The Island Explorer, our free shuttle bus service around Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, has been operating for a little over a week now. It is a great way to get around the island, it helps eliminate traffic congestion and air pollution (they are propane powered), and with gasoline now over $4 per gallon, it saves a lot of money! Take advantage of it whenever the routes suit your plans - or perhaps you can make your plans to suit their routes!

On Friday the 4th of July, however, the service will only operate a limited schedule due to crowds and street closures in Bar Harbor for the morning parade and the evening fireworks. Here are some tips to get around on that day with minimum difficulty. 1) The Island Explorer will not operate in the morning during the parade, so you will have to take your car. Do not drive down lower Main Street toward the ballfield, because the parade units will be forming up there. Instead, park on West Street, West Street Extension, or Emerson-Conners School and walk to the parade route. 2) In the evening before and after the fireworks, Island Explorer will operate ONLY its Campground (Route 3 to the airport) and Blackwoods (Blackwoods Campground) routes. If you live on those routes, take the bus. Otherwise you'll have to drive. Come early and park outside Route 3 at Emerson School or West Sreet Extension and walk into Agamont Park. Leaving town after the fireworks will be a slow process, so you will be able to walk to your car faster than you could drive in the congested traffic!

Two much anticipated and very popular summer arts events begin their respective series tonight and tomorrow night.

Tonight the Acadia Repertory Theatre opens in Somesville with a presentation of "Collected Stories" by the award winning playwright Donald Margulies. It will run through July 15 every night except Mondays. Together, four plays will be offered until August 31. We will list them on our Happenings page as appropriate.

Tomorrow night the Bar Harbor Music Festival will begin its 42nd season and continues with a wide variety of popular and classical performances through Sunday, July 27. Again, we will list each performance with other necessary information on the Happenings page.

We have had several cloudy, foggy days over the past couple of weeks (including two this past weekend), but there actually has been very little rain here on the island. As a result many vernal pools and other normally wet areas are drying up. This is not unusual for our summer months. However, despite the showers today, it definitely is time to be especially careful with fire. Most old-timers, and some not-so-old-timers, remember all too well the devastating forest fire on Mount Desert Island in 1947. Originating in the center of the island near Town Hill, that fire burned violently to the east and southeast for nearly 10 days, driven by strong northwest winds. It devastated Bar Harbor and put an end to the grand "cottage era". For more information on that tragic event, take a look at the book "Lost Bar Harbor" in local bookstores or libraries.

We are entering the week of July 4th - perhaps our single busiest day and week during the entire year! You will want to make your plans early and realistically - especially for the 4th itself, and especially where driving is concerned. We have the scoop on our Happenings page. Also, with the weather forecast for the week looking a little unsettled, keep an eye on our Weather page to get all the up to date information along with tide charts and current Maine coast red tide alerts
(no red tide warnings or closures here around Frenchman or Blue Hill Bays just yet).

A few weeks ago we mentioned that the Chesapeake Bay oyster schooner "Ada C. Lore" was being refitted at the Hinckley boatyard in Southwest Harbor. It appears that the refit is almost complete. Her masts are back in, and she has a new paint job. Perhaps we will see her in the water around MDI before too long!

Everywhere around the island along the immediate shore, banks of beach roses (rosa rugosa) are coming into full bloom. They are both beautiful and interesting, because they thrive on the salt air and the sea mist.

At 7:59 p.m. today
we will reach the summer solstice - the longest day of the year and the beginning of our most delightful season.

Things in the weather department continue to be unsettled with some clouds, some sun, some fog, some showers and cool temperatures. Fog can be beautiful, however. The lupine are blooming in fields and along roadsides all over the island, and a little fog just enhances the view of this field in Manset. Other wild flowers are now in abundance as well, so look around as you are out and about!

