Lamoine State Park, Downeast Maine

With winter starting to lose some of its punch and vacation season not too far over the horizon, it seems like a good time to post another review of one of Maine’s state parks.  I visited eight of the state’s 12 state parks with campgrounds last year, a number of which were return visits to places I had visited before on several occasions.  Lamoine State Park, located in Downeast Maine between Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island was one of them. Last year marked my fourth trip there. It has become one of the parks I have to visit at least once every year.  

Shoreline activity at Lamoine State Park

Lamoine State Park is relatively small at 55 acres.  It is located on the site of an old coaling station for naval ships, which is actually a lot more picturesque than it may sound.  There is scant evidence of the old coaling station now aside from a few historical markers, since it closed in 1912.  The University of Maine was responsible for the facility until 1949, when it was offered to the state of Maine.  I was interested to learn that some of the concrete that comprised part of the old station was reportedly hauled across the bay to be used in construction of the municipal pier in the town of Bar Harbor, which is a world-famous tourist spot just a few miles away as the crow flies.

A view of Frenchmen's Bay from Lamoine State Park, with Mount Desert Island in the background.

The bay, Frenchmen’s Bay, looms large at Lamoine State Park. The park sits on the edge, with stunning views of Mount Desert Island and the area coastline.  A number of fisherman moor their boats at Lamoine State Park, and the boat ramp is busy during the warm weather months with both commercial and recreational users.  It is a very popular spot for ocean kayakers, since the bay is sheltered from the high wind and waves of the open ocean.  There are picnic sites and open areas right along the edge of the bay, and lots of places to sit at the water’s edge and enjoy the view.  The shoreline is very accessible, and many people take advantage of it to explore and take photos.  I personally haven’t seen a lot of wildlife while exploring Lamoine State Park, aside from an elderly porcupine who waddled through my campsite one Saturday evening and proceeded to climb up a tree, completely oblivious to me.  There are a great number of birds however, particularly sea birds.  Eagles are native to the area, and it would not be surprising at all to see one there.

Old Man Porcupine, my 2014 camping buddy at Lamoine State Park

The campground itself is right on the water’s edge, and none of the park’s 62 campsites is more than a few minutes walk from the bay.  Only about ten of them have direct water views however, and they are often reserved well in advance.  As a matter of fact, Lamoine State Park is often close to fully booked during the peak camping months of June, July and August.  It’s beautiful, affordable, and just a short drive from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, so reserve your site early if you are planning to stay.  May and September are the easiest months to get your choice of campsites on short notice, though there are really no bad campsites at Lamoine State Park.  It just depends on what you prefer.  The campground is wooded and many sites offer a good deal of privacy.  There are some sites that are not separated, so several parties can camp together if they like, and two large-group camping sites are available as well.  As with most Maine state park campgrounds, there is no electricity or water hookups on the campsites at Lamoine State Park.  A bathroom and shower facility, always well-maintained I’ve found, is located in the center of the campground, though there are also outhouses located near some of the sites that are a bit further away from the center.  The park offers a playground and volleyball court, as well as a large treehouse for children, a picnic area with numerous picnic tables, and a few walking trails.  Bring warm clothing, since the breezes off the water can be quite chilly at night, especially early and late in the camping season, I’ve found.  While there’s lots to do at Lamoine State Park, swimming is not one of those things.  The bay is really too cold and rocky for swimming unless you are a penguin.

A sculpture on site at Lamoine State Park

Lamoine State Park, like all the Maine state parks I have visited, is run by a friendly and professional staff who are very friendly and always willing to help out or answer questions.  The grounds are exceptionally well-kept and they do a great job of making sure all visitors have a safe and enjoyable stay.

A remnant of the old coaling station at Lamoine State Park

One of the best things for a camper like me who is only into semi-roughing it is that the city of Ellsworth is only eight miles away.  If I find I’ve forgotten to pack something or have a craving for a lobster roll, it’s just a short drive to civilization.  Even though you can literally see Mount Desert Island from the park, you have to drive around an inlet and across the bridge to get there, which takes about a half hour.  Mount Desert Island offered endless opportunities for visitors, not the least of which are Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor.  I frequently take day trips to the island when I am staying at Lamoine State Park.

If you want to know more about Lamoine State Park, there is a link to their official web page.  It really is a beautiful spot that captures the essence of coastal Maine, and I highly recommend it for anyone making a trip Downeast.

All photographs in this posting were taken by the author.

Lake St. George State Park, Liberty, Maine

This year, I was lucky enough to have my summer vacation fall on the hottest and most humid week of the summer.  I was also lucky enough to be able to book a few days of tent camping that week at a beautiful Maine state park I had never visited before: Lake St. George in Liberty, which is between Belfast and Augusta.  I’d tried unsuccessfully to book campsites at Lake St. George on weekends in the past, but it is very popular with a limited number of sites.  The best sites fill up further in advance than I typically like to reserve, due to weather worries. (Tenting in the rain is an activity in one of the inner circles of my personal Hell.)  It was easier to book a couple of midweek days I found, and I did just that, getting a great spot right on the lake itself.  As warm and sticky as the weather was, I didn’t notice it very much because I could literally walk about ten feet and find myself in the clear, cool waters of Lake St. George any time I wanted.

For some reason, I didn't take many photos of my stay at Lake St. George, but here is one of my campsite there.

Lake St. George State Park is on the site of an old farmstead, and there is still a large barn in the center of the park that I believe is from that original farm.  It’s not a large park compared to some of Maine’s other state parks, only 358 acres total.  When you first drive into the park, you can turn left or right from the ranger station.  A right takes you to the camping area, and a left to the public day use area.  

The day use area features plenty of parking, a large beautiful beach with a lifeguard on duty in season, a children’s play area, and plenty of picnic areas.  It is all handicap-accessible.  I’m not sure if there is a boat launch area on the day use side of the park, but I do know there is a public one just up the shoreline a bit, as well as an area in the campground where boats can be launched.  Motorized boats are allowed on Lake St. George, but I didn’t find there to be a huge number of them, even at the height of summer.  There were plenty of canoes, kayaks and sailboats on the water when I was there, and everyone seemed to co-exist peacefully.

