Maine Trip By the Numbers and One Last Lighthouse [The Trip Home]

So, here is our trip by the numbers:

2,049 - miles traveled
     13 - nights on the road
       7 - places stayed (1 public campground, 5 private campgrounds, 1 relative)
       2 - countries visited
       9 - states/provinces visited
       3 - kayak paddles
      13  - blog posts
       2 - times crossed the 45th parallel (half way to the North Pole)
     11 - meals of locally caught seafood (2 lobster, 5 clams,  2 scallops, 2 fish)
       4 - lighthouses visited

We have fallen in love with the upper coast of Maine.  As we traveled home and  south on Route 1 we were struck by how prosperous the towns seemed from Bar Harbor southward.  Gone were the abandoned buildings, and peeling paint that we saw as we traveled the northern coast.  Instead we saw slick and shiny, old-timey New England buildings and tourists everywhere.  It made us miss the quiet and undiscovered, but economically depressed, region we had just left.

Our first stop as we headed south was Bass Harbor to have lunch with our friends Simeon and Haley who were camping there.  Not only was it great to see them, it was fun to visit one of  the "less frequented" parts of the Acadia National Park region.   There were still lots of people but nothing as crazy as the times we have been in Bar Harbor.

We got to the Camden area that first night, and set off on the second travel day stopping for lunch in Portland (see previous post).  That second night we stayed in York Beach which is home to 2 lovely sandy beaches (known as Short Beach and Long Beach) and A LOT of tourists.  They also have a perfectly beautiful lighthouse on Cape Neddick, also known as the Nubble light because it sits on a Nubble Island.  Locals say it is the MOST photographed lighthouse in New England.  [Is every lighthouse someone's most or second most???]

We spent the third night in lovely Locust Lake [Pennsylvania] State Park, and arrived home early the next afternoon.

We added Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New Brunswick

Beautiful Maine Wildflowers, Lubec and Cape Elizabeth, Maine [Passamaquoddy Bay and Casco Bay]

Summer is fleeting in Maine, with only a few months of "hot" weather.  During that time, abundant wildflowers decorate the sides of the road, paths and fields.  It is as if Maine wants to be as pretty as possible for the guests that flock there to get away from the "real" heat back home.

I took many photos, here are a few!

Two Lights State Park and Portland Head Lighthouse, Portland Maine [Casco Bay, Atlantic Ocean]

Portland Head Lighthouse

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that sometimes great adventures happen over lunch. This is one such lunch adventure.

WWII Battery - 2 Lights State Park

We decided to stop for lunch at Two Lights State Park near Portland ME.  There are no lighthouses at Two Lights, but there is a marvelous WWII battery hewn into the rocky headlands of the coast.  The battery was intended to protect the entrance to Portland Harbor.  The war ended before construction of the battery was completed.  What is left is a concrete bunker covered with earth so it looks like part of the terrain, and large, circular, concrete gun emplacements that were never outfitted with guns.  The battery sits on top of amazing stone ledges that descend into the sea.  What a view!

On the way there, we had seen signs directing drivers to "the lighthouse," so we asked the ranger for directions.  These took us to the famous Portland Head Lighthouse.  This historic lighthouse is considered one of the oldest in the United States, having been lit for the first time in January 1790.  It stands 80 feet above land and 101 feet above the water.

Stone ledges in view from the battery

Around the lighthouse is the spacious Fort Williams Park that is run by the town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  There was a food truck there selling lobster rolls (of course), and another vendor selling the "Best Gelato in New England" (it was delicious)!

There are lots of beautiful lighthouse pictures below, so keep scrolling!

Another view

Inside the bunker - can't believe the gate was open

Portland Head lighthouse

Fog rolling in over the lighthouse

Whale Watching [Passamaquoddy Bay, Bay of Fundy]

Minke Whale

The Tarquin viewed by kayak the morning before our trip

Every summer whales come to the Bay of Fundy to feed, give birth to young, and play.  They feed on krill, squid and schools of young herring, pollock and mackerel found in the Bay.  The abundant food and the protection that the Bay gives them, makes it an ideal spot to "summer" as a whale, and consequently for whale watching for humans.

Eagle to the left -- nest to the right!

Every day, we spoke to someone who had seen whales, usually in the same spot that we had just been that day, without seeing a whale.  So, we decided if the whales were not going to come to us, we would go to them.

We took the boat named Tarquin on a scheduled whale watching tour.  There were no other passengers, so it was just the two of us and Captain Milton looking for whales.  We headed down Passamaquoddy Bay along Campobello Island, New Brunswick.  We looked for places where there were lots of gulls, because they feed on the same food as whales, and we went to places where Captain Milton had seen whales before.

Salmon Farm

On the way out, we passed an island with an enormous eagles nest AND an eagle, too.  That was a treat.  We also passed several Salmon farms.

