Road Trip, Day 4 (Part II): Port Clyde to Bar Harbor

DAY FOUR (Part II): AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Port Clyde, Maine
Ending point: Bar Harbor, Maine
Starting mileage: 188,571
Ending mileage: 188, 698
Daily total (miles): 127
Trip total (miles): 402

We left Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine, made our way to 100 miles “downeast” to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

Ah, Bar Harbor...the town that perhaps set this entire road trip in motion 19 years ago. Then, we had been married a year and looking to do something small but special to celebrate our first anniversary. We initially thought of driving to Nova Scotia for a few days; however, with the cost of the ferry and the additional expense of bringing our car over, we deemed the trip would be too expensive. So we decided to at least do the drive and stay in the town from where we would have taken the ferry—Bar Harbor. And so began our love affair with Acadia National Park, which, according to the National Park Service is the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast”:

Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the Atlantic coastline of the United States, an abundance of habitats with high biodiversity, clean air and water, and a rich cultural heritage. Each year, more than 3.3 million people explore seven peaks above 1,000 feet, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads with 16 stone bridges. —https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

Our decision to include Bar Harbor on this trip was a bit of a last-minute one. We had initially planned to skip BH and Acadia and instead camp in Schoodic Woods Campground, also part of Acadia National Park but its much quieter, less crowded part. Nostalgia won out, however, and we canceled our plans for Schoodic and opted for a return to Bar Harbor.

Since that first visit 19 years ago, we’ve visited BH and ANP countless times. We’ve gone in the summer, winter, and fall. We’ve stayed downtown, in motels and grand inns, and on the “quiet side” of Southwest Harbor. We’ve kayaked its waters, walked its many trails, snowshoed on carriage roads. We’re not avid (or good) hikers, so our “hikes” consist mainly of scenic walks (e.g., Ocean Path, Jordan Pond Path) or short, doable (for us) hikes (e.g., Great Head).

Arriving at 3 p.m. and planning to leave after breakfast the next day, we knew this wouldn’t be our typical visit. Our first stop: the Hulls Cove Visitor’s Center so I could get my National Parks Passport book stamp. When we were here last (between Christmas and New Year’s), the park’s visitor’s center was closed due to the government shutdown, so this would be my first ANP stamp since buying the book last summer. Unfortunately, I forgot to pack our annual pass (I knew I’d forget something!!!) so our trip to the visitor’s center also included the purchase of a park pass ($30, valid for seven days). Aargh.

After leaving Hull’s Cove, we headed straight to Jordan Pond House for a midday snack. The historic Jordan Pond House has been serving popovers and tea since the 1890s, and a trip to enjoy these simple yet heavenly delights is not to be missed! Our order, the popover/beverage combo, included two popovers and iced tea for G ($11) and two popovers and blueberry lemonade for me ($12, as the blueberry lemonade is considered a “specialty beverage.” The popovers are served hot from a basket—one at a time—each with a side of butter and strawberry jam. So simple. So wonderful. Sometimes I think I could live on Jordan Pond House popovers.

After popovers, we walked outside (and enjoyed the only warm rays of sun we’ve had this entire trip so far!) and the few steps to the shore of Jordan Pond to snap a few pics of one our favorite spots in the park—Jordan Pond, with the Bubbles in the background.

Then, we opted to do something we hadn’t done in years—drive the entire Park Loop Road, a 27-mile road, mostly one-way, that includes some of the park’s greatest hits: tree-lined roads, rocky cliffs, the park’s only beach, and the geological wonder known as Thunder Hole, where waves rush into the carved rock and, when timed just right, release a sound similar to a clap of thunder.

Sand Beach. The cliffs rising above are the site of one of our favorite hikes, Great Head.

Thunder Hole…and dozens of onlookers awaiting the famous thunder clap sound.

After completing the Park Loop Road drive, we drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. At 1530 feet, Cadillac is the highest point along the Eastern seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in the US (but only at certain times of the year; this is a hotly debated issue!). We’ve been lucky enough to see stunning sunsets and sunrises atop Cadillac; it’s too bad that the 3.5-mile auto road is closed from December until mid-April, as a winter sunrise must be absolutely stunning. Sure, we could hike up, but then again, who am I kidding—there’s NO way we could do that!! While the skies weren’t cooperating on this particular day, the view of the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman’s Bay was still worth it—it always is!

The Porcupine Islands, as seen from the summit of Cadillac Mountain

After making our way back down the auto road, we checked into our inn for the night—the Bar Harbor Manor, which we stayed at mostly for nostalgia’s sake, as the inn, new in 2014, sits on the same site as the first place we had ever stayed in Bar Harbor: the Higgins Holiday Motel. There are far more luxurious places to stay in Bar Harbor (and others that are less so) than the Bar Harbor Manor, but it’s a great location, tucked away on a side street but within walking distance to all of downtown. So many shops, and were it a bit later in the summer and a more temperate night, downtown would have even been more crowded.

For dinner, we walked downtown to the Atlantic Brewing Company’s new midtown restaurant, where we enjoyed a dinner of mini chicken tacos and fries (me) and buffalo chicken wrap (G). To top it off, Old Soaker Root Beer (T) and Blueberry Soda (G). The food was good, but those fries—oh my. FANTASTIC. Trust me.

This visit was our shortest one ever, but we’ll be back soon, probably in the winter, when the quiet of the island forces us to wind down, relax, and take it all in. But for now, the day was enough to remind us why we fell in love with Acadia in the first place, all of those many years ago.