5 June 2015
Acadia National Park + Southwest Harbor
We woke up to some chilly, cloudy weather. We loaded up the bikes and the girls and
headed to Acadia. We planned to either
bike the Witch Hole Loop and Eagle Pond Loop or the Upper Hadlock Loop. Eloise fell asleep in the car and the weather
was less than ideal, so we decided to re-order plans and drive the Park Loop
during her nap, hoping for a few more degrees before we hit the trails. The
downside of this plan was that we didn’t get out of the car much on Park Loop
Road, because she was asleep in the car (but we did hop out and snap a few
shots here and there). After she woke
up, we walked around some azalea gardens and ponds with a little Asian flare
that had some pretty gorgeous photo ops.
We ended up totally skipping the bike idea and had a late picnic lunch
on the beach at Echo Pond. It was kind
of a chilly and lazy day, so after lunch we headed back to the campground to
build a fire and pack some things up to leave Maine in the morning. Eloise fell asleep again after lunch on the
beach, so she snoozed in the car while we roasted marshmallows around the
campfire with Sissy.
When E woke up, we got dressed for dinner and headed into
Southwest Harbor to check out the lobster boats bringing their catch of the day
to Beal’s Lobster Pier. We were a bit
early for the last boats of the day, so we drove over to the Charlotte Rhoades butterfly
gardens, but our own Charlotte fell asleep in the car this time. (Eloise finally went somewhere Sissy has not
been!) Upon our return to Beal’s, we
caught the end of a dinghy sailboat regatta while hoping for the lobster boats
to come in. While we waited in vain,
(Sissy now passed out on dada), we munched on some lobster stew, steamers, and
Eloise’s personal fave, corn on the cob.
Beal’s has the feel of what you’d think a lobster pound
should be… picnic tables on the pier, a self-serve condiment station, a small
ordering counter, and plastic utensils and cups. It was neither pretentious nor disappointing
(aside from the fact that we missed all the boats coming in!). We decided, however, not to eat our actual
dinner there, as after Yelping for the best lobster pound and doing some travel
book research, (I take my lobster very seriously!), Thurston’s was the clear
winner on paper. So we headed over from
first-dinner/appetizers at Beal’s to Thurston’s a few towns over.
The place itself made my photography-loving heart smile…
lobster buoys in every color (even my current obsession – bright coral!)
adorned a weathered cedar shake building, with brightly colored lobster traps
piled all around. Oh, and a dog that
slept on the porch. Yes. Thurston’s also had an ordering counter, and
it had two seating areas: one near the counter overlooking the water, and
another adjacent to that with a large bar and a fireplace. It was warmer in the bar area and they had counter-height
high chairs, so we opted for the slightly worse view over the better view with
less warmth. Of note, both the $3 more
per-pound price of lobsters (compared to Beal’s) and the fancier yet still
wannabe look of a pier restaurant made Thurston’s seem a bit more upscale than
expected, which, for what it was, seemed unnecessary and less authentic. The lobster meal did come with some pretty
yummy blueberry cake though, I must say.
But next time I think I’ll stick to Beal’s.
Baby Gear Used Today:
Car Seats: Britax Advocate & Clek Fllo
High Chair: Fischer Price Folding Travel High Chair
Sleeping: KidCo PeaPod
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