We soon joined another whale watching boat (this one loaded with passengers) and saw our whale.  A lovely Minke whale arching in and out of the water.  The Minke whales are baleen whales and grow to about 30 feet long and weigh 10 tons.  Baleen whales don't have teeth, they strain krill and small fish through a series of plates with hair fibers that grow from their upper jaws and which is called baleen.  Our Minke whale was just marvelous, feeding and showing its back and fin periodically (and occasionally it's head) as it moved along the water.  The Minke's dorsal fin is located very far down it's back.

The Captain's radio buzzed and popped with news of the sighting and we were soon joined by more whale watching tour boats.  One boat was low to the water and required everyone to wear  cold water survival suits.  One boat had two stories and was so loaded with tourists that it listed heavily as everyone crowded to one side of the boat to see the Minke.

Though we were told that the boat engine noise doesn't bother the whales, our whale dove deep and disappeared when 6 tour boats were circling it.  After the whale left, so did most of the boats.  We circled around looking for the whale, who eventually reappeared.  Perhaps it was because there were only 2 boats left in the area?

We felt honored to have seen this marvelous animal.

There are lots of photos, so keep scrolling down!

Many watchers - just one whale

Minke Whale: A typical minke whale is only in the neighborhood of 30 feet long and weighs 10 tons. One of the smallest of the baleen whales, you can identify the minke by watching it surface, where most of the back, dorsal fin and blowholes are visible. Deep dives of 2-20 minutes, are preceded by a pronounced arching of the back. - See more at: http://www.goeastport.com/whale-watching-is-a-must-when-exploring-downeast-and-eastport/#sthash.aQhY4VBk.dpufMin

Minke Whale: A typical minke whale is only in the neighborhood of 30 feet long and weighs 10 tons. One of the smallest of the baleen whales, you can identify the minke by watching it surface, where most of the back, dorsal fin and blowholes are visible. Deep dives of 2-20 minutes, are preceded by a pronounced arching of the back. - See more at: http://www.goeastport.com/whale-watching-is-a-must-when-exploring-downeast-and-eastport/#sthash.aQhY4VBk.dpuf

Minke Whale: A typical minke whale is only in the neighborhood of 30 feet long and weighs 10 tons. One of the smallest of the baleen whales, you can identify the minke by watching it surface, where most of the back, dorsal fin and blowholes are visible. Deep dives of 2-20 minutes, are preceded by a pronounced arching of the back. - See more at: http://www.goeastport.com/whale-watching-is-a-must-when-exploring-downeast-and-eastport/#sthash.aQhY4VBk.dpuf

Eastern-Most Lubec Maine [Passamaquoddy Bay, Bay of Fundy]

Lubec, Maine is the easternmost town in the US, and there is a stone at the West Quoddy lighthouse designating the easternmost point.  This unique designation gives local merchants bragging rights as well.

What is it like to be further east than anyone else?  The sun came up at 4:45 in the morning!  It was pretty disconcerting the first time that it happened, but we got used to it.

Kayaking Johnson Bay, Lubec Maine [Passamaquoddy Bay, Bay of Fundy]

Imagine our delight when we found that the Sunset Point RV Park had a small beach and access to a lovely, protected bay.  We were warned by several people to be careful of the strong tidal currents lest we be dragged out to sea with the tide.  Johnson Bay is outside of the main current areas, and gave us many interesting places to kayak to.

Our first kayak was along the shores of Johnson Bay.  We watched the tide go out and the intertidal shoreline become revealed.

Our beach access

On our second kayak we crossed the bay on an unusual glassy, calm day to a harbor of moored fishing boats.  We followed the shoreline there to find a dock from which fishermen could launch dinghies to go out to their boats.  We were struck by how far you can go along this area of coastline without seeing a house along the shoreline.

During this kayak trip, we were accompanied by a grey seal who watched us curiously from a distance.  We would see a grey head and two shiny black eyes watching us.  I would get my camera out to take a picture, and the head would disappear under the water as my camera chimed as it turned on.  However, the head would reappear later to watch our progress.

Our third kayak took us toward the town of Lubec.  Ever cautious of the current in the Quoddy Narrows along side of town, we turned around at the edge of town, around the bend from the Narrows.  Our stopping point was the dock of the Wharf restaurant and motel in a re-purposed sardine canning plant.  At the dock was the Tarquin which we would later take whale watching.  On the way back we passed a derelict canning plant slowly disintegrating at the waters edge.  

Our campground from the water

Lubec, Maine from across Johnson Bay

The harbor across Johnson Bay (in the other direction from the town)

Working boats at harbor, Johnson Bay

Such a calm day, beautiful reflections in the water

The dock at The Wharf motel/restaurant, with the Tarquin