Acadia

Good question!! Easy answer. How much time do you have?

I am going to list but a few of the activities one can enjoy in the Downeast and Acadia National Park (ANP) area of Maine………

* sit on a rock or lawn chair and watch the tide come in and/or go out
* bike a carriage trail in ANP
* hike a mountain trail
* browse through antique shops (there are thousands in Maine)
* explore art galleries (there are thousands in Maine)
* take photographs at almost every turn of the road
* explore tag/yard/lawn/garage sales - they sprout like wild flowers
* enjoy a theater show
* enjoy Bar Harbor night life - quality entertainment is easy to find
* kayak lakes, ponds and/or ocean coves
* visit beautiful public gardens
* dine at world class restaurants
* eat lobster on a dock at a lobster pound
* sail the coast of Maine in a tall ship
* fish in the ocean or a stream, pond or lake
* fly a kite on a beach
* attend a country agricultural fair
* go birdwatching
* go water skiing
* go wakeboarding
* rent a sail boat
* visit one or more of the off shore islands
* go whalewatching
* visit a museum (there are many very interesting museums in Maine)
* browse juried art shows (there are many such shows throughout the Summer)

To mention a few ………….

So you want to camp within Acadia National Park - yup, it can be done but there is no “back country” camping and there are no hook-ups. The two most popular ANP campgrounds are Blackwoods Campground and the Seawall Campground. All sites are wooded and are about a 10-minute walk of the ocean; there are no water front sites. Most sites are for tents, small and large, but other sites accommodate pop-ups, vehicle campers, and RVs up to 35 feet. There are no hook-ups. Campground facilities include comfort stations, cold running water, dump station, picnic tables, fire rings, and water faucets (facilities at Blackwoods differ in the winter). Seasonal showers and camping supply stores are located within 1/2 mile of the campground.

A third campground, Wildwood Stables Campground, is open only to visitors with stock animals and primitive camping is available at Duck Harbor Campground, located on Isle au Haut (an island that is accessible by Ferry from Stonington Maine.

So, like me you “camp” in an RV. This is a recent “campers” evaluation of one of my recommended Mount Desert Island campgrounds for RVers - I think it captures the campground as well as I could …………..

Smuggler’s Den is located on the right side of Mt. Desert Island — the “quiet side” which is away from hectic, tourist-crammed Bar Harbor. It is also one of the only campgrounds that offers 50 amp service and has room for 40 foot RV’s. However, it does not have cable service, and most of the sites cannot pick up satellite. (Bring movies.) Though the island is one of the most scenic places we have ever visited, the campground is not particularly attractive, except in the tent camping areas, which are wooded. However, the swimming pool area is very nice and well kept. Many families with children were camping, and the kids seemed happily occupied. The big rig sites — mostly back in — are deep enough, but are too narrow, and we had two neighbors’ camp fires that were way too close to our motor home (3 to 4 feet away). During our 10-day stay, we visited other campgrounds on the island to check out options and decided that Smuggler’s Den is still the best choice for a big motor home. Only 5 minutes away by car, Southwest Harbor is a delightful small town with nice shops and several good restaurants. The hiking is amazing — views of mountains and the ocean and so many options. July and August are the “heavy” tourist months when the weather is great. But staying on the quiet side of the island made a big difference. We camped here in a Motorhome.

I get this question often - after all, when Acadia National Park is visited by close to 3 million people every year it is a legitimate concern - until you see it and realize that there are so many places for people to go it is not a problem. Sure, during July and August downtown Bar Harbor can be a little tense and parking can be a bit of a challenge, but, it is not anything like New York or Boston and the rest of the island (MDI) is pretty easy to get around and park.

So, if you are hesitant about visiting Acadia National Park because of concerns about over crowding don’t be worried. Come on up, you will be very happy you did.

One of the great features about Acadia National Park (ANP) is that it is located within easy driving distance from many population centers in the North East. This makes it relatively inexpensive (with regard to the cost of fuel) to get here.

And, because Mount Desert Island and ANP are small areas it is easy to get around on the convenient free transportation provided on the island and inside the park.

Sooooooo, once you get to ANP you can park your car and not use it for the entire time you are here. And, you can visit all the popular attractions, trails, campgrounds and villages on the island without getting in your car. And, the transportation is “green” electric buses running on a regular and convenient schedule. You can even bring your bike along on the bus and then enjoy riding the Carriage Trails, the Park Loop Road as well as most of the rest of the island on your bike.

ANP is a fantastic way to take an unforgettable vacation without spending a fortune (relative as that may be) on fuel. You can also fly to the area!

Go for it - I am sure you will be glad you did.

While I am planning on visiting more of our National Parks - being recently retired - I do have lots of experience with Acadia National Park. That is why my son Mark and I started our web site (Acadia Vacations) over 13 years ago. We found, when talking with visitors to the park that most thought the park consisted of the Park Loop Road and as a result they often planned only one day of their vacation to visit the park.

We felt very strongly that someone should spread the word, in an unbiased way, that there was much more to enjoy at Acadia than just Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliffs.

So here are some of the reasons I like Acadia National Park - this does not mean that other National Parks don’t offer similar features that I like but I do believe ANPs geographic location does make it special in many ways.

