Bar Harbor, Acadia Nat’l Pk, Camden, Belfast, Bath.….Natures beauty is on steroids on the coast of Maine!!

Saturday woke up in the peaceful haunted time machine in Ellsworth. I met 2 older gentleman in the hallway. Other guests who arrived later then us rented the other room in this mansion. After my incredible shower I convinced Tracy to take one(she was a bit apprehensive), while I enjoyed my pumpkin keurig coffee. One of the older guys chatted with me while I sat in my rocking chair sipping coffee. They were from the Hudson Valley, also on the way to Acadia National Park. We were ready and out the door by 7:45am. In the driveway I spotted Paul. We were able to graciously thank him for the delish muffins and our beautiful stay. We asked him many questions and learned they have owned the home since 2018. Only renting out 2 bedrooms, he lives on the property, while Bill spends most his time on Marthas Vineyard being a radio broadcaster, hence all the stereo equipment. He is able to broadcast from here when in town. I asked to take a photo of the 3 of us…..turns out he liked our friendliness as I have now received my first AirBnB review as a guest. 5 stars he wants us both to return. 😉 I reviewed him too.

We said our good byes and with serious excitement got on the rd to Bar Harbor, bright and early!. There is a chill in the air and we are on a country rd, windows down, air is off, fabulous tunes playing. Tracy and I are like 2 kids in a candy store filled with excitement and extreme anticipation for our Dora packed day of adventure. We are in awe around every corner, the water views are amazing, the fog is rolling in so fast. It’s like a movie or novel scene and i’m noting why so many films and books take place on the New England coast….its simply dreamy. There are Inns and B & B’s lining the streets as we enter the town. The wealth and beauty is overflowing. We park the car for the day at the Bar Harbor Club, this town is so sleepy at our 8:30am arrival. We are thrilled we got there so early. We walk around the Harbor, up Main St…Checked out 4-5 places for breakfast or coffee……decisions are not easy for us. We settled on an empty place and ordered immediately. We have 45 min before check in for our Trolley Tour. We shared a delish spinach/cheese laurie scramble and 1 blueberry pancake w/ fresh maple syrup (our 1st one yet). Today is officially blueberry day, brace yourselves those alarmed by the food consumption. Today was intense in the eating dept, that I did end up purchasing a scale from Target today to stay in check. 😂. Our meal was perfect with great coffee and excellent conversation with the 2 Jamaican waitresses. Turns out this is a destination for island people to get a working Visa. She wks 6 month the year here or Cape Cod and 6 months back at home. Has been doing it for years with her friends. Last year she stayed for a winter as she was pregnant and now has a 4 mos old here. Fascinating story! Sweet nice girls.

As we walk towards the Oli’s Trolley we are staring into the Sea with SO much fog and huge sail boats, you can see the big Ferry that takes you to Nova Scotia, the whale watching boats, the beauty surrounding us is like a scene from a movie. My dream hotel is on our right, we have plans for lunch there….off to meet our fellow travelers. We meet a mother daughter….they just so happen to be from Rockland County, they say are you familiar…..ha ha Why yes, my dad is from Suffern, well they live in Suffern, I say Mayor drive and they say oh yes of course we know it. Lol

Next a single lady from Florida, her daughter got married yesterday at my hotel, The Bar Harbor Inn. We are on board with 24 other passengers and Jim our Narrator for the next 2.5 hours to learn all about Acadia National Park. So much history is shared…..JP Morgan purchased the Bar Harbor Club, the Rockefeller’s, Vanderbilt’s, the most elite were members and all a part of the creation of the majestic grounds of this unreal land. I mean I know Im an Arizona girl…..spoiled by the Grand Canyon, but this National Park is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and so much water. Whoever knew how much planning and money went into creating all the natural wonders of the world. I mean the amount of $$$$ And time John Rockefeller Jr put into this park is mind blowing and IMO the best legacy anyone could provide in their name. His philanthropy was beyond meaningful to many and provides so much joy, peace, and serenity to many today. More than 4 million visitors per year come hike, bike, camp, and explore. He provided wk for 200 Italians, he brought them over to build these stone granite bridges…the beauty is indescribable for me to do it justice. We did the Park Loop Rd tour making 3 stops, each for 15 min at Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond house, and the infamous Cadillac Mountain.

The tour was fabulous. We learned that bears, turkeys, deer, coyotes, and many fish inhabit these grounds. Seal Harbor nearby is an area for the rich & famous…..see apparently all these big $$$ people back in the day were all in Newport,RI w/the other mansions. When people would come back with photos they all wanted to be a part of this region and its magical beauty in nature. Hence the popularity, Rockefeller did a great job. Seal Beach has home owners, such as Celine Dion, Martha Stewart, Harrison Ford, and many others. Jim was filled with many stories, as the fog was SO thick he had to enlighten us with information since we missed seeing some of the sights. Up close and personal Jordans, caddilac, and thunder hole were magnificent. All captured above. We learned the fun fact that the largest lobster caught in Maine weighed 44 lbs. Lobsters are interesting creatures, they can regenerate body parts- if they lose a claw it grows back. There are many rules to being a lobster fisherman….if they are too small or to big you must throw them back, and if they have eggs you need to mark them a certain way, as female lobsters lay hundreds of eggs and are very valuable to be preserved. The tour ended, it was 12:30pm, we were on a mission to get an outdoor table at The Terrace Grill restaurant at the Bar Harbor Inn. This town is filled with brides.…a wedding was happening at the hotel, its a very popular place to get married and propose. Jenna Bush was proposed to in Acadia Park at such a gorgeous setting by a cliffside over looking the water and these insanely huge lush green trees. I had a Blueberry Sangria at lunch- we shared a yummy arugula beet salad w/salmon & a Shrimp/haddock w/ cheddar grits dish. All so rich and delish. The setting next to the water/harbor watching boats on this 5 star immaculate hotel/resort property was priceless. My bucket list item is completed ✔️ Hope to return one day, but if not….I’m satisfied. Got a surprise FaceTime from my Whitney in Italy….it was a real treat. Next up…….the famous Popover w/maple butter & blueberry Jam at the Stadium on main street. A must get before leaving according to Jim. I know……oink oink! 🐷 (FYI- I did purchase a scale today) It was worth every bite…..warm soft in the middle crisp on the outside and that butter…..geez, I need to learn how to make maple butter, or maybe not…lol! Its a blueberry day……We walked more to try and tour the mansion that is now the Bar Harbor historical society…..it had closed an hour prior. We snuck into the backyard…..views were wild! Made our way back to the car. A successful packed Bar Harbor day…..8:30am-3:30pm.

