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By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 21, 2022 | Our great country has many wonderful places to visit, with a vast assortment of scenery, activities, foods and people.
With the summer approaching, and the temperatures here aiming toward 100, it was a good time to visit in the state of Maine, a beautiful place in warm weather with a certain laid-back attitude that attracts many “summercasters.” We visited right before Maine’s big season for visitors, which is July and August. The weather certainly cooperated, in the 80s only one day, and most nights between 55-60.
We centered on the coast above Portland, never going more north than Bucksport and Kennebunkport to the south. This coastline is a continuous series of peninsulas, some 20-30 miles long. Often you are on one peninsula and able to look 2-3 miles away and see another peninsula, but if you don’t have a ferry, it might take you 50 miles to drive to it. Because of this geography, and for both fishing and pleasure, it seems like boats almost outnumber the people of coastal Maine.
Though Maine’s “coast shoreline” is only 228 miles long, its “tidal shoreline” is 3,478-miles, fourth longest in the nation.
Go to Maine, if you like seafood at all, the big attraction is lobster. While tradition politically has it “as Maine goes, so goes the nation,” we would paraphrase “As lobsters go, so goes Maine.”
Mainers think highly of their lobster. Many maintain that the best way to enjoy lobster is the Maine lobster roll, best eaten at the many roadside stands you find along the highways. But these will set you back a pretty penny. The highest price we saw was $36 for a lobster roll, and that’s merely a hot dog bun toasted with either light mayonnaise or butter, and you get about six ounces of lobster. The smallest whole lobster on menus was a 1.25 pounder, going for $40 or more. They sell a lot.
Yep, we admit we missed one day without tasting lobster. The very best we had was at a “lobster pound” in Lincolnville for one pound of cracked lobster claws ($25). Yes, it was really good. We had dinner at an outdoor table. The drawn butter was in a plastic cup. Can’t you see this? Somehow we overturned the butter, and with the slatted table, spilled the butter over one pant leg. Ugh! But the cracked claws were really good!
We centered our trip in the charming harbor town of Camden. One day’s venture was a two hour schooner sailing trip. We virtually had a private tour, with only one other passenger for the two man crew to entertain. The day was sunny and calm, and the sailing smooth and quiet.
Our “tallest” journey was 420 feet into the sky at the cable-stayed Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, the world’s tallest public bridge observatory. The span across the river is 2,120 feet long. Another ‘Wow!”
When in Portland (such a nice city!), we were only 35 miles from Kennebunkport, where members of the Bush family have visited in summers for ages. We can see why. The Atlantic waves pound the rocks there, where substantial homes are right along the coast road. Bet it would cost you a pretty penny to own anything there.
The state of Maine is indeed, its own “state of mind.” It was thoroughly enjoyable.
Politically, Maine’s governor and both houses of the legislature are Democratic, while one senator (Susan Collins) is Republican and another (Angus King) is independent. Its two members of the House of Representatives are also Democratic.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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