Down East Acadia

We decided to take a drive up the east coast to famous "Down East Acadia" to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. 

Drove across the Waldo Hancock Bridge, which was unusual. It was the first long-span suspension bridge erected in Maine, as well as the first permanent bridge across the Penobscot River below Bangor. It connects Waldo and Hancock counties. 

This lobster fisherman is ending his season. (He told us.)

We still saw many lobster boats still out.

In the Acadia National Park, we hiked in lovely, lovely snow.  The woods were lovely. We were on a  "carriage" road so the walk was easy and enjoyable.

Crystal clear water-water source for the surrounding communities

So clear!

Gorgeous walk. Beautiful, perfect weather

Amazing how trees can find a tiny crack in rocks, begin to grow until they are large.

Icicles!

Great way to end our lovely week visit to Maine

Portland

Unfortunately several sites were closed that we were hoping to view, but it was still a lovely day in beautiful Maine.


Oldest Lighthouse constructed in Maine-Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth.

Portland Head Light from the Cliff Path

Beautiful, rugged shore

Fantastic rock formation

Lighthouse seen from Portland Head Light

One of the oldest Unitarian Universalist Churches in Nation. Originally was the first meeting house or church for the entire area. The clock is the original Simon Willard tower clock (1794) and a cannon ball crashed into the walls of "Old Jerusalem" and hangs at the base of the chain of the chandelier. The ordination of the Reverend Ichabod Nichols in 1809 and his Unitarian leaning led to the First parish congregation to recognize the liberal traditions by becomin Unitarian. 

Interior of UU Church

Plaques from mid-18th Century

Customs House

Old Port

Lunch at Luke's Lobster where we could look out at the port and saw a bald eagle and five or so seals. So much fun!  (Couldn't get a good picture, but hopefully you can tell that this is an eagle)

Lobster boat

Eartha in Yarmouth: Eartha mimics the Earth's movements inside a weatherproof three-story glass atrium at Delorme (which was acquired by Garmin in 2016), mounted on a custom-designed, mechanized cantilever arm.

Eartha is tilted on a 23.5 degree axis, mimicking the real Earth's angle. The surface is composed of 792 panels printed from a computerized database and incorporating shaded relief and depth info, roadways and cities. According to DeLorme, it's the largest Earth image ever created.

Hiking around Rockport

We took three short hikes around the Rockport and Rockland. We were quite fortunate in the weather in which rain held off until the afternoon.

Martin Point Wildlife Preserve in Friendship. Fun trail in which little houses had been made. I envisioned young children taking walks and making little houses.

young pine trees uprooted taking moss with them

Lovely!!!!!

Marshall Point Lighthouse stands on a rocky point at the end of the St. George peninsula in Maine. The lighthouse aids navigation along the Gulf of Maine coast and marks the entrance to the mouth of the St. George River and the harbor located in the fishing village of Port Clyde.

Lobster boats near the lighthouse

 The house connected to the lighthouse

Fuel was changed from lard to more volatile fuels for the lamp so a separate house needed to be built.

"Point" Lighthouse

The ocean from the lighthouse

Powerful Atlantic Ocean

Duck fishing

Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport

 From Summit of the Beech Hill

We have seen these brilliant red berries on bushes throughout this area

Maine State Prison Store: Inmates are trained in wood and other products. Exceptional crafts at reasonable prices. Inmates have to meet certain behavioral criteria. There are a 1000 inmates at the facility but only 125 slots.  The inmates get paid at $1.25/hr and get raises up to $4.50 hr.

Monday-Off to History and Freeport

A great deal of the historic and other sights are closed for the season. We have still had an enjoyable and enriched time. Today was no different. We had had cold, but lovely sunny weather until today, but the rain held off until mid-afternoon.

We began with Permaquid Point Lighthouse, which was closed for the season, but we could admire from the outside and enjoy the view of the ocean.

Standing at 35 feet tall (10 meters), the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was erected in 1835 and became one of the first lighthouses with an automatic light in 1934.

We then travel toward Freeport stopping at Fort William Henry or Fort Frederick.  Fort William Henry was built in 1692 during King William's War. The English constructed it to defend against the French and Wabanaki Confederacy of Acadia. The English built Fort William Henry as a fortress to protect the northern boundary of New England. Massachusetts government used one third of its budget to build the fort. The fort was built with walls that were 10 to 22 feet high.  The fort was attacked by a combined force of French and Native Americans in the Siege of Pemaquid (1696). The English were forced to surrender the fort and abandon the Pemaquid area. 

The fort was rebuilt in 1729–1730, renaming it Fort Frederick. During the French and Indian War, the fort was decommissioned in 1759 after a new Fort Frederick was built on the Saint John River the previous year. In 1775, the town dismantled the fort to prevent it from becoming a British stronghold during the Revolutionary War.

The state acquired the site in 1902, and in 1908 rebuilt the tower of Fort William Henry, using many original stones. In 1969, the fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Once in Freeport we visited LL Bean's original store.  The company has expanded to an entire campus.  We had planned to eat at Harraseeket, but it had closed for the season.  I am learning to phone rather than depend on the web. The lovely thing was that I saw 


Mann Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Freeport, Maine. It was established around 1750 and was closed to burials in 1922. There are around 160 burials, most in unmarked graves. The oldest marked grave is that of Esther Mann (1737–1770). Dozens of blue plastic markers denote what are believed to be burials.

Lane to the cemetery

The Cemetery

Marker for multiple people. I think it is children and wife/mother.

Esther Mann's Marker

Jameson Inn was built in 1779 as the home of Dr. John Angier Hyde. It was sold and turned into a tavern in 1801 by Captain Jameson. Henry Wadworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier and Franklin Pierce (US 14th Presidient) stopped at the taveran on the way to Bowdoin College in Brunswick. It was a popular meeting place during the years that the Province of Maine was pursuing independence from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A plaque placed on the taveran by the Daugheers of the American Revolution in 1934 commemorating that the final papers giving Maine her indepence from Massachusetts were signed at the Tavern.  Original glass still survivies in many of the original windows. It is believed to be haunted by "Emily" a child who died in a fire on the 3rd floor of the tavern.

Lunch at the Taveran. Allen had stuffed lobster and sea scallops. I had seafood chowder.