-H! (Well, the secret is out now, laughs Eldo.) If you are on the south side of Acadia, check out the Asticou Azalea Gardens, Thuya Garden and Little Long Pond Natural Lands...where the Garden Preserve trailhead is located. 

There are TEN trails that intersect and lead into other more difficult trails, at this particular location. Sparky was really excited to find that out.  So here we go...just for a short, beautiful walk into nature to check out the trail today. Eldy has lots of troubles with his knees so we took it easy. It was just nice to have him out on the trail, too! The trail was very different from other trails in the area, at least in the beginning. No big rocks, just tree branches and a spongey, mossy carpet under your feet and there were a couple of cool log bridges. After about a half mile, the trail then got extremely rooty and difficult to walk on. 

After getting our "forest bathing" done for the day, (that's what the Japanese call walking in the forest), we headed over to the Travelin' Lobster, a small outdoor walkup service restaurant that has a great outdoor vibe, and THE BEST lobster mac 'n' cheese we have ever had in our lives! (Not that we eat lobster mac 'n' cheese much, I think I have only had it twice in my life, explains E.) OMG, it was amazing, that's for sure! But super rich....it was a portion big enough for two as well, so naturally, Sparky had to try a little, even though she is not a lobster fan. She proclaimed it AMAZING!!!! Two happy campers here, to have found a great little restaurant with great food. Over 400+ five star reviews. The cheese quesadilla was terrific!

It was so good that we met up with friends we met in Sarasota years ago and ate there again! It was great to see Ann and Wally Stein.

There are so many wonderful things to do in this area. We did not know that there are 27 lighthouses in the downeast area alone where we are, and 70 lighthouses around the coastlines of Maine. So next time, we might do a lighthouse tour or a lobster boat tour! We did visit Bass Harbor Lighthouse. It's not far from the Narrows Too campground, in Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island, where Acadia National Park is located. Once you get there, you can walk down to the rocks to get a better view from the side and if you are adventurous enough, walk farther out on the rocks to get a better photo of Bass Harbor Lighthouse in its entirety. There are lots of iconic photos on the internet of this beautiful lighthouse. Here's one that's easy to get from the backside. No walking on rocky cliffs, just walking on terra firma. lol....

Bass Harbor backside

Sparky settled for a close in shot on the rocks for today. Sometimes her balance is a little off she has noticed, as she gets older, so she's going to be more careful and pay attention to that when climbing around on rocks, lol. This was one of those days where she felt a little wobbly clambering around. 

If you are interested in history, and have your passport, you can take a little trip to Roosevelt Campbell National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. The admission is free, and it's a wonderful place to visit. We went several years ago and loved learning about Franklin Delano Roosevelt's summer home, where he spent his summers for over 56 years.

There are lots of wineries and breweries in this area, too. Of course there is a Maine Beer Trail and a Maine Wine Trail which cover the entire state of Maine. But in the Downeast area where we are, (that's roughly the southeast coast counties of Maine all the way up the coastline border to Canada, there are four wineries and seven brewing companies. Eldy has discovered he really likes Allagash White, a lighter Belgian style wheat beer. 

And of course, you have to visit all the cute little touristy shops and ice cream shops in downtown Bar Harbor and take a gander at the iconic moose wired statue at the top of one of the local restaurants, Geddy's. That is, if you can squeeze your vehicle down the narrow streets of the town with hordes of people all with the same idea to shop and eat in quaint Bar Harbor! It is VERY difficult taking the Dodge Ram dually with its big wide fenders into town, so we didn't go there much. The Island Explorer buses don't start running till June 23rd, so that curtailed most of our efforts to get downtown. It's a real possibility you could get your side mirrors on a big truck like that sideswiped and damaged unless you pull them in. We've seen big trucks with smashed mirrors. BUT--There are some great restaurants in Bar Harbor, lots to choose from. Where there's a will, there's a way. So we wish anybody good luck and hope you find decent parking! The harbor view at downtown Agamont Park is beautiful, even on a cloudy day.

