The Maine Coast Part VII & Augusta, too!

We ate breakfast at Moody's Diner, a must-stop along the coast of Maine, according to the locals. We want to warn you that you will be surrounded by photographs of people from around the world wearing the "I'm a Moody Person" t-shirt. It is incredible where these shirts have been - Italy, Russia, Uruguay, Chile, on soldiers in Afghanistan, and even just down the street in neighboring Rockland. Check out their website here.

We had plans to visit an Alpaca farm further south in Wiscasset, but Moody's placemat had an ad for the Village Farm Alpacas. It was just down the street, so we couldn't pass it up.


We dropped in to see Terence and his alpacas, and we were greeted by Molly, the one-eyed Labrador Retriever. Unfortunately, you have to buy something from the store in order to get a tour. But it was a good decision to get some alpaca socks with the upcoming winter weather.

Terence is obsessed with alpacas. He started talking about fiber thickness in terms of microns - and we joked about mediclorian counts (from Star Wars) and Jedi mind tricks. He got a kick out of it and commented that alpaca owners, at least those who are serious about the business and competitions, act like any other enthusiasts. They can talk all day about microns and their latest prize alpacas.

And that is just what Terence did. He brought us through the gates to meet his prized alpacas. He said they are not a feeding or petting farm, so we weren't allowed very close to the animals. He also said you don't want to herd the alpacas - as this causes unnecessary stress for the animal.


One of the funniest things that happened while we were there was centered around a few adolescent males. Terence keeps the mature males separate from the females and younger males. But just because some of the males were too young to be fertile, doesn't mean they couldn't try. And we think they need all the help they can get. At one point, the female was sitting on the ground and a youngster was sitting on top of her, but backwards. (See the photo below.) Once one started, they all got a bit of practice in. Check out Terrance's website here.

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We received a note from one of our climbing buddies that said "Pemaquid Point Lighthouse or you can't come home." Little did we know that this message came at the perfect time and was a secret in disguise.

Richie and I became frustrated in our struggle to find a place to sleep for the evening. We just couldn't understand why everyone had closed down for the season when the weather is so spectacular?!?!


But we decided not to stress about where we would spend the night - knowing that something always presents itself - even if we have to sleep in the car on the side of the road. While heading down Highway 130 to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (on the peninsula east of John's Bay, which I'm sure the peninsula has a name), we happened upon a campground that couldn't decide whether it was open or closed for the season. There were RVs parked in the park, but we couldn't tell if there were people in them or not. The sign on the office door said they were open, but the door was locked and the lights out. So, it was a free night for us. We didn't feel bad not paying the requested fee because there was no running water and the portable potty was chained closed and bungeed to a tree.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is a stout building with spectacular views of the ocean. Some facts:

• The first tower was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams, but it didn't last long due to salt water mixed in with the mortar. The second lighthouse was completed in 1835, and the mortar was mixed with fresh water this time.
• The 1856 Fourth Order Fresnel lens is still used today.
• This is the lighthouse on Maine's state quarter.
• The grounds house the 1857 keeper's house, the 1896 oil house, and a reconstructed fog bell tower built in 1992.

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It was off to the 400 year-old town of Wiscasset, which means "coming out from the harbor but you don't see where" in the Abenaki Indian language.

Our goal was to see "The Softest Farm in Maine" - Winter's Gone Alpaca Farm.

Harry, a beautiful Bearded Collie, greeted us at the driveway. Then we saw Judi, owner of the farm. And finally, we met the official "Spokespaca" of Winter's Gone Alpaca Farm - Snowball.


Some Alpaca Facts:

• There are two types of alpacas - the Huacaya (with crimpy hair) and Suri (with long silky hair). Alpacas are related to the llama and the camel.
• Alpacas come in 22 natural colors.
• They don't have front top teeth.
• Their lifespan is 15-20 years.
• And surprisingly, alpaca farms are profitable businesses in the U.S.

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With such a high recommendation from the lady at Cappy's Chowder House Bakery, we took a side trip to Augusta, Maine.

Some facts about Maine's capitol:

• Augusta was established as Maine's capitol city on February 24, 1827.
• The first state house was completed in 1832, and extensively redesigned around 1910.
• The Maine Legislature is a part-time, citizen Legislature. It meets for about 6 months during the first regular session and for 4 months during the shorter second regular session.
• It is the third smallest state capital in the U.S. (Second smallest: Pierre, South Dakota; Smallest: Montpelier, Vermont)

While touring the capitol building, we happened upon the Senate chamber where we were intrigued by the rocks on the legislators' desks. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a reason for them being on the desks, but perhaps they are today's equivalent of tomatoes? Let's hope the legislators have a clear motivation to behave themselves and give succinct speeches. Filibuster anyone?

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On our meandering drives along the coast, we came across many Maine cemeteries. They always struck us as beautiful in their simplicity - bordered by low stone walls - one you could imagine someone building hundreds of years ago from stray boulders scavenged from the woods.


Another common theme across Maine were the lobster buoys. The coastal Maine communities were similar to other beach communities we've visited - where it's pretty much an unspoken law that decorations must be of the nautical variety. Traditional buoys were made of wood and originally were painted a simple solid color which would be used to identify the owner of the traps. Today, most buoys are made of Styrofoam and incorporate unique designs to identify the trap's owner.