The camping area is basically a large loop, with a smaller loop branching off from it.  Only about a half dozen campsites are as directly on the water as mine was, but none of the 38 total sites are more than a moment’s walk to the shoreline.  Privacy varies from site to site, but none of the sites are ones I would consider uncomfortable.  There is a large, centrally-located shower and restroom building in the middle of the camping area that was keep sparkling clean, though I’ve found that most Maine state parks with camping take very good care of their facilities.  Water is available at various places around the campground.  There is a free wifi kiosk for campers near the ranger station, though I didn’t make use of it during my stay.

One of the things I like best about Lake St. George is that, if you are a user of Google Earth, you can actually see ground-level photographs of each campsite.  There is a link at Lake St. George’s page on the state of Maine website that allows you to do that.  It’s not a 360 degree view, but it does give you a good impression of what you are reserving if you’ve never been there previously.  I am really hoping more of Maine’s state parks will start including this feature.

If Lake St. George sounds familiar, that may be because it is the location of the 6-acre Birch Island, now known as “Hawaii 2”, that was purchased by the makers of the game Cards Against Humanity and given out in 250,000 square foot plots to their customers during a promotion back in 2014.  Wikipedia gives a quick overview of Hawaii 2.  If you are one of the owners of Hawaii 2, then Lake St. George State Park would be a great place to stay while exploring your one square foot of real estate.  I don’t think camping is allowed on Hawaii 2 itself, and you’d need a mighty small tent for that one square foot if it was.

Other than the difficulty in making reservations, the only downside I found to Lake St. George State Park is the grocery selection at nearby stores.  There are a couple of small convenience stores within a few miles, but on the day I went looking for supplies, they didn’t even have milk on hand.  They were all sold out.  I’m not sure if it was a fluke or not, but I had a real need (there was cereal to be eaten, after all), and wound up driving all the way into Belfast to get some.  It was 32 miles, round trip.

One other note: take care not to confuse Lake St. George State Park in Liberty with Lake George Regional Park, which is a lovely park near Canaan, Maine. The two names are often confused, but they are nearly an hour’s drive apart from each other, and the Canaan park does not offer camping.

I stayed at eight state parks this past summer, and Lake St. George State Park was definitely one of the highlights.  If you are looking for a camping trip or just a place to dip your toes on a hot day, I’d highly recommend it.

Cobscook Bay State Park in Downeast Maine

From almost anywhere you are in Maine, if you drive east without stopping (or southeast from the northern parts of the state), you are going to end up either in Canada or the Atlantic Ocean.  But before you do, you are likely to pass by Cobscook Bay State Park on Route 1 in Edmunds Township, Maine.  And unless you have pressing business in Calais, an up-to-date passport, or an amphibious vehicle, you might want to consider stopping there.  Even if you do have those things, Cobscook Bay is a 888-acre jewel tucked away in deep Downeast Maine that you really should check out.

View from the overlook at Cobscook

Cobscook Bay has its roots in the nearby Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1937 with revenue from the federal Duck Stamp program.  Moosehorn had an early champion in President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who spent most of his summers at nearby Campobello Island.  In 1964, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge offered a free, long-term lease to the state of Maine on a large recreational area it had created on some of its land near Whiting Bay.  The state legislature voted to accept the lease, management of the parcel was taken over by the state, and Cobscook Bay State Park officially came into being.

I first visited Cobscook Bay State Park in the summer of 2011 and have returned at least once, and usually more than that, each year since then.  One thing I wanted while on a day trip Downeast was to find a quiet place by the sea where I could relax and maybe do some reading.  Cobscook fit the bill perfectly.  It’s large, it’s quiet, and the coastline there has so many inlets and peninsulas that you are almost never more than a stone’s throw from the water.  The day-use area occupies the end of a large peninsula and has numerous private areas with covered picnic tables and grills, as well as two open areas for larger gatherings.  One of those areas for larger gatherings has a good-sized shelter.  The day-use area is also home to the large- and small-group camping sites, which are set apart from other areas, have beautiful water views, shelters, and have nearby water and toilets.  While visiting that more wooded side of the park, I have seen quite a lot of wildlife, including sea birds, bald eagles, and deer.  Birds are everywhere in the park, and a birdwatcher would be in their element there.

It is worth mentioning that Cobscook Bay is not really a true oceanside park.  The bay itself is an estuary with a narrow opening to the Atlantic Ocean.  There are plenty of fishing boats motoring past, and the water is definitely salty and tidal, but if you want to see constantly crashing waves and cruise ships on the horizons, this is not the place.  Don’t let that deter you however.  Cobscook Bay is still very coastal Maine.

There are several areas that make up the campground at Cobscook Bay State Park.  You would be hard pressed to find a bad site.  Almost all of them are set apart from each other and private, and the majority have water views.  A number of them are walk-in sites for tenters only, however, and like most state park campgrounds, there are no electrical or water hookups on the sites.  Cobscook has well over 100 campsites, and I have never seen them all filled in the 12+ times I have stayed there.  Nonetheless, reservations are a good idea, and easy to make online.  

The view from one of the campsites I have had at Cobscook.

If big-time hiking or mountain biking are your things, Cobscook might not be your first choice of destination, though the casual enthusiast such as myself would be quite satisfied.  There are several very nice, well-marked trails for hiking, though none of them are very long or would be considered challenging.  My favorite hike is a short one up the hill across from the park entrance to an abandoned fire tower.  There is also a short but steep hike to a mountain outlook, which is probably the most difficult hike in the park.  Both of these have beautiful views through the trees of the surrounding land.  The overlook trail is part of a longer nature trail in the park, and there is also a “beach trail” that takes you through the forest to a nearby boat launch and back.  The hiking trails are not suited to mountain biking, but I have found that the park roads are perfectly suited for a more casual biker like me.  

