The Eastern Trail Bike Trail goes from Maine to Key West, mostly along former railroad track beds. On one of our recent days off, we decided to ride from Scarborough to Saco, Maine. Even though we scheduled to complete the ride during the recent heat wave in Maine, most of the ride was along a tree canopy lined path as seen below. It was probably at least 10 degrees warmer in the sun as compared to the shade.
During the ride, we crossed lesser traveled roads by walking our bikes across the roads. When we came to busy U.S. 1, we had our own bridge that allowed bikers and hikers to safely cross over this busy thoroughfare. This bridge pictured below crosses this busy highway near Old Orchard Beach, a popular family beach resort area in southern Maine. The Eastern Trail is a multi-use pathway, so there are benches every mile or so for walkers or bikers to rest. With the temperature approaching 90 degrees, we choose not to rest on this bench in the bright sunlight. Our rest stops for water were in shaded areas.
A portion of the Eastern Trail goes across the Scarborough Marsh along this bridge. Because this is a saltwater marsh area, there are no trees for shade. You can not see any of the salt water in the marsh because it is almost low tide. As the temperature slid above 90 degrees, we chose to only photograph this sunny part of the path.
Our 8-mile bike ride was enjoyable over mostly level terrain. After a stop at one of the local ice cream stands for some freshly made hand-dipped ice cream, we headed back to the campground. This is the second time we have utilized this trail, once for walking after work and now for a bike ride. With recreation opportunities like this, it is easy to see why so many Mainers are outdoor people, at least in the summer months.
Since we have been here, co-workers have told us we needed to see the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The weather was supposed to be dry and warm so we headed towards "The Whites". Some of the scenery we drove past was reminiscent of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Not the dramatic mountains of Wyoming but domed, tree covered small mountains. We saw a large ski resort complete with lifts and trails up the mountain, as well as plenty of tourist businesses including restaurants, shops, and hotels galore. Here are some scenic views taken from a tourist information center.
A different view showing a rocky mountain top with a sheer drop of over 100 feet. The sky was cobalt blue that day.
Our goal was to hike to Arethusa Falls, the single longest waterfall drop in New England. Our research showed the hiking time to be 60 minutes over a 1.5 mile trail with an altitude gain of 900 feet up, and 100 feet down with a difficulty of "moderate".
The day started beautifully with Google Maps getting us to the trailhead in about 2 hours. We headed up the trail until we came to this sign.
Relying on our research that the Bemis Brook trail would meet the main trail in a half mile, we took the trail to the left towards Bemis Brook. We encountered some significant roots to use as stepping stairs. Yes, the trail went up over those roots! We climbed up and down boulders and vaulted over dead trees in the path, too.
The water in Bemis Brook was crystal clear as you can see below.
This view reminded us of the many waterfalls we saw in Wyoming.
Here is a view of Coliseum Falls.
At Coliseum Falls, we searched the surrounding area, but we couldn't find the trail any more. We saw markers on trees but did not understand what they signified. Yes, we were lost in terms of progressing forward. In one direction it looked like this.
Looking in another direction, we saw this.
Since there was no visible trail, we decided to head back to the parking area to eat lunch before trying the main trail to the falls. We dreaded the hike back because of the difficult terrain of boulders and fallen trees on the path, when we had intended to only travel this difficult path one way.
The main trail was about 3 ft. wide in most areas and very rocky. But, it was easy to follow!
In some areas, there were staircases made of mostly rocks but with a few horizontal logs to hold the rocks in place.
The last portion of the trail was actually down towards the base of the falls. Here you can see some hikers who got under the falls to be cooled by the cascading water.
The multi-tiered plunge appears to fall from the sky. Notice how graceful the falls appears to be.
A more close-up view.
The constant up, up, and up with minimal level areas along the trail made this the hardest hike we have ever taken, even more than those we hiked in Wyoming.
Despite the difficulty, the view of the falls from the base of the falls was spectacular. Our photos do not do the view justice.
