Road Trip New England part 2 (mid july)

Summary of time:
· Driving through different landscapes, but with lots of trees.
· Lighthouses, Beaches & Mountains
· Mixed weather

Handy hints –
§ Get localised maps, hints of things to go and do or see.
§ Be prepared if wandering off interstates and main roads for narrow windy roads, and not always good condition roads
§ Have your camera ready, and be prepared to change direction.
§ Be prepared for all types of weather, as it can change several times in a day!

Travelling back up the other side of the peninsula, i decided that rather than just keep on highway to head east, as the next couple of peninsula’s were wider i would follow the coastal route, and just see the different places....including a different style lighthouse at Marshall Point near Point Clyde (which was in Forrest Gump movie). Heading on through to Rockland, back on Highway 1, this is a seaside town, which is very ‘hip n trendy’, so a mix of typical seaside sights as well as new shops, modern cafes etc.
Time was moving on, so i headed on up the coast through Rockport and Camden, finding a motel just near Camden State Park, overlooking the bay (if the mist wasn’t down). The afternoon had been cloudy, and rain was threatening. Following recommendations i headed back into Camden and found the harbour, and The Waterfront. I sat outside (in the covered area) and enjoyed a large starter of Fried Brie and Salad – usual stuff and strawberries, grapes, melon - (it was a full meal in itself) followed by Homemade Crab cakes and Jacket Potato (half of my main course i took as carry out and was lunch the next day!!). Whilst having dinner, the heavens opened as they had been threatening all afternoon. I waited until it eased off before heading “home”.
Next day the weather at least was dry but overcast, deciding not to rush out too early (caught up on emails etc) was good, as i decided to head back south via a meandering route (visiting Vesper Hill Chapel – also known as a Children’s Church) to Owl’s Head Lighthouse, where i was fortunate and the clouds had lifted. Earlier on the fog horn had been blasting out, and was deafening. The tower was 300ft away from the keeper’s house, and also about 50ft higher, and in the days that there was a keeper required to maintain and light the lamp, the walkway had been covered, but now is just a boardwalk and steps – easier to maintain. The heat that was emitting from the lamp was sweltering; well it was a 1000 watt bulb!
Heading back into Rockland, i wandered part of the Harbour Trail – looking at the tourist map it didn’t seem far from the Harbour through town and onto the Breakwater Lighthouse, but i soon discovered it was 3 miles each way! Leaving the Harbour, i followed the trail through town and beyond the Ferry Terminal (about 40 mins) and then deviated from the route, and wandered back through the streets of houses, via the town centre back to the car, and then drove to the Breakwater. By this time (mid afternoon) the sun was out, with hardly a cloud in the sky. So i walked along the large boulders (with some largish gaps) out to the Lighthouse (which was closed), which was a good 20 min walk each way. I could clearly see Owl’s Head Lighthouse as well. The evening was arriving, so back to the motel, and great views from the porch. Chatting to a neighbour, i was encouraged to go up Mt Battie in Camden Hills State Park, especially as it was clear and forecasts were not good for the next day, and see the sun set.
Although there are lots of good walks, there is a road that takes you up, where there is a tower and you get some great 360 degree views. It was so clear that i could see the mountains in Acadia National Park (on Mount Desert Island) 30/40 miles away! The sun was setting as i headed back down around 8pm, just before the gates closed. I later discovered my parents had been to the same place a couple of years previously, staying at the campsite at the bottom of Mt Battie! The next couple of days, were cloudy and wet, so no views would have been possible!!
Deciding the next morning to stop at the motel for an extra couple of nights, i decided to follow the recommendations of a couple of nice places to go. Heading inland from Lincolnville, passing through a couple of small towns, is a small place called Liberty, and there is really not much there except a general hardware/antique store (which i believe has old fashioned way of getting your hardware needs), a few houses, and a T-shirt place. This was a great place to visit, good T-shirts, organic dies, and this is where you could get end of lines / seconds. My nephew has grown a fascination with sharks, so i decided to look through the children’s section and found 2 great T-shirts (bought both) as well as a bag for a cat loving friend. My nephew got his T-Shirt on the day he left for his holiday, and on wearing it at the end of the day he said with disappointment, he wished it was also pyjamas – yes his aunt had got it right!
From here i drove on a while, and found a lake, quiet, peaceful. Time to enjoy my coffee (fair trade from T-Shirt shop) and get out my notebook, to think and write down my thoughts. A real God moment, seeing a beautiful lake, and nature.
I eventually drove onto St George Lake Park, to have lunch, and to hopefully avoid the showers....as the next shower arrived, i ventured off to find the recommended ice-cream parlour, and had to enjoy my ice-cream in the car, as the rain had come.
I then headed back east to Belfast, but skirted around and carried on east, and over Penobscot Narrows Bridge (an amazing suspension bridge), through Bucksport, and down one of the peninsula’s, taking lefts/rights almost as it took me, i ended up crossing over the causeway i arrive on the land known as Castine. The causeway had a British flag at the end of it; i felt i had arrived in a little part of England. We, the British, had assumed control of it in 1779 with an army of 700 men, and built a fort. The Americans responded with 32 vessels with 1400 men, but due to their disagreement over plan of attack, we managed to get back up troops there, and it was one of the worst American naval defeats in history, they left their ships and walked back to Boston. One of the Officers court-martialed was Paul Revere.
I headed back to Camden, and found another great place to eat, and the weather had now improved.
The next day not feeling too well and it was raining all morning, was a day for relaxing in front of the telly.
The weekend was here and better weather was forecast. It was also time to move on, to get to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. A place of great beaches, walking, etc. Leaving Camden, it was north before east, past Belfast, but before i got to Penobscot Narrows Bridge, there was a place called Fort Knox. It is a name heard before in films, a reference to a place so secure no one can get in. There is another place of the same name in Kentucky.
Fort Knox was the first and largest granite fort built in Maine, to protect the Penobscot River Valley from Naval attack ie the British following the American Revolution and the War of 1812. We, the British, fought hard and gained control of the river and surrounding land which we claimed for the Crown. But due to our defeat in both wars, the control was soon lost. Following this the Americans decided to improve their defense plans, but no funds were available for 2 decades! The building was started, but before completion, troops were stationed here during the civil war, but never saw action, and the same during the Spanish American War.
It was fascinating to walk around the site, and imagine the soliders living here, also to walk around the Long Alley which basically took you around 3 sides of the fort (all 4 corners had Powder Magazines) and all the openings were facing the Dry Moat between it and the main Fort. It was dark, even during the day, i wouldn’t have wanted to walk down there at night! Also to see the size of the cannons that they had there, and the quantity as well (majority of the casements are empty, just a cannon in each area to show size/style). I was fortunate, as it was the start of a re enactment weekend, and actually arrived before it was all set up, but saw people arriving in costume for both sides of the American Revolution. On leaving the main gate, there were guards only letting people in who had a Pass (you were given one when paying entrance fee), most people had but their passes away or some had left them in the car not realising the importance of it.
It was then time to head off up the coast to Mount Desert Island, it has New England’s only National Park (Acadia) and the highest headland on the entire Atlantic Coast north of Rio De Janeiro, but the island is only 15 by 12 miles in size!