Friday 11th October

Last night it didn't actually get as cold as expected, overnight was a minimum of 7degrees. We had spoken to the host/owner of Dominion Hill yesterday talking about where we were heading on our trip, and Michael suggested we visit Cadillac Mountain in Arcadia National Park for the panoramic views it offered. We checked and it was a 3 hour drive to get there, so we set the alarm to wake in time to be at breakfast at 8.00am. We achieved that and what a nice breakfast it was!! Cereal, fresh fruit, quiche, muffins, toast etc. etc.

On the road by 9.00 am and 30 mins later we were crossing the border back into USA. Boy those custom agents ask a lot of questions!!!

• Is this your first visit? (to where? we are leaving Canada- yes for Tania for Canada, no for Graeme, no for both of us from US)
• When were you here ? (2000 for Canada, 2001 & 2018 for USA - Graeme) and (first time for Canada, 2001 for USA - Tania)
• When did you arrive and where? (That was a trick question.. we actually arrived 8th August in LA, even though our destination was New York)
• Where are going over the next few days?
• When are we leaving US?
• Where do we leave from?
• Show me your car rental papers (how did he know it was a rental car?)
• Carrying any fruit? (Yes)
• Carrying any alcohol? (Yes)
• Are you carrying firearms or explosives?
• What is your employment at home? (Retired)
• What did you do before you retired?

We must have passed the test because he let us through!! Anyway, that is the end of our Canadian portion of our holiday! Now in Maine, we found ourselves soon driving on back roads to Cadillac Mountain where the countryside continued to be very picturesque with the trees taking on the Fall colours. It was a three hour drive in total but we gained back the hour we lost on the way to Grand Falls due to time zone changes. Following directions on Google Maps to the peak of the mountain, we bypassed the Arcadia National Park Visitor Centre and headed straight up! The park was very busy with lots of traffic heading up the mount and at the top competing for car park spaces - then we saw the sign saying all vehicles must display the Day Pass for the Park !! Oops !! Oh well may as well have a look since we're here... It was very windy and chilly at the top so it was a quick visit. What a great view though of the surrounding bays and islands.

Traffic was very heavy as we headed for nearby Bar Harbor. We attributed that to the fact that the upcoming weekend was Thanksgiving and a public holiday on Monday, only later realising that was only in Canada... Thanksgiving in US is not until November 28th! So no idea why this day was so busy. In Bar Harbor itself, the streets were packed with tourists, mostly geriatrics! Must be the cheap season for travel! There happened to be a Princess Line cruise boat/ship just docked in the harbour which then made sense !!

Bar Harbor is very much a tourist oriented town, offering whale watching trips, fishing tours, cruises, souvenirs, cafes and a huge amount of accommodation places. It is also a historic town with late 19th century to early 20th century buildings and houses which are quite beautiful. We lost count of the number of T-shirt​ shops, but they sell one with "Baa Haa Baa" printed on them and not a sheep in sight for miles around.

Seriously though, it was a lovely little town and we spent 3.5 hours there including lunch, where chatting to our waiter, confirmed they were only paid between $2.50 -$4.00 per hour. So tips are a big part of their income. He worked six days a week from 10.00 am - 3..00 am! Rental accommodation costs $1600 - $1700 per month! And in this town only six months work is available as most places close down during winter. Wow, how good are conditions in Australia!