Canada/Maine 2014: Funday to Bar Harbor, Maine

Friday, September 19:  258 miles and camped at Desert Narrows RV Park, Bar Harbor, Maine.

The drive was mostly pleasant and uneventful.  We even caught a glimpse of the Queen Mary 2 at the harbor in St. Johns, New Brunswick.

Queen Mary 2

We did have a slight hiccup at the Canada/US border crossing.  The US Customs Officer asked if we had any prohibited items.  We replied that we didn’t.  They asked to inspect the camper, and confiscated an orange, an avocado and four tomatoes.  The agent was not very nice about it.  Instead of using the incident to teach us about the dangers of citrus disease transmission, he threatened to fine us for not being fully truthful in our answers.  It was not a pleasant experience.  Welcome back to the United States.

Bar Harbor, along with several smaller villages and Acadia National Park are located on Mt. Desert Island.  A small "narrows" separates the island from the the mainland.  There is only one road connecting the island and the mainland.

Sunset over the "Narrows" from the campground.

Sunrise over the Narrows.

The closer to Bar Harbor we got, the more the traffic increased.  Plus it was a Friday afternoon and the start of the weekend.  We got set up at the campground by 3:00, so Al, Susie, Judy and I took a drive into Bar Harbor to check it out.  What a zoo!!  We finally found a place to park, and did some light shopping.  After returning to the campground, we stoked up a campfire.

The next morning we left the campground about 9:30 and headed out to explore Acadia National Park.  We decided to drive the loop road, and saw some beautiful ocean side scenery.  The traffic was heavy, and many of the viewpoint turnouts were congested.

Then we headed to the west side of Mt. Desert Island, where the traffic was considerably lighter.  We had lunch at The Café Dry Dock and Inn, a charming place in the fishing village of Southwest Harbor. The restaurant was in an old and beautiful building.  In fact, the ceiling was the old tin style found in buildings from by gone eras.

Café Dry Dock and Inn

We drove back to the campground for a break, and then drove back into Bar Harbor for the evening.  What a mistake.  There was a cruise ship in town, and the streets were mobbed.  It took us forever to find a place to park.  We picked a place for dinner, and ended up having the most bland tasting seafood meal of the whole trip.  A real disappointment.  While Acadia National Park was beautiful, we have no real desire to return to Bar Harbor.  Too many people and too many cars.  Sorry.

It was too windy for a campfire, so we settled in early for the evening.  On Sunday we head for Scarborough, Maine.