Ogonquit & South of Portland

Ogonquit ("beautiful place" in Native Indian language)

Ogonquit was the first place we went to apart from our hotel in Portland. As soon as we got off the interstate and drove on US1 we really got to see the beautiful Maine. So many trees and clapboard houses. Ogonquit is indeed a beautiful place, but was rather swamped with visitors. Far too many for the size of the place; a small town with a huge beach. The kids had watched "Bruno" a few days before, and we saw that it was premiering in Ogonquit too!











Kennebunkport (silly name in any language)

A rather pretty town with a slightly inland harbour on a river, and a very silly name. George Bush senior has a home here. We asked at the gate for his opinion on The Fall, and the security guard said Mr Bush had often remarked that Maine was a beautiful place at that time of year. (boom boom)





Portland Head Lighthouse

A rather gorgeous lighthouse and a headland very evokative of Cornwall (one of many)








More to follow...................... :devil:

Lobsters in Portland

Our vessel for the day



Heading out of the harbour



Preparing the bait



Measuring to see if the lobster was big enough to keep. When it was, "It's a Keeper!" was exclaimed by the enthusiastic ship mates (particularly some guy with a Boston Redsox peaked cap*).

The trip was very interactive and informative. We all got to measure the lobsters with a metal device with a 3 1/4 inch template. If the lobster head shell was less, it was deemed too small to catch. Also breeding females were marked so all could see that they should be thrown back.



How did this loony get aboard? Call homeland security! (not me - the over enthusiastic red sox peak capped guy in the background :rolleyes: )



Claws of "Keepers!" were secured using yellow bands



The lazy sunbathers



Return to base



Dimillo's floating restaurant. Serving fresh lobster...... I can recommend the place. Used to ferry people from Rhode Island to somewhere back in the day apparently



Portland's finest (just for Cleanville ;) )



*Seemingly obligatory headware for about 30% of males I came across over the whole two weeks

Nice pics.

But what sort of typeface is that for a police car, for flip's sake? It makes it look like a toy.

Great photos, as ever, RM2. :applaud:

Ogonquit does look lovely as you say, but that's the trouble with tourist spots - too many bloody tourists. :devil2:

Did you spot that chap trying to break into the chateau style house? Hope you informed the authorities! :o

Oh, and your lad needs to get his hair cut, scruffy 'Erbert. :rolleyes: :lol:

Glad you had a good time. :thumbsup:

Mid Maine Peninsulas

Bailey Island & The Harpswells

Mid Maine was full of long peninsulas jutting out to sea for miles, with small inlets of water separating them. Bailey Island had the feel of Lands End, but on a small scale, take it or leave, shrug your shoulders kind of way.

Lots more trees, water and clapboard homes :applaud:

Mackerel Cove, Bailey Island





Bailey Island / Bailey Island Bridge









The Harpswells



For those of us who are rubbish with apostrophes (including me). Where is Twinz?



View from a restaurant in Cundy Harbour run by students who were refreshingly rude to their customers just like back home



One example of Maine's obsession with Moose. There were many. This is a store in Freeport, which is a town entirely devoted to outlet shops and was so clean and tidy, I felt like I was a bit part in "The Truman Show"

Maybe they have a marketing department

:D

His hair straighteners wouldn't work on the USA power network, so he was most distraught when he woke up on day 1

:rolleyes: :devil:

Clientel desert smallest pub in Maine.

I shall refrain from commenting so as to not upset the lad. :lol:

friendly looking trucker you photographed there - looks mighty proud of his rig too! ;)

Ek-selent photo's. :applaud:

It's a good-looking place isn't it? Thanks for the pics. I might do a few from our holiday in the UK.

:confused:
The apostrophe in that sign is used correctly


Love the pics though :)

"Mine was this big!"

Nice to see Cliff from Cheers doing a bit of fishing.

http://www.nerf-herders-anonymous.net/imag...rger_Cheers.jpg

I was thinking Henry Waxman (US Congressman)

Which is why it is a good way of remembering the rules about apostrophes.

Mid Maine Peninsulas- Boothbay Harbour

The harbourside





Road sign seems to be describing the future general direction of the building and telegraph pole!



How Did That get here?



Scenic Church



Travelling out of the harbour





Riding Point on the Whale Watch boat



Finback at 12 O'clock!



Sun setting on the harbour



Naturally enough, we loved Boothbay Harbour, despite "The Rough Guide to New England" giving it a hard time. Also, we all agreed that the Whale Watch trip was the number one experience of the whole holiday. Sunshine, Whales, and a speedy boat out in the Atlantic

:thumbsup:

Mid Maine Peninsulas - Pemaquid

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse





View from Shaw's Lobster Shack. A very busy eat in fish and chip shop, Maine style.



