An Acadian Anniversary

So, having our 25th wedding Anniversary in January meant postponing our celebratory trip until our 25.5th anniversary in July. We decided to travel to the woods, since Gabi wouldn't be traveling with us and she considers herself to be too much of a city girl to really enjoy hikes and the like. We flew into Portland and meandered our way up Route 1, stopping to see the "big shoe"....
and having the first of many tastes of seafood at a family-owned roadside restaurant north of Bath called The Sea Basket...mmmm good!
We also made a stop in Brunswick to see the very tiny Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College (Peary was a Bowdoin graduate) to satisfy my unexplainable interest in arctic explorers.
We arrived in Bar Harbour near supper time, got our B&B and strolled through the bustling little town, enjoying a wonderful sunset from a park on the shore.
And yes, we did have more seafood for dinner - sauteed scallops for me and lobster for Ken!

Friday we met my college roommate, Jane Ploughman,
and her husband John for a wonderful hike in Acadia, up Day Mountain, across to Jordan's Pond, following the stream back around the base of the mountain to our car. The views from the mountain top were terrific!
After sharing a refreshing beer, we parted company and, yes, Ken and I had seafood for dinner....lobster rolls at the Lobster Claw in Bar Harbor!
Saturday started off rainy - the forest looked very green
But the skies cleared as we drove our way around the Loop Road in the park and we kept dry during our hike on the Great Head trail following part of the coastline of the park.
We wound our way around the island, passing Martha Stewart's home, our destination being Thurston's Lobster Pound in Bass Harbor! Guess what we ate?
The restaurant was right on the water so we could watch the lobster boats coming in and out of the harbor.
Following lunch we needed exercise to stay awake, so we hiked up Flying Mountain, not far from Bass Harbor for more wonderful views, this time of Somes Sound.
The big lunch and warm sun did me in....
As we made our way back to Bar Harbor we decided to stop for one last view, from the top of Cadillac Mountain, first from Blue Hill overlook...
and then from the summit of Cadillac Mountain, with views towards Bar Harbor and the whimsically named Porcupine Islands!
What a beautiful end to a wonderfully exhausting day!
Too full from our late lunch to eat dinner, we opted for ice cream (not lobster flavored, though it was an option!) and strolled Main Street of Bar Harbor in the evening.
As Sunday rolled around, it was time to head back down to Portland, but not without one last seafood stop for a BIG plate of fried clams, scallops, shrimp and fish!
A great trip to a beautiful part of America with my extra special mate-for-life! Here's to (at least!) 25 more years!

Click here for a Youtube Slideshow of more photos from our getaway.