The Maine Coast Part IV

There are so many small towns along Maine's coast - all located in regions, which too, have different names. For example, we are now in East Penobscot Bay, which is located in the Penobscot Bay Region in the area known as the Mid-Coast Region of Maine. Whew! Below are some of the highlights of the region:

The WoodenBoat School (WBS) in Brooklin, Maine. Brooklin is located on the Blue Hill Peninsula. See what I mean with the Naming Madness?!?!


While the school was closed for the semester, we were in the right place to reminisce about our kayak building days. Reflecting on the Japanese pull saw, the gallons and gallons of glue we used, and the epoxy filled red cup that melted (and could have caught fire). Ah... great memories!

You can do just about anything at the WBS - from learning how to become a sailor (Seamanship School) to kayaking courses, to boat building and design. It does come with a pretty pricetag, too, but probably well worth the experience. And who could beat the breathtaking views from the Maine coast?


The WBS's Mission Statement - WoodenBoat School was started in 1981 as an extension of WoodenBoat Magazine. Its state purposes are:

• to provide access to experience for WoodenBoat enthusiasts in construction, maintenance, repair, design, seamanship and other related crafts;
• to establish a meeting ground for the finest and most knowledgeable boating professionals to share their skills, techniques, and appreciation of the traditions of craftsmanship in wooden boats;
• to give added dimensions to the editorial content of WoodenBoat Magazine and Professional BoatBuilder.

We were most impressed with the thousands of saw-horses stowed away for the season, not to mention the clamps and feet of boards! To read more about the Wooden Boat School, click here.


For your reading pleasure, here are some statistics on the Penobscot Bay Region:

• Stonington (at the southern most tip of Deer Isle) is Maine's most productive port in terms of value and volume of its annual catch. It is a working waterfront community.
• While herring, softshell clams, scallops, groundfish, crabs, and mussels make significant economic contributions, lobster has long stood as the most valuable commercial species.
• Commercial fishing is a long-standing, traditional livelihood and lifestyle in these coastal communities, and in recent years, aquaculture (or fish farming) has emerged for restocking wild species and food production.
• One business venue that shocked us (but made sense with the environment) was the ice industry, particularly the Maine Lake Ice Company. For 16 years (1900-1916), the Maine Ice Company harvested ice from Walker Pond for distribution year-round, shipped on four and five-masted schooners to markets in Baltimore, Washington D.C., the Caribbean Islands, and even South America. The company's storage facilities on Eggemoggin Reach had a capacity of 120,000 tons of ice. Some historians consider the Maine Lake Ice Company to have been the largest natural ice-producing operation in the world.

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And now for some highlights from the West Penobscot Bay Region!

We started the day by heading south to Northport to the Swans Island Blanket company. They have herds of sheep on Swans Island that they shave each season, spin the fibers into yarn, dye the yarn, and hand weave the blankets. Rumor has it, these are incredibly warm blankets - and we know for a fact, they are EXTREMELY expensive! Unfortunately, the shop and showroom were closed for the season, so our next stop was the Windsor Chair Company.


"Hand crafting furniture, one piece at a time" is their motto. And sure enough, we walked into the woodworking shop to see Jim Brown building a buffet. He's been making furniture since 1987, and his shop walls are lined with order slips and wood patterns unique to Windsor furniture. We then headed into the showroom, which had 14 rooms full of furniture... stools, tables, beds, and of course, chairs. It too, is a very expensive place. One chair, with no bells and whistles or arms, costs $700. Richie is getting the itch to do woodworking again - and I'm glad he has the skills and patience to make furniture.


While Jim may have the largest number of bar clamps (pipe clamps) and hand planes we've ever seen, we guarantee he can't beat Mr. Joe Greenley's (of Redfish Kayak & Canoe) collection of spring clamps! Every man has his obsession. To read more about Windsor Chair Makers, click here.


We had lunch at Cappy's Chowder House where we were entertained by the placemats. Really - they were hysterical - and loaded with nautical cartoon drawings and characters saying things like "How long are we going to be out for?" Captain: "How many times do I have to tell you Charlie, it's a 3-hour tour - a 3-hour tour." There is even a pup seal at the bottom left corner with a dust pan and broom labeled "Good Housekeeping Seal."

Our favorite drawing is of a large family in a huge RV with the classic broken wooden sign that reads "The Bufords." There is an old lobster trap strapped on top of the RV, which the artist labeled "Future coffee table." The driver asks a local "What lake is this?... And how do we get to L.L. Bean?" Daily requests, I'm certain.

The clam chowder was equally clever and good - thick with potatoes and clams. And of course, white, never red. I'm not sure I understand this white versus red battle yet between the chowders. We've never had the red chowder, and fear we may have already been sold on the white.