As physically drained as we were, we needed to get back down the trail. Going down was no easier than going up. Climbing down the trail seemed to put more pressure on our knees and feet.
During the down portion, we had a mystery to solve. Where did the Bemis Falls trail meet the main trail? We looked for markers on trees, which were just paint splotches on tree trunks now and then. We finally found the "trail" join, using the term loosely. From the Coliseum waterfall, we would have had to climb a 60 degree unmarked hillside slope, grabbing onto trees or boulders to pull ourselves up. No, thanks! Not our style of hiking, even if we had found the trail from the bottom of the hill. This is the view from the main trail looking down towards Coliseum Falls. Do you see a trail?
After finally arriving at the parking lot, we were two tired hikers. We had sweated a lot during the hike in the heat and had drunk all our water along the trail. Being very thirsty and hungry, we headed to the closest town, North Conway, NH, to visit a brew pub recommended by a work colleague. The beer was cold and the food was good at the Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Company. We have enjoyed tasting local craft beers all over the area and will miss that aspect of our travels when we return to Florida.
As tired as we were, we determined that this hike was worthwhile for the views which were so different than what we have seen previously in Maine while hiking mostly along the coast. In the future, we will pay closer attention to the descriptions of hikes, especially the elevation gains.
Most days our work is somewhat routine. However, sometimes there are surprises.
While working "light maintenance", Paul was taking some bags of ice from the office to the camp store on his golf cart when his radio blared, "Can you go to site B-17 and capture the snapping turtle?" Since the campground is family friendly, and we have kids riding bikes everywhere, it was in the best interest that the snapping turtle be removed.
After putting the ice in the store ice machine, Paul quickly headed to B-17 and began looking for a snapping turtle, which he imagined to be maybe 4 or 5 inches in diameter at most. Since B-17 is along the lake, he first searched the beach area -- no turtle in sight. As Paul was searching around the site, the neighbor in the next site came out and asked, "Are you looking for the snapping turtle?" It turns out the snapping turtle had gotten under the trailer parked at the site. A very BIG turtle was visible with his nose at the edge of the skirting at the base of the trailer.
Paul called for additional assistance from the maintenance crew. They first had to remove the skirting to have access to the turtle. Then, a co-worker grabbed the turtle by the tail as it tried to scurry away at turtle speed. The turtle didn't like being picked up by the tail and tried to bite the worker by twisting his neck every which way. Yes, that is why they are called snapping turtles. In fact, this turtle had already bitten a guest who tried to feed the turtle lettuce by putting his hand near the turtle's head. Was this a smart thing to do? Not just "no" but "hell no".
The first three photos show the turtle close-up from different views.
The sand had been raked recently. The turtle's shell is as long as the width of the rake.
Here you can see the tail is nearly as long as the turtle's shell.
For the safety of all, the turtle needed to be removed from the campground. Paul's co-worker put the turtle in the bed of a pick-up truck and took it to a nearby river, where he released it to a new home.
You can see several one inch hoses in the truck. This gives you an idea of the true size of this monster turtle. I would guess the shell was about 10 inches wide and maybe 13 or 14 inches long.
Why didn't we release the turtle back into our lake? It would have been a danger to the many campers and day visitors who swim in the 30-acre lake at the campground.
Another day, Paul was in his golf cart when a co-worker stopped his car to let him know of another problem. The co-worker said the pigs, yes, pigs, were trying to get out of their cage and that the pigs knew how to open the gate.
The owner keeps two pigs in a back portion of his land behind the campground, about a block from any campsites. He feeds them all summer and then has them butchered in the fall for food. The smell in the pig pen area was horrendous, as you might expect. Paul got to the cage and just held the gate shut until another worker could put a lock on the hasp. It was difficult to hold the gate closed while trying to hold my nose because of the pig smell. Apparently, the pigs wanted to eat the tall grass near the fence, and they were smart enough to put their noses under the gate and lift up to try to jiggle the hasp free.
