The Last from Maine

We drove down the peninsula from Rockland to the tiny town of Port Clyde. From there we took an afternoon boat cruise to see the puffins and seals. Nate and Sean enjoyed the nature show but what the liked most was this massive sea barge parked at the edge of the harbor. This is a giant boat with wheels, originally an army vehicle, that is used in marine construction. It hauls building materials and such to nearby private islands to build luxury homes for the super-wealthy.

While in Port Clyde we went to yet another lighthouse - the Marshall Point Light (aren't you glad I'm not showing you all the lighthouse pictures?). This is the rocky seashore near the lighthouse, with more opportunities for exploring among the crags and crevices.

Then it was time to head home. This is not actually in Maine, rather it's in New Jersey. Yes, amazingly New Jersey has some mountains although they are located in the far northwestern corner. We stopped at a state park on the long drive home to stretch our legs and enjoy some scenery. Then it was back in the car and homeward bound.

More from Maine

Our next journey was a ferry ride from Rockland to Vinalhaven Island, several miles and a world away from the Maine coastline. It took about seventy-five minutes to reach the island on the boat and we saw all kinds of great scenery along the way. It got chilly on deck so Sean spent most of his time in the cabin.

We walked around Vinalhaven Island for a few hours and took a ferry back to the mainland. This is Nate at a little park on the island where we stopped for awhile. There were a bunch of things to see and do but it wasn't a tourist place. Vinalhaven is a real working town catering not to visitors but to the lobster industry. The harbor was filled with lobster boats. We sure ate a lot of lobster on the trip!

Back in Rockland, we visited another lighthouse called Owls Head that protects the southern approach to the town. It's part of a park that includes a rocky beach and picnic facilities. Here we are enjoying our lunch on a beautiful outcrop next to the ocean. The fog rolled in and it sure got cold!... hard to believe it's August.

Back on the Owls Head beach, Nate enjoyed some rock climbing as well as hunting through the tidal pools for more sea creatures. Nate had no problem getting to the top of these massive boulders but he forgot that he also needed to find a way down. He figured it out without too much difficulty.
Here's a rare photo where dad actually got in front of the camera instead of behind it. The building in the background is for the lighthouse keeper. Everything is automated today so now one of the Coast Guard officers stationed at nearby Rockland lives here. We don't know how they could stand the loud foghorn sounds that resonated throughout the harbor every few seconds!

Maine Lighthouse

We are in Maine for vacation this week. It took us awhile to drive all the way up here so we don't plan on wandering far for the remainder of our visit. This is the Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland, Maine.

It's just like you'd picture Maine: a chill in the air and fog rolling in along a craggy coastline. It's August, and yet we had to wear windbreakers as we walked along the causeway towards the lighthouse. It will be warmer and sunnier the remainder of the week so no worries there, and the weatherman on the local news channel said that this might be the nicest stretch of weather this summer.

Some lighthouses are accessible by land. Others are located on remote islands. The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a little of both. The breakwater was built to protect Rockland Harbor from pounding surf, and the lighthouse was built at the end of the breakwater to prevent ships from running into it. The causeway atop the breakwater is nearly a mile long, and while it's not sidewalk smooth, it's certainly negotiable. Even Sean could hike out on his own with a little help from mommy.
It was time for exploring along the shoreline once we finished the hike to the light and back. It was low tide so there were plenty of tidal pools filled with all kinds of interesting sea creatures including starfish and plenty of different shellfish. Nate found lots of snails which he named Gary in honor of Spongebob's pet. We'd like to think we're raising our kids to be intellectuals giants (ha!) but even Nate goes lowbrow every once in awhile.

Sean got in on the tidal pool action too. As usual, Sean won't pose for a photo so the only option is to take candid shots from a distance. This one turned out pretty good.