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June 30, 2019
This morning was our first on Mount Desert Island and our first opportunity to explore Acadia National Park. Sarah and I both awoke before dawn, still on our work schedule. We had a long, leisurely morning and a nice cooked breakfast today so we could ease into our vacation. As we were getting ready to leave the house, we realized that Fionnuala had left her sweatshirt at home. Since it was not yet 60° and pouring rain it was especially unfortunate. It also meant that our first stop of the day would be in Bar Harbor to find her something warm.
Bar Harbor
By the time we loaded into the car it was just after 9 AM and the rain had stopped. The drive into Bar Harbor from Pond View is about 15 minutes and we arrived about 9:30. We turned onto Cottage Street and it was full of people and devoid of parking. We immediately went over one block to West Street (along the water) and the entire street was open parking. Fortunately we discovered that the metered parking is free until noon on Sundays.
West Street in Bar Harbor
We left the car across the street from the Bar Harbor Club (though there was parking available down the entire street) and started for Acadia Outdoor. While the store was exactly what we were hoping for, they didn’t have a lot of items in children’s sizes. Fionnuala (7) did find a sweatshirt she liked though, so we had a successful visit.
Acadia Outdoors, Bar Harbor
The Shore Path
Now that everyone was adequately dressed we made a brief stop at the public restroom, briefly enjoyed Agamont Park and then wandered down the Shore Path. The children loved being able to leave the path and climb on the rocks and explore the waterline. The path was busy at 10 AM but not overrun with people. We went all the way out and as we turned to begin the return trip some raindrops began to fall. Thankfully, they were few and ended soon. When we reached Agamont Park Liam requested a visit to Sherman’s Bookstore.
The fountain in Agamont Park, Bar Harbor
Inspecting the bay from the Shore Walk
Bar Harbor
Balance Rock
Sherman’s Bookstore
The store is about 1/3 touristy items and 2/3 bookstore. Liam got the sketchbook he was hoping to find and both children purchased a book to read as well. We returned to our car about 11:15 and thought we might start the Loop Road and stop along the way somewhere for lunch. Our mind was changed when we left town though. It took us 30 minutes to reach the Visitor’s Center entrance. As it turns out the heavy traffic was due to a wreck at the park entrance.
Main Street, Bar Harbor
The “Quiet Side”
We still decided not to chance the traffic and to examine the “Quiet Side” of the island. Our first stop was the village of Southwest Harbor. We found parking without any problem and briefly examined our restaurant options before settling on Eat-A-Pita Cafe. Our food was delicious! I had a lobster roll and an Atlantic Brewing Company Beer. We also ordered a burger, soup and a salad. The lobster roll was okay and I didn’t love the beer, but everything else was excellent. Unfortunately our server was pretty poor. The other servers did appear to be more attentive and on top of their tables though.
The rain returned while we were eating lunch, but we had one more stop we wanted to make in Southwest Harbor. We walked down the street to the Little Notch Bakery to pick up some baked goods and left with a blueberry muffin, blueberry scone,a blueberry tart, and a loaf of bread. Since Wild Blueberries are a Maine specialty we decided to go all in.
My Lobster Roll
When we got back to our car the rain picked up again. We finished the loop around Route 102 and then returned to the house. We were all getting tired and the day was a washout at this point. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, eating dinner and easing into the evening. Despite the rain it was still a nice day.
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