The Crumpler Maine/Prince Edward Island Pan-Am Honeymoon…For the Love, Day 3

“Bright and early” would be an exaggeration, but Day 3 of our honeymoon was certainly the grayest and earliest. We set off from our hotel in Scarborough and headed north on the day long journey to Bar Harbor. This was our first long drive of the trip and (as would come to be a theme on days that we had to travel a long distance) it rained.

I believe there may be a coastal drive you can take between Portland and Bar Harbor (can’t imagine how long it would take though). However, our route was a bit quicker and necessary for us to take to make it to one of our pit stops. Kevin and I arrived at our destination around noon–just in time for lunch. This first stop on our trek was Gardiner, Maine, a small town where everyone seemed to be wearing a Red Sox cap.

I took this one because my maiden name is in it.

Kevin and I are both fans of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network so naturally we decided it would be a great idea to see if there were any places we could hit while we were on our trip. The A1 Diner in Gardiner was directly in our path.

I was busy taking pictures (in the rain) and all Kevin really wanted to do was get inside and get some food.

The interior of this place was like nothing I had ever seen before. A classic diner in every respect, there was one waitress and one cook. It did take a little while to get our food, but when you saw how fast that guy was working to feed everyone that ended up filling the place while we were there…well, you have to respect that. When we arrived there was just one other couple inside, but by the time we left every booth was full and most of the seats at the bar were taken. It is definitely the kind of place you want to get to early. That or prepare to wait for a seat. It’s worth it.

The menu. Oh. My. Not an exhaustive list of items available (the stuff on the board looked like it changed pretty often), but the menu at the table featured the salads, soups, sandwiches, and entrees available on a daily basis. The specials on the board that day sounded delicious. And goodness knows I’m always up for a food adventure. Nothing sounded light though and I wasn’t in the mood to have something sitting heavy on my stomach with hours still left on our trip. To spare your eyesight (you can always view the original image–it’s much larger), I’ll just tell you what was going on at the A1 Diner that day.

Sweet Potato Fries w/ Chipotle Sour Cream
Lamb Tagine
Moroccan Fried Fish
Blue Cheese Meatloaf
Spanakopita
Pork Tenderloin w/ Mango Salsa

Mmm. Another time, another time.

I kept trying to get a photo of this guy. He was so fast! Elusive! Constantly, magically producing food out of nowhere!

Kevin had their Oakland farms hamburger. A safe, wise choice. Kevin’s food choices are nothing if not safe and wise. Mine tend to be life-threatening and foolish. Sometimes raw. Sometimes breathing. At least he puts up with me when I’m clutching my midsection and rocking, praying that my life be spared and pleasepleaseplease don’t let it be food poisoning.

These were magical fries.

I had the Greek salad. Told you, I needed something light for the trip. This was tasty and I think I ate all of it, which I can rarely say when I order a salad.

On our way out of Gardiner I saw this shop–”Scrap Addicts.”

I hate scrapbooking. Have I ever written about that? Honest to goodness, I feel the same way about it as I do cruise tourism. It is a leech on resources. A waste. It passes the time, but accomplishes nothing. I want scrapbooking to go the way of the feathered bang (or “fringe” for my UK readers).

Next up was Augusta. The capitol! We didn’t stop. On a schedule, people!

After a long, long time on the road, lots of rain and mist, a short nap, and about 20,000 lobster pounds down the road, we arrived at Bar Harbor. Quite the touristy little place, nestled against Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, it’s picturesque. We got settled in our hotel and then hustled our famished selves out the door and downtown to the Quarterdeck restaurant for Kevin’s whole lobster he was determined to eat (I had been equally determined in the beginning, but chickened out somewhere along the way).

The necessary tools.

My husband got the surf and turf. The surf. And turf. The thought of consuming that much food makes me feel ill. He somehow manages to eat like this and not put on a pound. I hope our children inherit that from him because my metabolism is certainly nothing to aspire to.

Oh, hello, Mr. Lobster.

BEFORE

AFTER

I had the lobster bisque. Genuine lobster bisque. This is all I care to eat for the rest of my days. Heavy cream, lobster meat, and lobster shells crushed into a fine powder. YUM.

Then we went back to the hotel and slept for the next three days.

Well, maybe not. I know we both felt like we could after that long drive and that gluttonous display fine dinner. Nope, the next morning we were up and out for what would be a very, very special day in both our lives.

(Stop by tomorrow to see what happened!)