Free at last, Free at last. We depart the Boston area heading north, away from the last of the big cities on our too-aah. Cutting through the southeast tip of New Hampshire (only 20 miles) we entered the pretty countryside of Maine. We passed through the town of Bath, Maine which is significant for it's oldest and most prominent industry, Bath Iron Works. Bath Iron Works is a major shipbuilding company that turned out 82 destroyers and other ships during WWII. This includes the USS Taylor (DD-468) in 1942, which is the ship I served on in 1962. Also built at BIW was the USS Taylor (FFG-50), the ship we saw decommissioned in Jacksonville (see Trip Report #2). The campground we picked out in Boothbay, Maine turned out to be great. We got the prime spot and it happened to be the only weekend of the year when they have two nights - get one free. Since it's such a great spot, we're doing that. Note the water. This is actually a river, but subject to the tidal action of the Atlantic. High tide has been in the morning, and low tide (mostly mud then) is in the afternoon, about 7-8 hours apart. Then another cycle in the nighttime. Don't forget to click on the smaller images to enlarge. It's difficult to know where to start in describing Boothbay Harbor. We think it has as much or more 'quaint' as Cape Cod or Martha's Vinyard. Maybe we'll start thinking of it as 'charming'. This area is a popular tourist spot as well as a place for summer homes for the well-to-do. Our weather has been delightfully bright and sunny, temperature in the 60's. Everywhere people are out, sitting in the sun, or puttering in yards or on boats. See the lady? Houses around the harbor tend to be more upscale summer homes or rentals, while on the interior roads, there are new and old, but rather separated and somewhat secluded in wooded areas. Some of the little islands have houses on them. The shopping area is quite 'charming' and easy to access (not too crowded yet as the 'season' is just starting - everything closes for the winter). Harbor scenes are also 'chaa-ming'. The tide is low in most of these pics. Lobster boats are everywhere. The things that look like hay bales are lobster traps. We see them on piers and in peoples' yards. The colorful items on the side of the building are called 'pot buoys' and they are like corks or bobbers on a fishing line. Each lobster man has his own color scheme so he can readily identify his traps There are several lighthouses here. The center one below can be rented as a B&B in the 'keepers' quarters. And unusual churches. This one was built by a man in memory of his wife. Services are held here and it is a popular place for weddings. The blue church had a sign out front identifying the chapel, then the notation 'Vacation Rental'. Go figure. Remember our West Coast trip where Mary Lou always made new 'friends'? Well, she found some here. This place was recommended by our campground people and was featured on the Food Channel in a 'Crabcake Throwdown with famous chef Bobby Flay. We shared an excellent seafood platter in a quaint setting. We did most of our sightseeing on Friday. Saturday we visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. This will be the subject of the next Trip Report, but following that we went back to what became our favorite restaurant to have our obligatory Maine lobster. And so we enjoy our late lunch, then linger awhile, savoring our final moments in this fantastic place.
Tomorrow we leave the Atlantic coast after 4 weeks and head west. This has been the easternmost part of our trip. Stay tuned.
6 Comments
Larry Pullen
5/31/2015 09:51:13 am
I love it that you folks are living the good life. Don't forget to come back to us, though.
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BOB POTTER
5/31/2015 12:29:36 pm
THE LOBSTER---TALK ABOUT"finger licking good"!!!!
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jackie rodriguez
6/2/2015 02:04:37 am
love the house on the island.. huge lobster!! love the pics. thanks
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steve rodriguez
6/2/2015 08:41:06 am
Well, you didnt have to go somewhere to have Maine lobster flown in, you already there!!!! Looks yummy!!!!!
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Ruby
6/3/2015 03:06:35 am
Always wanted to go to Maine, felt like I did this morning. Love the pictures, beautiful place.
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8/2/2015 09:28:03 am
Fannie and I were priviledged to live on Long Island for five years and visited these sites. Just beautiful. You are truly blessed. Thanks for sharing.
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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