Part 2 of our Maine adventure, featuring a very foggy day in the Atlantic looking for whales, a short hike to Bar Island along the low-tide accessible sand bar that gives Bar Harbor its name, and various lighthouses.
A note on the whale watching trip, through Bar Harbor Whale Watch:
The touring company uses high speed, stable catamaran vessels – They’re big and comfortable, but be prepared for cooler temps and wind chill, even in the summer. In our case, we stopped by Petit Manan Island to see nesting puffins, but couldn’t actually see land because of dense fog. We DID see flying puffins and other sea birds, and talked via radio to a wildlife conservation expert on the island.
We also missed out on the large whales (Humpback, Fin, and Right Whales), seeing only harbor porpoises, seals, and two Minke Whales. The large whales had been common up to about a week before we arrived, but then moved to better feeding grounds and hadn’t been rediscovered yet – they are wild animals, after all. BUT, Bar Harbor Whale Watch offers a guarantee – tickets are good for three years until you’re able to see one of these three large species. We’ll just have to go back!
Get Out There
Troy
