We woke up to rain. This was expected from the forecast and is why we had focused on going biking the previous day. The summer had been extremely dry so the rain was needed. The forecast called for the rain to let up by noon and it was more of a drizzle than a downpour.
Morning Activities
We slept in a little and had breakfast again at the hotel before my wife had to jump on her work calls. I took the boys with me as we were going to explore the park. My thinking was that we’d start with the visitor center to take advantage of some indoor time since it was only a few miles outside of town.
When we arrived, we realized that due to COVID-19 restriction, it was closed. The only part that was open was to buy the park passes which we knew we could buy at the ranger station at the next destination which was the Park Loop Road. This road meanders along the coast line and has several stops with some of the highlights of the park. This is usually the busiest portion of the park with some of the most popular things to see and trails to hike.
On this rainy day there were very few cars, but it wasn’t raining so hard that we couldn’t enjoy the views! We drove past Sand Beach and the Beehive mountain, which is a very popular location. The Beehive mountain trail is short but steep and has breathtaking views. Sand Beach is, well, a sandy beach. It’s the only sand beach on the island and is quite popular for those less interested in hiking. Since they share a parking lot it’s not uncommon for groups to split up and go their separate ways. We weren’t going to enjoy the beach or go hiking in the rain so we continued on to the next major stop.
The Thunder Hole parking lot is usually overflowing by mid-morning on a summer day but we were able to park up front. Thunder Hole is a rock formation where the waves can come in and splash up, making a sound like… you guessed it, Thunder! No false advertising here.
Unfortunately for us, the waves were pretty tame and there wasn’t much to see as far as wave action. Instead, we climbed the adjacent rocks and got some views of the ocean and coastline. There were lots of lobster pot buoys and a few lobster boats in the distance doing their thing. The boys really enjoyed it.
Jordan Pond House
Back in the car we headed further along the Park Loop road past some hardcore cyclists braving the rain and eventually headed to Jordan Pond and the Jordan Pond House. Jordan Pond is a picturesque area surrounded by mountains. There are several carriage trails and hiking trails that originate near there and you can even kayak/canoe on the pond.
We were there for the restaurant, though. There is some history to the restaurant. It’s burned down several times over the years, but was originally a place for the wealthy summer residents to come for afternoon tea. The specialty these days is popovers.
If you don’t know what a popover is, think of it as a hollow muffin-shaped crust of bread. It’s mostly hollow on the insides and the outside is crusty. You eat it by breaking it apart and buttering it or putting jam on it. It goes very well with lemonade or tea if you prefer. They also have a full restaurant with other things, but we were there entirely for the popovers.
We got there around 11:00 as it opened at 11:30. It can get BUSY on normal summer days and can be hours before you can get a table. There was a line, but fortunately it wasn’t long when we arrived. The rain was likely keeping many people away, though as it got closer to opening time, the line stretched for quite a ways.
We also weren’t sure what the COVID-19 restrictions were. We learned that there wouldn’t be table service. You had to order at the counter and pick up inside. You could eat at the tables inside or take them with you. Since popovers are infinitely better steaming hot, we were going to eat them as soon as we could so we decided we’d grab a table.
Once things opened it was only a few minutes before we were there to order our 5 popovers (2 for me and 1.5 for each of the boys). We were told where to pick up our order inside and the boys decided on a table. It was no more than 5 minutes before our order came out.
The food disappeared more quickly than we could have expected. We all INHALED the food. The popovers were done to perfection and steaming hot. They melted in our mouths and the lemonade was a perfect match to wash things down. They hit the spot!
Back to Town
On our way out of Jordan Pond House the line had stretched even further and into the parking lot. We were glad we had gotten there early and the boys were already trying to convince me to go back the next day.
The rain had started to clear as we headed back to town. We met my wife as she was eating her lunch at the hotel. She had some afternoon meetings so I decided to take the boys to play mini-golf just a short drive away.
The mini-golf, Pirates Cove, was one I’ve played several times before. It’s a classic pirate theme and has some challenging holes. The boys each got at least one hole in one and beat me handily.
Back at the hotel my wife was done her calls but had other work to do. The sun had come out and the day was getting much nicer. Tomatico wanted to go to the pool but my youngest wanted to try hiking a mountain so we split up.
Beech Cliffs
When I asked my dad which mountains he recommended his first suggestion was Beech Cliffs. It’s a longer and less crowded trail than the Beehive and I’ve climbed it several times before. It’s on the other side of the island which is fortunately only a 20 minute drive away.
We were prepared with a backpack to put some snacks and water bottles into. The hiking is not terribly difficult but we wanted to be prepared to be away for an hour or two. Where we parked was actually at Beech Mountain which is between Beech Cliffs and Beech Mountain. They are basically two peaks of the same mountain and the parking lot is halfway up the mountain between the cliffs. We took the trail to Beech Cliffs and it was a 10 minute hit to that summit.
From there we decided we wanted to hike down Beech Cliffs and then hike back up it. We’d take a longer, less-steep trail going down and take the steep trail with the ladders on the way back up. It’s much easier to go up ladders than it is to go down them.
Other than on the summit, there were few other people on the trails. We’d go several minutes between meeting other groups. My youngest was a natural at hiking with great balance and an eye for finding the right rocks to step on. We made good time and it took about 45 minutes to get to the bottom where we rested while we got a drink of water and ate a snack.
The trail going up was much steeper and we worked up quite a sweat. The sun had come out and it was very humid. We made good time, though. The trail was much shorter and it took us about 40 minutes to get up. We had no problems with the ladders and only met one group going down.
Back on the summit we took in the views again before heading down the backside of the mountain to where we had parked. We really enjoyed our time hiking and vowed to do it again the next day. He was hooked!
Dinner and a (Sand) Beach
When we got back to the hotel, we decided to jump in the pool to cool off. Tomatico decided to join us and we enjoyed the now sunny afternoon. Before long the boys were hungry and my wife had finished up work for the day. We got changed and headed into town to find dinner.
We found a restaurant on the water that had looked quite busy the previous days when we had gone past it. The line wasn’t very long and the menu looked appealing so we went in for some dinner. The views were fantastic and the food got high marks all around. The bill had a bit of sticker shock, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. The prices were what you might expect in NYC, not Downeast Maine. At least it was good!
We decided to get “one last dessert” at Ben and Bills Chocolate Emporium. They boys loved all the different flavor options there, though they ended up getting the same thing they did the first time.
Since we had eaten early, it was only 6pm so we decided to drive into the park and check out Sand Beach. That morning we had driven past it because it was raining, but the day was much nicer now and my wife LOVES the beach. Any beach.
We got our frisbee and football from the hotel and headed off to Sand Beach. It was only a 20 minute ride away and there were only a dozen cars in the parking lot by the time we got there.
We spent a long hour playing frisbee and walking around in the sand enjoying the views. The boys put their feet into the water but it was VERY cold and they had no intention of going for a swim.
Next we continued driving along Park Loop Road to Thunder Hole. We hoped it would be more interesting since the tide would be at a different level from when we were there in the morning, but there wasn’t much to see other than the rocky coastline.
We headed back into town to the hotel and my youngest and I went walking on the rocks again. He really enjoyed the freedom and challenge of that. We did that until the sun set and then headed back to the room to cal it a night.
The next day would be our final day in Bar Harbor and we’d be heading out in the afternoon. I had checked with the hotel to get late enough checkout that would allow my wife do get her calls in before having to check out of the room. I had a busy day planned with the boys so hopefully they’d get a good nights sleep!
Tomatico Travels 
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