Around the World with Hardy(T)Around the World with Hardy(T)
My arrival in the Land of Opportunity is somewhat fraught. After the freezing cold ferry trip across from Yarmouth (this must be one of the few places where you go North to get from Canada to the US), I am given the third degree at immigration for about 45 minutes. The main problem is that my British passport was issued in Australia, so the bozo on the desk assumes I am Australian and, therefore, need a visa. Secondly, they are convinced that, as an engineer, I am coming to the States to seek work and live. The arrogance of these people! Finally, I've chosen the hotel I've booked for its proximity to the Town Pier... pity the ferry docks at the Ferry Port, some 2 miles out of town. Because I've been delayed so long at the port, all the taxis and other passengers have by now disappeared, so it's a 2 mile midnight hike in the rain for me. Great!
These problems soon disappear the next day when I explore the delightful town of Bar Harbor on beautiful Mt Desert Island. I'd never even heard of Bar Harbor until I'd asked this American guy for a few travel tips when I was in Niagara. After all the hectic city-hopping of the past few days, this quiet little holiday town is the perfect place to hang out for a while. It hasn't always been so quiet. This was once the holiday home of the Rockerfellers and was a favourite destination for the rich and famous. Even nowadays, it can get quite busy in the summer - luckily I arrive the week before the season started, so that everything is just about open but the hordes haven't quite arrived.
After filling up on some of the excellent
local fayre - good 'home' cooking - I decide to work off the excess calories
with a spot of sea kayaking. Having only river kayaked before, this is quite
an experience. The boats are much longer and wider - and much more stable
- than I am used to, and steering is achieved by turning a rudder with two
foot pedals. We head out from Bar Harbor and explore some of the nearby
islands: Bar Island, Sheep Porcupine, Burnt Porcupine and Bald Porcupine!
Joshua - our excellent guide - tells us about the abundant bird life in
the area. We see lots of guillemots and cormorants, plus the occasional
bald eagle soaring above the high cliffs of the islands.
We take a break on Burnt Porcupine and swap positions in the boats. This is a welcome relief as I am now no longer downwind of my partner, Rick, who smells like the brew pub he's been telling me he'd spent all of the previous night in! The rest of the group are a good bunch, especially Kathy and Jennifer - two girls from Sacramento, with whom I strike up a bit of a rapport. After the break, the weather is improving all the time and, as the fog lifts, we get some excellent views of Cadillac Mountain, the peak that dominates Mt Desert Island. The sand bar that gives the harbour (note correct spelling) its name is also now exposed, which makes the paddle home a bit interesting.
Kathy and Jennifer ask me to join them for dinner and we go to the original
Bar Harbor Inn - so much for my backpacker's budget. We eat in the frightfully
nice Reading Room, which has a beautiful sunset view over the harbour. Kathy
is the only one game enough to try the local Maine lobster - later we see
why the bib is brought along. After dinner, they invite me back to their
luxurious hotel for a swim and a jacuzzi - I was lucky to get a hot shower
in my hotel - and, well, I think you can guess what happened next....
that's right, we sat in the spa discussing religion and recipes for lamingtons
:-) A relaxing end to a perfect day.
Coming up: Bikes and beers... Bar Harbor (2)