It was a much crisper morning, and after months of hot weather, it was exciting to be wearing our Cotopaxi down hooded jackets again! Michael sometimes doesn't like it because we are matching, but these jackets are so colorful and comfortable, and are the best option for this kind of weather!
Downtown Portland
Since we had stayed overnight at the East End/Munjoy Hill neighborhood in Portland, we saw the Portland Observatory first, the last remaining maritime signal tower in the US. Built in 1807, it's a huge, 86-foot (26 meter) red brick tower that was used for two-communication with the ship before it reached the docks. The signal tower functioned until 1923, when two-way radio communication made this observatory obsolete. There's also a museum inside, although it was still closed when we were there.
The downtown part of Portland has a lot of historic buildings that are now for modern shops, offices and restaurants, so the place still retains a lot of its old charm. It's easy to walk around, so we got to see local monuments like the Maine Lobsterman, a bronze sculpture of a man kneeling to peg a lobster, which was created for Maine’s participation in the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Lobsters are quintessential to Maine, and are caught all year round--they're the largest lobster-producing state in the country, harvesting over 100 million pounds annually! We also got to glimpse the Old Port, a historic district with its cobblestone streets and brick buildings, which is also downtown.
Parks and Sculptures
In nearby Back Cove Trail, we quickly stopped (it was very windy by the water!), to see a sculpture called Dancing for Joy, of two 25-foot (over 7.5 meter) tall egrets, made of bamboo, fencing, reflectors, and wire ties. A very eye-catching and resourceful sculpture! The trail is also popular for cycling and jogging around, and is dog-friendly so Sheila could also have a short walk.
A little further along at Deering Oaks Park, we stumbled upon a Farmer's Market, which we walked through to see the fresh fall produce, including plenty of squash, apples, leafy greens, honey, and the like. We were walking with Sheila when we passed an elderly lady, who asked if Sheila would like a dog treat! Would she ever! The lady fished into her bag and gave Sheila a dog bone, which she quickly gobbled up. The lady was clearly enamored by Sheila because before we knew it, she'd happily had 5 dog treats! Well, this was definitely Sheila's lucky day. The lady said "see you next week!" as we left her, and we didn't have the heart to say that we were passing through, and that we wouldn't be here--although I'm sure there'll be many other adorable dogs willing to substitute for Sheila!
We had come to the park to also check out a Pinecone sculpture, placed near the base of some tall pine trees. This sculpture was much larger, as it's made entirely out of old shovel blades, to very clearly resemble the fallen real pinecones around it (the blades are brown with rust too). Sheila wasn't as interested in this, as she was to the several squirrels that she saw running around, with their very bushy tails bouncing behind them as they scurried around us. We will definitely be seeing more of these as we continue driving through the northeast region in autumn!
Lighthouse and Lobster
Maine is well-known for having countless lighthouses along the coast, and one of oldest, most popular and accessible ones to visit is the Portland Head Light, on Cape Elizabeth. Completed in 1791, the lighthouse is now automated and the next door former lighthouse keeper's house is now a maritime museum. We arrived here at 10.30am and it was already teeming with big tour buses, cars and people. We weren't sure where we could park, but luckily were waved down by an employee driving a golf buggy, who escorted us to a spot a few minutes' walk away. And unlike the spots near the lighthouse, parking here was free, yay!
The lighthouse is gorgeous, and the rugged coastline surrounding us made for a stunning and dramatic view--we can see now why Portland Head Light is so famous and has appeared in paintings and movies. It's so popular that there were some food trucks that were setting up. We'd noticed a lobster roll food truck on our way back to our RV, and despite it still being early for lunch, it was just after 11am, and Lisette definitely could work up an appetite for a lobster roll! The food truck, called Bite into Maine, sold lobster rolls, other types of sandwiches, coleslaw, drinks and sweets. But of course, the lobster rolls are the main attraction, with several flavor options: Maine style (with mayo and chives), Connecticut (just warm butter on top), Picnic (coleslaw, butter, celery salt), Wasabi (wasabi mayo), Chipotle (spicy chipotle mayo), and Curry (yellow Indian curry mayo). These come with a side of potato chips.
Lisette ordered the wasabi lobster roll, but Michael decided he would wait, as the prices were not cheap ($30+), but Lisette wanted to try this as it was rated highly and heck, we were here already! While she couldn't really taste the wasabi in the mayo, the lobster roll was scrumptious and well worth it--the roll was generously topped with lobster, and the roll was fresh and crisp, but also warm and buttery. *Drools just thinking about it*
Life-Sized Moose and Rich Chocolates
What better next stop (for Lisette at least), than dessert? Len Libby Candies, located in Scarborough, Maine, was founded in 1926 by Len Libby, the eighth generation of the Libby family to live in this town. It’s the third-oldest store in Scarborough, and is well-known for its life-sized chocolate moose, called Lenny, that's made of 1,700 pounds (over 771 kilos) of milk chocolate. It took about 4 weeks to sculpt the moose onsite, and was unveiled on July 1, 1997--and you can still see him inside today!
When we went into the store we were greeted warmly by one of the employees, who quickly told us where the free samples were! We tried 2 of their bestsellers: the Bangor Taffy, a caramel that's rolled in confectioner's sugar that Len Libby Candies has been making for over a century, and the Lemon Zest Bark, lemon zest mixed with white chocolate and topped with powdered sugar. We ate this while looking at Lenny the Moose, who was forever standing in a chocolate pond, looking at a chocolate bear cub in front of him. Some of the candies are made onsite, but the factory wasn't operating when we were there (apparently it smells divine when they are roasting nuts out the back!). We were, however, captivated by the glass counter with handmade chocolates, and got a few pieces to eat immediately after we left the store. Yum.
