Day two began with breakfast brought to the cottage door in a neat little canvas bag. It contained a flask of orange juice, two scones and a container with a fruit and yogurt mixture. There was a single serving coffee maker in the kitchenette. We had the front door open, it was overcast, but relatively warm.
At about 9:30 we parked in Kennebunkport's town center, only to discover that nothing opens before 10. The overcast sky turned into a fog, and a fine spray of water hung in the air and coated the windshield. Nevertheless the temperature was pleasant and remained like that the whole day. We walked around and window shopped the smallish town center. We stood on the bridge over the Kennebunk River and watched the swirling of the water as the tide was coming in. We had a look inside the shops once they opened, but I found things I liked outrageously expensive. Other than that there were lots of scarves, jewellery, aprons, trays, bags, nick-knacks and items with lighthouses on them.
Houses on a small inlet off the Kennebunk River.
Bridge over the Kennebunk River with the town center in the distance.
Cener of Kennebunkport
We toured along Ocean avenue, admiring the properties and from a distance we saw the Bush family estate at Walkers Point. It sits on a small peninsula, and there seem to be constantly tourists taking pictures from the nearby road. We tried but could not see Goat Island lighthouse, it was too foggy. We drove north along a road that loosely follows the coast, and eventually ended up having lunch is a coffee shop called Scarborough grounds. Apparently it is the only location, but they know their stuff! Starbucks watch out! That was the best Americano I have ever had.
The presumed location of Goat Island light.
We continued north and reached Old Orchard Beach, which is a popular destination for Canadians. Before we reached the actual town we stopped and parked at the end of a side street and went for a walk on the beach. Dunes with the typical long grass separate the houses from the beach. It felt deserted, aside from us only a few people were there. One man was on his knees, energetically stuffing seaweed into garbage bags. "For my asparagus beds" he said as he walked past us and off the beach with two full bags. I guess I wasn't the first one to stare.
Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard itself was also deserted. The multiple amusement parks were all closed, ice cream shop shut down, motel parking lots empty, and there was almost no one on the streets. I guess the season is done there when Labour Day arrives.
We continued and made our way to Cape Elizabeth to visit Portland Head lighthouse. The lighthouse is set in a former military fort, FortWilliams Park, and old ruins of gun emplacements litter the park. Most are left to decay, but one is restored and has informative displays posted. There are various parking areas, but initially we parked near the lighthouse itself. It was still pretty foggy, so the foghorns were sounding regularly and being answered from Ram Island Ledge Light, situated on an island a few miles off the coast.
Portland Head Light and Ram Island Ledge Light
Portland head is possibly the most photographed lighthouse in the United States, and the subject of a painting by Edward Hopper. An Ikea reproduction of this hangs in our living room. All around were photographers and there was also one person painting on an easel mounted in the back of his minivan. I got the impression that in July and August there are probably many more people painting and sketching there. We walked around and took a ridiculous number of pictures from almost any angle we could find. Even the rocky shore on the north side of the lighthouse was braved (not by me) in an attempt to get a little bit more original vantage point. The sky was slowly clearing, and at one point the foghorns even stopped for about 30 minutes. In all this time the sun came out for exactly 5 minutes allowing us to get a few cheerier shots too.
Probably the most famous angle.......
.....because of this.
Nearby this place the Germans sunk an American ship the USS Eagle on April 23, 1945. That was just two weeks before German capitulation, and somehow seems sadder because of it. There is a stone with a bronze plaque on it to commemorate this event.
After getting our digital fill of the place we re-parked the car in another parking area and explored the rest of the park. An enormous whitewashed wall turned out to be an emplacement for a 12"gun. The interpretive boards explained that the gun was never used in conflict, and it seemed to be the same for the other emplacements around the park.
The circular space fitted a single large gun.
Close to the park entrance we came upon a ruined mansion. The property must have burned at some point, because only the stone structure still stands. We walked all around it and tried to imagine the original function of the spaces in the house. I could not figure out where the kitchen used to be.
As usual I think it's a waste.
After leaving Fort Williams we followed the coastal roads to Two Lights State Park. Two lighthouses still stand nearby, but they are on private property right next to the park, and no longer in use. The park allows access to the water, and there is a foghorn built on the edge of the shore. Warnings are posted for a good reason, despite the fact that the speaker points out to the water, this thing is incredibly loud. There are pick-nick tables, and there is a restaurant and snack bar. We went in to get two bottles of water. For a snack bar, the place sold an impressive array of desserts as well as many fried things, and there were live lobsters in a tank right next to the cash. The cashier felt she needed to hone her rather brusque up-sell skills on us. No effect, as the pissed off look on her face attested.
It is not possible to get the two lights in the same shot.
Very serious wattage!
After this we slowly made our way back to Kennebunkport, and checked out Federal Jack's for dinner. The restaurant is on the second floor of a building that also houses a brewing company, and the signs say that the finished product is piped directly upstairs. The brewing equipment is placed along the windows and boards mounted on the outside of the building explain what each step of the process is. The pub style menu upstairs has an excellent steak, sweet potato fries, and an inventive steak and artichoke salad. Breaded fried shrimp were crisp without being greasy. The seasonal brew, pumpkin head ale was surprisingly delicious, and not at all gimmicky. We noticed other tables getting boards with about 10 different small glasses of beer, and made a mental note to come back. The crème caramel was also excellent.
The gift store (also below the restaurant) was still open, and an assortment of beer was acquired to take back home to Canada. Once back in the cottage it began to rain heavily and steadily, and it did so until well after we went to sleep hypnotised by the sound of the rain on the roof. Later we realized this was likely the tail end of hurricane Maria, which was supposed to drench the maritime provinces in the afternoon of the following day.
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