The good news is that it is not necessary to drive to Maine to taste the "chowda!" Check out their website to order cases (Yes, cases!) of the goodness.


The people of Maine can bake, and just below Cappy's Chowder House is their bakery. It was overflowing with fudge pastries and fall flavored cookies like pumpkin spice and molasses. We got some great deals on muffins because they were "closing for the season" the next day. We chatted it up with the two ladies behind the counter. One, we learned, traveled extensively and spent a few years living aboard in Lake Union, Washington. She grew up in Massachusetts, ashamed to say so, and had always wanted to claim Maine as home. Well, when her then boyfriend kicked her out of the boat, she decided to move to Maine - and there she was at Cappy's Chowder House. She admits, though, that she will never really be a Mainenite (I imagine that's what they are called...). You have to live there for 40+ years to be considered a local... sounds familiar Bainbridge Island?

The other lady, not wanting to be left out in our travel discussion, bashfully said "And I've been to Maine!" She made the comment that she "Sar a boooat in de Hahbah," which translates to "I saw a boat in the harbor." Lovely accent!
Having been in Maine her entire life, she was a prime candidate for "must-see" advice. And she suggested Augusta and the Maine State Museum.


She was right. If you make the trek up to Maine, you CANNOT miss the Maine State Museum. It is not overwhelming like many museums we've been through. There is just enough information to absorb. The coolest part was the working millwater wheel. And not to mention the original flag used by Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Regiment on Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 - and the steps it took in preserving it. (More about Augusta to come, promise!)

By the way, Maine has one area code - 207. And their one and only merge sign is in Augusta.

The Maine Coast Part III - Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park covers a lot of acreage - 47,000 acres to be exact! - over a few of Maine's peninsulas.

Our first stop was the southern tip of the Schoodic Peninsula appropriately named Schoodic Point. It was full of seagulls! The most stunning thing about this stop were the diabase dikes. These are large stripes of black rock that oozed between the cracks in the granite. We saw stripes up to 4 feet thick, but heard these dikes can range from 10 to 60 feet wide!


We arrived at the Mt. Desert Island portion of Acadia National Park Visitor's Center 15 minutes before closing time. But we didn't want to buy anything - just get a good map of the park, which we figured we could get at the entrance. We were accosted by a rough-looking ranger who informed us that the visitor center was closing in 15 minutes. We acknowledged her warning and hauled but up the lengthy stairs. When we arrived in the Visitor's Center, the ranger behind the desk was completing the transactions for the day, but we figured she could answer a quick question about the campground location and process. Before we could open our mouths, she said "Folks, I'm sorry, my register is closed for the day." Attitude, attitude! We have always had pleasant interactions with National Park rangers, but it seems we caught this entire batch on a bad day, but we didn't let that ruin our adventure.

It was a very confusing campground, but nonetheless, we made it safe and sound, and our fellow campers were considerate. We were so exhausted the first night we arrived, that we set up the tent and went right to sleep. It is unusual for us to sleep so soundly the first night in a new place, but we did. We slept so soundly, that we didn't even notice that our RV neighbor had his generator on most of the night. Being a gentleman from Alabama, he came to our campsite the next morning and apologized for having the generator on. He didn't realize it was on past curfew (most campgrounds we've been to allow RVs to run their generators from 8am-8pm). Nice man.


Acadia National Park was the first area to be designated a National Park east of the Mississippi River. And although Europeans discovered this island in 1604 (by Samuel Champlain), settlements didn't occur until the 1800's due to war. The biggest surprise for us - most of the park's land was donated!



The above photo is of the Carroll Homestead, a hidden, and almost impossible to find driveway, off the Park Loop Drive. This house was built by John Carroll in 1825, and it was lived in by four generations of Carrolls. The signage emphasized this family's strong values and how everyone contributed to the success of the household - even the young.

It is hard to believe we are standing on 500 million year old sedimentary deposits called Ellsworth Schist. What is Ellsworth Schist? Mud that settled on the bottom of the sea, got pulled into the earth, and due to high temperatures and pressure, it transformed the mud into distinctive layers of rock. This mud is also mixed with granite, Cadillac Mountain granite.

There are terrains for every imagination. It's clear from the many hills and valleys on the island that it was shaped over thousands of years by glacial activity. It reminded us of some of the land around western Washington.

The Natural Seawall

We spotted two lighthouses:

Winter Harbor Light was established in 1856, built for $4,000, and discontinued in 1933. Today it is privately owned and "houses writers."


Bass Harbor Head Light was established in 1958 (much later than most lighthouses on the coast), built for $5,000 on two acres of land that were purchased for $80 (for a total of $5,080), and automated in 1974.