We are in the midst of an unusual early June heat wave brought on by a "Bermuda High" out over the mid-Atlantic. A breeze out of the southwest is pumping near 90 degree temperatures into Maine - even down along the coast! We are fortunate to have some natural air conditioning, however, so get as close to the ocean as you can today and tomorrow - on a boat would be best! Things should break about Wednesday with more normal daytime temps.

Friday, June 6, 2008

One of our island's most beautiful and showy spring wild flowers - the Wild "Blue Flag" Iris - is now in bloom along roadsides and by swampy areas. They don't last too long, so get out and look for them in the next couple of days.
The three pictured above were all seen this morning in different locations on the "quiet side".

Tomorrow is National Trails Day in Acadia National Park. A hike might be the perfect way to see those wild irises!
Check our Happenings page for more details on this and other activities.

The weekend weather should be mostly sunny and very warm for this time of year - especially on Sunday.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Unusual and interesting boats are frequently seen in the water at ports around Mount Desert during the summer, but they rarely show up on land! This one was spotted a couple of days ago at the Hinckley boatyard in Manset - apparently hauled out for restoration and refitting. She is the "Ada C. Lore", one of only three remaining Chesapeake Bay oyster schooners (note the shallow draft and low freeboard). We don't know who is having the work done, but a good guess might be Downeast Windjammer Cruises Captain Steve Pagels who has restored other historic vessels in the past.

Here is how the "Ada C. Lore" looked under sail in 2002:

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Click image for larger view.

Monday, June 2, 2008

With the month of June well underway, many island residents and visitors have started thinking about going down to the shore to get some steamer clams or wild mussels for their summer dinner. Unfortunately, over-harvesting has made steamers rather scarce in this area. Most towns now require clam diggers to have a license - even recreational diggers - and the clam flats around just about all of Mount Desert Island are closed completely during the summer months. Mussels, on the other hand, remain plentiful if you know where to look, and no license is required to pick them. However, you do need to be careful about red tide which can show up suddenly along parts of the Maine coast at this time of year.

Red tide is a bloom of a toxic algae which concentrates in the shellfish that feed upon it. Red tide does not harm the shellfish, but it can make humans who eat it quite sick. The Maine Department of Marine Resources keeps a close eye on red tide blooms, and closes sections of the coast to shellfish harvesting from time to time. We have a link to the current information about red tide closures on our weather page. So if you plan to pick some mussels this summer, check our red tide link first to be sure it is safe where you plan to go. Right now, the only closures are around the off-shore islands of Frenchboro and Isle au Haut.

And if you haven't tried wild mussels steamed in beer and garlic, you have a real treat coming! By the way - lobsters are not affected by red tide - so not to worry about that!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

This Cape Dory Typhoon was out yesterday afternoon for an early season sail off Northeast Harbor.
MDI.net crew was out as well - but in a Tempest. Greening Island is in the background.

Tomorrow marks the end of another month, and Sunday is the first of June! Each year, once we pass Memorial Day it seems that here on the island everything starts moving at a frantic pace. The happenings calendar has expanded dramatically, and we have another busy weekend ahead. There may be a few showers as well, but you can take in some professional modern dance indoors at MDI High School Saturday evening or stop by the free Abbe Museum Open House all day Sunday. And look around when you are out and about - you likely will see some stylish and classic Corvettes! Those who have lived here for many years know that you have to be intentional about taking advantage of all our beautiful, but short, summers have to offer - so don't let time pass you by. When September rolls around,
it's sad if you have to say "I would've, could've, should've"!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The 4-masted schooner "Margaret Todd" takes a short break on a busy holiday weekend afternoon.

Monday, May 26, 2008 - Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day and everyday, let us...

Honor those who have served;
Remember those who have sacrificed;
Stand strong;
Use judgement;
Build community;
Work for peace.

Our weekend weather forecast looks like mostly sunny and warmer - pretty good compared to some other parts of the country! If you want to check out the accuracy of the forecasters, take a look at one of our live webcams.

Seagulls over Seawall.