Bar Harbor, Maine

07/03/2019 - Left Palmyra Campground around 10:15.  stopped for fuel in Newport, ME.  We spent about an hour at the fuel stop.  Tom talked to a couple of truckers about fueling diesel and DEF and they answered alot of our questions.   We crossed the Narrows Bridge before we got into Bar Harbor.  Here is a picture of the bridge (very impressive).

Narrows Bridge

We arrived at Narrows Too, an Encore/Thousand Trails campground, after Trish and Bev.  She left her car at the Ford dealership in Bangor, Maine to check out the errors she was getting on her dash.  She really hopes it is ready when we are ready to leave Bar Harbor on 7/9/19.

We finally are settled in a Bar Harbor, and Tom and I really came here for the lobster.  Our memories of Bar Harbor, when we were here in 2015 on the Big Trip, were all about the lobster, and I couldn't wait.  We went to the Trenton Bridge Pound Lobster (the same place we went in 2015.  It was as we remembered.  First you pick you lobster (alive) from the big cooler.  They weigh it (that is where they get the name 'pound lobster' - they charge by the pound), then they tag it with a number and put it in a netted bag and take it outside to be put into one of six large cauldrons of boiling sea water.  It takes about 20 minutes to fully cook the lobster.  Then they serve it up - steaming hot - with corn on the cob and clarified butter and rolls.  Wow!  Great lobster!  The meat is so much sweeter than what we get in California, and I think because it is so fresh and cooked in sea water, it is absolutely delicious.  Here are some great pictures.

my dinner

Happy Campers

Trish and Bev are chowing down too

7/04/2019 – Slept in this morning as I was up after midnight posting the last blog.  I visited with Trish in the morning.  Tom started the laundry, then came and got me to help him finish and fold.  We all went into Bar Harbor.  It is a very busy tourist town in the summer.  Parking was scarce, but we found a spot in a pay-parking lot.  When we went to the machine to pay, it said, “Parking Free today – Happy 4^th”.  How nice!  We walked up and down Main Street and wandered through many of the shops.  It was pretty hot and humid.  When we got to Cherrystones, we went in for the huge club sandwich I remembered from our trip in 2015.  I guess you just can’t aways go back.  The sandwich was now called the Lobster BLT.  It was similar, but not near as much meat as we remembered, and it was a grilled sandwich instead of a club sandwich. 

It was good, but for me, a big disappointment.  We decided to come back to town another time and see what we missed. 

07/05/2019 – The three ladies had a 9:00 nail appointment in town  The stff at the nail shop was so dis-organized that it took over 4 hours for the three of us to get pedicures and manicures,  They were very expensive too.  We  had ‘linner’ (lunch/dinner) at the Side Street Café.  Tom and I had ‘Sammy’ sandwiches (hot lobster on cheese on a hamburger bun); Trish and Bev had a traditional Lobster Roll.   We stopped at the store on the way back to the campground for a few items.  Tom and I watched an old movie and called it a night.

07/06/2019 - We drove back to Bar Harbor to shop in the 2 long streets we missed.  We all picked up a few small souvenirs, then stopped for ice cream, and headed back to the campground.  Tom worked on the shelves and finished them.  

We met Cathy and Bill, our Wagonmasters for the tour.  We got our number on the RV and car (#12) for the caravan.  Then we went back to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound for another evening of lobster dinner.  

Just look at the size of this lobster

We picked our 2 for dinner

They weighed 3.48 lbs

They cooked in seawater outside

I couldn't hear them screaming!

The end result - a feast!

While we were in the covered patio eating, the skies opened up and it just poured rain.   The lobster was wonderful.  I think it was the best lobster of the trip.  The rain let up about the time we were done.  Back home, cards, and dessert.  A great day!

7/07/2019 – Tom put up the Magne Shade on the windshield.  I helped position the magnets.  It was so nice to have it on as it cuts a lot of heat from coming into the coach.  Both Tom and I had long showers and hair washing.  It felt good to get cleaned up.  At 4:45 we left with Bev and Trish to Bar Harbor again.  We had dinner reservations at a restaurant that the lady at the campground recommended, called Testa’s.  Tom and I had Lobster Shepherd’s pie. 

Are you getting the theme of our stop in Bar Harbor?  It was all about lobster.  We had actually had 5 lobster dinners out of 5 nights here.  I still think that the second trip to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound was the BEST LOBSTER.  I made Tom drive by there again to pick up some lobster picks and got a brochure on their shipping if lobster to our home. 

Tomorrow is the beginning of our Caravan. 

07/08/2019 - At 2:00 we had our Welcome Meeting with all of the caravaners - 24 rigs in total, including the Wagonmaster and the Tailgunner (from the tour company).  The group comes from all parts of the US and 1 rig from Canada (that would be Trish and Bev from Victoria, Canada).   We also had a 'Drivers meeting' that evening.  It was a little long, but we had quite a few first-timers, so alot had to be covered.  They then served us up dinner.  Guess what - Lobster dinner, potato salad, corn on the cob and butter.  It wasn't nearly as good as Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, but they tried.  But, that makes 6 dinners here and 6 are lobster.  I surely got my fill.