Autumn is a Maine event

BY BEVERLY MEYER

SWAN'S ISLAND, Maine

--The ferry loaded with cars from Bass Harbor inches into its berth at the Swan's Island pier.

The wind-weathered crew lowers the metal gangway, and drivers and walk-ons, including island teens who have spent the day at school on the mainland, disembark.

Already, a line of idling cars and trucks waits for the boat's next departure in 15 minutes.

We wave to one or two familiar faces as we drive past residents seeing off relatives, leaf-peeping day-trippers clustered around a bicycle-laden van, and mainland workmen who chat with each other or doze in their vehicles until it's time for tickets to be collected.

They all may be leaving, but we are arriving for an end-of-season stay at our little cottage nestled in a spruce-lined cove at the head of Burnt Coat Harbor.

It's autumn now, time to clear away summer things and shore up for the winter storms and icy cold sure to begin within a month or two.

We unload provisions, clothes and tools from our pickup and, before anything else, light a snapping fire in the wood stove.

Our dog scampers excitedly around the property, chasing a red squirrel that chatters angrily at him from a safe height on a fragrant branch.

Our cat tiptoes around indoors, exploring the chilly rooms that will be home for the next two weeks.

Outside, beyond the grassy yard, the late afternoon sun glitters on the saltwater tide that fills and empties twice a day.

Overhead we glimpse one of the resident eagles circling, disturbed from its perch in a nearby tall tree by our activities. Its white head contrasts with the dark plumage that keeps it camouflaged much of the time it spends fishing in this cove.

We know that while we're here it will be a solitary stay. Swan's Island is home to only about 300 people, mostly lobstermen and their families, although in summer months the "come heres" like us number two or three times that.

There's only one small store that purveys basic groceries, a post office that also shelters a small library and police/town office, a fishermen's cooperative and private wharf that sell lobster (sometimes as low as $4 a pound!), and a few home-based businesses offering postcards or ice cream to tourists in season.

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WHAT: Swan's Island is a great, off-the-beaten-path destination for visitors who can find enjoyment in simple pleasures. First-time visitors might like to make it part of a Down East Maine vacation, rather than a destination.

WHERE: Located about 900 miles from Fredericksburg, it's about a 16-hour drive on Interstate 95, depending on traffic. Actually getting to the island depends on timing your arrival to match the ferry schedule (view the schedule from Bass Harbor to Swan's Island online at maine.gov/mdot).

Once you get to Hancock County, you can stay in Ellsworth or Bar Harbor or Southwest Harbor, all of which have motels and B&Bs (check online for choices and prices). The latter two are popular tourist destinations.

FERRY: The car ferry leaves from Bass Harbor, on the south side of Mount Desert Island, home of beautiful Acadia National Park. Round-trip tickets to Swan's Island are a bit pricey (car and driver, about $49; additional passengers, about $16 each), but on a clear day the six-mile ferry ride is a delight in itself as you pass lobster pots, sailboats, islands and the occasional porpoise.

If you plan to make it longer than just a day trip, be sure to arrange for accommodations in advance. Look online at swansisland.org for a list of accommodations and services, such as dining (very limited). Be advised that this is not like staying in Bar Harbor; there are virtually no amenities on the island.

Date published: 11/1/2009

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