In this view of the pigs, they are by their feeding trough, thinking that we were going to feed them. Wrong! All we wanted was a few photos for the blog.
In case
the pigs were strong enough to bend the hasp, we wrapped a chain around the gate and cage and locked it tight. Below you can see a close-up view of the wrapped chain to secure the pig "jail". The pigs are not getting out anytime soon.
In both of these instances, customer service was of the utmost importance. Could you imagine chasing the pigs through the campground if they had gotten loose?
While the Wilson family was visiting Portland, we tried to think of activities that both the children and adults would enjoy. Since Maine is famous for lobsters, we decided to investigate how these crustacean creatures are caught.
We went to the docks in Portland and scheduled a ride on the Lucky Catch, a working lobster boat. We were all invited to participate as crew members, as we were offered lobstermen gear once we were underway from the pier. Wendy, Amelia, and John are dressed and ready to learn firsthand about catching lobsters.
Paul and Ann are dressed and ready to play "lobsterman" as well.
The Lucky Catch stopped at four different locations around Casco Bay. At each stop, the boat captain pulled up two traps from the bottom of the bay. Here Captain Dave is showing us the particular color scheme on the buoy the company has been assigned. Notice the automatic pulley that is used to pull the traps from the bottom.
The first trap contained several lobsters. Here Dave is showing us how a lobster is measured to determine if it can be kept or must be thrown back into the water. Maine has very strict lobstering laws to ensure the population of lobsters can continue to regenerate. Only male lobsters can be kept if the body shell length is between 3.25 inches and 5 inches as measured with this special ruler. The bagel looking attachment is a float in case the "ruler" falls into the water.
We also caught this female lobster. Dave is showing us the eggs on the belly of the lobster. Female lobsters carry the eggs and eventually deposit them to hatch.
There were two different types of crabs in one of the traps.
Our first mate is showing John and Amelia the two different types of claws that lobsters have. Scott is in the background. The children are wearing protective gloves so they could do all the crewman activities safely.
Because lobsters are cannibals, rubber bands are put on the claws so they don't kill each other in the tank. Amelia is getting ready to put the bands on our keeper lobster. Scott, Wendy, Paul, and John watch attentively.
Before the traps are put back in the water, fresh bait is put in each trap. Here John is putting herring in the bait bag Amelia is holding while Wendy watches.
John is pulling the string tight on another bait bag. The expression on John's face is almost as if he could smell the fish, which you couldn't.
Paul is fastening the trap closed after the new bait has been put inside. You can see the bait bag hanging in the center of the trap. There are also several bricks in each trap to help keep the trap from moving on the bottom of the bay.
John is pushing the trap into the water while Amelia watches intently. The traps will be left on the bottom for three days before they are pulled from the water again.
Our journey around the bay took us passed "Seal Rock". On some days the seals would be sunning themselves but not this day. Our weather was cool and drizzly, keeping us all in jackets and sweatshirts.
When the Lucky Catch arrived back at the dock, we were offered to purchase any of the lobsters we brought in. However, we chose to enjoy some hot clam chowder at a nearby restaurant to help warm us up.
Daughter Wendy, Son-in-Law Scott and grandchildren Amelia (soon to be 10) and John (7) came to Portland from Dallas to spend a long weekend with us. We were able to arrange our days off to visit some of the area attractions with them.
Our first destination of the day was Prouts Neck, a small peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean with panoramic views along coastline cliffs. Prouts Neck was once home to Winslow Homer, an American landscape painter best known for his marine subjects. After viewing these photos, you will see why Homer called Prouts Neck home in the mid 1800's and early 1900's before his death. The closest parking was at a local beach, so we got to walk along the sandy beach for a mile, looking for shells and sea life to amuse Amelia and John.
The Cliff Walk goes along some very rocky coastline.We had to be vigilant walking up and down the rocky boulders, but the children were fearless in getting to the edge of the rock cliffs. John and Amelia easily ventured out on the rocks.
Eventually Paul joined the grandchildren on the cliff edge.
