And you're staying where?

...a home for the night

My trip is the week before the 4th of July, which is likely to be prime travel time in a location as popular as Bar Harbor. And this is not a camping trip. So yes, I did it again - I am heading out on a planned solo tour, with places to stay booked for every night.

I thought I'd try to stay in B&Bs for most of the trip, but as things worked out I'll be staying in hotels for 4 nights and in B&Bs for just 3 nights. Actually, I had figured on hotels in Bangor and Ellsworth, but I thought I could do B&Bs for the rest of the trip. Bar Harbor turned out to be a bit of a problem though. Not only were the B&Bs there pretty pricey, most of them also required a 2-night stay. OK, it's a hotel in Bar Harbor too.

The B&Bs? I'll be staying at the Oceanside Meadows Inn in Prospect Harbor for one night, and Harbor House on Sawyer Cove in Jonesport for 2 nights. The people I spoke to on the phone had a reasonable reaction when I asked them if there was a place I could keep my bike, so I'm assuming (and hoping) that these will be good places to stay.

When I'm staying in a hotel I just wheel the bike into my room, but I always ask B&B owners if there is a place for the bike. Sometimes the room works, but sometimes it doesn't.

When I told the innkeeper at the Oceanside Inn that I would be arriving by bicycle, and asked if there was a place for my bike, he said he was sure he could find a place but he'd have to think about it. When I explained that in hotels it usually stays in the room with me, his immediate response was "oh, the room I put you in has a lot of space, and there is even an outside staircase that you can use - your bike can stay in your room". I verified that there are no restaurants in easy walking distance, so I'll need to stop along the way to pick up food for dinner. It turns out there is a kitchen that guests are welcome to use, so I should be all set.

One B&B down, time to check on the Harbor House B&B... As I was finishing my conversation with Maureen, the B&B owner in Jonesport, I told her that I was traveling by bike and asked if there was a safe place for my bicycle to hang out. She immediately said "you can leave it on the porch", and then she went on to ask me where my car would be. When I told her that I was planning to leave my car in Ellsworth, there was dead silence on her end of the phone. Then she said "but that's far!". I just loved her reaction.