Going On The Road with Monte & Rose

July 2 – 8, 2017

Week one at Acadia National Park

We had reservations for two full weeks at Schoodic Woods Campground in Acadia National Park located three miles from the town of Winter Harbor. It is approximately 60 minutes from Bar Harbor and the main section of the park. The campground, that had its grand opening two years ago, has two loops. The Loop A sites are geared towards tents and smaller RV’s offering only electric hookups while Loop B has large sites with electric and water hookups.

We reserved site B9, a very level long pull through site. There is only one bathroom per loop.

The campground is beautiful.

My only complaint is there are no showers.

To help prevent our tanks from filling up too quickly Monte set up our portable shower.

One day we explored the nearby village of Prospect Harbor and Winter Harbor.

We have seen lobster rolls advertised since beginning our New England adventure. Neither Monte nor I have ever tasted one. We noticed the price ranged from $8.99 at McDonald’s to as much as $20 in some upscale restaurants. We decided to try the lobster roll from this roadside cart located in front of the Fisherman’s Galley restaurant.

Not knowing if we were going to like it we bought one ($15) and shared it.

It was good but not really worth the price.

On the afternoon of the 4^th we took a bike ride around the campground loops and in the evening took a drive to Schoodic Point because we heard we would be able to see fireworks from Bar Harbor.

It was a beautiful evening with spectacular views of sunset. Unfortunately the mosquitoes chased us into our truck.

The weather was beautiful the first day we drove over to the main park at Bar Harbor.

We began at the Visitor Center located 52 steps up from the parking lot.

In the parking lot there are station stops to catch shuttles to different sections of the park.

We opted to drive the 27 mile loop in our truck so we could stop whenever and where ever we wanted.

Our first stop was at Cadillac Mountain.

The line just to get into the parking lot was very long. We patiently waited for a spot to open up.

The views were well worth the wait.

I took over 200 pictures so it became kind of a chore to select just a few.

This is just one of many short bridges in the park.

Thunder hole is a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom and high-flying foam when seas are up.

Unfortunately it was low tide we didn’t witness this phenomenon.

Thunder hole gift shop

The short trail across from the parking lot took us to down to Otter Point with spectacular views.

The Jordon Pond House is a historic stop that has been serving tea with popovers and jam since the 1890s. The original building burned down in 1979. The current building built in 1982 continues the summer tradition.

Reservations are required so we passed on trying out the popovers but we did go through the gift shop.

Monte is on a Tilley Hat kick and can’t resist trying one on at every store we come across that sells them.

We found a parking spot with a two hour limit right on Main Street, Bar Harbor.

That was plenty of time to walk down one side of the street to the harbor and then up the other side back to our truck.

We stopped in a few shops but I was happy to leave the crowds and smokers behind as we left the town.

We had originally planned on having dinner in Bar Harbor but when we saw the prices on menus posted outside restaurants we changed our plans and ended up at Fuddruckers in the town of Ellsworth. Monte and I shared a bourbon burger with caramelized onions, crumbled bleu cheese and bacon.

I didn’t feel too guilty about eating only half a burger that contains 1,190 calories!

We chose one of the best weather days to bike the park loop.

We ate lunch on the rocks at Schoodic Point.

Monte made a new friend.

This cutie just couldn’t resist taking a dip.

Continuing our ride we came across the area of the park where volunteer work campers are housed. Monte chatted with one of the volunteers for a few minutes.

Our next stop was at the Schoodic Education and Research Center, based at the former Navel Radio Station that had been commissioned in 1935.

The base gradually expanded to meet the demands of WWII and the Cold War.

By the 1990s the base consisted of more than 35 buildings and 350 personnel.

The Navy closed the base in 2002 and returned the land to Acadia National Park for use as a research and education center.

We stopped a few more times to take pictures (and honestly to catch my breath) as some sections of the loop are uphill.

During our 80 mile drive to Campobello Island we passed a familiar vehicle. Monte said we need to make a u-turn. It turned out to be our friend Armon’s truck who is workcamping at a nearby State Park.

We chatted for a few minutes and then told him we would stop by his park after we toured Campobello Island.

Campobello Island is located in the Canadian province of New Brunswick and is connected to the mainland by the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge at Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town of the United States.

In preparation for crossing the border I had researched the procedure, what was acceptable identification and what items are prohibited. It took only 5 minutes to pass customs after answering where we were traveling from, where we were traveling to, how long we planned on staying in Canada and if we had any weapons, animals, gifts or food.

Our main reason for traveling to Campobello Island was to tour the Roosevelt Campobello International Park. The park preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the summer retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor and their children.

The park is managed and funded by Canada and the United States.

We watched a short film on the history of the Roosevelt’s connection to the island. In the 1880s wealthy people flocked to resorts like Newport, Bar Harbor and Campobello. James and Sara Roosevelt first visited the island in 1883 with their one year old son Franklin. The house they would eventually purchase is no longer standing.

The magnificent Roosevelt cottage that is still standing was a present from Sara to her son Franklin upon his marriage to Eleanor and has been preserved almost exactly as it was in the 1920s.

The cottage exhibits design principles of the Arts and Crafts movement and elements of early American Colonial architecture.

The building contains 34 rooms, 18 of which are bedrooms and 6 of which are bathrooms. The cottage was comfortable, but had neither electricity nor telephone. Kerosene lamps and candles provided light. Seven fireplaces and kitchen coal and wood-fired stoves provided heat.

Running water for bathing, cooking and cleaning came from storage tanks on the third floor. The tanks were fed by gravity from tank atop a nearby windmill. Drinking water came in large bottles by horse and cart from a spring.

In addition to a governess, during the summer stays at the cottage, the children were instructed by a live-in tutor.

The Roosevelt family enjoyed summers from 1909 to 1921, when Franklin contracted polio. Eleanor, the children, and then grandchildren continued to visit until Eleanor’s death in 1962.

We were able to experience “tea with Eleanor” at the Wells-Shober Cottage.

Expert guides gave us a glimpse of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life on Campobello as they served us tea and homemade ginger snaps.

The linen-clothed tables and fine china recall the style and ambience of a bygone era.

After tea we toured the Hubbard Cottage, another one of the few cottages remaining at the park.

The park contains many trails and picnic areas. We choose to have our lunch a short drive away at Cranberry Point where we had a great view of the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge.

Before leaving the island, we drove out to Head Harbour Lightstation, the second oldest lighthouse in the province. The only way to access the island is by foot during low tide. The lighthouse was built in 1829 as a means of helping ships in the area navigate the famous Bay of Fundy fog. We decided not to wait another two hours for low tide.