Coastal Travels in Down East, Maine

This post continues the recounting of our travels in Maine at the end of May.  Alan and I had arrived at the Schoodic Woods Campground on the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia National Park the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend.  Thursday and Friday were spent on the peninsula and in Acadia proper on Mt. Desert Island.  On the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, we preferred to avoid as much of the holiday weekend crowd as possible, and decided that exploring the new-to-us section of Maine known as Down East (also called Downeast) would be the way to go.  But, really, which way are we going – up or down?

According to the website Acadia Magic, “the term ‘Down East’ or ‘Downeast’ is most often defined in Maine as the eastern coastal region of the State that covers Washington County and Hancock County beginning in Ellsworth and stretching to the East all the way to the Maritime Provinces. The city of Ellsworth is referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Downeast and Acadia Region of Maine’ which includes Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.”  (Just as importantly, Ellsworth also includes excellent homemade ice cream at Morton’s Moo, but there I go digressing again.)

Morton Von Chocolate ("Chip")

Back in the day, when schooners were traveling from the ports of New York and Boston to the coastal communities of Maine, the prevailing winds were often at their backs, pushing them along the coast.  Despite the fact that the ships were moving in a definite northeasterly direction (which would be “up” the coast in my mind), the combination of “downwind” and “northeasterly” became “downwind” and “easterly” – which subsequently evolved into “Down East.”  I hope that cleared things up for you, because it sure didn’t clear anything up for me.  Suffice it to say that Alan and I went “that-a-way” to explore places we had never been before.

Before we begin our travels, let’s talk population for a minute because, you know, I’m all about numbers.  Many visitors to Down East become familiar with Bar Harbor, the quaint, touristy little town adjacent to Acadia National Park.  Bar Harbor is at the westernmost end (well, actually it’s at the south westernmost end, but let’s not get into that again) of the Down East section of Maine, and has a population of approximately 5,500 people.  Comparatively, Augusta (the state capital) has a population of almost 19,000 and Portland (Maine’s most populous city) boasts a total of just over 68,000 people.  Down East is all about life in a small town.

Besides Bar Harbor, the other “major” cities along the Down East coast of Maine are Machias (approximate population of 2,100), Eastport (1,300) and Calais (3,000).  My favorite small town Down East turned out to be Castine with a population of approximately 800 people.  (Note that Castine is the small town in which Alan refused to buy the $1.2 million dollar waterfront home that I admired.  I'm just sayin'.)  So, even accounting for the influx of tourists for the Memorial Day holiday, we figured we had a pretty good chance of beating the crowds if we took ourselves Down East.  And so we did.

Bad Little Falls - Machias, Maine

Our first stop was at Bad Little Falls Park in Machias.  (That’s pronounced “muh-chai-uhs,” in case you didn’t know.  I didn’t either until I looked it up when we drove through.)  The park was a sweet little gem that had benches for dawdling and a small metal bridge on which you could cross over the falls.  The park also had the first “Love Locks” installation we had ever seen (and had never heard of).

Love Locks are padlocks that couples place in public places, often engraved with the couple’s names and sometimes a date, that reflect the commitment to each other and their unending bond.  (For an excellent example, hop on over to Tessa’s recent post on The Charming Adventures of the Millers [link here]; just remember to hop on back this way when you’re finished reading.)  If you’re absolutely, positively sure that you’ve found your Ms. or Mr. Right, you throw away the key.  Don’t worry, though.  If your relationship unexpectedly needs to be “unlocked,” you can always borrow a bolt cutter.  Although there are public installations for Love Locks around the world, you should be aware that if you randomly attach a lock to a public building, bridge, fence, etc., a community may consider that vandalism.  So I encourage you to choose your location – and your partner – carefully.

Love Locks sponsored by the Machias Arts Council

Our next stop was Cobscook Bay State Park in Dennysville, Maine.  We had timed our arrival to roughly coincide with low tide.  Why?  Because I had read in a travel guide that the bay was one of the places in Maine to see the tide ebb and flow rapidly.  Not as rapidly as the Bay of Fundy in Canada or Turnagain Arm in Alaska, but rapidly nonetheless.  The truth?  Cobscook Bay State Park was a big letdown for us.  Definitely, a one and done.  The location was lovely, but the facility didn’t really speak to us.  The mosquitoes did, however, and several of them said to me, “I’m going to bite you and make your life miserable” just before they did.

