September 16: South along the coast.

The next morning arrived with beautiful bright sunshine and oddly, much cooler temperatures. No open door during breakfast this time, the heater was promptly put on. The breakfast basket contained muffins, fruit salad, two hard boiled eggs and of course the flask of orange juice.

This time we headed south towards Wells, Ogunquit and York. The first stop was at Cape Neddick lighthouse, built on an island just off shore. The place is also referred to as The Nubble. It is not accessible to the public and it seems the people who do get on the island use a boat and also use a cable bucket to bring over some items. It was never intended for transport of people, but one Coast Guard keeper tried, as you can read here. So why is the yard fenced? It seems the keeper and his family would live there with livestock. The place was automated in 1987 and is now preserved by a historical society.

The Nubble light on its island. Note the cable bucket.

It was pretty chilly there, despite the bright sun. There was a cutting wind, and it was the kind of beach day that makes you think of fleece, chunky knits, and thick socks. The photographer made his way down the rocky shore to get a good angle, but it was low tide and the rocks were still slippery and covered in some seaweed here and there. Besides some nice pictures he got a wet foot and a wet behind for his efforts. No matter, we always keep towels in the trunk of the car for when we are in shorts and the seats have baked in the sun. The effort was worth it.

This once housed a family with farm animals.

Further along the coast stands this pretty resort hotel.

Back in the car we continued on to Fort McClary, which is near the town of Kittery. It was less windy and noticeably warmer there. The fort is unstaffed and it’s upkeep is financed by what are essentially volunteer donations made at the entrance to the grounds. We sat on a bench in the sun for a few minutes and soaked up the heat. In fron of us were large blocks of granite are strewn about, unmoved since 1868. They were constructing upgrades to the fortifications when the proposed strategy was declared outdated, and construction abandoned as it was.

Forget it men, that wall is long enough!

Of the buildings only the blockhouse, powder house and the rifleman's house still exists, and the latter has no roof. Outlines of barrack foundations are visible in the lawn. Near the shore we came upon a caponier, and we had no idea what that was. We descended the steps and found an underground fortified room with gun ports in different directions.

Dark entrance to the caponier. 

 No enemy, but another lighthouse.

The fort saw minimal action in the Civil War and the War of 1812, but like many forts in Maine, not much else.

The blockhouse housed a canon on its carriage, showing how they dealt with recoil and reloading. On the floor was the strip of metal allowing for left to right aiming adjustments. Understanding how this works really makes you aware what a hellish place a small blockhouse under attack must have been, with canon fire noise and all the activity of the many men in such a cramped space. This website has many more good pictures of the site.

Gun on its carriage inside the blockhouse.

The blockhouse.

After soaking up enough warmth and taking enough pictures, we moved on. Along the road we noticed that some of the houses had the year of construction posted on them. A few of them date back to before the American Revolution. One had 1717 another 1763. Considering they are generally wooden houses, that is quite impressive. We began to realize that many of the houses we saw along the way are about 150 years old. Close to York we passed by a trail called the Steadman Woods which featured this adorable mini suspension bridge as part of the path.

The Wiggly Bridge

The next stop was York itself, where we stopped at Goldenrod Kisses and picked up some salt water taffy. Jennifer recommended the place to me, and clearly they are “it” in the salt water taffy industry. Production takes place in front of the windows of the shop, with the kind of machines you could easily imagine being driven by belts connected to a steam engine. Inside there is much more than the taffy. There is also a restaurant, and they sell homemade chocolate and fudge. I got the impression that I was in a well known place that is being run very efficiently.

Why taffy is called "tire" in french (pull)

Automated yet old fashioned.

We drove through the rest of York, with impaired conversation and all the while trying to separate our lower and upper teeth, and followed the road to Ogunquit.  Compared to all the places we had been up to this point, Ogunquit was busy! Stop and go traffic on the roads, and absolutely nowhere to park. The sidewalks were packed, and going through intersections was challenging. Eventually we realized there was no choice but to park in a municipal paid parking lot, and parted with the required amount of cash.

We settled down for lunch in the sun on the patio at Frills Restaurant and since we were on vacation, duly ordered a glass of wine with lunch.  I had scallops, quite possibly the best I have ever had.  I don’t bring them into the house, ever, because they make the photographer really sick. Every meal on the menu seemed to feature Gorgonzola cheese in it, and as far as we could tell, they made that work.

 Shore road in Ogunquit.

After lunch we felt a happy tired from all the fresh sea air and the wine. We got a latte somewhere else, and realized that having wine before walking the Marginal Way was perhaps not the most intelligent choice. We began the 1.6 mile path along the beach in less than optimum condition for a hike in the sun, and carrying the photographer's equipment. On occasion it felt like a punishment. It was beautiful, and many photos were taken....... especially near the benches along the way. Once at the end we chose to return to the car through the town, rather than to take the narrow and busy path back again.

Marginal Way

 Let's sit here for a while, OK?

Next we found a second hand bookstore in a rambling old house north of the town. The owner specializes in military history and the rear of this many times extended property was crammed with books, paintings and drawings. A meowing cat remained close to us as we walked around and the photographer located some books he has been unable to find elsewhere.

“Let’s go try that beer tasting” he said as we got back in the car. I agreed this was not to be missed, despite the fact that we usually try not to go to the same place twice. After all, how often do you come here?  Off we went to Federal Jack's, and ordered the board of beer.  It comes with a plasticized cheat sheet so that you know what you are trying.

Eenie meenie..........

It was pretty chilly at the end of the day, and the beer even colder, so I ordered a plate of cider-squash soup, and then I had to try the fried clams. I had never in my life eaten any, as far as I can recall, and that needed to be rectified. If I ever do again, I will have to try them baked rather than deep fried, because they were a bit lost in the batter. There was absolutely no room for dessert.