Maine…on to Bar Harbor

We left early Saturday morning for our drive up the coast of Maine from Portland to Bar Harbor, with a stop to see Pemaquid Point, my mom’s summer vacation spot. We actually just drove through Pemaquid on our way to see the PP lighthouse…another beauty.

So, in researching our drive I came across this article about a “Perfect Maine Coastal Road Trip”. Because the article referenced that the Maine has “5000 miles of coastline, more than California” I assumed it would be a gorgeous drive with beautiful views of the water. It’s not at all! Okay, it’s pretty, but the drive itself might as well have been in the middle of the country…also a gorgeous place…but not a coastline. Hwy 1 in Maine is lined with tall trees and unless you venture into the towns, as we did, you won’t see any coastline. If you want to get from Portland to Bar Harbor, or vice versa, straightaway take Hwy 295 to 95…it’s about 3 hrs.

On to Pemaquid….right after leaving Portland we came across a store that had so much STUFF outside that you could barely see the store. Val and I wanted to bring back a cool, vintagey, colorful lobster buoy and there were a ton here. So, I made a U-turn and we stopped in….it was closed. We were bummed, but when we went up to the front door there was a sign that said (I’m paraphrasing) “If were closed please pull the tag on the item and put cash in an envelope and drop in the box.” What?!! Yep, that’s what we did and for $20 we had our cool lobster buoys.

We also made a quick stop at a flea market along the way and I got this fun sign…

Here are some pics of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and views from the top…

yup…took this circular stairway to get a view from the top

A few pics of Rockport, Camden and a little cove we found when we ventured off the main road…

Rockport
Camden… it’s much larger than this, but you get the idea of it’s charm

The quaint little town of Bar Harbor reminds me of a larger version of Balboa Island out here in Newport Beach, with little shops, restaurants…and an even more gorgeous harbor. We arrived at our hotel, The Bar Harbor Grand (I’d recommend…basic/close to everything/free breakfast), in the late afternoon/early evening and walked down a nearby street, which led to a walkway along the water. We were on a nice stroll when we came upon The Bar Harbor Inn and Spa, with it’s adirondack chairs beckoning us to sit and have a happy hour cocktail….so, of course, we did.

Sunday plans took us to beautiful Acadia National Park, stopping at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, popovers at Jordan Pond House and looking for sea glass at Sand Beach.

If you visit Bass Harbor Lighthouse take the path on the left from the parking lot and take the little hike down to these rocks to get a cool view. Nothing much to see if you take the path on the right.

looking for sea glass

We got back in time to walk the sand “bar” of Bar Harbor at low tide, did some wandering and met up for dinner on the patio at McKay’s, right next to our hotel.

some cool houses looking from the sandbar back towards Bar Harbor

…..and then had a nightcap at Leary’s Landing Irish Pub

The next morning our plan was to leave at noon to head back to Portland….but there was a bit of time in the morning to wander….

CJ’s famous ice cream….there was a line out the door the night before. Val’s son’s name is CJ and we met the young man whose dad named it after him
this is the Ivy Manor Inn, which looks like a fairytale cottage.

Loved Bar Harbor and definitely see myself going back someday. We had one more lobster roll place on the list before we left Maine, High Roller Lobsterin Portland. I think that may have been my favorite. There are numerous sauces to choose from, but I chose ghee, which was just perfect!

Goodbye lighthouses and lobsters….’til we meet again! On to NY to see this adorable doll….

You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!

2 Comments

  1. Oh sweet memories… our twins were born when we lived in Kittery Maine. We loved our time there…albeit short. Just a year 1/2. Your travel stories & photos make me so excited to visit there again. We arrive in Portsmouth NH for a 2week exchange this Sept. yay 😃

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