We've had a great time. Until last night and into this morning, when it has been raining, the weather has been fantastic with only occasional brief showers.
Dan and Kyly rented a van for the week. They drove up, making stops at Billy and Amy's and then at our house in Hanover (Maryland) to load up food, luggage, and other items. They had wanted to drive because they were also bringing their dog, Cooper, a chocolate lab. Lisa, Billy, Amy, and I flew up and Dan and Kyly picked us up at the airport in Bar Harbor (one of the towns on Mt. Desert Islands). That was an adventure. We initially, for most savings, had to book completely different flights. But, due to massive delays in the Bar Harbor flights, we ended up on the same connecting flight from Boston to Bar Harbor.
We are renting a house for the week and the house is enormous. It is an old carriage house that has been converted into a residence. It has three floors, with bathrooms and bedrooms on each floor. Lisa and I have been sleeping on the lower floor. Our room has French doors that open onto a patio that looks out to an inlet. The house has the same stunning view from the kitchen, living room, and second floor deck. Our bathroom has an old-style toilet with the reservoir near the ceiling and a pull chain to flush, like the one in the Italian restaurant in The Godfather. The kitchen is enormous and has the carriage doors that open to let in a lot of light.
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| Inlet view from the rental house |
The other nights we have cooked dinner in the house. Our initial plan was that each couple would cook two dinners, but we've had so much left over, that we'll be having leftover night tonight and Lisa and I are cooking breakfast for everyone this morning instead. The night we cooked, I made crab cakes, Lisa pasta salad, and we brought up some Maryland Silver Queen corn on the cob. Dan and Kyly made amazing meals - chicken tikka massala one night and amazing enchiladas with black beans and rice the other. Billy and Amy grilled beef both nights, which was excellent, and they started their meals by putting out a plate of wonderful cheeses. For breakfast this morning, we will be making blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
For lunches, most days, we have eaten out. On Sunday (July 27) we sat by the water at the Bar Harbor Inn and, with a stunning view of the harbor, had lunch. I had a haddock sandwich that was one of the finest pieces of fish I have ever eaten. Billy and I split a plate of local cheeses for an appetizer. Lisa had a lobster roll, which she thought was excellent. We spent a little time that afternoon walking around the town of Bar Harbor. It's a cute town. A little touristy, but not over-the-top. It reminded me some of Killarney (County Kerry, Ireland). It was very walkable and had lots of shops and restaurants.
On Monday (7/28), Dan, Lisa, Kyly, and I took Cooper on a hike. We took the Harborwood trail from the road our house was on into Acadia National Park and joined the Asticou trail which led to Jordan Pond. The hike was of moderate difficulty and picturesque with a stream to follow. At Jordon Pond, we had lunch at Jordon Pond House, where they serve excellent tea with popovers. The popovers are somewhat reminiscent of Yorkshire pudding, but they are served with butter and strawberry jam. They were delicious. I also had an excellent lobster stew. After lunch, we hiked back a different route, sticking mostly to the carriage roads that Rockefeller had built all over the island and then taking the trail along Long Pond, which was quite scenic and gave Cooper more opportunities to swim. In total, we walked about 6.5 miles that day. It was fun.
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| Cooper, leading the way |
On Tuesday (7/29), Billy, Amy, Lisa, and I took the ferry to Islesford (Little Cranberry Island), we had lunch at a restaurant there that had good food but was overwhelmed by a boatload of tourists arriving on the noon ferry, so the service was very slow. After that, we walked around the island. There was a small museum with the history of the island that was quite interesting. The museum was originally the property of Samuel Hadlock, a merchant whose overseas travels are chronicled in biographical novel called God's Pocket by Rachel Fields (I bought a copy of it later in the week). The island had the smallest Catholic Church (Our Lady Star of the Sea) I have ever seen...
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| Our Lady, Star of the Sea |
On the ferry back, it rained for about 15-20 minutes and we got soaked. I did enjoy talking to a woman from Timonium (Maryland) who knew a vascular surgeon I worked with. She had also lived in Charlottesville for a while when her husband was working on his MBA. She gave us some good recommendations for lunch, including a place called Sips in Seal Harbor, at which we ate the next day (Wednesday, July 30). It was really good. Lisa and I had brochetes, mine lamb and hers curry chicken, that were delicious. We also went to a nice bookstore called, "Port in a Storm," (where I bought God's Pocket) and took some pictures of the Bar Harbor lighthouse.
Then Dan and Kyly were dropped off back at the house and Billy, Amy, Lisa, and I drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain - the highest point on the eastern seaboard. The views from there are stunning. You can see the Cranberry Islands, Eagle Lake. It was fantastic. There were several scenic overlooks on the way up as well. Billy and I were able to determine that one, overlooking Eagle Lake, erroneously had a map of Jordan Pond on it!
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| One of the views from Cadillac Mountain |
Yesterday, we went to Thuya Gardens, which were beautiful. But the best part was the walk up the terrace from the road, which again afforded a beautiful view. Also interesting was the preserved summer home of a Mr. Curtis, who built the terraces. A subsequent owner turned to the bedrooms into an impressive multi-room library, but the lower rooms are exactly how Curtis furnished it over a century ago.
After that, Dan and Kyly went on a picnic while Billy, Amy, Lisa, and I hiked along Jordan stream to Jordon Pond - a shorter and even more scenic hike than the one we had done earlier. There were wooden bridges across the stream and more impressive rocks, rapids, and a waterfall. We took some cool pictures near one of the carriage road bridges. Unfortunately, though, Billy's camera ended up in the stream. The pictures were saved, but I don't think the camera will work again. Dan and Kyly had dropped us off at one of the carriage road bridges (no motor vehicles on the carriage roads - only horses and feet, unless you are inside Acadia National Park, in which case you can ride a bicycle as well). We walked along the carriage road to the little used trail that lead back to the Jordan stream trail. It was hard to follow the trail markers and at one point we had to back track and find the trail again. Amy had spotted the Jordon stream trail earlier in the week while running on the carriage roads and thought it would be a nice hike - and she was absolutely right! Then we all met at the Jordon Pond House a little after 4 PM for tea and popovers!
Today (Friday, 8/1), all it has done is pour down rain. So, I am taking the opportunity to write in the journal and read. Tomorrow, we will be heading home.
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| Obligatory picture of boats |
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