One of the things that I really wanted to do while we were up there was go whale watching. It was a bit late in the season for it, but I was still able to find a few places that were going out. It was unfortunately a bit on the chilly side. So we left Arcadia, and headed towards Bar Harbor! We got there in plenty of time, technically, but we still felt rushed. We needed to eat lunch, so we found a little place on the walk to the harbor. We figured... when in Rome.... So we ordered a lobster roll for lunch. Unfortunately, neither of us really liked it. In fact, hubby didn't finish his half. I ate it because it was food, and I was hungry. But it certainly wasn't our favorite. I guess it isn't a bad thing that we don't love expensive seafood. We ate the roll while we waited in line to get on the boat. I hadn't planned well enough perhaps, and I didn't bring my big winter coat. But, we had bought an ear warmer for me while we were at Flume Gorge, and I had my sweatshirt. So, here we are, in our seats on the outside of the boat as we took sale to look for whales!
These whale watching people are pretty experienced at this! They know lots of kind of random trivia about marine wildlife, but they also know where the whales can often be found, and how long their respiratory cycle is. For instance, once we found one, they said it would take between 8-10 minutes before they would come up for air again. So, they would talk to us, and tell us trivia for about 7 minutes, and then be quiet so they could concentrate better.
We were really quite lucky in that we saw a few different whales! They actually have some binders inside the boat where they describe how you can tell the whales apart, and have some pictures of the more common whales seen. You can see his open blowhole in this picture.
We never got the iconic, big tale fluke splash, but we did get to see several sightings.
Fun fact, they said that you can often times smell the whales before you see them. Because, when they come up for air, they exhale first. And that exhale smells like fish. Yum :p
Small little back fin for such a large animal.
And, this is what it was like to see the whale! Someone would shout "Over here!" And everyone would look and try to see exactly what they were pointing at.
We saw several different marine wild life while we were out in the bay. If you look carefully, right about in the middle of the picture, you'll see a seal!
And here is a commonly used research center. The guide talked about her time on the island, where the electricity is solar powered, and you have to bring all your food.
There were A LOT more seals around the island than out in the middle of the ocean.
And up on the island too.
It isn't luxurious, but I can imagine it would be fun to stay there while collecting data. But that is the biologist in me.
It was also a common nesting ground for seagulls.
We also got to see a bald eagle!!!
Again, check out the views these houses have!! They would be beautiful, but must be crazy expensive!
After we got off the boat, it was time to go north for our Moose Safari. But first, we needed dinner. Hubby was hungry from not eating the lobster roll. And I was hungry because it was dinner time. We stopped at a place called Dysarts. It sounds weird, but it is well known for the locals, and the food was ok. We tried poutine there (essentially fries with cheese and gravy). Despite it's funny name and less than appetizing looks, it wasn't that bad.
We ended the meal with a strawberry shortcake.
And I made hubby take a selfie with me and the Dysarts car....
He wasn't thrilled, but.... he's a good sport.
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