It is only 32 feet high, but stands 56 feet above sea level on its natural granite platform. The Fourth Order Fresnel lens (originally had a Fifth Order) was visible for 13 nautical miles. Today, the lighthouse serves as a Coast Guard residence, and visitors must do a bit of boulder hopping to view the lighthouse.


Most of the park is on an island named I'isle des Monts-deserts (Mount Desert Island) by Samuel Champlian because of the bare granite summit. From a distance, it looks like a bit of desert in a sea of trees and shrubs.


The highest point on this island, and the highest point on the US Atlantic Coast, is called Cadillac Mountain. At 1,530 feet high, it is the first location in the country to receive the light of dawn (for most of the year).

The mountain is named for Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. He was a Frenchman who claimed the land in the 1600s for King Louis XIV. Cadillac later discovered Detroit, Michigan - inspiring the name of the automobile. heehee

There was once a cog-railway and horse-drawn carriages that could take visitors to the summit. Visitors could even spend the evening in the Summit Hotel. But today, the land is an extremely fragile environment due to years and years of untamed visitors. We were able to drive up and take in a view much like the one from Mount Baker (inside joke with our climbing buddies - there was a total whiteout, and we could only see about 20 feet).


We didn't know much about Acadia National Park and discovered there are over 40 miles of old broken-stone carriage roads throughout the park. We'd like to return with our bikes and do some exploring, but for now, we must trek onward.

The Maine Coast Part II

We are having campground blues. Maine is known as "Vacationland," but it is closed for the season. We should have expected it with winter approaching, but it is still frustrating sometimes.

We are thankful to be here when there aren't loads of other people, though.

And one more thing... Maine weather can't seem to make up her mind. It literally rains every other day here. But the consistency allows us to plan activities just right. Two days of activities, one day of rest and rain, two days of activities, one day of rest and rain.


Our travels through Maine are going quicker than expected. The people are nice enough, a little stand-offish, but nice. And the food is amazing! We've eaten 6 lobster rolls, a few cups of clam chowder, a baked lobster, lobster bisque, and a boiled lobster. Gosh, I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump; "Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich."

The local bakeries should not (and have not) been missed. We've put on at least 5 pounds each with the increase in seafood and pastries.

We have spent most of our time in the car, weaving across U.S. 1 and into the coastal fishing towns. While each one is unique, they are all layered with lobster traps.

The town of Cutler was no different. If fact, it was one of the cuter towns with around 670 residents; founded in 1785, incorporated in 1825.


There is so much history here! Machias Bay is home to the Fort O'Brien State Historic Park, a tiny plot of land tucked away by the water.


It is here that Jeremiah O'Brien, the park's namesake, captured the British ship, Margaretta - considered the first naval battle of the American Revolution, naming Machias the "Birthplace of the U.S. Navy." It was an active site for 90 years.


The earthen mounds seen in the photo above were actually constructed in 1863 during the Civil War. Even though Maine experienced little of the Civil War, these mounds were built as defense, just in case.

Mainenites have a great sense of humor, and while on our way down Machias Bay, we spotted this altered street sign. We will never look at a "Road Narrows" sign the same way again. Brilliant!



To continue with the humor fest, we also passed this Mall...

Buck's Harbor in Washington, Maine

We have been able to see a few lighthouses, but most of them are off the coast and only accessible or viewed from one of the hundreds of tour boat cruises along the coast (most closed for the season).


Prospect Harbor Lighthouse was at the end of a highway behind a Coast Guard gate. The original light was built in 1891 and automated in 1934. It was actually decommissioned between 1859 and 1870 due to lack of maritime activity.


It was the first time I've heard of a granite lighthouse being replaced by a new 38-foot tall WOODEN lighthouse. Which do you think is going to last longer - granite or wood? Interesting "upgrade?"

The Maine Coast - Part I

We have officially arrived on Maine's northern coast, which is ironically known as the Down East and Acadia Region. It is the authentic Maine we hoped for.


St. Croix was our first stop, where we spent a few minutes viewing the island in the middle of the St. Croix River where Samuel de Champlain developed the "first European settlement north of St. Augustine Florida" in 1604.

National Geographic erected this monument at the 45th parallel back in 1896. Reading the plaque, we learned that the monument is "in the vicinity" of the 45th parallel. Not bad placement for the time, though.



We hoped to see the World's Largest natural whirlpool in Eastport, but the tide was too low. And although the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse was "closed for the season," we were able to walk around and enjoy the view.


