7/1/2023 0 Comments Maine muse barOur midweek activity was going to exclude anything related to vehicular or tourist congestion, but we heard about a wonderful free thing to do in Bar Harbor: We could walk to Bar Island - part of Acadia National Park and across the way from Bar Harbor - at low tide. Mount Desert Island’s East Side The east side of Mount Desert Island is crammed with stuff - elite neighborhoods and inns, old motels, lobster pounds, Bar Harbor and all of its activities, as well as the majority of Acadia National Park and all of its traffic-slowing points of interest. ![]() It made for a lovely day discovering western Mount Desert Island at a slower pace to which we are accustom and prefer. There was some traffic, but no congestion. Ship Harbor trail meandered through majestic forest alongside a quiet tidal pool and right out to the open ocean, and the Bass Harbor Lighthouse proved exciting, pulsing with surf. ![]() Thurston’s served the best lobster that we’ve had in Maine. We headed out to find Thurstons’s Lobster Pound in Bass Harbor - a tip from a local - and the Ship Harbor trail and tidal pool. Thurston’s Lobster Pound near Bass Harbor. Even if you don’t have a car, there is Island Explorer public transport set up specifically to check out Mount Desert Island, even on the quiet side. If you become lost, it is really no big deal, because it is not difficult to find your way back to where you need to be with all of the looping roads, and you will find amazing things and places along the way - secret tidal pools, bogs and marshes, beautiful hiking trails, quiet neighborhoods and old roads leading to the ocean and more. Mount Desert Island’s West Side If you have a car, navigating this MidCoast island is fun and delightful - well, on the west side at least. Our course was set for discovering Mount Desert Island proper. They also confirmed that to gain a better sense of Mount Desert Island and the old days (or the way things are normally), head to the west side - the quiet side - for a slower pace, a workaday scene, virtually no lines and the best lobster shack on the island. A store owner and our campground friends all agreed that Bar Harbor is not like it used to be. Locals confirmed my suspicions: Things have changed indeed. I certainly became disinterested in being there, too stressed trying to navigate the streets among the people, signs and traffic. We knew in an instant that Bar Harbor was not the place for us.īut was I imagining things? Was my desire for less chaos tarnishing my perspective of Bar Harbor? I knew Scot was not impressed. It’s not quiet it’s bustling, perhaps even busting. ![]() Driving the super-crammed streets was stressful folks pop out from parked cars, neon signs direct everyone here or there, giving it a vibe of Vegas Strip, only oceanside and without the gambling. Yes, it was leaf-peeping season, and so there were tourists everywhere. As we entered Bar Harbor, we were surprised: It is very, very busy. Headed toward Bar Harbor, we identified some places of interest and took in the scenery. After descending upon the island, we unhitched at our delightful campground and investigated our new “destiny,” as Luna calls it. ![]() We also had been studying the island map so that we could plan our days. We visited Mount Desert Island to check out the national park and Bar Harbor, and we waited to do so knowing that there would be fewer tourists after Labor Day. Although considered part of MidCoast Maine, Mount Desert Island is a place all its own. The locals will send you to the quiet side of the island, and the Chamber of Commerce might send you to Bar Harbor and Acadia. The north side is lined with inns, hotels, motels, modern campgrounds, tour buses and cruise ships the south side is dotted with tidal pools, lighthouses, scenic drives, rustic campgrounds and lobster boats. There is the east side of the island, which is home to many famous and wealthy residents, tons of tourists, as well as most of Acadia National Park. There is the quiet, west side of the island, a place that fishermen call home, historic places are maintained and is made up of some of Acadia National Park. Still charming and romantic, especially during the peak of autumn, Mount Desert Island is an oasis with many facets. As slow-and-tiny travel journalists and enthusiasts, our visit to Mount Desert Island clearly delineated how we feel about travel and what we want from it, and raised questions about what others want from it, too. However, my previous trip was simply a different voyage, and Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park have changed. In my mind, Bar Harbor was quaint and charming, Acadia National Park romantic I was looking forward to experiencing both with new people - my husband and daughter - and renewed heart. Once upon a time, I visited Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park with different people - my mother and stepfather - and a different heart.
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