cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

Cadillac Mountain, Work Camping, and more!

We have been in Bar Harbor for two months now, working on the campgrounds.  The weather has been very different from what we are used to, with many blustery, windy days.  At one point, I wondered when it would actually green up!

work camping in maine

And then suddenly the trees grew leaves and summer happened. Well, at least Maine’s version of summer.  It is still chilly at night, but we now are having beautiful days in the 70’s .  Apparently the trees need to work fast because they only have a few months to be green!

work camping in maine

With a few nice days of warm sun, we emerged from our work schedule and RV to create a nice front yard to enjoy.  It is truly beautiful here and we wanted a nice place to sit and enjoy it!

work camping in maine

This is work camper row.  We all have designated spots behind the cabins.  They aren’t as green and scenic as the rest of the park, but we made do with what we had to work with and really do like our neighbors.

The work camping thing?  Well, it has definitely gotten more intense.  We are now working close to 40 hours a week and have gotten to the point where we definitely look forward to our days off.

We’ve had a few coworkers quit and move on already.  Seems that work camping is not for everyone.  Dealing with customer service and often physical labor can be difficult at times.  We have our bad days too, but fortunately for us, the good days outweigh the bad.  We have met lots of fun campers in the past few weeks- many from Georgia!

work camping in maine

And now that the weather seems to be cooperating, we are spending more time outside in the evening, enjoying our newly decorated front yard and the beautiful park.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

I put together a fun project last week.  This one involves a wooden plaque, sharpie pens and chalkboard paint!  Inspired by the area, I drew up of the local sea life and created a fun chalkboard.  You can find the free pattern here!

work camping in maine

Cadillac Mountain

On the tourist level, we’ve been to Cadillac Mountain several times now.  Cadillac Mountain is located in the nearby Acadia National Park and at 1,530 feet, it is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

You can travel to the top of Cadillac Mountain several different ways.  You can drive to the top in your vehicle, take several different hiking trails, or enjoy a trolley tour of the mountain.

Oli’s Trolley

We checked out Oli’s Trolley simply because they not only take you around the area, but offer a fully narrated tour about the area’s history, historic sites, mansions, and the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

This area has an interesting history behind it, and we definitely recommend a ride on the trolley to learn more about it.  Amongst many other things, we learned about the great fire of 1947 that nearly destroyed all of Bar Harbor.  You can still see stone foundations of mansions that used to be amongst the trees on the hillsides of the town.

The area is also the home of the Rockefellers and Martha Stewart!  We are told that you can take boat tours into the harbor where you can see their homes.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

As for Cadillac Mountain, there are various hiking trails to the summit, some more challenging than others. There is also a paved road to the top.

From the summit, you can see most of Mount Desert Island.  On a clear day, it is a beautiful site to see!  The photo above shows the town of Bar Harbor in the distance below.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

Bar Island

In this photo you can see Bar Island.  When this photo was taken, the tide was out and you can see a sand bar that goes from the island to the town of Bar Harbor.  Folks like to hike or even drive their cars across that bar of sand during low tide to explore the island.

Timing is crucial as it is not unusual for folks to find themselves stranded on the island during high tide.  For a tidy sum, boaters will rescue those that do not want to wait another 8 hours for low tide.

Oh, and the little guy in the photo?  That is a very ingenious seagull.  He figured out that if he stands there looking all sweet, folks will feed him snack food.  He waited patiently for us to find something in the car for him, and then went to the car behind us to see what they had.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

An interesting fact about Cadillac Mountain is that it is the first place to view the sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6.

Want to view a sunrise from Cadillac Mountain?

  • You have to get up mighty early.  The sun is up by 4:00 AM right now!  Check the time for sunrise and give yourself plenty of time to get up the mountain.  It takes about 20 minutes from the village of Bar Harbor or 30 minutes from the KOA campground.
  • Dress warm!  It is always windy on top of Cadillac and particularly chilly even in the middle of summer.
  • For more comfort, consider bringing blankets and chairs.
  • Bring some coffee or tea in a thermos to keep warm.  Or plan for a nice breakfast in downtown Bar Harbor afterwards.

cadillac mountain bar harbor maine

Us?  Well we do not do mornings well.  We may decide before the summer is out to check out a sunrise.  I mean, we need to try everything, right?  But in the meantime, we did drive up to the top last week to see a sunset.   The sun sets about 8:00 PM right now and that worked out well for us.

My camera doesn’t do it justice, but here is a brief look at that beautiful sunset.

Sunsets are beautiful here both on Cadillac Mountain and at the campgrounds.  I think that they will be one of the many things I will look back on fondly when we do eventually move on.

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10 thoughts on “Cadillac Mountain, Work Camping, and more!”

  1. oh wow! I can’t wait to see all of this. This is a great article! I’m glad you guys checked out Ollies Trolley because I thought that might be good for the moms to do but now I’m thinking all of us would like it.

  2. Susan & David, I really enjoy reading about your experiences and all the lovely photos. Back home in Georgia, your grass is looking so healthy and green. But, it’s so quiet, not that it was noisy when you were here. Take care.

  3. You are really making me want to jump in my escape pod & head for NE America! But, we sadly must wait for my dh to retire next year……

  4. Thanks for sharing. We stayed 4 nights in Bar Harbor/ Acadia this week. Last Sunday at 12:30 in the morning we drove up to the Cadillac Mt. Summit. We slept in our car until the 5 am sunrise. There were 2 other cars up there. It was a clear night and the sky was full of stars. It was an experience we’ll remember forever!! Love Acadia!!

    1. So glad you were able to experience it while you were here! It is truly a beautiful place to be. Thanks so much for commenting!

      suzy

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