Pemaquid Beach





Archealogical remains of British Fort



Christmas Cove





Another Moose obsession



First cloudy day of the holiday. Didn't seem to dilute the beauty of the peninsula. Indeed we all really liked our day out at Pemaquid. Other than at the lighthouse & the Lobster shack, we hardly saw any people.

Lighthouse is picturesque, though the surrounding rock formations hugely enhance things. Went up into the lighthouse and got a brief description of the history etc of it. I've been up into Trevose Head lighthouse and frankly Pemaquid's is a doll's house in comparison. Still, lovely spot.

Shaw's lobster shack in New Harbour was an experience. On the ground floor next to the boat landing, it smelt like a fishmongers. Upstairs was a thriving, waterfront sit down, slap it out restaurant that served up the most delectable fish. I had haddock in a light bread crumb and it was big and really really fresh.

What was very interesting about the place was that at Pemaquid beach there is a small "museum" and a site of a British fort. Very small scale etc, and tells the tale that (controversially) there is evidence that the first British settlers settled at Pemaquid, not Plymouth :o .

Short video also describes how the British fort was twice burnt down by the Natives/French in the late 17th century but was rebuilt each time, only for the settlers themselves to dismantle it in 1779 after the "patriots" succeeded in their battle against colonialism. Interestingly at end of the video, some guy romanticises that because of those Brit pioneers all those centuries ago, Maine people are so adventurous etc. (Awww)

After that we decided we really had to check out a place that was called Christmas Cove. It was a must. Irresistable. Discovered by John Smith (Possibly the Pocahontas version) on Christmas day back in 16 odd.

The wine was more resistable. In fact half of it was poured down the sink.

...and look what happened to the pier...

:P

You'd hate it RM1

:nahnah:

-


Great Photo-show --- thanks, man!!

:applaud:

Seriously, it looks tranquil. :)

I might just like it. ;)

Great photos. :applaud:
It looks like such a beautiful place.

they've all been good but the last set was especially nice :wub:

I've only spent about 10 days of my 28 years in New England :huh:

Two Faces of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

Misty!

Bar Harbour





Views from Cadillac Mountain







Sand Beach



Coast





Bass Harbour Lighthouse



Geddy's Bar - More Moose obsession :D



Mount Desert Island was spectacular. Cadillac mountain is a mere 1530 ft above sea level so isn't a mountain in UK terms, where the lower limit is 3000ft. However, its a special place with great views on a sunny day, and quite striking alternative views on misty days.

Two Faces of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

Sunny!

Cadillac Mountain



Sand Beach Revealed







Thunder Hole and coastal views







Somes Sound fjord





The trusty hire car (and a slight extroverted silbling)



When the sun came out Acadia was absolutely stunning. The views from Cadillac were amazing, and Sand Beach was perhaps one of the nicest beach settings I've been to for a while. The coast is also stunning. Somes sound is officially a fjord, and it is the first for me!

After this we moved on to New Hampshire, and inland mountainous country. I would go back to Maine again and again and again. A wonderful state.

:applaud: :applaud:

Rugged coastline! :)

Best photos yet, RM2. :thumbsup:

{Slightly better car than last time too! :lol: }

Actually i think you would love Maine RM1, the coast from Portland north is all granite, and if you like coasts and you like rocks, and you like seeking out and discovering sparcely populated rocky coastlines, then Maine has hundreds of miles of it. It's like Cornwall with a lot more trees and a sharp North East American Accent.

"It's ah Keepur!"

In Geddy's they had menu items called "Ba Haba" Sirlion etc (not Bar Harbour).

A lot of this beautiful coast is owned by individuals with individual plots of land right to the water level, so it isn't totally accessible like Cornwall with its free to all coast path, but it is so big that there is enough to enjoy in a few weeks.

I liked the views from Cadillac Mountain above the cloud level.

The only time I saw this was up Mount Teide in Tenerife, but that's 10,000 ft up, so I was surprised to see you above the clouds at 1500 ft.

Some of the coast looks a little Norwegian, what with the pine trees and fjord.




{Hang on, Cornwall... :huh: :lol: }

That day was incredibly misty. The whole island was shrouded in it. Quite Eerie. Bar Harbour looked like a scene from Monkey Island or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Even on the next day when the sun shone, there was a mist shrouding some of the little islands out to sea in the morning, and Sand Beach was still slightly misty even by late morning.

Acadia is way out on a limb (5 hours drive from Boston airport) but gorgeous and well worth visiting, also quite compact for Maine. If you ever go and explore New England, be prepared to drive for miles. I did 1500 in 13 days, about half of which was driving between hotel destinations).