There were few resting spots along the walk. The Wilson family choose a a large piece of driftwood to take a rest.
Did you notice the homes behind the resting hikers? Most of the homes were on the enormous side, with spectacular ocean views. Here is perhaps the most spectacular house we saw during our hike. Not in our price range, for sure!
The views of the rocky coast meeting the ocean were priceless. It was difficult to capture the mood of the waves breaking on the rocks below in pictures. Here is the best photo we could get. Notice how foggy it was out in the Atlantic.
Near the end of our hike we passed the yacht club. The other three flags in addition to the US flag are Canada, Maine, and the yacht club's own flag. There are quite a number of Canadian visitors to Maine, hence the display of the Canadian flag.
Next, we headed into South Portland to tour Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1897 to deter wrecks on the harbor. Did you know that South Portland played an instrumental role in ship building during WWII? 30 Ocean cargo ships were built for the British government. But more importantly, 236 Liberty cargo ships were built for the U. S. Navy between 1941 and 1945.
In 1951, a 900 ft. granite rock water break was added between shore and the lighthouse. Prior to the walkway, the lighthouse tender and his assistant had to row a boat between the mainland and the lighthouse whenever they needed supplies, especially lots of coal in the winter.
We walked out the walkway carefully, watching our step as we leaped from boulder to boulder, looking at some large gaps in the rocky structure - broken hips for seniors not paying attention, but the grandchildren were again fearless in traveling out the walkway.
The lighthouse is now automatic thanks to an electric cable run from the shore and more recently fueled by solar panels, which can be seen on the right at the base of the lighthouse. The photo below shows Paul and Wendy almost all the way out to the lighthouse. You can see how uneven the footing was.
While we were waiting our turn to climb the ladder to the second floor of the lighthouse, we spotted a family of four minks climbing amongst the granite boulders. Minks are native to Maine but not often spotted, so we got lucky in getting a glimpse of them. Here is a photo of one of the adult minks.
From the top of the lighthouse, we got this view of an oil tanker being pushed into Portland Harbor by a tugboat. This tanker came from Majuro, a chain of 64 islands in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean - a long way from Portland, Maine.
We also saw this windjammer under full sail coming back into port.
We had a fabulous day visiting with family while we toured some of the Portland area's scenic coastal attractions.
Our campground hosts many unique weekend activities. Recently we had an agility dog show with about 100 dogs performing various agility stunts, like an obstacle course for dogs. While this dog show was smaller than the show held here in May, it was much more entertaining.
In the photos below you can see the obstacles each dog needed to maneuver over, around, on, and through during a timed performance. Each dog was directed by a person that ran near the dog on the course, using both hand and voice signals to tell the dog how to run the course. In agility competition, points are deducted if the dog misses any obstacle, knocks down a bar while jumping or does not follow the correct course order.
Here a collie is going over a hurdle. Note the calibrated markings on some of the obstacles.
Climbing up and down an A-frame and walking a dog balance beam are some of the tests of height agility.
Another obstacle was going in and out of a series of stakes. Dogs took this part of the course with lightning speed, weaving between the stakes in just a few seconds. How a dog is trained to weave his body back and forth through this particular part of the course is hard to imagine.
In this dog show, the breed of the dog did not matter. Dogs
competed against other dogs the same height, with height being measured
from the shoulder to the paw. Even little pups like this miniature dachshund ran the course, with the jumps being set on the lowest calibration.
Across the entrance road from the dog show were the local ham radio operators. During the last weekend in June, ham radio operators from all over the world compete in a 24 hour competition to see how many points they can rack up. Points are earned by who the operator communicates with either by voice or by Morse code based on country and the person's hierarchy. In other words, if they talk to an officer in a radio club in Germany they will earn more points than talking to a German farmer who holds no office in the local radio club.
One of the men Paul talked to said that he was hoping to talk to ham operators in at least 30 countries during the competition. The radio towers that were erected looked impressive.
Until next time ...
