New England States - Day 3 (Bar Harbor, MA | Lubec, ME | Campobello Island Canada) 8-25-19

We got an early start and took a two-hour drive to Lubec, Maine, the furthest easternmost point in the United States and home to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Click the link for West Quoddy Head Light's visitor center hours and to learn more about the history of this gorgeous light. If you think you'll have time to hike, you may want to view and/or download the Quoddy Head State Park Guide & Map here and visit Maine's Trail Finder page here. 

The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, it was a gorgeous day, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. 

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, with its unique candy cane stripes, really pops against the blues and greens of nature. 

While there, we had a bit of our own Forest Gump moment. We traveled until we got to the easternmost point of the United States and decided to turn around and go international by traveling to Campobello Island located in New Brunswick Canada, on the Bay of Fundy.  Brooklynn had never been to Canada, and it was only 15 minutes away, so we crossed the FDR Memorial Bridge, stopped at customs, answered a couple of questions, and were on our way. 

The Mulholland Point Lighthouse was an instant hit with its red door and red accents. 

We didn't get to see any seals, but the wild beach roses of Maine, Rosa rugosa, were everywhere and the bees were going crazy. A kind woman, at the whale exhibit, next to the lighthouse, encouraged us to take a drive to the other side of the island to see the Head Harbour Light and mapped out our route.

Head Harbour Light is the older sister light to West Quoddy Head Light and is also known by the name East Quoddy Head Light. We took the 15-minute drive to enjoy its majestic beauty but didn't pay to take the foot trek for an up-close view. If you choose to visit and make the trek, make sure you time it right. You can only get there and back at low tide, so, literally, timing is everything. There are picnic tables near the parking area, and we got out our cooler and had a light lunch before meandering our way back to the U.S. border.

Getting back into the U.S. was a much longer process than getting into Canada. We appeared to be the only ones entering but sat at the gate quite a while waiting for the green light to proceed to the border patrol. Maybe they were running our plates? Then we realized we never checked our car rental agreement to see if we could take the vehicle out of the States. Hmmm.... When we were finally able to approach, some of the questions were: Where do you live, where are you staying, is this a rental car, can I see the agreement (thankfully, ours must have granted us permission, whew), can you roll down the back window, do you have any cannabis products in the car ( we got that question both directions), did you purchase anything in Canada, yadda, yadda. Finally, she smiled and said, “You should go see the West  Quoddyhead Lighthouse.” And seemed happy we already had.  

Arriving back in Bar Harbor, around 3:30 pm, we headed straight to Acadia National Park to take in the parks beauty before it got dark. Stopping at the visitors center, to pay our park entrance fee, we were surprised it was a free day. The park ranger exclaimed, “I know! It’s like Christmas, right?” Discovering we’re from Washington he assumed we had been to Mount Rainier. When we confessed we hadn’t, he about fell over in shock and made us promise to go, soon, to what, in his opinion, is the most beautiful mountain top located in a national park.

The drive up Cadillac Mountain was amazing and viewing Maine, from the top, was breathtaking.  Next stop, Sand Beach, a beautiful stretch of coastline dotted with sun chairs filled with people relaxing as they listened to the ocean and soaked up the last of the suns rays. A few brave souls were in the water with focused determination written all over their faces. We’re not sure if the determination was to stay in, or perhaps they were convincing themselves they were warm when they were really freezing. 

Thunder Hole was next. A spot where, when it is high tide, the waves crash on the rocks and make booming noises while spraying seafoam in the air. We missed the high tide, but it was still very scenic and worth the visit. 

Continuing our drive, we ended with the Jordan Pond House. We decided to dine there, you can choose between indoor seating or dining outside overlooking the water. We chose the latter. For pricing and selection, you can view the Jordan Pond House Menu online. Their food is fresh, local, and sustainable. If you're interested in tea and popovers or plan to dine there during a busy season, you may want to reserve your seats. 

Jordan Pond House is known for their popovers and jam (especially at noon when it is traditionally served with tea out on the lawn) so we started off with one, very large, popover. 

The girls split a Local Boiled Lobster with red potatoes, corn on the cob, drawn butter, and a Jordan Pond Salad with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was really good. The corn was so sweet. The potatoes were left for self-seasoning. The lobster was good, but we were untrained in the art of cracking one open and making the most of it. After viewing How to Shell and Eat a Whole Lobster on YouTube it seems the girls might have been able to get a bit more meat than they did. However, the whole lobster, including the guts, is definitely not for Alecia.

Russ ordered the BLTT (Bacon, Lettuce, Turkey, and Tomato) with a Whole Grain Salad that was sooo... yummy!  Red and black quinoa, wild rice, green peas, feta, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, shredded carrots, green onions, tossed with a champagne citrus vinaigrette. We all agreed, the Whole Grain Salad should be on the menu as a main dish. We would have loved to eat a lot more of that one. All-in-all, the meal was a little disappointing and we didn’t feel like we got much to eat for the price. 

We drove back to the motel and decided to walk next door to C-Ray Lobster, an outdoor dining place, for some Maine Blueberry Pie, the state's official dessert. As we sat at the fire pit to share our dessert, we struck up a conversation with a couple from New York. She was a retired elementary school teacher who talked a lot with Brooklynn about the authors she would invite to speak to her students and all the revisions these professionals would go through before getting published. A good reminder that rejection is part of any process and need not be feared. With the pie almost gone, we became curious about the lobster (labstah) roll she was eating. So, ten minutes to closing, we ordered one. 

As Russ was in line, the couple in front of him mentioned they were from Tacoma, Washington. When they heard we were from Wenatchee, the lady said she grew up in Wenatchee and graduated in 1970. Small world. We got our Naked “Lobstah” Roll (toasted bun filled with just under a half a pound of cold lobster), poured the melted “buttah” all over it and savored every bite!!! Even Russ had a few bites. Why oh why didn’t we eat at C-Ray’s, to begin with? Haha!
 

Tomorrow we are on the road to Vermont known for its forested landscape, 19th century covered bridges, and maple syrup, stay tuned.