Hi everyone. Happy new week to everyone and a happy T day to those of you who stop by Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog .
This week for T I'm starting with my drink and then taking you along through some of the time we spent on Mt. Desert Island, Maine where Acadia National Park is. If you missed last week's Nova Scotia Trip Part 1 and want to check it out you can find that post here: T Stands for the Start of My Trip.
The drive from Belfast, Maine, where we started that morning, to Bar Harbor, Maine takes around 90 minutes depending on stops. Just before you pass onto the island of Mt. Desert, you pass through Ellsworth, Maine. This whole area has become very developed over the last 40+ years. When I was in college I was about an hour away, and I had a friend who lived in Bar Harbor. One of the times I went home with her for a weekend I remember my friend's father being very excited because they had finally gotten a department store (one of those pre-Walmart chains called Zayre) in Ellsworth.
Now that stretch in Ellsworth could be any town with just about every big box store you can imagine. It's sad it has lost some of its charm except for the small downtown area. I guess that's progress... And I'm sure all the locals within an hours drive really appreciate having more shopping options.
On our trip last month we stopped in Ellsworth to get gas, and then we passed a Governor's Restaurant. Governor's is a small central Maine restaurant chain that we were familiar with because there was/is one near the University of Maine where my husband and I both went to school. Occasionally we used to eat there. Since it was Friday it was their fish fry day, so the hubby and I both chose that for our early dinner.
You can see my water in the blue glass on the left. And those dinner rolls (even though they are just white bread) are to die for. Governor's has their own in store bakeries, and as you'll see later in my post, their baked goods are pretty tasty too. 😉
We had some time Friday evening after our early dinner to check out a bit of Acadia National Park. I've been here many many times, but it's definitely worth checking out any time if you are in the area. One thing that has changed is that you now need to schedule a time to drive up Cadillac Mountain (between May and October). I had scheduled us a pass to arrive between 5 and 5:30 PM, so after we checked in at the ferry we'd take to Canada the next day and also checked in and unloaded our car at our hotel, we took the drive up the mountain.
Here's the view toward's Bar Harbor.
And here's the view looking southwest.
Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the continental US you can see the sunrise. I won't take up space telling you about a crazy road trip 6 of us did one Saturday night/Sunday morning back in my college days, but it's an absolutely beautiful sight if you do that.
Back in my youth I've also climbed this mountain, but this time we just did the short trail around the summit.
Something new for me was this cruise ship sitting in the harbor. I'll bemoan that another post about my trip.
It wasn't dark when we came down off the mountain so we did the "famous" drive along the shore where just about everyone who visits the park goes. I thought it would be a good time to go since at that hour (dinner time for many people) it wouldn't be so crowded. And it wasn't .
After we got back to the hotel it was dark, and I had my dessert waiting for me. I mentioned earlier in this post about the good bakery they have at Governor's Restaurant. I particularly like their chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Since the only time I get some is when I visit central Maine, and if we go to this restaurant...well you can see the giant piece I had with some tea that evening. (Although I forgot to include the tea in the photo.) 😏 Good thing I had some walking to do over vacation because this cake was a calorie killer.
21 comments:
I love your photos of Acadia National Park. Too bad Ellsworth has gone the way of Big Box stores. Your choice of meals was great. though. I LOVE fish and chips. And that cake from Governor's Restaurant looks irresistible.
Back at Acadia National Park, I really enjoyed seeing nature and unspoiled wilderness. Thanks for sharing your trip to Acadia National Park and your meal and water at Governor's Restaurant.
Good evening, I really enjoyed all of the photos-what a gorgeous area-thanks for sharing hugs Kathy
I have very good memories of Acadia NP. We camped there for a few nights many years ago. No timed tickets needed for Cadillac Mountain, we could go up there whenever we wanted. We were there in the middle of summer and didn't even have a reservation for the campground; it was no problem at all. Those were definitely very different times. The fish and chips look yummy - the best thing to eat so close to the ocean. Happy T day! Hugs - Carola
Lovely views and that cake looks amazing! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
Bar Harbour is a delight. The only problem was that I underestimated the summer weather and had to buy a jacket.
Those harbour views are GORGEOUS! You too have a great day, Erika.
I think I´ll have to link to yours next T-Day...
Reckon you don´t have pics of your college road trip? Or do you? I´d like to "hear" the story! A great place you went, beautiful!
Your cake has a face, LOL.
Happy T-Day and hugs from here.
What beautiful vacation photos and delicious food, whether fish or cake. I'm always amazed by how it looks there!
Have a beautiful day, hugs Elke
Oh my goodness, what a glorious place! Thank you for sharing those incredible views with us.
Lovely to hear from you over on the blog... I'm afraid IG and now YouTube have slightly swallowed me up, but it's great to drop back into blogworld now and again and reconnect. All is well, if rather too busy!
wow incredible photos of your lovely trip! I love fish and chips and cake looks so good. Wonderful!
As a Senior scout, my troop went on a camping trip in Arcadia State Park. We drove up Cadillac Mountain at some point. At the state park, after setting up our camp, we climbed down the rocks to sit by the ocean and to sing camp songs. It was magical. Happy T Day. Enjoy the weather today.
Such a beautiful part of the world! I have fond memories of staying in Ellsworth at a nice little hotel--once 20 years ago and another time 15 years ago. I'm bummed that we didn't go to that restaurant though--that cake looks incredible!
Beautiful landscape pictures. What a memorable trip.
That scenery is fantastic. I've never been to this part of Maine -- it really is stunning. And the restaurant -- wow! I'm no fan of chocolate cake but would die for peanut butter frosting! It looks divinely fluffy!
...Erika thanks for taking me along on your journey to see the sights. It's too bad the I missed out on the eats!!!
Wow, the scenery is so beautiful and the water is so calm. It's the perfect place to relax with nature. Oh wow, that cake looks delicious and calorific ...lol 😆. I hope October is treating you well and wishing you a very happy T day ❤️. Hugs, Jo x
I wonder when the road became so crowded that reservations were required. We were there a few years ago in summer and it didn’t seem that overwhelming. I especially remember the local blueberry pancakes and other good blueberry dishes!
Beautiful photographs, the scenery is wonderful.
Happy T day.
All the best Jan
It looks like you picked a perfect time to go through Acadia and I did know that time slots had to be reserved for Cadillac Mountain. Somehow, we lucked out the last time we were there and it might have pre-season. The drive along the shore is always great and uncrowded even better.
What an amazingly beautiful place! Your photos are stunning. The weather seems to be really nice too. Perfect actually.
Oh that cake!!! Not to mention the fish & chips have my mouth watering.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
Belated happy T-Day,
Lisca
Crazy road trip 6 of you did - now I am curious. Gorgeous place. Someone once told me that the cakes you eat during vacation are of zero calorie. I am staying with that!
-Soma
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