Getting back to the coast, we stopped at Old Orchard Beach, a seaside resort town that would have been booming over the summer, but was much quieter now that it's already the off-season, with some stores already closed and proclaiming "see you next year!" There's a lovely beach that we walked along, and since it's no longer summer, Sheila was able to come with us, where we spent a bit of time simply sitting and enjoying the view of the waves and horizon.
Biddeford and Kennebunkport
Continuing southwards, we drove through the city of Biddeford, and had to stop when we saw an enormous manufacturing site alongside us as we crossed a bridge, complete with old smoke stacks! It turns out that it is Pepperell Mill, which was once a huge textile manufacturing plant, that's now been transformed to a mixed-use campus, with condos, restaurants, cafes, and local businesses. How cool to revitalize this historic spot, but retain much of the old aesthetic!
We couldn't really stop in downtown Biddeford as parking was a challenge, but we did get a glimpse of the Palace Diner, a vintage diner set in an railcar. While it's not a big place, every stool in the diner had a customer on it, enjoying a classic diner meal. And speaking of railcars, in the next town over, Kennebunkport, is the Seashore Trolley Museum, which is apparently the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. We didn't go into the museum to see all the transit trains, trolleys and motor buses (it costs $17.85 per adult), but we already saw a lot of old trains from the outside.
There are also tours to ride some of the old vehicles, with the guides dressed up as conductors used to back in that era! The area is very historic, with a lot of huge and charming mansions. One of the most popular homes is the Wedding Cake House, which claims to be "the most photographed house" in the state (clearly not including light'houses'--get it?). The house was built in 1826, and the white trim--the "icing" if you will, was painted on later. Lisette loved it because the house is painted yellow, her favorite color!
Rugged and Romantic
On Maine's southern coast, we stopped briefly at Ogunquit Beach, a long, sandy peninsula with grassy dunes. Here, we saw people hanging out on the beach, and it is clearly yet again another popular seaside town, as evidenced by the surf stores, ice cream stores, restaurants, galleries and other businesses that are eager to cater to the summer crowds. We just loved driving down the coast to see these little towns, with the buildings on one side, and the lovely coastline on the other, with the ocean shimmering under the afternoon sun. If we had more time, it would be nice to stop and relax here for longer!
And because we were still in Maine, we stopped at yet another lighthouse, the Nubble Lighthouse, which may compete with Portland Head Light as one of the most photographed lighthouse in the state. The parking area is a lot smaller and tighter compared to Cape Elizabeth, and it was just as busy! Fortunately we found a spot (sneakily by a restaurant), so we made a mad dash towards Nubble. The lighthouse here is a lot more exposed to the elements, so people were rugged up as the ocean winds whipped at us as we wandered up the rocky outcrops, and looked out into the Atlantic. There are various trails to walk around, although we didn't walk all the way up to the lighthouse, being content to marvel at it from afar.
We did, however, get nice and close to the Wiggly Bridge, our next stop in the town of York. The tiny suspension bridge definitely lives up to its name, shaking and bouncing as the 3 of us all walked across us (which is why the Girl Scouts called it so). It was built in the 1930s and leads further into a nature trail, and we could see the water move rapidly underneath us as we walked back to the other side. In this area we could see boats along the other side, and a man pulling his old-school rowboat to shore. Beautiful and charming scenery all round.
As we drove past the First Parish Church nearby, we noticed that it was filled with pumpkins for sale, arranged so neatly and attractively that we had to stop and take some photos. There were kids excitedly hobbling around, bear-hugging their choice pumpkins that they wanted to take home with them, and an elderly couple loading at least 4 giant pumpkins into the boot of their car when we arrived. As a way to further entice customers, an elderly lady was sitting down at the front of the lawn, dressed as a witch, her face painted an eerie shade of green. Michael asked if he could take a photo of her, and she not only willingly obliged, but stood up and suggested we all take a selfie together on a bench a few yards behind us, where we could get a better photo of the pumpkins as well! It was so sweet of her to offer, particularly as she had a cane and shuffled towards the bench.
Michael still hadn't had his own lobster roll, and while these are mostly sold during lunchtime, we found a place, Henry's Bagel & Deli, to order one before we left Maine--and that was also cheaper than Lisette's roll for lunch (ticking both boxes!). While the restaurant didn't specialize in seafood as much as Bite into Maine (lots of bagels, sandwiches, and hot dogs also on the menu), it was pretty good, and Michael enjoyed it. Hopefully you can't go wrong with any lobster rolls in Maine!
New Hampshire for the Night
Before we knew it, we'd crossed back into New Hampshire, stopping briefly to see the USS Albacore, a retired research submarine that operated during the Cold War. Out of action since 1972, the 200-foot (over 60 meter) sub been sitting in the city of Portsmouth since 1985. Tickets are $14 for adults to go inside it, although it was already closed by the time we got there.
Our final stop for the day was around the shoreline of New Hampshire. At the coastal town of Rye, we parked alongside a sand dune, and walking over the wall of sand, we were greeted by the amazing and rugged beach. There were a ton of rocks to walk along, and more individual rocks strewn in the water in front of us. There was a family that had walked along the rocks, getting to a spot in the distance where the sun was shining perfectly on them like a spotlight, while a lone lobster cage was bobbing closer to us as a flock of birds bobbed in the ocean. Amazing.
That evening, we drove to a truck travel stop but it was already jam packed. With the sun quickly setting and mere minutes before it got dark, we started worrying about where we'd go (there was a McDonald's close by but we weren't sure if it'd be okay to hang out). Fortunately, Walmart came to our rescue! And as we drove to it, we passed a house that was completely overtaken by Halloween decorations--which were all of the Minions characters, blown up in various outfits. Seems like someone loves the Minions more than Lisette!