New England 2013: Maine

As we enter Maine on the anniversary of the day Stephen, our son-in-law, died one year ago, we think about him all day and wonder anew why he was taken from us too young.  His loss to cancer has been so painful to everyone, but most to our daughter Tara and their two young sons, Basil and Levi.

 

Acadia National Park has been big on my bucket list for many, many years.  We planned this trip around Vermont fall colors and Acadia.  So we get here and the government is shut down!!

Acadia covers much of Mt. Desert Island on Maine’s coast.  It has sections of park land interspersed with private land and public roads.  So the thing to do here right now is to drive a public road to where it meets a park road, park along the roadside, wave to the ranger who is looking the other way, and walk in.  The rocky shoreline is stunning. 

 

 

 

The weather was perfect for hiking, so we put plenty of miles on the hiking shoes both days we wandered about Mt. Desert Island.  We thought of the grandboys as we scrambled over the rocks.  Basil, when he heard about it, wanted to come here NOW.

 

 

Tourism is big here, but lobster and fishing continue to be central to the local economy.  Bar Harbor is the main tourist town, but all the other little villages feature lobster boats and docks with seafood trucks to pick up the day’s catch.

 

 

Whole lobster dinner the first night included TWO whole lobsters for Don.

Lunch the second day was lobster rolls—chopped lobster mixed with mayonnaise served on a hard roll or grilled bread.  Luscious, especially served on the bay.

We also had breakfast at the Common Good Café.  They serve fresh, hot popovers and jam for any donation to support their winter soup kitchen on the island.

Sunset at the campground was perfect.

 

 

 

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge on Highway 1.

 

As we drove down the Maine coast, we took in the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath at the old Percy and Small Shipyard where many tall mast schooners were built including the biggest one ever, the six-masted Wyoming.  A sculpture commemorating it shows its size.  These six masts are 125 feet tall.

 

 

They also had a lobstering industry building.  Fascinating place.