Walking up the Main Road on a sunny summer afternoon: Tourism on Islesford over the years

Hugh L. Dwelley's "A History of Little Cranberry Island, Maine," pp. 147-148, describes day trippers out to Islesford:

In the 1940s and 1950s and earlier, a tourist family or a couple walking up the Main Road on a sunny summer afternoon, was a curiosity to be peered at or remarked upon. While the Islesford Ferry made trips to and from Mount Desert two or three times a day, nearly all its passengers were natives or summer residents well known to everyone. ... In 1998, the National Park reported 11,905 visitors to the Islesford Museum between June and September. While most came no further than the museum and the nearby restaurant dock with its gift and pottery shops, a good number walked or rode bikes across the island to Gilley Beach, with stops at the store for pizza [sadly, not open in 2007! -ed.] and a post card, or at Dan and Katie Fernald's art gallery or to snap a picture of the church.

These are the Day Trippers -- the latest layer of tourists to visit Islesford. No longer are they unexpected as they walk up the Main Road or down the Back Road, but they still may be subject to a remark or two. By 5 p.m. they are gone and the island belongs to its residents.