Winter Harbor, Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain--Retirement Trip Day 6

Winter Harbor Library Historic Room

Winter Harbor Public Library

Winter Harbor Library Circ Desk

The plan was to take it easy today, poke around Bar Harbor and take the afternoon off to rest. That was the plan, but there's this really friendly Park Ranger who actually grew up in Lenoir and who keeps giving us great suggestions. The first and best place she sent us today was the Winter Harbor Public Library. Winter Harbor is the little town at the exit from the Schoodic Loop drive through the National Park. Their library is in a lovely old chapel. It's only open two days a week and Friday was Storytime. As we were leaving, mothers with small children were hurrying up the walk. Libraries are sacred spaces to begin with but the remarkable setting makes this one doubly special.

Rockefeller Building

Our next stop was the Schoodic Education and Research Center. In 1935, just prior to WWII, JD Rockefeller talked the Navy into moving one of their secret listening posts so he could build a public road into the National Park. The Navy used this extraordinary Tudor building to house officers--yet another remnant of coastal fortifications that have been converted to historic/recreational sites.

The wood on the facade is local cypress and is all hand-pegged. The lintels are trimmed in copper. The stone and brick are beautifully crafted. The building is hardly standard government issue. Apparently Rockefeller built the building for the Navy to sweeten the pot when he asked them to move. The Navy occupied the building until 2002 and in 2006, a local philanthropist donated money to restore it for use as a welcome center.

Charming Bar Harbor...

...with a taste of Gatlinburg

Whoopie Pie

From here we drove from Schoodic Peninsula to Mt. Desert Island which contains more of Acadia National Park and the lovely town of Bar Harbor. Even though we were camping, we tried to doll up just a taste. I had heard that Bar Harbor was an elegant resort and I was worried about feeling out of place. When we got there, parking was nearly impossible. We finally found a spot near a high school ball field on the edge of town. When we finally made it downtown, we discovered a wonderful charming New England town with a taste of Gatlinburg thrown in. We were not out of place at all and had a great time poking around in the shops and searching for just the right lunch spot. I can't do shellfish but Ben had a lobster roll and we both sampled local desserts. Ben's choice was a Whoopie Pie--even more than he could eat. So far, most of the folks seem very athletic and outdoorsy. The town was full of outfitters and both kayaking and rock climbing seem to be popular. But Maniacs also love their pastries and ice cream. We saw bakeries and ice cream shops everywhere. I want to know their secret for keeping the bakers in business and not looking like it.

There is a scenic loop through the Mt Desert Island section of the park and we drove it culminating in a trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Apparently, Acadia National Park preserves the tallest rocky banks along the US Atlantic seaboard. Cadillac Mountain, the tallest among them, stands 500 feet taller than the highest peak in our ancient Uwharries back home. You can see from the map I posted a few days ago, they are all part of the Appalachian chain. Driving this loop, we had the eerie feeling we were driving the mountains of home but right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Below are a few of the pictures we took.

Mountains of Mt Desert Island

At low tide

From the top of Cadillac Mountain

We made it home in time to fix a lovely steak dinner on the grill. We took one last picture of a blood red full moon rising above our campsite. The camera in my phone does not capture the color but maybe you can feel the peace.