The fire tower from far away...

...and an extreme close-up.

The massively fluctuating tides, which are among the highest in the world, are one of Cobscook Bay State Park’s unique features.  They can change by as much as 24 to 28 feet.  At low tide, when regulations allow, park visitors are allowed to dig a bushel of clams for themselves each day.  I personally have never done it, but it is a very popular activity with many visitors.  You will likely get mud in places you have never had mud before, so be warned.

Low tide at Cobscook

High tide at Cobscook (same spot)

Another popular activity at Cobscook is kayaking.  The nooks and crannies of the shoreline make it a great place to explore by kayak, and you can put your boat in directly from your campsite in many cases.  I am not a kayaker, but every season I’ve been to Cobscook Bay it seems like more and more of the visitors are in kayakers.  I would imagine that the rapidly changing and very steep tides would provide a challenge certain times, so do your research before putting out in the water at Cobscook.

While all my visits have been during the warm weather months, Cobscook Bay State Park is open all year.  I can see how it would be a great place to do some cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.  They do allow winter camping too if you are into that kind of thing.  I love to camp, but in the winter?  No thank you.

Cobscook sheep

Cobscook Bay has some quirks that make it stand out.  One is the herd of sheep that works keeping the grass trimmed in a large field in the park.  They must have a good union, because they seem to take a lot of coffee breaks, but they do seem to get the job done.  Another is the very little cemetery on the far side of the sheep field, along the side of the South Edmunds Road, which runs past the park.  There is only one grave, that of a military veteran from the Civil War.  I suspect that it might have been a small family cemetery,which was fairly common in Maine in olden days, but only the one gravestone has survived.  Local veterans groups continue to see that a fresh American flag flies at the grave every year.

Gravestone at Cobscook

There are several places near Cobscook Bay State Park that are fun day trips.  My favorite is the town of Lubec, which is about a 20 minute drive away and the easternmost point in the United States.  A working fishing village with a budding artistic community, I always find something interesting and new ever time I visit Lubec.  If you are lucky, you might see seals bobbing in the channel just off the downtown area.  I wrote a blog post extolling the virtues of Lubec a few years back, and you can find it here.  Roque Bluffs State Park is about 45 minutes away.  If you want a “beach fix”, this is the place.  Roque Bluffs has a long, gorgeous beach that is rarely busy, even at the peak of summer.  There is also a freshwater pond for fishing and canoeing, and a number of very nice hiking trails.  You have to pass through the historic town of Machias to get to Roque Bluffs, one of the area’s retail and service hubs.  Machias is home to Fort O’Brien, site of the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War.  It is also home to Helen’s Restaurant, site of excellent pie, among other delicious things.  About 30 minutes in the other direction from Cobscook Bay State Park is the city of Calais, the area’s other retail and service hub, and Eastport, which is another fishing town with a thriving artistic community.

A scene from downtown Lubec, Maine

West Quoddy Head, Lubec, Maine

The only negative I can offer about Cobscook Bay State Park is that it can be quite buggy, especially in May and June.  (I wrote a two-part blog post about that, here and here.)  Blackflies in the spring and mosquitoes in the summer into early fall are going to find you.  Some areas of the park are worse than others, with the more wooded areas having the most, but you would be wise to bring insect repellant or other anti-bug measures regardless of when you visit during the warm weather months.

Don’t let the bugs stop you however.  Cobscook Bay State Park is probably my favorite of all Maine’s state parks, and is responsible for turning me on to the pastime of tent camping, which has transformed my summers.  For more information, visit their website here.

All photographs in this post were taken by me.  All rights reserved, etc, etc.

Camping Maine's State Parks: A Series

A sunset view I took from Mount Blue State Park in Weld, Maine.

With the changing of the leaves and the occasional morning frosts, it’s safe to say that summer is over here in northern Maine. With it comes the end of tent camping season for me. This past summer was somewhat stressful for me personally, for reason I won’t go into here, but the frequent camping trips I took to various parts of Maine helped me keep my spirits healthy. Camping is a relatively new pastime for me, having only just gotten into doing it over the past four years or so, but in that time I have pinpointed some favorite spots to camp. Among those favorites are Maine’s many state parks.

The first of the Maine state parks I camped at was Cobscook Bay State Park in Edmunds, near Calais, back in 2012. Since then, I have camped at least once in seven others, making it a point to explore new ones with camping facilities if I get a chance during the season. As a way to relive some of the pleasant summer memories, and also to resurrect this blog, which I have been seriously neglecting for some time, I’ve decided to write a series of posts highlighting the state parks I have visited over the past few years, starting with Cobscook Bay. In the weeks to come, I will also be writing about Lamoine State Park in Lamoine, Camden Hills State Park in Camden, Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, Sebago Lake State Park in Naples, Lake St. George State Park in Liberty, Mount Blue State Park in Weld, and Peaks-Kenny State Park in Dover Foxcroft.

A post with my take on Cobscook Bay will be coming soon. (Spoiler alert: I am a huge Cobscook fan.) If you have any experience camping or just visiting at any of the parks I’ve mentioned and would like to share it, I’d welcome your input. My e-mail address is chriscolter@icloud.com. Please include the words “state park” in your subject line, because that account gets rather spammy sometimes.

Showering with Spiders and Other Camping Miseries

During the long winter months in Maine, one of the things that keeps my spirits up is the thought of tent camping, one of my favorite warm weather pastimes.  It’s a fun and relatively affordable way to experience different parts of this beautiful state, and every summer I do it whenever I can, which is never often enough.  Maine is fortunate to have a terrific state park system, many of which are open to camping.  There is also no shortage of private campgrounds in every corner of Maine.  In my experience, they vary widely in quality, but when you find a good one, and there are many, you’ve usually discovered a real gem.

Not every day of camping is wonderful though.  There was one day last summer at a state park campground in southern Maine that stands out as being the very definition of the opposite of wonderful.