While at the lighthouse, we met two ladies from Massachuesetts who were on a 9-day road trip. The lighthouse had a pit toilet and the passenger-side lady expressed how much she wasn't looking forward to this bathroom experience. Richie had just come from the toilet a few moments before and warned the second lady that there wasn't any toilet paper in the stall, and he offered her some of our stash. Richie told her we were on a road trip for the year, so we had all sorts of supplies. She commented that they were on a road trip for 9 days and didn't think to bring toilet paper. Richie handed the lady the roll, and we both thought she was going to take a strip or two from the roll, but instead, she took the entire roll! There wasn't anything to say, so we didn't say anything.

Our first night on the Maine coast was in the small town of Lubec. We woke up the next morning to a typical breakfast and a most unusual view. There was a Coast Guard crew at the nearby wharf and a police officer in a black mini van. Thankfully, we were inside gathering our belongings while the Coast Guard moved a body from the boat to the Coroner's van. A fellow hoteller (from Austin, TX) approached us and commented on our "decked-out" car (the horns, specifically), then told us that he just watched as the Coast Guard moved the body from the boat to a body bag. A few days later, we read in the local paper that it was the body of a missing fisherman. Read the article here.

We spent most of the day thinking about the guy and how the family would be told and how they would react. It is the harsh reality of any job.

The wharf where the Coast Guard docked.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway

It was off to the White Mountain National Forest to catch the Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington. We took a biodiesel train up the 3 1/4 miles straight up the hill, but visitors could also take the coal-fired steam engines. Total ascent time in a biodiesel engine - around 40 minutes. The coal-fired steam train can take anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours to go the short distance. We saw the railway team running the coal-fired steam train, but it was being put away for the season. The weather was a bit too cold for operation.

Notice the icicles on the water tower in front of the train.

We arrived at the train station early, and thought we might be the only visitors on the mountain for a Monday morning. With only 2 trains a day running this time of year, we ended up going with 63 other passengers. It was a tight ride, but fun.


We wore our "big puffies" and thought we might look ridiculous being the only ones in big coats. We might have looked ridiculous, but we were the only ones warm enough not to complain about the 15 degree wind chill at the top of Mt. Washington.


Some Mount Washington Cog Railway Facts:

• National Historic Engineering Landmark
• They limit the use of the steam and coal locomotives and rely on the friendlier-to-the-environment and faster biodiesel locomotives
• Marshfield Base Station (where we started) is at 2,700 feet
• The Cog Railway was the first mountain climbing railway in the world.
• Construction began in 1866, and the first excursion to the top was on July 3, 1869.
• The railway was designed and built by Sylvester Marsh of Campton, NH. Why did he build it? He wanted everyone to get safely to the top of the mountain. When he climbed the summit, he was caught in a storm, which forced him to spend the night at the top.
• New Hampshire Legislature thought this was a ridiculous feat and gave Marsh a permit to build a "Railway to the Moon."
• The summit of Mt. Washington is 6,288 feet

It was an eerie sensation climbing the mountain. You could feel the cla-clunk, cla-clunk, cla-clunk of the cog moving inch-by-inch up the tracks.


By now, you are probably wondering (just as I was) "What is a cog, anyway?"
It is a large (usually metal) gear wheel. It is placed with another gear wheel to move something - in our case, a train.


The biodiesel pushed us from behind while our guide sat (In front of the railing, mind you!) and checked for ice on the track. We traveled over "Jacob's Ladder," which is a 37% grade section of the track. And saw the "Level House" which gives visitors an idea of just how steep the mountain is.

Jacob's Ladder

Mt. Washington is the "Home of the World's Worst Weather" and famous for its blow-you-off-the-mountain winds and bitter cold. We were lucky to arrive on a relatively calm and warm day. Temperatures were in the 20s. We could almost sunbathe!


The winds are so intense at the summit, that the icicles attached to buildings and the railway are parallel with the ground - just like the trees on the Atlantic coast leaning because of hurricane winds! To learn more about the Mount Washington Observatory at the summit, click here. Observers document their experiences on a blog and you can see the current conditions through their webcam. Very cool!

The top of the railroad track at the summit.


Underneath the railroad tracks at the summit.

The icy railing at the summit.

We have toyed with the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail for years, but decided against it because of the months and months spent within trees. However, our train ride up Mt. Washington, and the spectacular views from the summit, made us realize that not all of the trail presents trees. There are some views, too! Maybe one day we will attempt the Appalachian Trail - starting in Maine, of course.

We haven't seen any welcome signs when crossing state lines. Perhaps it is because we are approaching on highways instead of freeways or interstates. Still, we have not seen a "Welcome to Vermont" or a "Welcome to New Hampshire" sign. We have seen signs marking the state lines, though. We suppose there are no welcome signs because residents don't actually want tourists to come in to their state. We imagined a Maine welcome sign: "Welcome to Maine. Now go back to Not-Maine."