Tracy had her heart set on Blueberry Pie……instead of getting it in town, I had heard about a famous Lobster place that was like a shack on the street when you enter into the area. The place is called The Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound…..its famous to locals and others who are in the know of this area. We had no idea what we were walking into…..as we parked in a rocky dirt parking lot…..you see the smoke. This friendly guy is boiling live lobsters in a wood fire stove…..4-5 big buckets are boiling huge lobsters. Live ones are awaiting their death in fridges/ice coolers. You get to watch this in the craziest setting. The private airport is across the street, water is the other side of street, we are sitting in red Adirondack chairs watching this all go down with many people stopping. Its a tiny place, you order at a counter and they call your name. We are only supposed to be sharing 1 slice of pie. Well the pie, blueberries, the crust all was SO delish. We chat with a lady who is a fancy woman in casual clothes, but has the walk/presence of wealth. We ask her what she thinks of the lobster here….. she says its the BEST!! She really lives in Miami and this is where she spends her summers. During the winter she has the lobster shipped….this is what they are known for. Well my partner in crime….skinny mini, says I have to try it! Lol……we ended up sharing a hot lobster roll. I only ate the lobster no bread this time. It was worth every bite. She says we only live once…….I say if we don’t die of a heart attack….lol ha ha ha. Thank g-d we have working feet and can walk miles and miles.

Okay……we are now off to Camden, Maine taking Hwy 1, the coastal route. What a gorgeous drive…..so many beach towns passed by with the homes we both love with shingles. We both ooh and awe out the window. We have experienced every season today. From blue sky’s to total fog, sunshine and rain…..hot humid to cold and breezy. The four seasons are real…..something this AZ girl loves and appreciates. The plan was to eat dinner in Camden….don’t worry that idea got scratched. We did drive through Belfast, Bath, Holden, and so many other cute towns…..but this Camden is another special spot. Thank you to Jeff, my Starbucks friend for telling me to check it out. We loved the stores and scenery of the harbor, filled with boats too. We spent an hour checking out this cute town. Back on the rd…..another 1.5 hours to Portland. We made it home by 7:45pm just in time before darkness. The rain was coming down so I was happy to be off the freeway. The day was filled with perfection exploring the mid coast of Maine. I sure love this apartment…..walking into my building felt like coming home. Its so cute and cozy. We changed and headed out for Tracy’s last night in Portland. We decided to have Thai food as it seemed a bit lighter and maybe healthier. ….we walked to our favorite part of this city, The Old Port. Have a short wait…..the people in this town are SO friendly. Three guys (2 handsome) walk out of the place, Crispy Gai. I asked them what they ate…..they are locals and tell us what we HAVE to get. Tracy comments on their thick mustaches…..I think they look like porn stars, she thinks they are gay! We are easily entertained. Ha We got seated at the bar…..fun music, great bartenders, we eat yummy thai food. A quite flavorful mushroom mint dish and there famous crunchy wings…..then Fancy needed to get a cabbage salad, said it was cleansing, ha ha. We each had a fun cocktail and felt like we ate healthy. She wanted her last Maine ice cream from Bealls….says it is her last cone for 2023…. Lol . She ended with a Whoopie Pie flavor, I got a peanut butter cookie swirl cone. We get kid sizes……we walked and walked to ensure we hit 6 miles today.

Sunday…….Mrs Fancy leaves! We scooped up one blueberry muffin at a bakery for her…..it was delish and came from a place that will be my work spot for tomorrow. So glad to have found a new wk place w/ coffee and wifi. I had such a productive day living like a Maine local solo. Dropped her at the airport, did a Target run, 2 grocery stores, got a manicure, and a massage. What a glorious day…..I did my 4 mile Eastern Promenade walk, and rented a bike for a short bike ride. I ate all 3 meals at home today. It was a mellow relaxing day…..with SO much fog and a light drizzle all day. Im living a dream is what I keep saying. Wild!! So grateful! Have a full work day tomorrow after another morning 3 mile walk. BIG news……my sister Terri Sue arrives late tomorrow night. We will have many adventures, soooo excited to be her Dora tour guide and 1 entire week just the 2 of us. And a BIG shoutout to my other sister whose birthday is today depending the time zone you are reading. Jackie Sue-Happy Birthday in Italy!! Enjoy soending your birthday with your family in the land of beauty…..the Amalfi Coast will captivate you! May all ur wishes come true! Sending you big hugs! Miss u XO

Love Laurie Sue….AKA Dora 😉💫🙏🏻🎉❤️💕