It was getaway day, the day when you have to pack everything up into the car and make the long drive back home.  That, in and of itself, is a bummer, but when there is a steady rain on the morning of getaway day, it’s even worse.  Everything that is not already drenched will soon be during the process of tearing down and packing up.  Pine needles, dead leaves, and dirt stick to everything, creating a mess of your equipment and your vehicle.  Upon returning home it’s necessary to unpack everything and lay it out to dry or else run the risk of mold and mildew forming.  Then you have to shake off off the needles, leaves and dirt, and sometimes wipe things down, before repacking your equipment.

This particular rainy day came after I had typically overdone it physically, having hiked up a mountain that was probably a bit over my head ability-wise.  Actually, there was no “probably” about it.  It WAS over my head, but I didn’t discover that until I had made it to the summit.  Once you’ve made it to the top of a mountain, you don’t really have much choice but to go back down again.  My feet were blistered and every muscle in my body was screaming that morning after.  Being a light sleeper, the rain woke me very early, around 5:00 a.m., so I figured I would get a jump start on the day with a hot shower, in hopes of loosening up my sore body before loading the car.  Campground showers are typically pretty quiet at that early hour, so I didn’t expect any waiting.  As is my habit, I tossed my wallet and cellphone into my car and locked it, then headed to the shower with my keys, towel, and toiletry bag.

As anticipated, the showers were quiet.  There were no other campers there, at least no human ones.  

Daddy Longlegs "Pholcus.phalangioides.6905" by o.leillinger@web.de. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What there were plenty of, were daddy longlegs, a type of benign spider that is very common in Maine and most other places.  You see them all the time when camping, but never in my life had I seen so many in one place at the same time.  It was like something from that 1980s movie Arachnophobia.  I’m not sure if the daddy longlegs were attracted to the shower building because the lights left on overnight attracted prey for them like mosquitoes, or because they were seeking shelter from the rains outside.  Whatever the reason, they were everywhere: in the sink, on the shower curtain, on the walls, and in the shower stalls themselves.  While I am not afraid of spiders, I do draw the line at bathing with them, so I spent the next five minutes or so swatting at as many of them as I could with my sandal.  Defeating all of them was a hopeless cause, I soon discovered, so once the shower stall itself was mostly clear, I thought it best to move forward with my  showering plans.  I was decidedly jumpy by that point, with every slight sensation on my skin causing me to slap at it, thinking it might be a daddy longlegs crawling on me.

Warily, I stepped into the shower and began my routine keeping one eye open for daddy longlegs.  I was at about peak soap suds time, just about to rinse off, when I heard the sound of my pants, hanging on a hook just outside the stall, fall to the floor with a splat into a small puddle of water that was coming from my shower.  To make matter exponentially worse, my car keys were in one of the pockets, and when they fell, the car alarm button activated.  The wail of my horn came blaring across the sleeping campground like Hell’s alarm clock.

Things like that happen from time to time in campgrounds, and I have never failed to curse the name of the people who had awakened me with what I perceived at the time as their stupidity.  Only now, I was that guy.  I bolted out of the shower in full suds mode and rifled through my soaked pants to find my car keys.  Once I got hold of them, I immediately pressed the button to turn off the alarm.  It didn’t stop.  Apparently, I was on the very edge of the alarm’s reception area.  Close enough to activate the alarm, but apparently not close enough to deactivate it.  I could hear angry shouts coming from outside. In the distance, a baby started to cry.  

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to wrap a towel around myself as I dashed outside the shower building with keys in hand, which got me just close enough to shut off the alarm.  The damage was done, however.  It was the height of the summer, and the campground was filled to capacity with now-pissed off campers.  Thank goodness it was my getaway day, because I was now branded with a scarlet A for the day.  Only in this case, the A stood for “alarm”.

I took my time finishing up my shower and getting dressed.  Not only did I have the unhappy task of having to pack all my stuff up in the rain to look forward to, but now I would be doing so under the watch of scornful eyes in every direction.  It was a long perp walk back to my site, and the rain was coming down harder than ever.  Never before or since have I packed my stuff in such haste.  I literally tossed everything into the back of the car without caring about folding, packing, or putting away.  I was on the road within ten minutes, soaked to the skin.  The rain stopped about half an hour later, so I pulled into a grocery store parking lot and proceeded to set about ordering my gear so at least I would be able to see out the back with the rearview mirror again.  I spent the entire afternoon after I got home drying things out and setting them in order again.

I’ve since returned to that campground.  I went back about a month later, actually.  It’s one of my favorite spots in that part of the state, and I figured that the chances of any of the campers who were there that fateful morning still being there and remembering me and my car would be pretty slim.  There were important lessons learned though.  First of all, be sure your pants are secure before stepping into the shower stall, and second, remember to bring some Raid and a fly swatter with your soap and towel.

Visiting Lubec, Maine

Okay readers in the 48 contiguous United States, here’s your mission: start walking east.  And keep on walking east until you cannot possibly go any further east without leaving the country.  Now look down at the ground.  You are standing in Lubec, Maine, which is the subject of this latest Maine travel post.

Lubec is the easternmost town in the United States, and West Quoddy Head Light is the easternmost point.  Yes, it is odd that the lighthouse is called West Quoddy Head, but from the point of view of ships at sea, it is to the west.  There is another lighthouse across the way in Canada that is known as East Quoddy Head.

West Quoddy Head Light.  This and all photos in this post were taken by me unless otherwise noted.

One of my favorite summer camping spots in the world is located just a quick drive from Lubec, and I make it a point to visit there at least two or three times each year.  With a population of only around 1300, it is far from being a metropolis, even by Maine standards.  There is no Wal-Mart in Lubec, and no MacDonald’s, and I can’t remember seeing even one traffic light.  While tourists and artists are becoming a more common sight on the streets of Lubec these days, it is mainly a fishing village, and has a long history of making a living from the sea.  Shipbuilding, sailmaking as well as fish smoking and packing figure prominently in the town’s economic past, in addition to lumbering, grist mills (powered by the more than 20-foot ocean tides) and a even little bit of smuggling, thanks to the town’s location on a peninsula and close proximity to Canada .