Sparky took one last hike out to Gorham Mountain. It supposedly is one of the nicest hikes for views and Sparky thought so, too! It's not an easy hike for seniors, however. It was rocks and boulders all the way up, and rocks and boulders all the way down, even if you take the back side down to the Sand Beach area and the Ocean Drive Path Trail back to the Gorham parking lots. There were LOTS of people on the trail, even though Sparky started at about 9:30, the Gorham Mountain  parking lot (off the Park Road to Sand Beach) was full, but the overflow parking lot was not. It's not a high mountain at 525 feet, but there's plenty of elevation change going up and down. It's super hard on the knees, as most people say when going down. However, it's a cool, family friendly hike and one of the most popular in the park. On the way up, you get to see the Waldrun Bates memorial pathmaker plaque that was inserted in the rock. He's the guy who helped create many of Acadia's trails and create the type of cairns (rock formations) used to help mark the trails.

The views are outstanding! Sand Hill Beach is to the east, the Beehive (famous iron rung trail) to the north, and Otter Point to the south. This hike is rated as moderately strenuous and takes 1-2 hours depending on how long you choose to soak up these fabulous views from the summit.

Sparky took the "back side" trail down the mountain as a LOT of people were coming up from the Gorham parking lot trailhead. When she got to the bottom of the trail, it came out near the Sand Beach area. Walk across the park road and pick up the Ocean Path walkway back to your parking lot. Lots of places to go down some stairs from the Ocean Park walkway. You might see some technical climbers coming up the cliff walls from down below! This guy (at left) just surfaced and popped up above the cliff face as Sparky got down to the cliffs.

The views along Ocean Drive walkway are wonderful! For perspective, click on the photo and you can see the little tiny people on the top left cliff. Lots of crazy people going W-A-A-A-Y out to the very cliff edges and dangling their feet over or walking at the edges looking down at the ocean waves crashing at their feet. Brave souls, they are!

Sparky took one last bike ride, a 20 mile one, along the carriage roads and added a couple more of the cool Rockefeller bridges. This is the Hemlock Bridge built in 1925. It was one of the more expensive bridges to build, as it spans 200 feet. It has a single arch and two faux arches on each of the sides. It's really fun to look for the usual trail that passes underneath or alongside these bridges to get a totally different perspective from down below. Watch your step! Rocky, wet and slippery in the late spring, early summer. 

And right after the Hemlock Bridge on the same section of the carriage road is the Waterfall Bridge, a tenth of a mile further. Hemlock Bridge was built in 1925, spanning 120 feet. Right behind it is the 40 tall Hadlock Falls which flows through the arch. The waterfall becomes just a trickle in the summertime. But look at it now!

There are four buttress viewing platforms on this bridge. it's so cool!

The crowds are coming....the end of June is near, and in the last two weeks, the number of people parking at the different areas along the Park Road is a LOT of people. We can see the crowd control management problems already with hiking trails and parking lots, even with allowing cars to park in the right lane along the one way sections of the park road. We are glad we got here in early June...There is a transit system for all over Acadia, the Island Explorer, which is fabulous, but it doesn't start till June 23rd, just in time to help alleviate some of the traffic congestion---maybe.

Well, our stay has come to an end, we have left Narrows Too and headed back to Wells, Maine, to Moody Beach, where there are crowds there, too! But hey..temperatures in the low seventies during the day, and fifties at night for the next two weeks sounds really great! We'll see you down the road....Thanks for reading....bye for now.....

Day 2 -- Acadia National Park--Rained Out Again

Well, shoot, it's coming down pretty hard again today....It's coming down so hard that there are waterfalls cascading down from the rocks at the side of the road everywhere as we drive through the park.

Sparky had to get a new senior pass because she lost her old one, so we stopped at the Acadia Park Welcome Center to get new hike info and a new pass.  If you lose your old pass, all you have to do is show a driver's license at the park and get a new one for 10.00, just like the original. You can also do it online but there's an additional fee to do that, if you are not anywhere near a national park or preserve, Sparky thinks the additional administrative fee on top of the card fee was 10.00.

