TRIP #5, 2014--Out on the Water

Out on the Water

Air conditioning in all seasons makes this birch bark
home rather uncomfortable, according to Andy.

"I think as parks go, this is one of the best I've seen," said Andy, as we set out on the road this morning.  "It's immaculately maintained." The day was gorgeous, and now everywhere leaves were starting to turn.
Andy parked in the lot at the Wild Gardens of Acadia.  Volunteers transplanted ferns and reconstructed a stone wall to edge the brook.  We meandered along the paths to identify white and red spruce trees, New York and white flat-headed aster flowers, and ferns.  The area included a replicated birch bark Wabanaki Indian dwelling and the source of Sieur de Monts spring, now encased in glass. The Jessup Path, a long trail to town, included an extensive quarter-mile boardwalk.  We followed it through the bog, now totally dry, to the carriage-road intersection and then all the way back.  We could see evidence of animal trails along the way.
By the time we got back at 10:30 a.m., the parking lot was full and two tour buses had unloaded.
Ancient native peoples made their home here long before European explorers ventured across the Atlantic.  They left large refuse piles of sea shells estimated to be 3,000 to 5,000 years old.  In the 1500's the first Europeans made contact with the Wabanaki inhabitants, who hunted, fished and gathered berries near Somes Sound.  Archeologists now believe the Wabanaki may have had settlements inland, as well.
In 1524, explorer Florentine Giovanni da Verrazano christened the area L'Acadie.  It could be a Wabanaki word since the Indians were friendly or a corruption of Arcadia, an equally scenic and inspiring region of ancient Greece.  In 1604, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain named l'Isles des Monts-deserts, now Mount Desert Island.  It is believe that Champlain, who crossed the Atlantic 29 times, ran aground at Otter Point.
For the next century the French and British struggled for control here.  In 1759, the British prevailed when they defeated the French in Quebec.  Sieur de Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac had already named the island's highest mountain.  Eden, now called Bar Harbor, was incorporated as a town in 1796.
By 1820, most island inhabitants engaged in fishing, ship building, lumbering or farming.
Tourism emerged in the mid-1800's.  Fine artists, like painters Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, journalists and sportsmen were drawn to the vast, unspoiled wilderness.  Early visitors, known as "rusticators" or "summercators" bunked with the locals.  By 1880, Bar Harbor boasted 30 hotels.
And the national reputation as a summer resort was sealed when America's most socially prominent families--the Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, Astors, Vanderbilts and Pulitzers--began summering in Bar Harbor and nearby Northeast and Seal harbors.  Here they built palatial "summer cottages" and entertained in lavish style.

Passengers shuttle back and forth from the
daily cruise ships in the bay at Bar Harbor.

In 1908, a group of summer residents, led by Harvard University President Charles W. Eliot, formed a public land trust to protect the island from uncontrolled development.  Their first notable acquisition was the chiseled headland known as "The Beehive" in 1908, followed by Cadillac Mountain.  By 1919, the area became the first eastern national park.  At that time it was named Lafayette National Park.  George Bucknam Dorr, director of the original public land trust, was appointed as the first superintendent.  Over the next ten years the park doubled in size through donations. The family who donated the 2,000-acre Schoodic Peninsula, staunch Englishmen, objected to the park's French name.  Dorr honored the stipulation they made and changed the name to Acadia National Park, a move that required an act of Congress.  Industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated more than 10,000 acres, including 45 miles of broken-stone carriage roads that wind through the interior.

From the bow we can see the fin
of a 40-foot Finback whale.

In 1947, a great fire broke out on Mount Desert Island, consuming some 17,000 acres and more than 60 grand summer cottages in Bar Harbor's "Millionaire's Row" and burning for ten days before it was brought under control.  This changed the nature of the park forever.
The observation deck of our Whale Watch boat was dedicated to Jessica Rekos, a first grader killed at Sandy Hook. She loved whales.  We boarded before noon and initially grabbed two inside seats on the outdoor top deck, the only two we could find together.  "Stay here," said Andy.  "I'll see if I can find a better spot."

One of three finback whales we
spotted during the day, this one surfaces
for air and then dives to feed.

He did.  We gathered our belongings and headed for the outdoor bow, right in front of everything.  With a couple of tremendous blasts on the horn, the boat with a few hundred people headed out of Bar Harbor.
By 12:17 p.m., we had spotted our first wildlife--three porpoises off the right bow.  The naturalist explained we would motor about 25 miles out to whale feeding grounds where Labrador and Gulf currents intersect and zooplankton is abundant.  For the first 15 miles, colorful lobster buoys bobbed everywhere.  The boat didn't hurt lobster lines because it ran on jet engines without a propeller. Even so, the captain turned and twisted gently to avoid hitting the trap markers.  A small research boat kept pace with us.  "They are our friends," explained the naturalist on the public address system.  "They study whale behavior and keep an eye out for animals."

The lighthouse and research station at
 Mount Desert Rock attracts wild life.

About 1:00 p.m. a large flock of birds kept pace with us for a while.  Dark in color, they were probably cormorants.  And then we spotted our first seal and shortly after that, a finback whale (also call fin whale).  During the next hour, the captain maneuvered here and there to follow three finback whales and give all the passengers a chance to watch the grey seals and harbor seals cavort in the water.
Slightly larger, the grey seal can weigh up to 800 pounds and can dive down as much as 1,500 feet for food.  The naturalist said they go after lobsters in the traps so are most certainly not a lobster man's friend.  The people on the boat, however, loved them.  "I've never seen so many seals on a whale watch," commented the naturalist.

Researchers live for weeks at a time on this lonely island
called Mount Desert Rock, 25 miles out to sea.

Islands dot Frenchman's Bay as we
return from the three-hour boat trip.

The finback whales arched their backs to dive for food.  "They can take in 40 pounds of plankton in one monstrous bite," said the naturalist.  "They are great for the environment, because they poop so much and it is rich in iron."  Here, the water was only about 200 feet deep, and finback whales can actually dive to 750 feet.  They didn't breech much because the water wasn't that deep.  She told us that this whale species had not been hunted to near-extinction because they are smaller and faster.  Like larger whales though, they were boat-friendly and not fearful of humans because of their immense size.  The ones we saw surfaced nearby and continued feeding.

Warned ahead of time that temperatures could be 25 degrees
colder on the water and with predicted highs of 57 degrees on
land, we bundled for the few hours of expected chill.

It was a satisfying day out on the water.
Our final slow-down was at Mount Desert Rock, a lighthouse and research facility for Atlantic University.  "Imagine being stationed out here," said Andy.  "It would be really lonely with no electricity."  At least now they have solar power to replace kerosene lanterns for life on the rock.

Andy makes friends with Calamity
Jane Cow, but only on a limited basis.

Shedding our sea legs and comfortably back on land, we drove through Seal Harbor and cruised past some of the rambling homes on the peninsula.
The cow named Calamity Jane by the side of the road was one of many cows auctioned off for charity in New York city.  A sign said she would be happy to be our friend for half price--a mere $1,900.