Some views of Water Street, the main drag in Lubec.

You can learn more about Lubec’s history at this site from the Maine Memory Network: http://lubec.mainememory.net/page/722/display.html

Driving to Lubec on Route 189, you’ll be struck by the refreshing ordinariness of the homes and businesses.  The people of Lubec are primarily working-class, and have been for generations.  Many of the homes have piles of lobster traps in the yard, and some have large fishing boats perched on trailers or up on a mount being painted or repaired.  Over the past few years, I have found the residents of Lubec to be very friendly and welcoming to visitors such as myself.  I suppose if you were a condescending jerk out-of-towner who acts so much more cosmopolitan than they are then that would not be the case.  Manners matter everywhere in Maine, I’ve found.

I don't know the story behind this wreck, but it was on the Lubec waterfront for some time. It had been removed the last time I visited in July of 2013. I kind of miss it.

If you are looking for a place to stay, there are several motels, inns, and bed & breakfasts.  Personally, I am a big fan of the Eastland Motel on Route 189.  It’s a family-owned business open year-round.  The Eastland appears to be a classic “motor court” style motel at first, but it is quite modern.  The owners have done a wonderful job renovating the place over the past few years.  Be sure to sample the homemade muffins served each morning.  There is a campground located in Lubec itself and several others within a reasonable driving distance, including Cobscook Bay State Park, which I highly recommend.

This photo is NOT my own.  It comes from the Eastland Motel's website: http://www.eastlandmotel.com/

The town has become somewhat of an artists’ colony, and there is a surprising number of galleries and specialty shops there.  Their hours of operation tend to vary, so be flexible.  Weekends during the summer are almost guaranteed to find most of them open.  I’m not sure what it is about Lubec, but it does seem to edge on creativity.  I filled several pages of my notebook with ideas during my last visit.

The arts are a constant presence in Lubec.

If you are a history buff, then you ought to know that the streets of Lubec were often trod by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt back in the day.  Their summer home on Campobello Island is just across the bridge from Lubec, and is open to tours.  The historic site is very popular for visitors.  Campobello belongs to New Brunswick, Canada, so be aware that everyone does require proper documentation to cross the border in either direction.  Oddly, Campobello is a Canadian island that can only be reached by car from the United States.  No bridge connects it to the Canadian mainland.

A sign on the Betsy Ross House in downtown Lubec.

The bridge from Lubec to Campobello Island, NB.

The McCurdy Smokehouse Museum, a former sardine smokehouse, is right in the downtown area, and provides a vivid picture of the Maine history, as well as the fish processing history of Lubec.  It is almost mandatory that you visit Quoddy Head State Park while in Lubec, which is the home of the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.  Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808, this candy-striped beacon is a Maine icon that you can get up close and personal with.  While you can’t go inside the lighthouse itself, the keeper’s home is open as a museum.  The adjoining state park offers miles of hiking trails, as well as opportunities for picnicking, wildlife watching, and just exploring the rocky ocean edge.

That large rock out there, called "Sail Rock" is TECHNICALLY the very easternmost point of land in the United States.  This photo was taken in Quoddy Head State Park. Grand Manan Island, NB can be seen in the distance.

McCurdy Smokehouse Museum in Lubec.

As far as food and entertainment are concerned, Lubec does it up nicely.  You almost take for granted that the seafood is going to be great in a fishing town such as this, and you’d be correct.  My preference for food and drink while in Lubec is Frank’s Dockside Restaurant, which is a very welcoming place, as the sign in the photo below strongly suggests.  Their seafood, steaks and Italian are excellent, and they have an outstanding view of the water.  You can count on at least a few performances to attend in town almost every weekend in Lubec.  Many of the cafes, restaurants, churches and art galleries host talented musicians during the tourist season, featuring folk, rock, jazz, and classical.  There is also a local community theater group which does some great shows. 

Which one are you?

One of my favorite things to do in Lubec is actually one of the simplest.  Sitting in the park near the dock, you can watch boats coming and going, observe seabirds, and see large numbers of harbor seals bobbing their heads in and out of the water as they catch their meals in the fish-rich waters of Lubec Narrows.

A view from the park near the dock in Lubec.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the little black dots out in the water are the heads of harbor seals.

I’ve made roadtrips to quite a few places in Maine this summer, but Lubec remains one of my all-time favorite places in the state to visit.  As a matter of fact, if I could only make one trip a year in Maine, it would be to Lubec.  Yes, it is out of the way, but that is a big part of the town’s charm.  There are seldom crowds, you can always find a parking place, and the sights, sounds and people are second to none.

The Quoddy Narrows Light, as seen from downtown Lubec.

Party Like It's 1985 on Mount Desert Island

My latest adventure in Maine this summer took me to Mount Desert Island, also known as “The Island of Lost Tourists”.  Actually, it’s a beautiful place, and while it is no doubt touristy, it is certainly worth visiting.  The home of the resort town of Bar Harbor and world-famous Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island is 108 square miles in area, and the 52^nd largest island in the contiguous United States.  It is accessible by car via the Trenton Bridge on Route 3, and also by boat.  The nearest airport is on the mainland in Trenton, just a few minutes away.  Blimps, trains, and flying saucers to MDI are not currently available.

There are many, many resources to help you plan your trip to Mount Desert Island.  Just Google it.  This post is intended to give you my casual, tourist-on-a-budget point of view.

Theme music: In my last post, I explained how I like to choose a specific type of music as my soundtrack for a road trip.  For this one, I chose the music of 1985, a high-water mark year in my life, as it was the one when I started in radio and also when I got my driver’s license.  Some of the major acts on the charts in 1985 include Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Tina Turner, and Sting.  It was a good year for cool music,.  While it is by no means a requirement to have theme music on your trip to MDI, I highly recommend it.

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         *Official 1985 Tune for Theme Music tip: "Freeway of Love" by Aretha Franklin.  The Queen of Soul’s comeback song from that year sets just the right tone when driving on a warm summer day.   “So let’s drop the top baby, and cruise on into that better-than-ever street.” (Okay, so it’s not Shakespeare.)

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Pronunciation and Meaning: There's no real consensus on this.  Many locals call it Mount “De ZERT” (emphasis on second syllable), though you will hear plenty of references to Mount “DEZ ert” (emphasis on first syllable).  Neither pronunciation will get you voted off the island, though turning your vehicle around in a private driveway just might, especially if it is Martha Stewart’s.  (She had an incident with someone doing just that a few years back.  It was not “a good thing”.) Personally, I switch back and forth between the two pronunciations, though “MDI” is an easy shortcut and the most common term for the island. 

The island was named "île des Monts Déserts" by explorer Samuel Champlain way back when.  It means “Island of the Lonely Mountains”.  Apparently, when approaching it from the sea, the mountains appear much sooner than any other land, and they seem to be alone in the ocean.  Hence the name.

        *Official 1985 Tune for Pronunciation and Meaning tip: "Miami Vice Theme" by Jan Hammer, because, like Mount Desert Island, Mr. Hammer has problems with people pronouncing his name properly too. In his case, Jan rhymes with “lawn”, not “fan”.

View from the top of Cadillac Mountain, as taken by me.

Traffic: The Trenton Bridge is the only way onto and off the island by car, so it can be a bottleneck.  It’s a good idea to allow yourself plenty of time to get on and off MDI if you are keeping a schedule.  There is always construction on that stretch of road in the summer.  At what exact point that seemed like a good idea, I do not know, but it happens every single summer like clockwork.  Plus, there are many roadside attractions on that stretch of road, including a zoo, which can get passing motorists’ attention and slow them down or cause them to make an unplanned turn.  Driving Route 3 onto MDI is a lot like making your way down a busy sidewalk in New York City: just go with the herd and watch the guy in front of you at all times.

Ellsworth is a city on the mainland that acts as a gateway to the island.  You almost have to pass through Ellsworth to get to MDI by car, unless your car floats.  Ellsworth itself is a beautiful place with great people and a wealth of amenities.  I lived there for a year in the mid 1990s and loved it. The only downside is that the traffic can be maddening in the summer, especially on the main drag, which is Route 3, locally known as High Street.  If you aren’t sure where you are going in Ellsworth, pull over and check a map or ask someone.  It’s no place to make a wrong turn, as the domino effect of such an action could result in an embarrassing traffic clog at best, or your accidentally ending up in Canada at worst.

Don’t give up hope though.  Once you are on the island, you can just park your car and leave it for the whole day.  The Island Explorer is a network of buses that hit all the high points on MDI all day long at regular intervals for free.  L.L. Bean helps fund this free service, and it really makes your day a lot easier to negotiate.  Just study the schedule before you start your day, and make sure you wear a watch.

Last thing about traffic: Never, ever try to make a left turn onto Route 3 unless you are at a traffic light.  There is a special place in Hell for people who do (or try to).

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        *Official 1985 Tune for Traffic tip: "Things Can Only Get Better" by Howard Jones.  You’ll have this song going through your head as you sit in construction traffic for what seems like a geological epoch and stare at the skinny guy with the great tan and bottle of Mountain Dew holding a STOP sign.

Bass Harbor Light on a foggy day, as taken by me.

Accommodations: If you need a place to stay, there are hotels, motels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, cabins, cardboard boxes and bus benches to fit nearly any taste or budget on and near MDI.  However, the closer you are to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, the more likely the accommodation will be a) fully booked and b) expensive.  I am a fan of both camping and being cheap, and there are numerous campgrounds on MDI and nearby which are almost always cheaper than getting a room.  They are generally well-maintained, but often quite busy and booked well in advance.  I personally recommend Lamoine State Park campground, which is about 20 minutes off the island, just outside of Ellsworth.  It is clean, beautiful, quiet, has a nice view of MDI, and most importantly for me, away from the hustle and bustle.  The cost of a campsite per night at Lamoine State Park will be less than what you will find for a campsite on the island itself.

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        *Official 1985 Tune for Accommodations tip: "One More Night" by Phil Collins, because that is what you will want as you are packing up to leave Lamoine State Park. It’s really a nice spot that could be a whole trip in itself.

A scene from the campground at Lamoine State Park, taken by me.

A view of MDI in the distance from the campground at Lamoine State Park, as taken by me.

Food: The two things of which you must partake while on MDI are ice cream and lobster.  You might even try lobster ice cream, which I am sure is a thing somewhere.

There are lots of roadside ice cream places on Route 3, but it is pretty much tradition that you get at least one cone in one of the shops on Cottage Street, the main street through downtown Bar Harbor.  The most famous is Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, where President Obama had a coconut cone during a vacation there a few years back, though they serve Republicans and independents too. 

Lobster is served almost everywhere you look on MDI and vicinity.  My favorite place for lobster, hands-down, is the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, which is on the right just before you take the bridge onto MDI.  They boil their lobsters in sea water, over wood fires, with a stunning view of the narrows between the island and mainland.  Even if I am not stopping for lobster, I always roll down my windows to get a whiff of the woodsmoke and seafood smell that emanates from this local gem.  The clams are great there as well, and they ship around the country!  Just remember, they are not open on Sundays.

Whatever I eat when I am out of town, I try hard to buy from local operators, like the two businesses I just mentioned.  The locals give you a unique flavor for the place you are visiting, and depend on visitors like us to keep themselves financially afloat.  I recently saw a funny but poignant sign outside a “Mom and Pop” restaurant that I liked a lot which said “Stop in to eat or we’ll both starve.”

