Maine Summer of 2024, Part 2

We spent five nights at a campground in Old Orchard Beach – our jumping off point for exploring the southern and mid Maine Coast. From there we attempted to see as many lighthouses and eat as much lobster as possible.

LIGHTHOUSES

Maine has 65 lighthouses. They are my new obsession.

Nubble Lighthouse

Our first Maine lighthouse, 1879 Nubble Lighthouse, is situated at Sohier Park near York Beach. We watched the shore birds and the scuba divers and spent a delightful hour looking for the “perfect” lighthouse photo.

Portland Head Light

Maine’s oldest and most iconic lighthouse, and the most photographed lighthouse in America, Portland Head Light (1791) in Cape Elizabeth Maine, guards the shipping channel into Portland Harbor in Casco Bay. It is one of only four lighthouses still standing from George Washington’s presidency.

On this clear day we were also able to see Halfway Rock Light Station (1871) about ten miles in the distance.

Burnt Island Light

Standing one mile from Boothbay Harbor, Burnt Island Light (1821) is now an educational center for students and teachers. We saw this light house in our Boothbay lighthouse cruise with Cap’n Fish.

Ram Island Lighthouse

We also saw the Ram Island Lighthouse (1905) on Cap’n Fish’s lighthouse cruise. We circled the island and saw this beautiful lighthouse from every angle.

Elizabeth Light (Two Lights)

We were fogged out at Two Lights near Portland.

So we called an audible and stopped at the famous Lobster Shack at Two Lights.

We can highly recommend the fish chowder and the strawberry-rhubard pie (ordered in my mom’s honor).

The waves crashed on the rocks near our table but we could not see the ocean for the fog. The local rocks look like grains of wood but are compressed and metamorphosed quartzite and phyllite.

What a delight the food and foggy scenery were at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights.

Bug Light

Erected in 1875 at the end of a skinny 1,990 foot breakwater (to protect from storms), the area was later filled in to develop Bug Park.

The park offers views of Portland Harbor, with room for kite flying and walking, and information about the area’s ship building past, especially during WW I and WW II.

BOATS

Harbor Cruise with Seals, Lighthouses, and Lobster Trap Haul

Our Cap’n Fish’s cruise out of Boothbay Harbor featured seals sunning on the rocks and a bald eagle surveying his kingdom from a high rocky perch.

We saw two lighthouses (Ram Island and Burnt Island). The cruise closed with a lobster trap haul and a talk about lobstering.

Cabbage Island Clam Bake

We looked forward to this clam bake all week. A boat took us to Cabbage Island where the Moore family does a clam bake 7 days a week for up to 180 people during the season.

Two lobsters, a pound of steamed clams, a potato, boiled onion, boiled egg, and blueberry cake. Yum. Plus good company and gorgeous peaceful setting.

We explored the island afterwards.

And enjoyed the lights on the trip back to the pier. the church in the distance is Maine’s second most photographed site (after Portland’s Head Light). JFK visited the church and furnished the money to light it at night.

FOOD

In Maine, it is all about the lobster!

And we had lobster almost every day and almost every way.

VILLAGES and HOUSES

The towns and villages of Maine are filled with flowers and charming houses whether viewed from sea or land.

We dropped some serious coin at the huge L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport where the shirts in every color way are neatly folded and the employees are right there to help with your shopping needs.

President Bush’s family compound is in an area dominated by houses valued at 5-10 million plus. A tiny 15-minute pullout is provided to gawk and take pictures from across the water.

FLOWERS

Some cities love their flowers. DC and Chicago come to mind. The whole state of Maine is a flower heaven, at least in the summer. Boothbay Harbor may be the best example of Maine’s flowers.

From sidewalks to front yards to commercial spaces, we saw a celebration of warm weather. I imagined the Maine gardener dreaming of flowers throughout the cold snow-filled winters.

This five-night leg of our trip was in southern and mid coast Maine – from Boothbay Harbor south. We go to Bar Harbor and Acadia NP next.