Summer in New England

On July 3, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont lifted their 14-day quarantine requirement for residents of New Jersey. We immediately completed our plans for a motorhome trip through these states.

Maine 
“Pine Tree State” 

Kittery Point

Our first stop in Maine was for a short woods walk and lobster lunch at the Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier. At the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Trail we met our first “wildlife” – swarms of mosquitos which quickly discouraged us from our planned walk but not our lobster lunch.

    
Before                                                                                       After

Portland 

On Casco Bay, lighthouses loom over rock-strewn, wave-washed shores. The Eastern Promenade Trail passes along the waterfront with views across the bay and through the historic port. We also found a lovely sand beach at Elizabeth Point in Kettle Cove State Park. The water however was much to cold for us to take a dip in the ocean.

   Cape Elizabeth Light                                          Portland Harbor Light

On our way to Bath, of course we stop in Freeport at LL Bean to do some shopping.

Bean Boot

 

Bath
The Maine Maritime Museum in Bath is located on the site of a 19^th century shipyard where wooden sailing ships were constructed. These huge ships were built to carry coal from Pennsylvania and West Virginia to industrial sites in New York, Boston and Portland. On the grounds is a life-size sculpture of the Wyoming, a 426 feet long, 6 masted schooner capable of carrying 6000 tons with a crew of only 14. This  was the largest wooden ship ever built in the United States. It was launched in 1909.

Percy & Small Shipyard

      Wyoming Sculpture - 6 masted schooner

Do you see Jim in the picture?                                                                               __

Present day Bath Iron Works opened in 1884, succesor to the wooden ship building industry on the Kennebec River, is the only shipyard on the east coast which is building destroyers for the US Navy. At the present time four destroyers are under construction at a total contracted cost of $6 billion.


Destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson DDG-1002
A highly sophisticated stelth guided missile launcher that has the radar image of a 50 foot cabin cruiser.
COST IS ONLY $3 BILLION  

   Bath Brewery                                                                    Maine woods and ponds

 

Pemaquid Point

The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams. The light is visible 14 miles at sea. Though tranquil as we climbed the surrounding rocks, raging surf often engulfs the base, which is 80 feet above the water.


Pemaquid Point Light

 

Lobster! Lobster! Lobster!
At several points where we have stopped along the coast, it looked as if you could walk across the water on lobster buoys. We are doing our best to support this industry - even waiting in line in the sunshine and heat for almost 45 minutes to order the world famous Red’s Eats Lobster Roll. We can report that it was worth it – all lobster meat and warm butter for dipping.

 

   Round Pond Harbor lobster boats                                               Red’s Eats Lobster Roll

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