Bar Harbor, Maine

What is in Bah Hah-bah? Nothing much. It is a seaside resort located on Mt. Desert Island, one of the 3,000 islands off the Maine coast. It boasts a winter population of 4,000 and in summer swells to 13,000. This was the summer retreat of the rich and famous who built summer “cottages” here along the rugged and craggy shoreline or in the forest (in our lexicon, magnificent estate homes and mansions). Some famous residents included John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Hugh Hefner, Martha Stewart, and Henry Pulitzer. It is a small American town, where on the 4th of July, there is a parade consisting mostly of children riding bikes or trikes, or pulling decorated wagons, and of course, lobster races.

This history of the area goes like this: the British and French fought. The British won. The Revolutionary War happened. Maine becomes the 23rd state. The end.

There were three ships in port today (actually, all three were at anchor so you can image the scene as every ship had multiple tenders running back and forth) and the downtown area was wall-to-wall white haired people with walkers. We skipped the shopping in town part; prices were outrageous and the crowds were impossible. Tourism is the number one industry in Maine and I think all the tourists were here today.

Fortunately, both Michael and I had escort duty. Our ship itinerary is called “The Colors of Fall.” Unfortunately, due to a very dry summer, there was very little color. It was very disappointing as our excursions took us up and into the heavily forested and mountain areas. Michael had a walking tour through Acadia National Park and I also had a tour of the park and town.

Michael’s Narrative: Today I got to take a walk in the park – Acadia National Park that is. I escorted a walk along a trail that skirts the Atlantic Ocean, and had some beautiful photo opportunities. The Gulf of Maine geology is very different from what we are used to on the West Coast, the most striking difference being the prevalent pink granite. Of the 10 guests on the walk, four of them complained that it was not a vigorous enough hike, while one other complained that it was too vigorous. Apparently you can only please 60% of the people.

Back to me. My first stop was a demonstration of how lobsters are caught. This is a very important industry here in Maine as it supplies 80% of all lobster consumed in the US. The city that eats more lobster than any other US city is… drum roll… Las Vegas. Modern traps are almost foolproof; if a lobster enters the trap, chances are you are eating a very dumb lobster (smart ones can figure out to escape). They like smelly dead stuff like herring. Lobsters are cannibals and that is why you see the claws banded – not to protect you, but to keep them from fighting and eating each other. They shed their shells every year, and while waiting for the new shell to grow and harden, they hide for 3 to 6 weeks. Have you ever noticed that one claw is larger than the other one? That is because lobsters are either right clawed or left clawed. The larger claw is the crusher (to open clams and oysters) and the smaller one is the pincher (to withdraw the meat from the crushed clam). It takes seven years for a lobster to mature to one pound. Lobsters are ugly and have those funny skinny little legs, but they can really move along the bottom at a pretty rapid pace.

Lobsterman is a generational occupation, handed down from parent to child. Doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, you are a lobsterman (10% of the skippers are female). There are all kinds of laws and regulations over the lobster industry, but the one that counts is the law of the “lobster gangs.” The fishing is very territorial, including violence to keep ones territory. You are legally allowed to fish anywhere you want to (assuming you have all the right paperwork and training); however, if you put your pots in someone’s “territory,” they will cut the float and you will lose your pots. The lobster here in Maine is abundant and consequently, the price has really dropped. One to two pounders go for around $6 to $8 at the grocery store.

Enough about lobsters; how about beavers? We saw several nice beaver lodges in the lakes in Acadia National Park. These industrious rodents (the largest ones on earth) build their lodges out of branches and mud in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. Some can be as deep as 50 feet. Beavers nurture their young for one year, and then kick them out for good. Their fur is naturally oily and waterproof, and beaver pelts were the item of choice for trading by the Indians in colonial times. The number one enemy of beavers is falling trees; they get crushed when a tree falls on them because they never know which direction it is going to fall.

We rode a 27 mile loop in the dense forest and wound our way up to the top of Cadillac Mountain where we were treated to a view of many, many islands and the great valleys below. The landscape up here was a mixture of forest poking out of red granite rock. It was quite stunning. As we readied for our return down the mountain, I did my usual head count. We had one extra person. When I questioned her, I found out she was from the Norwegian ship that was in port and got on the wrong bus. Since her bus was long gone, we took her with us and eventually caught up to her bus. Again, I have a perfect record of never LOSING anyone; I just pick up extras and strays.

We finished the tour with a stop at an old Victorian house that has been turned into a B&B and an Episcopal church with beautiful stained glass windows. We finished the day with a birthday celebration in honor of Michael’s 65th! OMG, I am sleeping with a senior citizen. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL.