I have a new blog “Bicycling the beauty around us”. I created the blog as a logbook, of sorts, to track my husband and my bicycling adventures. I have spent the past few days putting the blog together, adding content from 2016 to the present (in chronological order) My new blogging website may be found by clicking here. Please check out my new blog. At present there are 36 published blog posts. I still plan to use this website, “The Beauty Around Us”, so please don’t stop following me here!
We checked out of the Red Roof Inn in Utica NY, and we were on the road by 7:00 am.Neither of us slept well last night, but our lack of sleep was no fault of the hotel or other guests.We were just restless (to get home, I believe).
We ate breakfast at the Port Byron Diner in Port Byron, NY.Bob ordered an omelet with potatoes; I ordered chocolate chip pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon.Breakfast was filling and delicious.
After breakfast we drove to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, where we drove around the Wildlife Loop.We saw an eagle today and a few other birds.There wasn’t much activity. We prefer coming to this wildlife refuge in the Spring. I talked with a man who was photographing the eagle.The eagle had not left his roost in 1 1/2 hours! We spent about 30 minutes waiting for the eagle to fly.
Eagle on its roost
I thought for sure that the eagle was going to fly.
What a stubborn eagle!
Leaving Montezuma, we drove to UBREAKIFIX in Buffalo.Bob had arranged to have his Google Pixel 2 phone repaired.The thumbprint sensor quit working.He was quoted a price of $80-100 a couple weeks ago and told the work would take a couple hours.Today he was told the cost of the repair would be $150 and would take 3 hours to fix.Bob opted not to have his phone fixed.
On our way home from Buffalo we made two stops.Our first stop was at Tim Hortons in Fredonia, NY.We ordered coffee/tea, two cookies (for Bob) and an apple fritter (for me).Our second stop was a fuel stop at Mobil in Fredonia, NY.
We returned home around 3:00 pm.Bob drove 2,070 miles total, while we were on vacation.
This blog post concludes Day 10 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019). We are already talking about returning to Maine some day, perhaps in the fall. We really enjoyed our stay in Maine!
We departed Pioneer Motel shortly after 6:00 am this morning, on our way home.
Our first stop was for breakfast at McDonald’s in Bath, ME. We had our customary bacon, egg and cheese bagel and sausage burritos meals.
Our second stop was at Cynthia and Larry’s house in Amherst, NH. Cynthia is Bob’s sister. We arrived at 10:45 am and left shortly after 2:00 pm.We enjoyed good conversation and a delicious lunch.
Our Lunch at Cynthia and Larry’s House
Our lunch was steak-lamb-turkey kabobs with potato salad and smoked bay scallops in a salad.Dessert was brownies and lemon/raspberry bars.Thank you, Cynthia and Larry, for the wonderful meal!
Shortly before we left to continue our drive home, I took a family picture.
The four of us and Weezie
We stopped for the night in Utica, NY at Red Roof Inn. It was 7:45 pm, more than enough hours on the go!After checking in, we drove to the nearby Denny’s Restaurant for dinner. Shortly before 8:30 pm we returned to Red Roof Inn, where we stayed for rest of the night.
This blog post concludes Day 9 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019).
We ate breakfast at McDonald’s once again, after a break for a couple of days. My meal of choice this past week has been a bacon, egg and cheese bagel, hash browns and orange juice. Bob ordered two sausage burritos, hash browns and coffee.
This morning we visited the Maine State Aquarium, located in West Boothbay Harbor. After paying the $7.00 each admission fee, we walked past the gift shop into the aquarium. The first thing we noticed were two large touch tanks. At center stage was a tank that held sharks and skates. We petted a shark! Its skin felt like sandpaper. Inside the second touch tank, the Tidepool Touch Tank, were lobsters, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers and other invertebrates. You could touch AND pick up any of the invertebrates in this tank. Recessed tanks along the walls held a variety of species native to the Gulf of Maine.
We attended a talk on lobsters. The Aquarium features lobsters in all sizes and colors.
This lobster was in the Tidepool Touch Tank.
We learned why a lobster is banded. The bands prevent lobsters from eating each other!
We met Neptune.
This is Neptune, a 14-lb lobster. His age is estimated to be between 15-18 years old.
We learned that fishermen bring the aquarium odd-looking lobsters, e.g. lobsters with multiple claws or lobsters with no claws and a variety of colored lobsters.
Our granddaughters would have enjoyed spending time at the Maine State Aquarium. Not only would they have enjoyed the touch tanks, but they would have enjoyed the opportunity to do some sport fishing from the aquarium dock. Rods and reels are available free-of-charge, and staff provides necessary instruction. We watched some children fishing for a few minutes. We didn’t see anyone catch a fish. There were a couple lobster traps hanging from the dock, which were available to be pulled up. One trap contained a lobster, which was dropped back into the water. The trap that we pulled up had a crab in it. We just dropped the crab and trap back into the water.
Leaving the aquarium, we returned to Pioneer Motel at 12:30 pm.
Around 4:30 pm we drove into Boothbay Harbor, where we enjoyed the refreshing breeze and bought pizza (2 slices each) at Pier 1 Pizza.
Boothbay Harbor Footbridge
Boothbay Harbor Footbridge
Our Lady Queen of Peace Church
Boothbay Harbor Waterfront
Boothbay Harbor Waterfront (near where we bought pizza)
Boothbay Harbor Waterfront (near where we bought pizza).
Leaving Boothbay Harbor we drove to Southport Island to Newagen, where we saw The Cuckolds Lighthouse once again.
The Cuckolds Lighthouse
Bob and I on dock with The Cuckolds Lighthouse behind us
We took Route 27 north to River Road through Damariscotta to the Mobil Fuel Station, where we filled up.We will start home in the morning with a full tank.We returned to Pioneer Motel around 7:30 pm.
This blog post concludes Day 8 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019).
Our Fourth of July was different this year. We didn’t attend an Independence Day parade. We didn’t host (or attend) a picnic. We didn’t even eat picnic food. We did, though, go see a fireworks display. It wasn’t a typical Fourth of July holiday for us, but we still had a very enjoyable day.
From the parking area, Bob followed a portion of the shore trail from Brickyard Beach to Pebble Beach, then back up to the old farm road returning to the parking area. Bob reckons he walked about 2.5 miles.There were a few muddy areas, but Bob managed to navigate around / through them without getting muddy.
While Bob was hiking at Dodge Point Reserve, I was relaxing back at Pioneer Motel. My main activities were reading and attempting to get a good photograph of a resident bird.
This picture is as good as it got. Bob says that this bird is an Eastern Phoebe.
Late this morning we drove to Thomaston to go to the Maine State Prison Showroom.The showroom is an outlet for the crafts made by the inmates of Maine State Prison.
The Window Display at Maine State Prison Showroom caught my eye!
We bought a yo-yo and a lighthouse bird feeder. The merchandise is priced fairly and reasonable throughout Maine State Prison Showroom!
This is the bird feeder that we purchased at the Maine State Prison Showroom.
Leaving the showroom we followed Route 97 to 220 and back to Route 1, thereby seeing more of Mid-Coast Maine.
We didn’t eat breakfast out today, having purchased instant oatmeal in a cup and fruit last night for today’s breakfast.
Today was a relaxing day.We did very little sightseeing, visiting places less than 20 miles away from Pioneer Motel.
In the morning we drove to Ocean Point, located in the village of East Boothbay, where we went for walk alongside the ocean.The ocean view, which included Ram Island Lighthouse off in the distance, was phenomenal.As we were walking back to our car, we spotted two seals!
Ocean Point – one of many seasonal homes
Ocean Point – A variety of flowers lined both sides of Ocean Drive.The smell was divine.
Ocean Point – more seasonal homes
Ocean Point – In the distance is Ram Island Lighthouse. Beyond that lighthouse is another lighthouse. I will update this blog post, when I determine the identity of that lighthouse.
Ocean Point – One of two seals! The second seal is farther right, almost out of frame.
This is one of many historical displays found in the Windjammer Emporium. Shown here are models of two schooners: the Sherman Zwicker (left) and the Blue Nose.
Located along Atlantic Avenue in Boothbay Harbor is Fishermen’s Memorial.
Fishermen’s Memorial honors the proud independent Maine fishermen who lost their lives at sea.
While I photographed Fishermen’s Memorial, Bob enjoyed the harbor view.
A short distance farther along Atlantic Avenue is a giant statue of “The Old Lobster Fisherman”.
Old Lobster Fisherman Statue
This is a GIANT statue.
I am 5’6″ tall, and I reach only the Old Lobster Fisherman’s knees.