I reckon I just touched the surface of the place, dipped my toe into a few scenic places. I bet there are a thousand more places to get "Maine'd" in a hundred different ways.

There was a time when it was very uncool to have ur undies showing out the top of ur pants. I dont know...kids these days have no shame. :confused:

No complaints about yer daughter tho - I like a good cardigan, I do.

Superb travelogue, RM. It really comes across that you had a swell time. Excellent pics...

As an aside, I've eaten at DiMillo's on a few occasions and can also recommend it to any forumers who may find themselves passing through...

Snowdaughter mocks incessantly at news of father's injured finger.

New Hampshire

Drove to the top of Mount Washington. They insist on you putting the car into first gear. Mostly the road was pretty good, but there were a few very narrow bits and when you are used to driving on the other side of the road, and there are no safety barriers, I decided it was good advice.

It is eight miles from bottom to top and every year ther is a race to the top. The record time is under 8 minutes!



At 6000ft, Mount Washington isn't a huge peak, but it offered splendid views all around, including a nice range of peaks called the presidential range.



Interesting history to the mountain. It is the site of the highest wind speed recorded on earth (231 miles an hour) which is why the buildings are chained down



A hotel was built here in the 1850's called Tip Top House, which is now a small museum. The museum curator told the tale of Lizzy Bourne who attempted to climb the mountain against all advice due to the weather and is now remembered as the woman who died of stupidity. (Bit harsh)



You can also get to the summit via cog railway



We visited here for afternoon tea/coffee - The Mount Washington Resort



It was here that the Bretton Woods system of monetary management was signed in 1944, in this room:



We really enjoyed the scenery of Crawford, Franconia and Pinkham Notches. Even more trees than Maine!

The Flume Gorge in Franconia was great





We also took The Kancamagus Highway one day which was very scenic

Well we finally got back to Boston, and what a culture shock it was. Busy Busy Busy. It was a city and we hadn't been in one for perhaps months. Traffic, high rise buildings, people, queues ......... ^_^

We soon got accustomed to these intrusions and explored the city.......

What I loved about Boston was they still have some architecture from the late 18th century (all those places that the patriots terrorists gathered in secret to overthrow the British Government). These buildings totally outclassed the contemporary buildings around them, and yet the contrast was also very impressive.

Massachusetts State House (Massachusetts is not an easy word, the locals must love it when they fill out forms)



Old School Meeting House ( my personal favourite due to its location)





Old State House



The arch patriot terrorist himself Samuel Adams in front of Fanuill Hall



Harbour view



Duck Tour ( :applaud: ) Tour Boston on road and river in original WW2 amphibeous landing vehicle. Informative, novel and entertaining. A must do if you visit Boston.

Our driver, dressed as Clueless Joe, who played for Boston Red Sox in 1902 and didnt do to well



Boston as the sun sets from the Charles river



Late evening view of the Holocaust memorial. There are a million numbers in every structure.

More of Boston, plus Salem and some Oddities

To get around Boston we got around on the T, the underground that also went overground





We were impressed by the Architecture of Trinity Church and the contrasts to the Prudential Tower next door which is a v tall building indeed





Squeeze in another picture of Old School Meeting House (it be my favrite an all tha')



Surreally relaxing swan boat ride on Boston Common



Salem was interesting. Witch hysteria back in 1691. Lots of tacky museums peddling the history, and also a memorial to the 21 victims





Some very non British images of the USa

Are there any other types of cash points???



Drive In nonsense.



There were also several drive-in pharmacies.

I mean what is that all about?

Man was made with two legs, and all that

Safe Storage company building :applaud:




Anyway, it was all good.

Maine was best. Everyone should visit Maine once.

It is a treat in 20 different ways.

The Old State House reminds me a little of the small church we visited in NY, just a few yards from Ground Zero. It amazingly survived the attacks without damage, and is now a shrine to those events. It looks lost amongst the tower blocks, yet once inside, there is a strange calm - you'd never know you were in such a large loud city.
I suspect, once inside the Old State House, or the Old School Meeting House (very similar buildings), you'd probably feel the same tranquility.

A side story about the Mount Washington hotel: It's closed for the winter and temps drop to -20C or so....anyway, right after Thanksgiving Holiday, the last Thursday in November, the maintenance crew fires the heating boilers to the maximum extent and it gets really hot inside. Then, they completely cut off the heat. People who have heard so you've never heard such clanking, shrieking, bonking, etc as that huge hotel cooling off for the winter.
I don't know why they do this but apparently they do.

It was also the inspiration for "The Shining"