At night, on a clear night, from the east-west coastal road* that runs along the north shore of Frenchman's Bay, the lights of Bar Harbor are visible across the water. They line a dark shore with mountain behind a great ocean liner floating upon the waters. If not clear, if fog or rain obscure, a keen sense of disappointment can settle in on the traveler.
*[US Coastal 1]The Schoodic Peninsula
The Schoodic Peninsula is the next major geographic feature to the east of Mount Desert Island (MDI). It is bounded to the West by Frenchman's Bay and to the East by Gouldsboro Bay. Logically enough, it and MDI constitute the East and West sides of Frenchman's. Bay respectively.
Schoodic Peninsula
The political divisions are Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor with Winter Harbor carved out of Gouldsboro in the late 1800s still some ill will there. Hamlets include:
- Corea (original name - Indian Harbor)
- Prospect Harbor
- Birch Harbor
- Bunkers Harobr
- Wonsqueak Harbor
- Ashville
- North South East West Middle and Fair-to-Middling Gouldsboro
Some of which have their own post offices and zipcodes. Other local place names include (in no particular order):
- Summer Harbor
- Stave Island Harbor
- Jordan harbor
- Mosquito Harbor - the original name for Winter Harbor
- Inner Harbor - the original Winter Harbor
- Grindstone Neck
- Grindstone Point - the best place for Rosa Rugosa
- The Grindstone
- Newman Cove (no relation to paul)
- Long Mill Cove
- Fog Trap
- Sand Beach
- Sand Cove (of which there are at least three on The Peninsula)
- Point Francis
- Crowley's Island (now a presque isle)
- Young's Point (good place to run rum)
- Petty Islands
- Bar Island - one of ten thousand on the coast of Maine with the most famous being the bar island that gives Bar Harbor its name.
- Cranberry Point - the author of The Peninsula lived here for many years
- Schoodic Point
- Schoodic Head
- Frazer Point
- Little Moose Island (another bar island)
- Marsh Point
- Grand Marsh Bay
- West Bay
- Joy Bay
- Canoe Harbor
It should be noted that Schoodic Point, Schoodic Head, Little Moose Island and Frazer Point are all part of Acadia National Park. Little Moose Island is a bar island and not reachable within two hours of high tide. However, if you pay attention to the tide tables (a copy of which is posted on the island) it is well worth a visit. If you do not pay attention you can get your feet wet or worse - suffer the ignominy of being rescued by a park ranger (this last happened to some friends of ours - they were having a very good time and lost track of same).
Petit Manan Light on Petit Manan is visible from many vantage points on the Peninsula. Other lights include the Prospect Harbor Lighthouse. There is also a converted lighthouse in the middle of Winter Harbor just off the Grindstone - the Mark Island Light.
Speaking of Petit Manan, the Petit Manan Wildlife Refuge on Petit Manan Point is well worth a visit. Note however that it is not open to the public until after the shore bird nesting season is over - sometime toward mid-July.
The Inner Harbor at Winter Harbor
Looking west across the top of Frenchmens' Bay
Looking west across the top of Frenchmens' Bay
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Tidal pool at the very end of Little Moose Island - the very point of Schoodic Point