Coastal Adventure # 7: The Beauty of Nature Preserved

Well, we are now in the United States, at the old resort town of Bar Harbor, in Maine.  This close-up of a t-shirt in a window clarifies the proper pronunciation of this name with an appropriate Down-East New England accent:

As a footnote, the island was originally called "Ile des monts deserts" (Island of Barren Mountains) by Champlain.  The locals still use the French pronunciation, with the emphasis on the last syllable of "Desert" as if the word were "dessert".

The famous billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, and others not only built summer homes here, and encouraged their friends and fellow plutocrats to do the same, but also saw to it that the beautiful natural environment of Mount Desert Island was largely preserved.  A number of wealthy property owners donated the land for Acadia National Park.  In particular, Rockefeller built a network of carriage roads through the woods of the island, a network which remains to this day completely separate from the automobile roads that followed.  The carriage roads are usable only by pedestrians, cyclists (non-motorized), and, of course, by horse-drawn carriages.  The segments of carriage road outside the National Park are even closed to cyclists, thanks to a couple of cyclists who were rude to the owner of the private property through which the road passed.

Apart from the town of Bar Harbor proper, a large portion of the island, and several adjacent smaller islands, are contained in Acadia National Park, which continues the original vision of nature preserved.

The environment here reminds me of nothing quite so much as the area around my old home town of Elliot Lake.  The mountains and forests certainly draw the parallel, and there are still some fall colours here.

Meanwhile, in the town, there’s a unique architectural mix of traditional New England with big money dignity, a mix which makes simply walking the streets fascinating.  And of course, like any resort town, there’s a huge and diverse community of stores, art galleries, eateries and drinkeries, and much more. 

This is the first time since September 11, 2001, that I’ve entered the USA on a cruise ship that was going to make further stops before reaching its American final destination.  Back in the 1990s, we simply gave our destination information before boarding and that was it – when we reached our first American stop (Ketchikan, Alaska), we just walked off the ship.  Not any more.  Now, U. S. Immigration authorities boarded as soon as we came to anchor offshore, and interviewed every single passenger of the ship.  There were two main rooms being used, one for U. S. Citizens, and one for all others.  The interviews began at 0700, and I was right there ahead of time, but even with a wait of some 20 minutes I still had ample time to take my passport back to my cabin and then meet my tour party at 0745.

First, the bad news.  Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak of eight on the island, was sacked in with fog.  Our bus tour went up there first, and the view was limited only by our imaginations (translation: zero visibility).  By the time I got back to the ship at noon, the sky remained cloudy but the mountaintop was now in the clear.  Moral: take an afternoon tour in Bar Harbor!

The other helpful hint: if your tour is going to drive the circle road through the National Park, most of the really spectacular views will be on the left side of the bus.  It’s easy to state that with absolute authority as most of the circle road is one way only – clockwise.  Moral: sit on the left side!

So, here is a selection of pictures from today’s adventures.  First, a pair of trees contorted by the fierce Atlantic coast weather at the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

A meadow and stream with reflections.

A stone gateway guarding the entrance to one of the carriage roads.

A typical streetscape in town.

Necessary stonework repairs on a dignified church.

A large old “cottage” (summer home of a well-to-do family) converted into a bed and breakfast inn (there are many of these in the town).

My mansion is bigger than your mansion!

Lobster boats in the harbour.

And finally, a clear view of Cadillac Mountain from the Caribbean Princess.