We decided to explore places to stay when and if we come back to Acadia. Sparky says, we will! Since we no longer have the motorhome, we would have to stay at a motel or hotel, bed and breakfast, or cottage, of which there are MANY! We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Acadia at Cottage and Main, where we got some information about rentals in the area. There are about 400 places to rent on Mount Desert Island alone, one of the chamber volunteers mentioned. (Bar Harbor is on Mount Desert Island). There are houses to rent, lots and lots of antiquated cottages, and cute little bed and breakfast places, take your pick! You can find places from less than 100.00 a night, to upwards of 300-400 dollars a night and depending upon whether it's "season" or not. Season, in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, gets going in mid June. That's when rates really start to climb, as soon as the kids get out of school. This year, 2015,  they were still having to make up snow days and were in school till the middle of June! So things were very quiet in downtown Bar Harbor, and in the restaurants and shops the week we were there, the first week of June.

We drove around and basically drove into places we thought looked interesting, there were cabin signs for rent EVERYWHERE!....Here is what we found...Unfortunately, Sparky did not take photos of the interiors...She just wasn't thinking about the blog at that time! In a nutshell, if you don't mind rustic, VERY dated cottages, MOST of them are just that...Very old, they haven't been updated in years and years, old gas stoves, showers and no tubs, tiny spaces, and no AC. The bedrooms are so tiny, the bed takes up most of the bedroom. Many did not have any separation between sleeping quarters and a tiny little galley kitchenette. Sparky even laid down on some mattresses to test them out, and oh, boy...back troubles probably were guaranteed. BUT--Several of them had wonderful views of the inlets and bays....That makes up for the quaintness and musty cabin smells of the interiors, we suppose....Sparky actually was ready to reserve a cabin on Frenchman's Bay, despite how old the interiors were, the view was that fantastic! There were kayaks and canoes and a dock available at this one place. Prices for a week for these vintage cabins ranged from $700 and up. Then we decided what about a HOUSE for rent? We found a wonderful one in town, a duplex, with a super nice lady living in the other half. We met with her and just really enjoyed her and the house, right smack in the middle of town. But the house was too much house for us. We wouldn't need it unless we had family or friends coming for a visit, and at this point, we didn't know if that would happen or not....We checked out an upstairs apartment near the seafood restaurant called the Charter House. It was nice and modern, but zero views and no place to sit outside that you could call your own. So, for now...we are on hold on a place to stay for next year...There are many, many places to rent all over Mount Desert Island and in Southwest Harbor, but if you don't check them out ahead of time, you might be disappointed. Photos on the web of some of these cabins were all about views, (many of them), and not so much about the actual accommodations.  Seeing them in person, gave us an eye opener about what you pay for long term stays in Bar Harbor. You don't get a lot of modern conveniences for your money, but that's because it's a tourist town that needs to make money in the summer! If you love the memory of staying in a little cabin up north when you were a kid, then these kitschy cabins would be perfect for you! We didn't check out bed and breakfasts...Eldy is not as fond of them as Sparky is....

The rain continued but appeared to be lessening....We ate at the Thirsty Whale for lunch...right in town...GREAT chowder! Is there any place in Bar Harbor that DOESN'T have good chowder? It's all good here....The atmosphere is really cozy, too....We decided to drive around the island heading on the way to Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor, and ended up near the Asticou Gardens...The last time we were here, Sparky climbed all the stairs to the Thuyla Gardens at the top, where there were AMAZING displays of all kinds of flowers and LOTS of hummingbirds, but this time we stayed at the bottom...What a beautiful place! The azaleas were in full bloom, many different kinds and colors...This garden was created in 1958 by Charles Savage, a long time resident of Northeast Harbor, who was inspired by Japanese gardening and his desire to save the plant collection of Beatrix Farrand, a famous American landscape designer and pioneer for women in the profession. Mr. Savage built the the azalea garden at the bottom of the terraced landscape, and the Thuyla Gardens, a semi formal herbaceous garden, is at the top. Both are at the intersection of Rte. 198 and Rte. 3 in Northeast Harbor. Asticou is a strolling garden with a meandering pathway and is truly beautiful in late spring....

