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The Maine Event Part I
Quaint Bar Harbor on par with more exotic destinations
After visiting nearly 50 countries, I have to conclude that some of the most unique communities are right here in the U.S. Seriously. So I have with renewed vigor decided to explore the continent. This is how I ended up turning down a number of more exotic offers in favor of a jaunt to the beautiful state of Maine.
It's certainly a breeze to get there from New York: just an hour flight from JFK to Portland. Then we flew from Portland to Bar Harbor in our hosts' private jet. I was seated on a tweed sofa for takeoff and landing but spent much of the 50 minutes in the air hanging around the bar, twirling around in a swivel lounger, and marveling aloud at the wood-paneled bathroom. It was weird to have a full view of the pilot and copilot, who happily engaged the eight passengers in casual conversation. In fact, the whole experience was almost TOO casual. But hell yeah, I could get use to it in a heartbeat. Though if I had a private jet, I'd figure out a way to have a circular, rotating bed, lava lamps, a flatscreen TV, and a killer sound system.
I was wondering how many trees I'd have to plant to offset my carbon footprint for just that one flight, looking guiltily out over the 41,000-acre expanse of Acadia National Park. The glacier-carved granite peaks so easily viewed from above include Cadillac Mountain (1,530 feet at the summit), the highest point along the eastern seaboard north of Brazil. The Precipice Trail is for climbing/hiking enthusiasts, or the wimpier can opt for a short jaunt up the "beehive," which is still challenging if you have vertigo or sweaty palms. Acadia also has a marvelous cobblestone Sand Beach, rocky seacliffs with a sucking cavern called Thunder Hole, and dense forests for hiking and biking (or getting lost). All of this, just ten minutes drive from downtown Bar Harbor, a town so cute it looks like a movie set.
It's certainly a breeze to get there from New York: just an hour flight from JFK to Portland. Then we flew from Portland to Bar Harbor in our hosts' private jet. I was seated on a tweed sofa for takeoff and landing but spent much of the 50 minutes in the air hanging around the bar, twirling around in a swivel lounger, and marveling aloud at the wood-paneled bathroom. It was weird to have a full view of the pilot and copilot, who happily engaged the eight passengers in casual conversation. In fact, the whole experience was almost TOO casual. But hell yeah, I could get use to it in a heartbeat. Though if I had a private jet, I'd figure out a way to have a circular, rotating bed, lava lamps, a flatscreen TV, and a killer sound system.
I was wondering how many trees I'd have to plant to offset my carbon footprint for just that one flight, looking guiltily out over the 41,000-acre expanse of Acadia National Park. The glacier-carved granite peaks so easily viewed from above include Cadillac Mountain (1,530 feet at the summit), the highest point along the eastern seaboard north of Brazil. The Precipice Trail is for climbing/hiking enthusiasts, or the wimpier can opt for a short jaunt up the "beehive," which is still challenging if you have vertigo or sweaty palms. Acadia also has a marvelous cobblestone Sand Beach, rocky seacliffs with a sucking cavern called Thunder Hole, and dense forests for hiking and biking (or getting lost). All of this, just ten minutes drive from downtown Bar Harbor, a town so cute it looks like a movie set.
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