Trenton, ME
Saturday’s drive up the coast from Boothbay to Bar Harbor was quite nice. Actually, we’re staying in Trenton, but most people would assume that’s in New Jersey so why be confusing. We’re staying at a new campground just before you get to Mount Desert Island (who comes up with these names, anyway), home to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.Even though the forecast for Saturday was mixed, the day was actually quite pleasant for the 3-hour drive up the coast. We backtracked along ME-27 to US-1 and headed “north”. I use this term lightly because we were generally heading east as much as north, into the heart of “Down East Maine”, and the road rarely runs straight in any one direction for very long anyway. In fact, for one stretch of about 10 miles, we were on US-1 North, ME-3 East, and ME-15 South – all at the same time.
We actually arrived at the park a little earlier than I thought, since I guessed wrong in resolving a perceived difference between what Streets & Trips (software) and Woodall’s (RV directory) had as the location. Imagine my surprise when we drove right past the park just seconds after I pointed out where it was to Geri on the GPS in the coach. Or, at least, where I thought it was. It turns out that S&T was right this time (it’s usually wrong if there’s a question). My only consolation is that there have to be a lot of people in the same boat, since they had a sign 100’ after the entrance telling drivers how to make a safe U-turn ¼ mile down the road.
Once we got parked and had the basics in place (power on slides out dish up), we hopped in the Rover and headed for Bar Harbor for lunch, as we were both too hungry to focus on more campground tasks. We had a nice ride into the little burg, and randomly chose a restaurant, Parkside, with outside seating. We just made it in time for lunch service before they stopped seating and I found a parking spot right around the corner, both good signs. The choice of outside seating – not so much. We hadn’t even ordered yet when I was heading back to the car to grab those “emergency sweatshirts” we bought in Hampton Beach. Suitable layered, we ordered a couple of glasses of Hess Select Chardonnay, and – what else – lobster rolls. This installment in the great lobster roll quest was another success, with a #2 finish at this point. The quantity was overflowing (beating even Red’s), but the roll itself was too soft, damp, and “doughy” and could have used some toasting. The lobster was nicely-dressed and the added lettuce and tomato were a good touch, although Geri thought it a bit much. The lobster itself had been boiled instead of steamed, not that there’s anything wrong with that, which imparts a different taste to the end product. Overall, well done but not quite Red’s.
Back at the park after lunch, we finished up a “full deployment” setup. This means that all the chairs and outdoor cooking equipment is in place and all the patio lights are hooked up. It’s not a tough or time-consuming job, but if we’re on a short stay or I don’t get around to it right away, it just seems like these things don’t get done as easily.
After a quick break, we put together a nice dinner of grilled steaks (the last of the Costco steaks we brought with us), with grill-roasted red potatoes and the rest of the asparagus we picked up in Boothbay. A cheap Yellow Tail Cabernet (gotta use it up before the border, no matter how much it cost) was the selection du jour, and it did us fine. For “dessert”, we had “Al-tinis”, a drink that Al concocted for us while we were in CT. It’s made with 2 oz Hendrick’s Gin, ½ oz Triple Sec, 3-4 drops of lime juice, shaken with ice and strained into the closest thing you have to a martini glass. One will help you sleep. Beyond that, you’re on your own. Good stuff.
Today, we did a driving tour of Acadia National Park, taking the “Park Loop Road” around the eastern side of Mount Desert Island to the southern tip, then back inland and up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was sunny with high clouds when we left the park, but by the time we got near the ocean, clouds and fog were rolling in from the south. The landscape reminded me quite a bit of the Oregon coast, with the same kind of rocky terrain and pine trees (everything except the soaring heights of the Oregon cliffs). I had a chance to walk along the shore road for a little bit and try for some photos, although the weather wasn’t exactly right for good landscapes. This was especially true from the Mountain, where I thought we were on Mt. Washington for a bit with 40+ MPH winds blowing. There are some beautiful views overlooking Bar Harbor to the east, Northeast Harbor/Southwest Harbor to the west, and offshore islands to the south – just not today with the clouds and fog. Today was more of a scouting trip for a trip later in the week, I think. I’ll sort through picture downloads later (probably tomorrow) and post some representative samples.
During our drive, we stopped for a quick snack (turkey sandwiches) in the park, which just reinforced how we need to do a better job of preparing for days like this. We have a cooler in the car and should have packed our own snacks, plus some things for the pups. Anyway, when we headed back to the park, we stopped at the local IGA grocery for tonight’s dinner. Suffice it to say, we’ll need to head to a real grocery during the week, but we at least found some quick comfort food: pork chops for broiling and garlic mashed potatoes. Since the rain started as soon as we left the store, tonight was another excuse to try out the micro-convection oven, where neither of us is completely comfortable. We had a passable experience, although I still don’t know how long to cook things and the oven doesn’t seem to know how to preheat. I didn’t kill us with undercooked pork (I hope) and we had a nice 2005 Bourgogne (Pinot Noir), so all’s good. It may be time for dessert, or another Al-tini (but probably not both). Accordingly, I’ll sign off for now…
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