When my brother was here for a visit, he wanted to spend some time on our islands. I squeezed in as many as possible for them considering their itinerary.. and time.
So in the end, I managed to get them to Bar Harbor, Monhegan Island, Boothbay Harbor, Mt. Desert.. one end of Acadia National Park, Campobello Island for just a brief visit, and lastly Isle Au Haut.. the other end of Acadia.
I hadn’t been out there in many moons. Years ago we spent many days kayaking out there. It’s just such a lovely area.. pristine waters, small.. quiet, and very peaceful and relaxing. I saw my first puffin out there eons ago.
It’s no Monhegan, but what I like the most about it is the island’s deliberate and ongoing resistance to overfishing and tourists! I think one of the things that put Isle Au Haut on the tourist map was the fact that celebrity author Linda Greenlaw, who wrote The Lobster Chronicles, The Hungry Ocean, All Fishermen Are Liars among her other wonderful books, as well as a year-round resident who also just happened to live there too.
After growing up in Midcoast Maine, Linda disappointed her parents by passing up law school to chase fish on the high seas instead. Starting as an onboard cook, she worked her way up to captaining her own commercial swordboat. In 1997 she found sudden and unsought fame as a key player in the bestseller The Perfect Storm. In part, it told her story of being at sea during the infamous October 1991 tempest, which led to the loss of six fishermen on the Andrea Gail out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. “Not only is Greenlaw one of the only women in the business,” it’s been written, “she’s one of the best captains, period, on the entire East Coast.” Yes, that book and film really put tiny Isle Au Haut on the map for certain.
Half of the island is protected as part of Acadia National, a very popular summer destination for our bazillion tourists here. But unlike Bar Harbor and Mt Desert Island – both nearby, Isle Au Haut has managed to avoid catering to the tourists. Isle Au Haut is for the visitor that needs no bells and whistles and for one that appreciates the pure beauty out there. The “ferry” that brings you to the island is actually the the twelve seat mailboat. No soft or hard drinks nor souvenirs will be found on this boat. Once there, however it is similar to Monhegan Isle in that it too seems to take you back in time while there.
With hundreds of fine nature trails, the freshest lobster dishes, and quiet ocean scenery, there’s a lot to write home about and you can even send it through the Isle Au Haut’s own tiny post office. And if you’re really lucky, your post card may even travel with you off island on the same mail boat that carried you there. Aside from Monhegan Island, my brother was in awe of the beauty and much slower pace he found there.
Thyme Goes By... 