Crossing Tour - Acadia National Park

Yesterday’s ride took us to Bar Harbour on the coast of Maine as we headed to Acadia National Park.  The first part of the morning was a ride from Milbridge through Route 187, recommended by another FJR owner Larry had met the night before.  This route had everything going for it, new asphalt, sweeping turns, hills, fresh air and a lot of trees and at the top of the hills a beautiful view of the amazing valleys and lakes that make Maine so beautiful.  It was a great way to start the day.

A quick stop to check tire pressure and we were off heading to Ellsworth.  There is one crazy intersection in Ellsworth which we encountered on our last ride on our way home….it looks like you are turning into a mall as there is no sign showing that the route changes or how.  Again, similar to our last tour through, we got through it more by accident than intention but I guess the end result is we got through….we have dubbed it “that stupid freaking intersection”, aptly named and forever christened.

The park is actually two separate loops.  The ride is slow in most parts but the views of the harbours along the first route are really spectacular and reminiscent of how Bar Harbour has been represented.  That said, it is more than it’s harbours…there were beaches and forest and valleys and lakes as we made our way through.  It is truly a beautiful part of the state and we enjoyed riding under old stone overpasses which reminded us of the Blueridge Parkway in Virginia.

We had lunch in a quaint outdoor lunch stand that once used to be an ice cream stand.  Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound…..it is legendary for more than it’s lobster and I would invite you to check it out.  Between us all we had rolls of lobster, crab and scallops as well as a seaweed salad thrown in.  So good, great music playing and a unique atmosphere…all of the things that make stopping here great!

We headed back towards Ellsworth on our way to Lincoln Maine, our stop for the night.  First a stop at Dunkin Donuts, at the “stupid freaking intersection” only to find it is open only to drive through….no cup holders on our bikes and Larry needed more than a coffee…back to the gas station for our stop, where Jerry and I now have a liking to Starbucks Mocha in a can.  After plotting out our route, and getting refreshed we headed to the “stupid freaking intersection” and headed on our way.

We had a beautiful day and our stop at Whitetail Inn and Suites proved to be just as beautiful as our day.  Highly recommend this as a stop on our next visit as well.  We headed down to Forresters for supper where we had one of the best suppers so far on the road.  

The days have been so great and we have had great weather, night time sleep usually overcomes us about 10 pm….early for us but we will take it.  Nothing like a good nights sleep after a warm, fresh air filled day!  Pictures to come….