Lunch at the Light

As if we hadn’t visited enough lighthouses already on this trip, we decided to stop at yet another one. The Cape Neddick Lighthouse just south of Portland, Maine is supposedly one of the most photographed and painted lighthouses in the world.

The weather was cooperating, so we decided to park the RV, fill up a sack with a picnic lunch and take some photos of the iconic lighthouse - along with hundreds of other visitors who all wanted to continue the photographic trend.

Fun Facts about Cape Neddick Lighthouse:

• built in 1879 at a cost of $15,000
• stands 88 feet (27m) above sea level
• nicknamed “The Nubble” because it stands atop rocky Nubble Island
• an image of the lighthouse is included on the Voyager Golden Record (a record of sounds and images significant to Earth) that was carried into space by the Voyager in 1977
• the lighthouse (not open to the public) is accessed by a 300’ cable pulley system from the mainland

There were several artists at work in the park, and I stopped to one if she sold her work. She said, “Sure, why not? I can’t keep them all, and my kids don’t want any more.” I was about to ask her how much she wanted for the one she was currently working on, when I looked down and decided to keep my mouth shut.

Hmmm, a painting only a daughter could love?

What a lovely subject for a painting!

Only in America...

Can you go shopping at an L.L. Bean store at 2am. Apparently, that's what John Travolta does when he’s in Freeport, Maine. It’s quiet then, and no one bothers him to ask for an autograph.

The massive flagship store for the clothing and outdoor gear giant is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I wonder just how many people are in there doing their last-minute Christmas shopping at 5am on December 25th? I didn’t ask if they offer free wrapping during the holidays.

Visiting the home of our Pudgy

A Pudgy awaiting delivery to it's new owner

Those who know us may recall the chubby (but cute) blunt-nosed dinghy on our boat, Instead Of. That tender is called a Portland Pudgy - aptly named as it is made in Portland, Maine, and it is, well...  pudgy. In fact, I think some of you may have even made fun of our little tender, but it truly served its purpose for us.

I surprised Drew by contacting the company to arrange a tour, since we were driving through Portland on our way to Salem, Massachusetts.

The company recently sold, has moved to new headquarters, and sadly they no longer manufacture the dinghy hulls ‘in house’. Although Mike, the new owner of Portland Pudgy, was out of the office the day we visited, we did get to chat at length with Rob, who showed us around. It turns out, he has been with the company for many years, and was almost certainly the one who made our Pudgy!

D and Rob beside the original mold for the Portland Pudgy

We no longer own Instead Of, or its little tender, but we have fond memories of lazy days touring the west coast in Instead Of and in our little Pudgy.

Hobnobbing with the Whatnots

We’re in the US of A! After provisioning at a grocery store in Calais, ME (beer, wine, cider, gin, rum, coke, lemons and limes… oh, and some food items) we made our way to Acadia National Park.

The park, located on Mount Desert Island and flanked by the quaint town of Bar Harbor, is one of the country’s most visited national parks. Even in mid-September, it was very busy and parking was at a premium (especially for an RV), so we chose instead to drive the scenic route around the park and only stopped once to check out the sights at Thunder Hole and Sandy Beach.

View of Sandy Beach from the trail

Sandy Beach at Acadia National Park - the water was COLD!

The next day we took the free shuttle bus from the campground into Bar Harbor - a very convenient way to travel, and saves having to fight for a parking spot! The weather was perfect for a long walk through town, as we followed the Museum in the Street signs to learn about Bar Harbor’s rich (as in Rockefeller rich) history. Since the late 19th Century, the rich and famous have tried to outdo each other in a no expenses spared battle to have the most lavish home on the block in Bar Harbor. 

A lovely outdoor restaurant/bar in an old mansion

D's photo of me taking a photo

The photo I was taking

Some of the famous people and families who own, or have owned property in the town include John D. Rockefeller Jr. (who donated about one-third of the land in Acadia National Park), JP Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Astor family, Roxanne Quimby (co-founder and CEO of Burt’s Bees), Susan Sarandon, the Roosevelts, the DuPonts, the Pulitzers and the Bouviers (as in first lady Jackie Bouvier Kennedy). That’s pretty impressive roster of socialites!

Today, although you may see local resident Martha Stewart buying fresh produce at the Bar Harbor Farmer’s Market, you’re more likely to run into a mob of middle class grannies in capris and Keds, sporting tour bus ID tags around their necks and shopping bags stuffed with Bar Harbor t-shirts on their wrists. Bar Harbor is still a destination summer resort, though maybe not quite as extravagant as it once was.

When in Maine...! Best lobster cob salad I've ever had.

Crossing the Bar at low tide to visit Bar Island