We sailed to Bar Harbor, after hearing about how my sister enjoyed this town. I had wondered if it was called Bar Harbor because of all the bars in the village. Bryan anchored in the harbor just north of town, but as we found that the dinghy dock wss private, we rowed with our folding bikes all the way to the town dock. Many shops in a row sold T-shirts and mugs, and there were lots of small restaurants and bars. Yes, a tourist town, but charming and a huge contrast to our largely solitary anchorages. John, the guitar player in the park, suggested Havana restaurant. Our first dinner at a restaurant this trip was beautifully served, nutritious and satisfying. Over our outdoor table was a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama having dinner in this very place.

It was low tide when we went to row back to the sailboat. However, we were amazed to see a 9 foot high rocky bar clear across where we had rowed. Some 40 people were walking across to the island. Too hard to pull our heavy dinghy across it and it would be late at night if we waited for high tide again, so Bryan rowed us, with two folding bicycles onboard, clear out to open water and around the island. The silver lining to this long row is that we enjoyed a breathtaking view—the water turned to a shimmering cobalt blue as it slipped behind some clouds just before sunset. A sight we wouldn’t have seen from elsewhere.