Bar Harbor, Maine
“Baa-Ha-Ba” they say.
Or for those non-New Englanders, it’s “Bar Harbor”. The main attraction of my entire New England adventure. It wound up to be everything everyone said it would be. The downtown area was as cute as can be. Acadia National Park was captivating. The Maine lobster were to die for! And of course, I rang in a new [birth] year in style – doing exactly what I wanted to be doing – traveling (alone), while indulging in good local food!
After a detour through downtown Deer Isle – to enter my work hours on free wifi from the rarely open library – I made my way to Bar Harbor. Once arriving, I had to do some quick research from a parking lot to find a place to stay for a few nights. I settled on a cute (and possibly haunted) bed and breakfast a few blocks outside town. Now the adventure could continue!
After getting settled, I made my way downtown to see what it had to offer. With the Mount Dessert Narrows at the shore, darling parks, quaint shops and restaurants scattered throughout town, I got the true sense of how adorable Bar Harbor was. Besides mailing postcards, I didn’t never went back downtown, though – I do wish I spent some time there during sunlight hours, but I spent the next day at Acadia National Park.
Happy birthday to me!
Yes – I spent my birthday at Acadia National Park…which is exactly what I wanted to do. The park, like other national parks I’ve been to, had a “park loop” that took me around the park, while listening to the informational audio guide. The 27 mile loop had me start at the Visitors Center, which of course, I HAD to do, so I could get my National Park stamp 🙂 As I casually made myself around the park, I stopped wherever and whenever. No schedule! LOVED IT! No matter where I stopped, the view was spectacular! I couldn’t go wrong with any stop. Per a recommendation from the host at Deer Isle, I hiked the Beehive trail, which thankfully she didn’t tell me how crazy the trail would be. Needless to say, it was a great feeling of accomplishment, when I made it all the way to the top…
And saw the top view…O-M-G! Check this out!
Luckily, the way off Beehive wasn’t the same way up. Not sure I would have ever made it down that way. Once I got down, I made my way over to the beach you can barely see in the photos above. It was the only beach in the whole national park. You know I was destined to stop there – duh! Oddly, enough I had a very interesting experience with a stranger at Sand Beach. Let’s just say, there were tears (not for my eyes) and a question of “saving” included. Interested to know more? Message me and I can explain.
Realizing that I couldn’t go for a nice swim at Sand Beach (the water was FREEZING and didn’t help with the wind!), I hopped back into the car and finished out the loop of Acadia National Park. I pulled off at a few pull-offs before making it to the top of Cadillac Mountain.
Fun Fact: Cadillac Mountain is the highest and largest mountain in Acadia National Park AND it is the highest peak on the North Atlantic shoreline. Which means that visitors get to see the sunrise before everyone else on the east coast.
Needless to say, I got my tail up at 3:45 AM to get to the summit by 4:00 AM…for a 4:30-ish sunrise! ABSURD yes, but TOTALLY worth it! It’s one of those things that you have to see at least once in your lifetime. The summit was packed with people, who quickly scattered after the sun rose. The colors off the shoreline were indescribable and “never been seen before”. If you make it up to Acadia/Bar Harbor, it is a must to see the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain!
The sunrise at Cadillac was actually the last day/morning I spent in Maine. But I can’t forget to share the details about one of the best birthday dinners I’ve EVER had in my 30+2 years. And O-M-G was it worth the money and the gratification of buying it for myself. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. WOW! Besides the hiking and being on travel, I wanted to make sure I ate GOOD for my birthday. I had full intention of eating a big lobster and any homemade dessert I could get my hands on. So, with a recommendation from the owners at the B&B, I made sure I found the best place in town. It was worth every bite and penny!!!
3 pound Maine lobster. Blueberry pie. And blueberry ice cream. TO DIE FOR!
I cleaned that big crustacean bare and finished by licking my fingers clean of butter and lobster meat. I managed to save enough room for the homemade blueberry dessert overload, too! Delicious! Can I please teleport back to Thurston’s? 🙏🏼
With a full belly and satisfaction of turning a year older, I made my way back to the B&B – I had to get a good night’s sleep, so I could get up for that 4:30 AM sunrise. Because I wasn’t in a rush to get home, I stopped along the way to appreciate the color change of the sunset. Various shades of pink, purple and orange radiated the sky. A never before seen view for me! Absolutely captivating and way to end my birthday.
Highlights of Bar Harbor:
- Beehive hike and satisfaction of reaching the top after a challenging climb
- Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain
- The biggest and BEST lobster I’ve ever eaten to date
- Celebrating my birthday EXACTLY the way I wanted to…traveling, exploring and eating