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        *Official 1985 Tune for Food tip: "Fresh" by Kool and the Gang, because the lobster on and around Mount Desert Island is just as fresh as you can get without actually boiling it up on board the lobster boat itself.  Local lobstermen are resistant to letting us flatlanders do that, I’m told. Something about "being in the damn way".

Sand Beach, as seen from the Loop Road, taken by me.

Sightseeing: If you are planning a trip to Mount Desert Island, there are four things you absolutely must see, and about a million others that you really ought to.  

•         Cadillac Mountain: The highest point on the eastern seaboard of the United States, you can drive, bike, or hike to the top.  Cadillac Mountain is the spot where the sun first touches the United States in the morning.  It tends to be busy, but the amazing views are totally worth it.  Be sure to bring a sweatshirt if you are prone to the cold though.  It gets chilly up there.
•         Sand Beach: While it’s usually too busy for my taste, Sand Beach is a gorgeous spot of sand along the Atlantic.  I can sit and watch the ocean waves for hours, but here you can also see outstanding mountain vistas at the same time, including “The Beehive” right behind you.  One of the most entertaining aspects of any Maine beach is watching the tourists think that they are going to actually swim in the Atlantic.  On purpose.  For fun.  Yeah, right.  The water temps rarely get above 60 degrees, so it’s always good for a few laughs from those of us on shore, especially when some macho goon is trying to impress his wife or girlfriend as his lips turn blue.
•         Thunder Hole: This is an indentation into some seaside cliffs where the waves make a resounding boom during high tides, especially when the waves are really rolling.  It really gives you a clear picture of the sheer power of the ocean.  I went there a day before a hurricane rolled in back in 1997, and will never forget it.
•          Downtown Bar Harbor: Over the years, the center of Bar Harbor has evolved into a series of gift shops, restaurants, art galleries, inns and the like.  There is a waterfront park which makes a nice spot for a rest or a picnic.  Short ocean cruises to view whales, puffins, seals or lighthouses leave from the pier in the downtown area.  The shorefront walking path is a nice cool place to explore on a warm day.  And folks visit Bar Harbor from all over the world, so the people-watching is fascinating.  Remember to get the obligatory ice cream cone.  I think it’s a law or something.

Among the million other things you should see are Seawall, Bass Harbor Light, Wild Gardens of Acadia, the Oceanarium, Echo Lake, the College of the Atlantic campus, the land bridge to Bar Island, the schooner Mary Todd, Abbe Museum, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, horse-drawn carriage tours, and more.

        *Official 1985 Tune for Sightseeing tip: "Don’t You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds.  No matter how full your sightseeing itinerary is, you will forget something, I’m sure.  All the more reason to go back to MDI for another visit.  I am going to make at least one more trip there myself this summer.  Maybe I’ll see you there.

Exploring Baxter State Park with Led Zeppelin

My latest camping adventure found me in Baxter State Park this past weekend.  For those of you not familiar with Maine geography, Baxter is a huge tract of land in the very center of the state, like a large hole in a donut.  Its 200,000+ acres contain some of the most wild, untouched lands in the state, including Maine’s highest mountain, Mount Katahdin.   The park got its start back in 1931 through the personal generosity of Maine Governor Percival Baxter. The governor stipulated some pretty strict conditions for the park, including no new roads were to be built, and the existing roads were to remain unpaved and not to be widened.  He wanted to ensure it would be “forever wild” in his words.  There is no electricity or running water anywhere in the park.  Motorcycles, ATVs, and pets are not allowed.

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If you want to know more about Baxter State Park, for pete’s sake go to their website here: http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/index.htm.  It’s certainly not my plan to give you a full tutorial on the park.  What I want to do here is fill in some of the blanks with some handy tips I learned while on my trip.

Theme Music:  Whenever I go on a road trip, I like to have an artist or genre of music that I listen to predominantly while driving.  For example, whenever I head to the coast of Washington County in Maine, I like to listen to the 70s & 80s pop band The Cars.  When I am headed to extreme southern Maine, it’s 90s alt-rockers Pearl Jam that get my ears.  For this trip, I decided that Led Zeppelin would be my soundtrack.  I put together a killer mix CD and was good to go.  While it is certainly not a requirement, I suggest that you also choose some theme music for your drive to and from Baxter.

*Led Zeppelin song for Theme Music tip: “Rock and Roll” because, well, Led Zeppelin does.

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Speed Limit:  Throughout the park, the maximum speed limit is 20 miles per hour.  While this sounds excruciatingly slow, it really isn’t.  The roads are narrow, winding, and unpaved, and there is no shortage of wildlife, from sassy little red squirrels weighing less than a pound darting out in front of you to huge bull moose weighing nearly as much as some cars doing the same thing.  Good reasons to keep the velocity to a minimum.  Personally, I found that 20 mph was more than adequate, especially if you are hoping to spot some wildlife or see some of the other spectacular sights.  It seems like a waterfall or mountain peak shows up around every corner.  Additionally, you never know when you will need to stop suddenly because someone is coming from the other direction, in which case you and they will need to negotiate who will pull to the side so the other can pass.  It’s a tight squeeze.  Granted, it does take some time to get from point A to point B in the park with a 20 mph speed limit, but if you must take it slow, what better environment in which to do it?

*Led Zeppelin song for Speed Limit tip: “Ramble On”, because just rambling is the best thing to do in your car at Baxter.

Gassing Up:  Have a full tank of gas before heading into Baxter State Park.  The park is huge, and you are going to want to see a lot of it.  You just can’t do that all on foot.  There are no gas stations or stores of any kind in the park, so if you are out of gas, you are out of luck.  Gas up in Millinocket if using the south entrance to the park or in Patten if using the north entrance.  There are plenty of helpful people around, both park staff and fellow visitors, but advanced planning is much easier.  (Some fuel for yourself, food, is also something to make sure you plan in advance, because a “quick trip to the store” will be anything but quick in Baxter.) 

*Led Zeppelin song for Gassing Up tip: “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”, because that’s what you are going to be saying to your car if it runs out of gas in and you have to walk for help.