On to Bass Harbor, as the sun is coming out! There are so many fabulous photos of the Bass Harbor lighthouse, but about the only way to get a decent one is to go clambering out on the rocks and be there at the very early dawn or very late in the day. Sparky got on the rocks, but we were there mid afternoon, so the lighting was not right. Phooey!

While she was out on the fringes of the rocks moving VERY carefully around on the rocks, (that woman is going to give me a heart attack one of these days!) Eldo remained further back, talking to some RVers. It turns out the guy was wearing a Sarasota shirt, so Eldo just HAD to strike up a conversation. They are part timers, heading out of the heat during the summers from FL and there we were, two couples from the same town with the same idea. Only Sparky and Eldo had one week to enjoy the cool temps, and they had all summer planned in Maine and other New England states.

And time to head back, Sparky is getting hungry! Looks like tomorrow is a bike ride on the carriage roads!

See you there!

They Are Back for More!

Well, we didn't do Theresa in with her bad knees. As a matter of fact, after a 1.1 hike yesterday climbing over LOTS of boulders, Theresa managed to stave off swollen knees and any pain with prompt icing . Chuck did great, no problems, so the only worry was not doing Theresa in. We didn't, because they came back for more today!

The "kids"--Theresa, (Eldy's sister who is seven years younger than him) and Chuck said they wanted to hike and bike. Having hiked yesterday, today we biked. But first, they needed to get bikes. Out to Southwest Harbor we went to get rental hybrids for them. Hybrids are lighter and easier to use on the carriage roads in our opinion. They are sort of a cross between a road bike and a comfort bike. Tires are narrower, bigger, and the rolling resistance is less. There are more differences but those are the main ones. Southwest Harbor Bike Shop is the only shop on the island that rents hybrids that we know of. Cost of the rentals was 26.00 a bike, and 16.00 to rent a bike rack to carry them on. We chose the Witches Hole Pond Loop, a 4.4 mile ride, one of the shorter rides on the carriage trails with a wonderful view of the Duck Brook Bridge.

Theresa did great, Chuck did great!

Nurse Sparky made Theresa ice her knees again after the bike ride. We rested a bit, then headed downtown to Rupununi's for lunch...wonderful lunch, great company! For the afternoon, Sparky, the tour director, thought a trip to Asticou Terrace and the beautiful Thuyla Gardens was in order. Asticou Terrace and the Thuyla Gardens are located in Northeast Harbor. Sparky wrote about them in a previous blog, about how the Terrace is a STEEP climb of about .3 of a mile, but the beautiful gardens at the top make it VERY worthwhile. Although the gardens are nearing the end of their beauty, many blooms are spent, the summer annuals and perennials are struggling, the gardens were still beautiful as you can see...Theresa and Chuck thought so, too! Sparky is going to attempt another video to show all the beautiful flowers. If it doesn't behave, there will be a couple of her favorite flowers at the bottom of the blog.
After we got back from the gardens, we returned the bikes back to the shop, and on the way back, we stopped off at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse...Theresa and Chuck really enjoyed clambering around on the rocks in order to get a good photo. Sparky and Eldo did, too! There weren't as many tourists here today to look at the lighthouse, so that was nice!

We capped off a busy filled day with a trip to Rosalie's Pizza, one of the best pizza places we have found in downtown Bar Harbor.

Tomorrow is Chuck and Theresa's last day here in Bar Harbor, and we may be all tuckered out--ALL of us--(You too, Sparky?---A little!) to do a hike, so we'll see what the day brings.....Maybe we'll just sit and visit a spell!

loved this webby butterfly/moth at Thuyla Gardens