by
Travelin' Tony T (Editor @ Large)
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Harbor view from Cadillac Mountain
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We
chose to divide our trip in to two days, since we had a tee
off time that afternoon. The biggest attraction is Cadillac
Mountain, the tallest peak in the land and home of the
“big views”. You can access the summit (it’s not exactly Everest,
I’m just a big talker on occasion) from a couple of ways,
we decided to do the “Park Loop Road” first and pick
up the mountain on our way around. Which may have been a mistake.
You see they have an interesting fee schedule here in Acadia
National. There is only one place you need to pay to enter
(that we could find anyway) and it’s on the loop, which is
primarily a one way road around the bottom of the mountain. |
The
beach is on the loop, as are some other
prime viewpoints, including the impressive "Thunder Hole",
but you don’t actually have to shell out any cash to do Cadillac
Mountain on its own. And the price of admission is a little
steep. $10.00 US a carload gets you a 7 day pass. Good
value if you plan to camp in the area, or spend some time hiking,
etc. But we were there for the scenery (and only 48 hours).
Considering we could have bought a pass for the entire year
for only 10 bucks more, or used a $50.00 all the parks, all
the time, pass, it seems the casual tourist gets a bit of
the short end here. If you really want the WHOLE tour, pay
the fare, if you’re in for the quick and dirty, a good 75% of
the park can be accessed gratis, including the ride up Cadillac
Mountain.
Here
we go, up to 1,530 feet above the sea, to a peak that
offers some unparalleled ocean views (I need a better thesaurus).
There’s islands to the left and cliffs to the right, an almost
360 degree gaze at the majestic gulf of Maine. It’s also
a nice way to escape the heat of an August day, as the temperature
drops and the wind picks up. Bring something warm and have a
little picnic or just clamber over the rocks and trails and
soak up the scenery. On the way down the mount, you catch
a green glimpse of the trimmed fairways of our next destination,
Kebo (kee-bow)Valley
Golf Club.
Founded
in 1888, Kebo Valley is the 8th oldest Golf Club
in the United States, and has been kept up quite nicely.
They consider it “links” style, though I found it only has
a few elements of a true links course. The layout is fairly
wide open and relatively flat, which allows for a little
bump and run. There’s also the possibility of some wind
whipping through Cadillac Mountain’s Valley, which
brings to mind the links style, but the course has too much
wooded area and not enough bunker problems to make it truly
“links”. Although one hole makes up for the rest with the
largest bunker I have ever seen, playing right across
the uphill fairway !
After
an enjoyable 18, there are a variety of 19th hole choices
in Bar Harbor. After a long day of sightseeing and golfing,
a nice repast is just what the doctor ordered. For fine
dining and just plain relaxing, this town has a lot of
choices. We had the good fortune of finding two of the
finest restaurants in town,
each with their own unique character. |
Kebo
Valley's Fairways from
atop Cadillac Mountain |
Next
: Bar Harbor's nightlife and dining
Previous : Bar Harbor pt.1
, The "Cat" Hi-Speed ferry
, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
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