Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Cadillac Mountain


We had a few thunderstorms pass through during the night with more than a little rain. After a leisurely breakfast, Carl and I hit the road with the idea of covering some of the less spectacular scenery on the western side of the island but like so many plans, this one was thwarted by the pea soup fog and even if I could see what’s out along the coast, I didn’t have a shot through the fog. As we moved inland, the fog began to lift just in time for the rain to start. So much for photography. We changed our plan and headed to the Atlantic Brewery Company where you can sample about 6 different brews locally made in the company store where that very same beer is on sale. I had a sample of their Logger Lager and then moved on to their Old Soaker Root Beer.  Since Maine is famous for two things, lobster and blueberries, and lobster flavored beer would be just way too weird, the brewery also makes a pretty good blueberry soda and a not so good blueberry ale. In the spirit of cross advertising, they recommended our next stop be the Bar Harbor Winery which was our plan anyway. There, we sampled 7 different wines including a better than good blueberry wine. I had to bring a bottle of that one home with us. Our plan was to head into Bar Harbor for another brewery in the center of town but the place was hopping, with no parking available so Carl decided to pass on that one.

On our way back to Seawall Campground, we approached the turnoff for the road  up to Cadillac Mountain.
I knew the weather was less than optimal but I had to find out what the big deal was. Everyone who found out we were headed up to Acadia inevitably asked, “Are you going to go up the mountain?”  It’s a short drive but it’s a twisty one. Probably not more than a category 4 climb on the Tour de France but we saw many cyclists turning their wheels with vigor along the way. When we finally reached the summit of the 1530 foot mountain, the highest point on Mt Desert Island, we had quite a view in all directions in spite of the low ceiling, fog banks in the distance and the hazy humidity hanging in the air. I can certainly see the appeal on a good day where you would get a breathtaking view of the western Atlantic, outlying islands, the interior of the island, several lakes and the bustling little village of Bar Harbor.

Our way home took us through Southwest Harbor and I asked for a side trip to Clark’s point where the commercial fleet unloads their catch. It seemed as if the skies were lifting so we parked and walked around the dockside complex which also included the local Coast Guard station. About 20 minutes later, it began to rain once more so we turned for home.

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