Oh No Not Rain!

Monday August 26

Oh no, Not Rain!

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain. It was a light rain but it was rain and we didn’t want rain today. We have booked a cruise to see lighthouses. But this was 6:30 and the cruise was supposed to begin at 9:30.

We had breakfast; gathered together warm clothes and cameras and away we went. We planned to arrive early because we had seen how scarce parking was yesterday. It was a smart move. Many vehicles were there already but we did get parking and just as we got into Bar Harbor the rain stopped. Keeping fingers crossed can work sometimes.

Soon it was time to board The Bay King III.The Bay King is a 90 foot with 2800 horsepower jet powered catamaran and she cruises at 24 knots.

The group was small but all were lighthouse enthusiasts. When we booked we were told we would either be taking the Great Duck Island Loop or the Inshore Route depending on the wind and the weather. I would find out that we were doing the inshore route. I was happy later because the anti nausea medicine had to come to my rescue around eleven.

The tour began at 9:30 and ended at 12:15 or so. We had a wonderful narrator on board and he pointed out so many things as we travelled. He explained about the geology of Acadia National Park, and how so many features are because of an ice age and the movement of glaciers.

He told us that if you were to stretch out all of the shoreline of the many islands and the mainland of the State  of Maine you would have enough shoreline to take you all of the way to the Pacific Ocean and almost all of the way back .

He informed us of the importance of the lobster industry in what he jokingly referred to as Lobster Fishing 101. Today we can buy a whole lobster for under 6 dollars here in Bar harbor.

He pointed out the many mansions along the bay. These homes cost millions of dollars and are used only a month or two each year. He pointed out Anchorage owned by the Fords; the Breakwater Estate owned by Pulitzer;  Skylands owned by Martha Stewart; as well as properties owned by the Rockefellers and the Carnegies. Such opulence in one place!

But for Ken and I the best part was the close up views of Egg Rock Lighthouse; Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse; Bear Island Lighthouse; Winter Harbor Lighthouse and Baker Island Lighthouse. Our guide told us the history of these lights and the captain of the ship made certain the spin around so we could get a grand view of each and every light. We are now at 287 lighthouses visited and photographed.

Before we knew it the ship was headed back into shore and we had to disembark. But before we left the ship I was given 5 stamps for my lighthouse passport.

We had lunch and stomped around many of the little shops in the area. We got another magnet and a Xmas ornament to add to our collection. The bonus was finding the Lang lighthouse calendar for 2014. It fits our calendar and it is often very hard to find.

Then we headed back to the campground.  On the way we stopped at a couple of antique shops; a roadside blueberry stand, a spot that sold firewood and last but not least we got groceries.

Another grand day and another great adventure comes to an end,