Okay, So I Lied

Mark, at The Maples Inn, does have Internet access. It was nice, however, getting a break from writing. In fact, I almost waited until tomorrow to tell you we had Internet. Really, though, there's not a whole lot to report. Yesterday, we slept in then wandered around Portland for a little while--we both like that little town, and wonder why downtown St. Louis cannot be revitalized. We did not go to the big L.L. Bean, but we did stop by an outlet mall area. It was funny, stores (Abercrombie & Fitch outlet, McDonald's, other outlets) in old historic buildings--almost a travesty. We made a quick stop at the L.L. Bean outlet and stuck our heads in a few more outlets in that little mall area, then left pretty quickly--really nothing you couldn't find at Osage Beach. From there we drove on up to Bar Harbor, and while we were driving, I found a B & B (The Maples Inn) in Bar Harbor. They're everywhere, some ridiculously expensive, others quite reasonable (like The Maples). It's a very cute little room with a really small (but private) bathroom. After we checked in, we drove the scenic loop in Acadia National Park, unfortunately, under heavy fog--the views that are supposed to be spectacular eluded us. Mark made a great recommendation for dinner--Poor Boy's, where I had the baked, stuffed lobster (the lobster meat picked out of the lobster, put in a gratin, covered with a stuffing (a few toasted bread crumbs, crabmeat, and shrimp then put under a broiler), and Tim had shrimp and scallop fettucine alfredo--both were delicious. For dessert, we had blueberry pie ala mode with a shortbread crust and a walnut crumb topping--wild Maine blueberries--yum!

Today we got up to a leisurely breakfast of a poached pear with a cinnamon sauce and a blueberry compote (really good), eggs florentine and sausage. We talked to a couple from southern Maine who had just come up for a little get away. They gave us a few tips about some of their favorite places in Vermont, and we talked education for bit. (He was a lawyer; I'm not sure what she did.) After breakfast, we tried Acadia again--this time in the rain. You could see small parts of the coastline, but really, it needs to be clear. We came back to Bar Harbor for lunch--good seafood again. Currently we are resting a little the are headed back to Thunder Hole for high tide. I'll report back from that later. We may stay in Bar Harbor one more day since tomorrow is supposed to be clear.

...just got back from Thunder Hole. We actually went not at high tide, but as the tide was coming in. When the sea is rough enough (today it wasn't), the waves come in and out quickly, leaving an air pocket in a sea cave on the coast. When the air pocket is trapped, the pressure as the water goes back out makes a sound much like thunder. Even though it has been cloudy and drizzling all day, the water was not aggitated enough to make the sound. Never-the-less, it was fun to watch the tide come in on the rocks (pictures to follow, eventually). We're back at the B & B, deciding now, what's for dinner.