Down East

Winter Harbor, Maine

First Light. People in this part of Maine are the first in the entire USA o experience sunrise and the sun comes up this time of year around 4:45 AM or so, with today marking the first day of summer it will be the longest day of the year. It is a good time to maximize outdoor activities.



We are staying at the home of John & Annie Blumenstiel, friends of Kathy’s Aunt Kathy & Uncle Al who have lent us the use of their beautiful summer home overlooking the water on the Schoodic Peninsula across the harbor from Bar Harbor. So we are fortunate to have an entire house to call home during our stay here. There is so much to see and do here; it is truly a special place. Our first full day here was Monday, we drove the loop road of the Schoodic Section of Acadia National Park. This rocky outcropping juts out into the North Atlantic at Schoodic Point and we explored that area before driving around to Bar Harbor into the Mount Desert Island section of the park.





We decided to unload the bikes and ride along some of the beautiful carriage roads that crisscross the park. Built in the 1920’s by John David Rockefeller, the roads traverse some of the most beautiful paths through the woods, lakes and bald mountains that make up the park. We rode the paths around Eagle Lake and to the Bubble Pond before the fog started to roll in. The Maine fog is something to behold, it rolls in from the Sea and over the Mountains in thick waves, enveloping everything. It is mysteriously beautiful. After the bike ride, we headed into town to look around the many touristy shops along Main Street. In some ways it feels like a much quainter version of Key West.

The tourist season is just starting to kick in here, it runs from now through October and places are just now opening for the season. The Ferry we had hoped to use from Winter Harbor to Bar Harbor does not start till Friday, and we will be gone by then. We visited the Bar harbor Whale Museum as well, before driving back to Winter Harbor for a wonderful dinner in the only open restaurant in town, The Fisherman Inn.




Yesterday, we were back at it, this time taking a much more aggressive and long route through the park on our bikes. I have to admit it was at times difficult as the roads wind through the mountains and some of those uphills were tough. We came across a bunch of wildlife, including deer, frogs, squirrels, chipmunks and turtles, including one large snapping turtle that was just meandering down the path. We also saw a bunch of beaver lodges on the many lakes and ponds we cycled around. We were on the bikes for more than 5 hours, stopping for lunch at the Jordan Pond House in the center of the park for some popovers. I’m not sure what today has in store, if the weather stays as perfect as it was yesterday, we may go on a whale watching expedition.