Page 10 - Volumer 13 Number 7

We cruised a scenic route back north, rather than simply retracing the same way back. Tiny towns and villages remain scattered across MDI (both within and outside of official park boundaries), providing many excuses for brief stops. The roads are narrow two-lane affairs with a mix of local and tourist traffic. We found traffic to be fairly light on the western half of MDI, even during our August/peak-season visit, proving it sometimes pays to visit the more remote and less publicized sites within a given national park if big crowds aren’t your thing. A shortcut across the middle of MDI brought us into Bar Harbor from due west for an evening on the town.
Bar Harbor
MDI has been inhabited for at least several thousand years. The first Europeans arrived in the 1500s and contacted the Wabanaki natives. French explorer Samuel de Champlain not only founded Quebec and crossed the Atlantic 29 times in his explorations, he also named this area I’Isles des Monts-deserts in 1604. By 1759, the British had won the power struggle with the French for primary control of the area. In 1796, the first “modern” settlement on MDI incorporated as Eden (known today as Bar Harbor). Situated on the East Coast of MDI, Bar Harbor relishes its nearly synonymous identity with MDI
and Acadia, making it a matter of semantics to try to distinguish each. As a whole, all proudly proclaim they are the location of the first sunrise on the continental U.S. This can be a confusing claim, given that none are the eastern- or northern-most points. However, parts of Canada block the sunrise from more northeasterly U.S. locations. Thus, the summit of Cadillac Mountain (MDI and Acadia’s highest peak) receives first light at least from Oct. 7 through March 6.
While commercial fishing maintains an employment foothold, Bar Harbor is now the epitome of a tourist economy, well suited for all tastes and wallets. Food and shopping range from the standard tourist-fare to high- end eateries and boutiques, with an emphasis on a wide variety of Maine-lobster and seafood choices. For fine dining, the choices are too extensive to list, but for fine local seafood, three highly rated choices are The Fork & Table, Salt & Steel and Veranda Bar at Balance Rock Inn. For more moderate pricing, casual fish and lobster houses or bars can be found on nearly every city block. Mostly though, you’re drawn to the natural beauty of the surroundings (the views of ocean, mountains, islands, peninsulas, quaint city parks and harbor). While, I’m sure there are times when the population of 5,200 is overwhelmed by tourists, that was not our experience. This likely changes when large cruise ships disgorge
8 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2019