Yup, it's definitely low tide.

The park was mainly a campground, and the small day use area really wasn’t much to speak of.  We did sit and watch the tide for a while at a picnic table overlooking the bay.  But we thought it was moving as quickly on the Schoodic Peninsula, so I can’t say we were overly impressed.  Time to move on.  (Please don’t tell our kids that we went to a park to watch the tide come in.  That’s only slightly less embarrassing that watching ice melt, and they would never let us live it down.)

Cobscook Bay State Park - Day Use Area

Never one to pass up a lighthouse, I asked Alan to stop at a small rest area on Route 1, just a few miles outside of the town of Calais.  Whitlock's Mill Light Station is situated on the south side of the St. Croix River, and is still a working lighthouse.  Unfortunately, it’s on property that’s closed to the public.  So, while the little lighthouse can be easily seen from the water, the rest area on Route 1 is the only spot from which landlubbers can view it.  Because it’s a tiny little thing, we had to look hard for it from our viewpoint up on the bluff, but find it we did.  In the photo below, the white lighthouse with a black cap is along the shoreline at the left side of the pic, about halfway down.

Whitlock's Mill Lighthouse - Route 1 Rest Area near Calais, Maine

Alan and I planned to stop in Lubec, the easternmost point in the contiguous United States, but first continued on to the town of Calais.  Calais is as far as you can travel along the Maine coast before you cross into Canada.  (After Lubec, the coastline cuts back in a northwesterly direction, which is why Calais is as far as you can go, but Lubec is the easternmost point.)  Our destination was the Calais Waterfront Walkway but, again, we were somewhat disappointed.  We parked at a pretty little parking area along the river to access the Walkway, but it proved to be fairly uninteresting, and it wasn’t long before we turned back.  The most intriguing aspect of our walk was noting the relatively long line of traffic waiting to clear customs and enter Canada.  On to Lubec.

No matter where we travel, town harbors are irresistible to Alan and me.  If they’re working harbors, better yet, and it seems like all small town harbors in Maine are working harbors.  Lubec was no different, with a number of lobster boats of varying shades at anchor adding a splash of color to a beautiful – and beautifully serene - scene.

Across the Lubec Narrows, we could easily see the Mulholland Point Lighthouse on the western edge of Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  Since it was already late in the day, and visiting the park would require passing through Customs at the Canadian border, we opted to simply admire the view from the Lubec waterfront.

Mulholland Point Lighthouse - Roosevelt Campobello International Park

In the photo below, the Mulholland Point Lighthouse is framed between two granite sections of the monument in Lost Fishermen’s Memorial Park.  Carved into the monument are the names of fishermen who lost their lives in the waters of Washington County, Maine, and Charlotte County, New Brunswick, or who lived in those counties and were lost in other waters while fishing.  Monuments like this provide poignant proof that the life of a commercial fisherman is never easy and often dangerous.

Lost Fishermen's Memorial Park - Lubec, Maine

Knowing that evening was drawing closer and we had a long drive back to Schoodic Woods, Alan and I made a quick stop at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec before turning for home.  The point on which the lighthouse is located is the easternmost point in the 48 contiguous states, and the attractive, candy-striped lighthouse is a favorite of photographers.  

It's no wonder that the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse appeals to photographers.

On our return trip back to Schoodic Woods, Alan and I stopped at Helen’s Restaurant in Machias for an evening meal.  Although I can’t recall what we ordered, I know the food was tasty, and I distinctly remember that we didn’t have room for a slice of pie – for which this local landmark is famous.  Hmm.  Now that is a situation we’ll have to rectify.  We got back to the Schoodic Peninsula with barely enough time to drive out to the Frazer Point Picnic Area to catch the evening’s sunset – a quiet moment to end our quiet day.

Sunset at the Frazer Point Picnic Area - Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park

 

“Maine is a beautiful place that I paradoxically want to hoard to myself and share with everyone I meet.”  (John Hodgman)

Spending Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in the small towns along the Down East coast of Maine worked well for avoiding crowds.  In an effort to make it two for two, we tried again on Sunday to place ourselves where crowds of tourists wouldn’t be.  Yes, it worked.  Come along for the ride.