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Cellphone & Wifi: Cell phone reception is, for all intents and purposes, non-existent in Baxter State Park.  If I were you, I wouldn’t count on having any at all.  Whatever your plans, don’t make your cell phone an integral part of them, unless you are going to use it as a flashlight when making your way to the latrine.  And Wifi in Baxter State Park? Hahahahahahahahahhahaha! No.

*Led Zeppelin song for Cellphone & Wifi tip: “Over the Hills and Far Away”, because that’s where you are, and there isn’t any reception there at all.

Vehicle GPS: I’m not sure why exactly, but GPS signals can be very wacky in Baxter State Park.  If you rely on GPS in the park, you will end up parked at the bottom of a lake or in a black bear’s den somewhere.  My advice is for you to pack maps made of…wait for it…paper!  Yes, paper maps still exist!  The Baxter State Park website has some excellent ones that you can print out for use.  Do not try to navigate the park without any maps at all, relying on that “instinct” that many of us typical men have (or think we do). It will fail you, just like your GPS will.  While using a paper map, I turned my usually-reliable GPS on just for kicks, and at several points it told me that I was currently driving underwater or off road in the deep woods, when I most certainly was not.

*Led Zeppelin song for Vehicle GPS tip:  “Communication Breakdown”, because that’s exactly what your GPS will experience in the park. 

Radio: One thing that still works well in most parts of Baxter State Park is radio.  If you are in the southern part of the park, you can get the station out of Millinocket on 94.9 FM, and in the northern part you can pick up the Houlton station at 100.1 FM.  You will need a decent antenna, mind you, and do not forget fresh batteries.  Having a radio is vital for getting local weather updates, since Mother Nature can change her mind on a dime in Maine, even in summer, and sometimes that weather can be dangerous. Personally, I am not a fan of being on top of a mountain in the middle of a lightning storm.   I also find that listening to a Red Sox broadcast beside a campfire in the woods is a highly relaxing activity, and both the Millinocket station and the Houlton station carry Sox broadcasts.  By the way, don’t count on your SiriusXM satellite radio, since a) reception is spotty with all the tall trees and mountains and b) they do not carry local weather, which is really the most important reason to have a radio.

*Led Zeppelin song for Radio tip: “Fool in the Rain”, because that’s what you won’t be with a decent FM radio capable of picking up local weather updates.

Activity Limitations: There are lots of fun things to do in Baxter State park, with hiking, canoeing, and fishing among them.  That said, know your limits!  Do NOT bite off more than you can chew.  Some of the hikes are on long, isolated trails, and help will not be easy to come by, to say the least.  The mountains are high, even the smaller ones.  As they like to say at the park, “Going up is voluntary, but coming down in mandatory.”  Most hikes require planning in terms of your fitness level, the supplies you will need, the weather, and the time you will need to start in order to be back before dark.  If you are going canoeing or kayaking, remember that the upstream paddle is much harder than the downstream one.  If you are out of shape or inexperienced, stick to a nice calm pond.  And again, watch the weather.  Remember that park rescues involve a lot of people, equipment, and money.

*Led Zeppelin song for Activity Limitations tip: “Good Times, Bad Times”, because, depending on your degree of planning and common sense, you will have either one or the other at Baxter.

Critters:  Baxter State Park is full of amazing animals in their natural habitat.  During my brief weekend trip, I saw a somewhat arrogant but nonetheless impressive juvenile moose hanging around on the road, a family of black bear in a big hurry to get somewhere that my car and I were not, and a really cool beaver swimming around a swollen brook and slapping his tail on the water for the better part of a half hour.  And I can’t even begin to describe the variety of birds I saw and heard.  Remember, you are in their house, so be respectful.  Never get too close, do not try to coax them toward you, and do not leave anything out that they can get.  Bring your binoculars and cameras, for sure.  Unfortunately, I was either too slow or did not have my camera on me for my animal encounters on this trip.

*Led Zeppelin song for Critters tip: “Trampled Under Foot”, because that’s what you’ll be if you get too close to a moose.  An alternative song would be “In My Time of Dying”, if you get too close to a black bear mother with cubs.

Bugs: This last one is a biggie.  The mosquitoes and blackflies (known as gnats in some parts of the world) are ferocious at Baxter State Park.  I am talking biblical plague proportions here, people! A ranger told me that it is not unusual for unprepared visitors to cut their trips to Baxter short because they are just overwhelmed by the mosquitoes and blackflies.  I cannot emphasize this enough: you WILL need to have some plan in place for fending them off.  Before I made my trip to Baxter, I used to smirk at people who wore those head-to-toe mosquito nets.  Now, I might just be in the market for one myself.  There is no shortage of insect repellants on the market as well, with varying ingredients from all-natural to borderline nuclear.  Personally, I think your best bet is to use something with the ingredient DEET in it, which I’ll admit is a pretty harsh chemical.  It works though, and it works as well as anything, though no chemical seems to give complete protection.  There are certainly other options, but you will really need at least something.  Also, citronella candles and/or torches are helpful around the campsite for helping reduce the numbers of insects, and dressing in long pants and long sleeves can help make matters more tolerable too.  Avoid anything that is too perfumey smelling, and realize that mosquitoes and blackflies like the smell of sweat and the carbon dioxide you breathe out.  Since you can’t stop moving or breathing, it can be tough to keep the little pests away.  On the upside, ticks are not a major concern at Baxter State Park, though you would be wise to do regular check of yourselves and your compatriots anyway.  At the very least, it might be the start of something randy, if your compatriot is the right person.

*Led Zeppelin song for Bugs tip: “For Your Life”, because that is what you feel like you are fighting for if you are not prepared to face the bugs.

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Baxter State Park is truly a treasure, and everyone who lives in Maine really ought to visit it at least once in their life.  If you are from another state or country, Baxter is definitely a place to put on your “to see” list when coming to Maine.  The website I cited at the start of this has extensive information on the park, and this ridiculous post fills in a few of the gaps.