Bass Harbor Head Light

I like:

* the way the park is intertwined with the various and unique villages that co-exist with the park on Mount Desert Island - Bass Harbor, Somesville, Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Seal Harbor, Town Hill and many more
* the variety of mountain trails that offer novice as well as experienced mountain climbers fun and exciting experiences
* the large number of ponds, lakes and saltwater inlets that offer great canoing and kayaking
* the variety of scenic beauty provided by the combination of rivers, ponds, lakes, ocean, mountains, brooks and hiking trails
* the ability of the park to absorb literally thousands of people on a daily basis and still offering seclusion and solitude to everyone who visits
* the variety of great places to stay for a day, a week, a month or the entire season - be it a B&B, Motel, Cottage, Condo, Home or Campground
* the variety of great restaurants that are for all practical purposes located within the park - Seafood, Mexican, Italian, Oriental, Sandwich, and many specialty eating establishment
* the fact that there are no fast food restaurants on Mount Desert Island - there is a SubWay sandwich shop in Bar Harbor
* the fact that most of the convenience stores can keep you happy for days at a time - good pizza, great coffee and very good muffins
* the large number of Antique and Curio shops - hours of exploring
* the large number of art galleries displaying work of local artists
* the never ending number of “Kodak Moments”
* the number of places to sit for hours and soak up the beauty of nature all around you
* the number of fun and invigorating activities that are either free or require a minimum investment for the payback in pure pleasure
* the fact it is in Maine - nuf said

I think you get the picture - bottom line it is a beautiful natural resource that is easy to get to, allows you to feel alone while visiting with thousands of others and is a place you will want to come back to again and again.

Come enjoy! An easy one or two day drive from most anywhere in the Northeast and no place on the island is more than 30 minutes from where you are at any point in time. Gas is not a big issue………….

I know that a lot of people who eat lobsters for the first time are not quite sure how to attack this creature so I have provided a tutorial at www.acadiavacations.com/lobster/eat-lob.htm - you may want to check it out if you have never eaten lobsters.

I want to again emphasize that larger lobsters are a better buy - you can then take the time to remove the very tender meat nuggets from the body. I also believe that the claws and knuckles are relatively much larger and provide more meat per pound than the 1.5 pounders. So, the problem becomes that you want lobster and you are not prepared to cook them yourself. In that case then I strongly suggest you go to a lobster pound where you can select the size lobster you want and they cook it for you.

Here is another piece of personal info that you may find useful. The following list is my favorite lobster meat from best to less best (it is all great).

1. Body nuggets (well worth the work)
2. Leg knuckles (the small leg sections on the two large claws)
3. Claws
4. Tails

Over cooking can turn the tail into a very chewy piece of meat. Over cooking does not affect the other parts of the lobster as much.

My opinion - one 2.5 pound lobster is a much better meal than two 1.5 pound lobsters.
Hope this helps you enjoy your lobster treats while here in Maine.

I happen to be a believer that lobsters can be over cooked - very easily. So, if that is in fact true then how do I cook mine to be sure I do not over cook them?

Well here is my system - not the only way to do it but it works for me. First I typically am cooking three 2-plus pounders (hopefully 2.5 pounds). I have a pot large enough to easily contain the three lobsters with room to spare. I place a vegetable steamer (or two) on the bottom of the pot - I will be steaming the lobsters not boiling them. Then I put about an inch and one half of water into the pot - some people add salt, I do not.

I bring the covered pot to a vigorous boil and then place the lobsters into the pot and cover it again. Now comes the critical part - bring the pot back to a boil - watch closely because the timing key. Once the pot boils again set a timer for 20 minutes. Watch the pot to be sure it doesn’t boil over - lift cover as necessary - you may even tilt the cover to keep it from boiling over.

With 5 minutes left on the 20 minute timer take one lobster out (use tongs) - while running under cold water in the sink, break the back away from the body (don’t completely separate if you can help it) so you can see the tomale - if the tomale is still black return the lobster to the pot and cook until the timer goes off at the 20 minute time. Check a second lobster the same way you checked the first lobster. The tomale should now be gray (maybe a small amount of black) and the tail meat should be clear white (not pink). If the lobster looked this way the first time you test the lobsters they are done - take them out of the pot. It is very unlikely it will take more than 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy ………………….

I often hear rather heated discussions about how to buy live lobster. I usually get a real tickle listening to these discussions / arguments. Smaller (1 1/4 lb) lobsters are sweeter and/or more tender than the “big” (2 lbs plus) ones. Soft shell (just after molting - shedding their shells as they grow) are sweeter and/or more tender than hard shell (just before molting - shedding their shells as they grow).

I will share with you my 40+ years experience buying and eating lobsters. First size - I prefer lobsters that weigh in at 2 or more pounds. Why, because at that size there is meat (very tender meat) that you can extract from the body and the claws and knuckles have good sized chunks of meat. And, my personal experience is that there is no difference in tenderness between a 1 pounder or a 3 pounder - tenderness is a function of cooking. Lobster can be turned in shoe leather if over cooked - yes, they can be over cooked. More on cooking lobster in my next post.

As for the hard/soft shell issue. I prefer hard shell because when hard the shells are packed with meat so the size of the shell is a good indication of how much meat you will get and while I have never tested this I believe the percentage of shell weight is smaller than for a soft shell - so, to me you are getting more bang for your buck. When cracking the claw shell on a soft shell lobster the size of the meat is very disappointing - it is small when compared to the size of the shell. Soft shell lobster meat is no more tender than a hard shell either - as I previously said tenderness is affected by cooking not by the shell type.

Come back tomorrow for more discussion of the cooking and its impact on enjoying your lobster.

After considering several options, the Maine Dept. of Transportation has chosen to close almost 20 miles of the south bound lane of I-295. Starting this week (July 15,2008), traffic is being rerouted onto Rt. 201 from the Gardner Exit to the Topsham Exit. This shut down will last until August 30.

This repair is being forced by major disintegration of the concrete road surface. Chemical reaction within the concrete has resulted in large (fist size) chunks of road being dislodged, creating a significant hazard - some have broken windshields.

So, what does this mean to you? Well, if L.L. Bean is on your list of places to visit then do it on your way North on I-295. When you head south from Augusta you will be better off taking the Maine Turnpike especially during rush hour.