Socialising in Acadia

Anchored safely right at the north end of Somes Sound - beautiful Sound it is yes, but not as spectacular as some of the Scottish sea lochs, or indeed the Scandinavian or New Zealand fjords. On the way a beautiful small classic yacht sailed round us, a joy to behold and no doubt to sail in. This is only one of many classic yachts we have seen, some much bigger than this one and with many more sails aloft. Whatever the size, they are all beautiful to look at.

There are a few other boats anchored in here with us, one of which is another Southerly yacht, but a different, slightly older model, owned by a British couple, Simon and Nancy. With so much common ground between us, conversation flowed easily over GnTs at sundown. We have also shared sundowners with a Swedish couple, Magnus and Charlotte, now American citizens, who have their motor launch anchored close to Follyfin. Having been invited over to ‘the dark side’ (as we sailboaters call the motorboaters), we were very favourably impressed by the build and the interior of their 36ft “Swede Dreams”, not to mention the hospitality provided.

Most of Mount Desert (pronounced dezurt as in pudding) Island and a couple of smaller islands nearby, including Isle au Haut (see previous post), comprise Acadia National Park. It covers 45,000 acres and has some of the most spectacular scenery in Maine. Yesterday we decided to see a small part of it, but the high temperature and the experience of our walk to Duck Harbour a few days ago determined our decision to use the free Island Explorer bus service to do so. 

The hub for the free buses, visitor information, shops, restaurants and bars is in Bar Harbour, the ‘capital’ of Mount Desert Island. I have visited here before ... 50 years ago, and my word, how it’s changed! At the end of my first year as a student, I had itchy feet. I had spotted an amazing deal: a Greyhound bus ticket for $99 valid for 99 days. This would allow me to go anywhere in North America, including Canada. My mother, also having an adventurous spirit (and/or wanting to keep an eye on her 19-year-old daughter I suspect) decided she would come along too. Together we would visit some of her old school friends as well as cousins in Vancouver. Our itinerary began in Boston and ended in Vancouver, taking in many places along the way, one of which was Bar Harbour. We stayed at the YWCA, which is still there but everything else looks different.

Whilst waiting to get on the bus, a spider provided an unusual photo opportunity.

Of course there were many others besides us who wanted to use this excellent bus service, which allows people to go all over the Park to hike, bike or just view, like us. It transpires that we have picked the two busiest weeks in the year to visit Acadia National Park. But having seen it for ourselves, it’s no wonder that people want to come here, and it is school holidays. A wonderful place to bring the family. 

We ate our picnic on the shore of Jordan Pond, an inland lake somewhat reminiscent of Buttermere in the Lake District. Like Buttermere, it has a trail around the perimeter, about 6 miles long. We felt that even that was too far for us in the heat, so were content to go a short distance from the crowds - never far away - along the track for our lunch.

Then it was back to Bar Harbour on the bus, standing room only, for a much needed supermarket provisioning run. By the time we had done that, quaffed a couple of craft beers to refresh us, caught another bus back to Somesville, the village nearest to our anchorage, and then trudged back to the dinghy loaded with shopping, we were pretty well bushed...but nothing that a swim and a sundowner with new-found friends couldn’t put right.

Being such a beautiful sheltered anchorage, we decided to spend 3 nights here. On Wednesday we move south again, aiming for Frenchboro, a year-round lobstering village on Long Island, where the lobster is purported to be the sweetest tasting in all of Maine. We will see if we agree!