Todd and I love to travel. We have gone to Florida, North Carolina, and New York together for very well planned out trips. However, I don’t think anything will ever quite top our camping trip to Bar Harbor, Maine.
Warning: The pictures you see in this post do not do the actual scenery justice.
We drove ten hours together with two backpacks full of clothes, a tent, a case of water and snacks. We were also driving my brand new car that I had owned for all of forty eight hours at that time. Todd and I left as early as we could, which happened to be around noon on a sunny Friday in July. After ten hours and a few quick stops for gas and dinner, we arrived at our campsite around midnight. We stayed at a KOA right on Mount Desert Island, and when we arrived at that hour we quickly pitched our tent by the light from the flashlights on our cell phones and made ourselves comfy for the night.
The next morning we woke up around 9am and drove a short fifteen minutes into the town of Bar Harbor to explore and get breakfast. As Maine is famous for both blueberries and lobster, I got fresh blueberry pancakes for breakfast that were phenomenal. After breakfast and walking around the cute little shops and down to the water, we got in our car and ventured to Acadia National Park to get passes for a drive-through of the park grounds and the hike we had planned for the next day.
After purchasing our passes we drove through the park for over two hours. The driving trail was long and not very crowded, and we were able to stop to take in some amazing views and even get out of the car to walk to the waters edge.
That evening we went back into town for dinner. We went to a dockside eatery where we were able to purchase meals that included whole lobsters. The food and views were amazing, and we topped the night off with homemade ice cream from one of two ice cream shops on the main road, only a short walk away from where we ate dinner. Todd and I then went into a few different shops, and then returned to the campsite for some time around the fire.
The next morning was our hike. That Sunday was particularly sunny, but not too warm, and the breeze that perpetually fills Mount Dessert Island made the weather perfect for our day to come. We planned to hike the more beginner-level trails as many of Acadia’s more advanced trails could become dangerous very quickly, and Todd and I don’t consider ourselves hiking experts by any means. However, one wrong turn left us with an amazing view and having to scale down the side of a mountain in sneakers. I wouldn’t trade that memory for the world, no matter how scary and difficult it had been at the time. That trail down the side of the mountain also led to a beautiful walking trail around the large pond that borders the National Park’s main souvenir shop and café, which we also stopped at and purchased a panorama photography book of Acadia National Park, a mug, and a few gifts for family and friends.
Our view from the top of the Bubbles trail. 
A glimpse of the pond that we hiked around. 
Part of the trail around the pond (much more relaxing than the mountain). 
The warning signs, wires and stone staircases that helped us part of the way down the mountain.
After our hike I called and made dinner reservations at a really cool spot that I had seen on our drive around the island, and I got ready in the extremely well-kept communal bathrooms at the KOA. The restaurant was absolutely amazing, and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to the area. It was called The Looking Glass Restaurant, and it was relatively private. With only about eight tables in the entire restaurant, it offered quiet and magical panoramic views of the harbor at sunset with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the entire circle-shaped structure. The food got my personal five star rating (whatever that means to you) as I had gotten a delicious lobster macaroni and cheese large enough to feed a small family, and Todd got salmon over asian noodles with a blueberry glaze that was to die for.
We finished off our Sunday night at the other ice cream shop that we hadn’t tried yet that also had homemade ice cream, and then headed back to the campsite to pack up some of our belongings before our extremely early morning to come.
At 5am on Monday morning, we woke up and threw on some clothes and rushed to get to Cadillac Mountain before sunrise. A few of the locals had told us that it is the most amazing thing to see on the island, and that it is the first place to see the sunrise on the East Coast. When we reached the top it was already incredibly crowded with people who were both simple on-lookers and professional photographers alike. Even though it was supposed to reach about seventy-five degrees that day, I had severely underdressed for how cold it was that morning and luckily I snagged a spot where I could watch the sunrise from my car. Todd, who was significantly better dressed for the temperature that morning than I was, had his camera ready to go to capture the perfect orange-yellow sunrise over the water.
After the sun had fully risen and the crowds were starting to thin out, Todd and I headed into a small family restaurant for breakfast. In honor of our last day, I chose a menu item that I had been eyeing up since our first day: a lobster and broccoli omelet (don’t knock it until you try it). We also chose to drive to the other side of the island to take a look at the famous lighthouse, which was totally worth the side trip.
After visiting the lighthouse and taking some risky jumps to get the picture you see above, we finished packing up our campsite and headed back home. We did stop in Portland for a quick bite to eat and some donuts at The Holy Donut, a donut shop that makes all of the donuts daily and by hand. I had heard about this place from a friend at work, and I am very grateful for her recommendation.
Some people might not think that twenty total hours in the car for less than seventy-two hours on vacation is worth it, but I can tell you that this felt like the trip of a lifetime. I have been itching to go back ever since, and Todd and I have even discussed moving to Maine in the future as we fell in love with the state even in our short time there. My advice is to always take the plunge. You never know what kind of amazing adventure awaits you.