On the Road: Camden to Mount Desert Island

It was only two hours’ drive between Camden and Mount Desert Island, so we had a leisurely breakfast on Saturday morning before hitting the road. We drove through towns with interesting names, like Ducktrap, Belfast and Verona. And towns ending in “port,” like Northport, Searsport, and Bucksport. The Penobscot Narrows Bridge was striking, a cable-stayed bridge similar to the Sunshine Skyway back in Florida. I didn’t get a good photo, so I borrowed this from the Maine.gov website.

Soon we reached Mount Desert Island (MDI), home of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and our home for the next week. We stopped briefly at the Acadia National Park Visitor Center in Hulls Cove to get some information and maps. There weren’t any exhibits there, so we continued on to Bar Harbor.

With a population of over 5,000, Bar Harbor is much larger than Camden and Rockport. It was also much more touristy; Main Street was lined with souvenir shops. Bar Harbor’s waterfront was serene and picturesque. We walked along the Shore Path, enjoying the sunshine, cool breezes, and gorgeous views of the boats in the harbor and the islands in Frenchman Bay. We had lunch outside, on the terrace of the iconic Bar Harbor Inn. We sipped our cold drinks and congratulated each other. This is exactly why we came to Maine!

After lunch, it was time to move on to our home for the next week, the MDI village of Otter Creek.

Incidentally, the island’s name comes from the French Ile de Monts Deserts, or “Island of the Bare Mountains.” So “desert” is pronounced like “dessert,” the French way. I keep correcting myself.