The Claremont Hotel Southwest Harbor

... sight to behold. There are several standout museums in Bar Harbor, and the Mount Desert Oceanarium, in particular, is outstanding. This city is a great place for the whole family, as there is a wide array of activities to captivate young and old alike. The dining in Bar Harbor is magnificent, and if you are a fan of lobster, you will adore the possibilities here. You can find surf ...

... lawn to the pond.<br><br>At the end of the day we dined on left over&#8217;s from the previous nights wonderful meal at Jack Russell&#8217;s, thanks Peggy for the recommendation.<br><br>Our second day in the park was spent on the loop road, also designed by Rockefeller to show off the attributes of the park. He maintained high aesthetic standards in design and preserved the natural beauty by hiring landscape architect Frederick Olmsted to lay ...

... to the US for another 10 days! Our destination on the island was the summer home of Franklin D Roosvelt and family. FDR's mother and father bought a place on the island as was the case with other wealthy New Yorkers etc. Franklin spent every summer of his youth on the island. The family eventually built the present house. Franklin, his wife Eleanor and five children continued to holiday on the island until, in 1921, Franklin was diagnosed ...

... and bottled the syrup. The gift shop had a sweatshirt that said "What happens in Vermont, stays in Vermont, but nothing ever happens". Cute, eh?<br><br>Next we crossed New Hampshire. We circled South and drove back North through the White Mountains and past Mt. Washington, the highest peak East of the Rockies. Across the way was Wildcat Mountain, a ski slope I skied in College in 1963. It was on the return ...

... and always thought that were from the south rather than up here. They were as good as I had remembered.<br><br>Like many small ports, it is pretty easy to cover the town in a couple of hours. We did buy a couple of water colors by a local artist. The shop called Macey's is really no relation. The family name is Mace.<br><br>The departure was interesting because the captain had to basically tip toe out of he harbor missing all of the thousands of lobster pot bouys.

Today we were in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Had nice weather today. Unbelievable place. We think its the best island in the world! It has everything, beautiful scenery, mountains, lakes, forests, cycle trails and good summers. In the winter it drops to -30C and they have skiing, cross-country skiing (using the cycle trails!)... and massive lobster trade! Lovely island.<br>Cruising through thick fog as we write ...

... family.<br><br>FDR's parents bought the beautiful retreat when FDR was a child. FDR fished and golfed on the island as a boy. Due to his passion for golf, he built and designed a golf course there, which still is a working club. He brought his wife, Eleanor and his five children there quite often. He would sail on ships to access the island (there was no bridge at the time). He even came to Campobello on a war ship at one time. It ...

... catch our ferry, The CAT, to Nova Scotia, a three hour trip. We heard they have a casino on board, so some of us will be occupied during the time. Nancy and Ron left for bed &#8211; it&#8217;s 9:00 pm again!<br><br>We heard Hurricane Bill should be gone by the time we get there. We also saw on the news that Halifax had some loss of power, so here&#8217;s hoping they have everything worked out by the time we get there. Well, good night from Bar Harbor!

... SANDBAR"THAT IS QUITE A SIGHT TO SEE.AT LOW TIDE YOU CAN PARK ON THE BAR AND WALK ACROSS TO THE ISLAND---BUT----DON'T TAKE LONG BECAUSE THE TIDE COMES IN QUICK AND YOU CAN GET STUCK AND YOUR VEHICLE FLOODED.WE HIKED AROUND THE JORDON POND TO THE "BUBBLE"WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS YOU CAN HIKE TO THE TOP.WE ALSO CLIMBED THE "OTTER CLIFFS" AND WALKED THE NATURAL ROCK FORMED "SEAWALL" TO THUNDER HOLE---WHICH IS SO COOL----A HUGE HOLE CARVED INTO THE ROCK WALL AND THE WAVES AND WATER ...

... evening in the trailer, and pondered our trip back to Vermont. That trip, which took the next one and a half days, was quite beautiful, passing through the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the colorful hills of east-central Vermont. Deb was feeling under the weather, with a new cold, so we kept the stops to a minimum. We stayed in a forest service campground in the White Mountain National Forest. Run by a concessionaire, overpriced, but empty, clean and ...