Day Four: Rain, fog, and lobsters.

Today began with rain and fog. This is a good thing, because the rain and fog kept the 5am sun from waking us up. Not so good was the fact that it kept Mark from the early morning hike he had planned. Instead, he got a lot of reading done, and I got a lot of sleeping done. I'm hoping the sleep will help me kick this cold. At 7am you could barely see that there was water outside our cabin. An hour later, the fog had started to lift and by late morning the rain had ceased and the fog had "rolled up" to lay along the mountain. I have heard that phrase applied to fog before, but I'd never seen it happen.

This is a random rainy day picture of a neat old feature of the house (Mark calls these the "Cheryl's bored" pictures).
I love that this house has a skeleton key on the key ring.

We decided that the weather was a sign that it was time to explore Bar Harbor, do some shopping, and try the local specialty: Lobster Rolls. This delicacy had now been recommended to us so often that they had begun to achieve mythic proportions. When we drove across the island and into Bar Harbor - we didn't know quite what to expect, and were pleasantly surprised. It reminded us a little of a larger version Nashville, Indiana. There were restaurants, artist galleries, and unique local crafts to purchase, enough so that it mostly avoided the dreaded tshirt emporium look. It was fairly crowded even though we are visiting before peak season and on a rainy day - the parking lots were full. I can't imagine being there at the height of the season. We ate at Gaylen's, a small restaurant on the main street that dips down to the harbor. Lobster Rolls are $12.95 most places and Gaylen's had them for $15 - but the atmosphere was nice. Amy and I split one.

 It was pretty even with the fog - it must be breathtaking on a blue sky day.

This is half of a lobster roll. All two inches of it. Plus a pickle, slaw, and chips.

I'm almost afraid to say it after everyone has told me how they love lobster rolls . . .but I . . . don't. Amy liked it ok, but she likes seafood better than I do. Maybe there are varieties of lobster rolls and this one didn't measure up? We even had a "local" recommend the restaurant . . . So, at  $3.75 per inch for a less than inspiring culinary experience - I'd have to give it a thumbs down. If there are better lobster rolls out there, I will never know. I'm too cheap to keep experimenting with this local favorite. I mean, fudge is only about $1 per inch. You do the math.

After lunch we had planned on doing more meandering through Bar Harbor's shops or maybe drive over to the L.L. Bean outlet, but the rain let loose once more and we decided to curtail our shopping in the mid-afternoon. Since I was still hungry from the lunch I didn't eat, we decided to have afternoon tea with popovers at the Jordan Pond House and sit out the rain. Except that in the end, Mark was still itching for that morning hike he missed. So he dropped us off at JPH and went back down the road to hike "The Bubbles trail" which are the two mountains (hills) that overlook Jordan Pond. The mountains here are more like hills but usually have great views. The trail was only a steep half mile long each way, so we figured by the time Amy and I had tea and popovers, he'd be back from his jaunt in the rain.

Unlike lobster rolls, popovers do live up to their reputation. They are mostly air on the inside and melt in your mouth with a little bit of butter and strawberry preserves. Amy and I had a nice long conversation over a few cups of tea and finally got up to browse the gift store. Mark arrived back not long after and said the hike was beautiful. Besides the view of Jordan pond and the ocean beyond, the main geographical feature of the hike was the boulder that looks like it is ready to roll down the mountain at any moment. It's the kind of thing that makes you look around for Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Beep! Beep!

Amy and I were happy to get back to the cottage where it was dry, but Mark was undeterred. He went back out for one more hike in the late afternoon/evening, but we made him promise to hike the trails again with us when it was sunny. Acadia National Park is split up into several areas on the island and part of it is quite close to our cottage. The trailhead he went to this afternoon is only about a mile from us and includes a stream where revolutionary war ships came to load up water. Or whiskey. Or Lobster. I can't remember. I guess I'd better read this book that the cottage owners conveniently left here in the bookcase: Mount Desert: An informal history. Seriously. I love local histories when we travel.

I think a simple dinner and movie are on our list of to-do's for tonight. And maybe to bed early so that I will be over this cold and ready to hike again tomorrow.

 Heavenly Days Cottage is on the west side of Somes Sound, around the middle. For those of you who have expressed interest in finding out more about this cottage, here is the vrbo listing. Remember that it may sleep 6-8 but it has one very small bathroom. If you want quiet, character, charm, and views to die for, though, this is it.