I don’t know how long the Old Lobster Fisherman has stood here. My first visit to Boothbay Harbor was in 1983; he was standing there then.
We got lunch at the Subway in Boothbay and drove to a nearby park to eat.
After lunch, we returned to Pioneer Motel, where we stayed for rest of the afternoon.
Around 6:00 pm we drove to Damariscotta Mills – home of one of Maine’s oldest and most productive alewife fisheries.
Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder
Be sure to click on the link above for Damariscotta Mills to learn all about alewives and the fish ladder.
We made a return trip to Boothbay Harbor, where we ate dinner at the Harborside Tavern. Bob ordered fish and chips; I ordered a harborside burger. For seating we sat at a corner table, where we had a splendid view of the Boothbay Harbor footbridge and the water on both sides.
Bob’s Fish and Chips at Harborside Tavern
My Harborside Burger at Harborside Tavern
And, yes, I did eat all of the burger. I didn’t eat all the bread, though! The burger was delicious! We had room for dessert, too. We stopped at Wannawaf, located below the restaurant, for a small serving of ice cream in a cup, before returning to Pioneer Motel.
This blog post concludes Day 6 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019).
On our way to Camden, we stopped for a delicious and filling breakfast at The Rockport Diner in Rockport, ME.
Leaving Rockport, we drove through Camden to Camden Hills State Park. We paid an entry fee of $6.00 each to enter the state park. Our goal was to go to the scenic vista on top of Mount Battie. We had two choices. We could either hike or drive the Auto Road to the top of Mount Battie. We chose the driving option.
The Mount Battie Stone Tower was built in 1921 and recognizes “the services of the men and women of Camden in the World War, 1914-1918”.
From this vantage point magnificent views of Camden Harbor, Penobscot Bay and the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed.
Camden is “where the mountains meet the sea”.
“All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.”
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
It is believed that Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote the poem “Renascence”, while enjoying the view from the summit of Mount Battie.
Leaving Camden we drove to Marshall Point Lighthouse, which is located near the fishing village of Port Clyde.
Did you watch the movie “Forest Gump”? Marshall Point Lighthouse is where Forest Gump concluded his long run.
Marshall Point Lighthouse
Marshall Point Lighthouse
Marshall Point Lighthouse and Keepers House
Marshall Point Lighthouse
There were two lighthouses that we wanted to visit in Rockland: Owls Head Lighthouse and Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. We saw Owls Head Lighthouse first.
Owls Head Lighthouse
Owls Head Lighthouse
This last photograph was one of my favorites of the day.
We ate lunch at Rockland Cafe, which Bob’s sister had recommended to us. It was a good recommendation. Bob had a chef salad.I had a chicken salad sandwich and clam chowder.We had dessert too — blueberry crisp with ice cream for Bob and peanut butter pie for me.
The lighthouse is at the end of a 7/8-mile-long breakwater, so visiting requires a nearly two-mile round trip walk. Bob walked on the breakwater about 3/4 of the way to the lighthouse.When thunder and lightning started, Bob turned around.I didn’t walk on the breakwater. It had recently rained, and I did not have the confidence to walk the uneven rocks that I suspected were slick. I entertained myself on the shore, while Bob was walking to the lighthouse, by photographing seagulls and talking to people passing by.
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse with Seagull
After talking for a few minutes with a man, his wife and son they decided to walk out to the lighthouse (again). They attempted to reach the lighthouse earlier, but turned around when it started to rain. I told them to say hello to Bob, if they saw him on his way back. He would be the man with the bald head. I have to laugh again because, when I mentioned the bald head, the man patted his own head and said “like mine”. Within a couple minutes the man and I had concocted a story to go along with the family saying hello to Bob.
“Hey, wait! You are Bob, aren’t you? Hello!
“Do you remember me? We went to high school together at Warren Area High School.”
Does Bob look confused? He was confused for a few seconds.
This is the point in time, when the truth was told.
What fun that was!
Oh, Look! I didn’t have to walk out the breakwater to get a good picture of the lighthouse. I love my zoom lens!
You can see by looking at the map at the beginning of this post that we didn’t take a direct route back to Pioneer Motel. We decided to see a bit more of Mid-Coast Maine. It is a good thing that we had the Garmin GPS with us. Data was not available on our mobile phones for most of our travels today.
This blog post concludes Day 5 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019).
