Bar Harbor was Marla’s pick from the passenger seat the moment she spotted sailboats threading between pine-covered islands. They staged the Basecamp at a nearby county park and day-tripped in, because downtown streets reward compact trailers and patient drivers.

They split a lobster roll on the pier, watched a whale-watch boat ease out of the harbor, and got lost in a used-book shop for an hour. Doug photographed fishing buoys stacked like candy; Marla collected sea glass for a windowsill jar back in Des Moines.

That evening they returned to the Basecamp, boiled corn on the Coleman stove, and listened to fog horns through the screen door. A couple from Vermont shared maple candy and warned them about black flies in June—filed away for next time.

Silver Trekker verdict: Small-town coastal charm with big flavors. Arrive early, leave the big rig on the mainland, and walk the waterfront.

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