Mt. Desert Island day 3

Day 9: July 7, 2015

Today was a great day.  We started off with pancakes and bacon. We headed out early to catch the first bus into Bar Harbor.  At the Village Green, we changed buses and headed town to Northeast Harbor where we climbed aboard the Sea Princess, a small island cruise boat that took about 40 of us on a tour of several islands.

The Sea Princess excursion boat

What made it a great trip a national park service ranger, an older lady, narrated the entire 2:45 minute trip.  She said that she had been doing this longer than any of the rangers in the park and her colleagues kid her saying that she knows everything and I am inclined to agree.

She discussed the history of the park and the way that the land was acquired by the government.  A group of wealthy folks from around the Northeast wanted to preserve the land so one lady donated a 25 meter square of land for a monument and that started the ball rolling. 

 

Privately owned decommissioned lighthouse

We passed a beautiful lighthouse that was turned into a home after it was decommissioned.  She pointed out that when the Coast Guard sells a lighthouse, it carries a stipulation that the owners well maintain it in a presentable fashion which usually comes with a hefty price tag.

Harbor seals

We passed a shoal that was inhabited with a large number of harbor seals.  The skipper of the boat drove close to the rocks so that we could get good photos.  We passed a number of osprey nests before pulling into Little Cranberry Island and the little town of Islesford. Our skipper skillfully maneuvered the cruise boat into a very tight spot at the Fisherman’s Co-op wharf.

This quaint little island has 70 year-round residence who eke out an existence by trapping lobsters. On the island, we visited a small museum that was built by a local resident who made the big time in the academic world.  Among other things, he graduated from MIT and became a professor at one of the prestigious New England schools. The museum was built around an interview of an elderly lady who sent all of her 89 years on the island.  The many

photographs had large plaques which contained quotes of her as she described the scene.

Tide is out at the Fisherman' Co-op

Janine and I took a side trip to the little church that was beautifully constructed with stained glass window that included sea glass.  Also there was a nifty little pipe organ. 

Back out on the water, we cruised around several islands while our ranger  told of the geology, industry, early inhabitants, and current residents.  It was a really informative trip.  We have been riding around the island on the buses but there has been no interpretive discussion of the sights.  This was good.

Leaving the boat we inquired of the ranger a great place to get lunch and she

Original Museum

recommended the Asticou Inn Restaurant. The Inn was originally built in 1883. It burned down in 1899 and the current building dates from 1901. The current Inn building survived the great fire of 1947 that burned most of the historic hotels and homes in the area. This is an upscale restaurant that is famous for a pastry called a “popover.”  We ate in an enclosed veranda that overlooks the Northeast Harbor.  The food was wonderful.  Janine had lobster quiche that had huge chunks of lobster in every forkful.  I again had a lobster roll.

 

New Replacement Museum

After lunch, we walked out the front door of the Inn just as a bus returning to Bar Harbor was approaching.  This was one of the more entertaining bus drivers.  He was a neat old guy (yes, older than me) who had a sense of humor.

Back at the Village Green, we had a 30 minute wait for our next bus so we found an ice cream shop and I had a dip of sea-salt caramel truffle that I shared with Janine because it was her birthday.

Little church in Islesford

The bus route that we joined is the one that takes passengers to a number of campsites on the way to the airport which is located on the mainland.  Just before the bus left the Island, we got off in a campground where we awaited the next bus heading back into the park.  We have now ridden every bus route in the park except the one that travels around to the various hotels in Bar Harbor.

Shore glass panels

Asticou Inn

We got back to the boat around 6:00 and since we ate a late lunch, we opted to eat a light lunch for supper. The wind has come up so it might be a rocking night.