Who knew we’d end up in Acadia with all of her fall splendor prepared just for us? Our destination, this Columbus Day weekend, was the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, and we were thrilled to be on the road to see her, since she had been on our must see list for several years now.
The road trip felt short, and in no time, we were rounding a bend, festooned with fabulous fall foliage to marvel at the tallest bridge observation deck looming above us.
The bridge is located in what is fondly referred to as mid-coast Maine. The Penobscot Narrows Bridge is also the home to Penobscot Narrows Observatory, the first bridge observation tower in the United States and the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. The tower reaches 420 feet (128 m) into the air and allows visitors to view the bridge.
The view down the Penobscot River from the observation tower was awesome, with the fall colors peaking. We snapped pictures of the panorama from all directions, and then headed back to earth to round up some lunch!
Well, that was the plan anyway, but as usual, we had a few detours before stopping to eat. Right next to the bridge is Fort Knox, and no, it is NOT the one with the gold, unless you count the golden shimmer of the yellow sugar maples and birch waving from the local hillsides. It was the first fort in Maine built of granite (instead of wood). It is named after Henry Knox, the first US Secretary of War. The fort never saw battle. We explored the dark, spooky corridors, wishing that we would be in town for the upcoming haunted fort event that was advertised for Halloween. The dark, twisting underground corridors were scary enough on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon. One can only imagine what it would be like on Halloween night with unsavory characters of the ghoulish sort cavorting about with evil intent.
As usual, lunch was forgotten as we wandered further north, discovering things along the way. Maine’s promotion tag line “the way life should be” rang true again as we explored the coastal towns and interacted with the friendly folks. Before you could blink, we were at Bar Harbor, and looking out over the glittering harbor (and shivering in the wind that had picked up and was blowing in from the chilly Atlantic.)
Docked just off shore was a huge cruise ship, lights glistening on the now dark waters. We headed back towards Belfast, and stopped at Jasper’s Restaurant for a nice seafood dinner in a circa 1960’s –stuck in a time warp – atmosphere. As we passed the postcard racks and stands with scenic placemats for local attractions on the way out, our excitement for tomorrow’s adventures mounted, and we couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive.
Early the next morning, we had a nice breakfast in the inn dining room, overlooking a quaint harbor with docked sailboats, before hitting the road. Our first stop was just down the street at the “Treasures and Trash Barn.” No, this isn’t like the Red Barn Pizza from the previous trip. Instead of temping you with food, the T&T B entices you with a genuine opportunity for treasure hunting. Looking for an old horse shoe to bring luck to your home, or bottles, bikes and birdhouses? If so, this is the place! After buying a few cool items like the green arrow traffic signal light, we continued on our way, but marking this as a spot on our GPS to find so many random things, or as a place to spend a winter afternoon someday.
Our real destination today was Acadia, and we retraced our steps back over the Penobscot Bridge, now an item of utility rather than a sight to see. We first stopped near a lake that was completely encircled with multi-colored hues where the trees finally revealed their true colors to us. The bright sun shimmered on the water, and we pulled ourselves away so that we could go to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Once at the top, we snapped pictures and enjoyed the view from every angle – saying hello to our old friends “the porcupines” again. The last time we were on top of Cadillac was dawn one morning, when we were witness to a sunrise wedding with the strains of “Truly, Madly, Deeply” flowing over the mountain top from a big black plastic boom-box! We hope they are still feeling truly, madly and deeply in love today as they were that day!
Cadillac has plenty of unique alpine region flora to investigate and you must tread lightly and stay on the rocks in order to protect it. The lichen-encrusted granite rocks underfoot are beautiful and interesting in themselves. We tore ourselves away from the top and made our way back down to explore some of the coastal views of Acadia and the big attractions like Thunder Hole, where crashing waves and seabirds galore are the order of the day.
We were lucky enough to encounter one particular seabird that day, which put on a show just for us. A young seagull chick had an issue of some sort, and was sitting on a rock, crying loudly for his mama. He stood on the rock wall with his old-man-like knobby knees supporting his huge body, and danced and sang for anyone who would stop to listen. We pulled up alongside of him and watched while he performed, and he didn’t mind at all, in fact, we had the sense that he enjoyed it.
As the day wore on, we made our way, reluctantly, out of the park, and suddenly the sky darkened in spots, with the sun still shining. A cloudburst began to rain torrents on us temporarily, and sure enough a double rainbow appeared out over the ocean and off the rocky cliffs of Acadia National Park. WOW! We scrambled up the hilly bank, strewn with deep layers of granite, tumbled and polished by the sea to get the best vantage for our pictures. Who minds a bit of rain with that kind of heavenly reward?
Thinking we were on our way back south for dinner, and satisfied with our day, we had no idea that another gem would be thrown our way. Leaving the park, we stumbled on the Asticou Azalea Garden in Mt. Desert, and yes, there was another wedding taking place! What a picture perfect spot! Stumbling on the Asian, Zen-style garden tucked into a little corner of Maine was such a wonderful surprise. The pictures don’t do it justice, and if it is this beautiful in the fall, we can only imagine how it would be in the spring with the azaleas in bloom. Vibrant red and amber maples watched their reflection in the still pond water. The entire park was lovely and we later learned that there are at least two similar places in the area to explore the next time we visit.
Once the darkness fell, we returned back over our famous bridge to Belfast for a quick dinner at one of the many Chinese restaurants that dot coastal Route 1. Our only complaint is that the blonde running the register refused to change the TV channel to the Patriot’s game that was in progress! She was the only one there and oblivious to the Green Bay Packers battling some “other” team, not realizing what she was missing. “The Patriots, B***h!
Normally the long drive home from a stellar weekend would be a chore, but not when you have your sights set on Red’s Eats! We had heard about the roadside seafood stand on TV (Food Network) and in magazine articles and had been hoping to be “in that area” one day to try the world-famous lobster roll. As we made our way south with a detour in Rockport to visit our buddy Andre the Seal, we checked our watches frequently to ensure that we’d arrive just in time for lunch.
Wiscasset is another coastal town like so many along Route 1, and we are happy to say that they are all nice. Most have a small old-time downtown area flanked by a scenic harbor with beautiful sailboats and all things nautical. We pulled into town and landed in an excellent parking space just steps from Reds. Who knew that the short line near the classic roadside seafood shack would take over an hour to negotiate? We met folks from Georgia and beyond and were best friends by the time it was our turn to step up and order the holy grail of lobster rolls! As luck would have it, it was the last day of the season for Reds and they were out of many of their staple menu items like fried zucchini and onion rings. We settled for fries and coleslaw and a home-made chocolate shake and enjoyed our lunch from one of the outside tables on the deck. Red’s Eats can’t be beat for nostalgic charm, friendly service and plenty of lobster tucked into the roll. The lady who served me the roll was the daughter of the owner and she autographed me a business card wishing us a safe trip home. We can’t wait for another excuse to visit the mid-coast and stop by for a bite to eat!
See more pictures. Click on image below:
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| Columbus Day Weekend 2009 |
