Thursday, 9-3: Not many miles to cover today, so we kept alert for scenic or interesting sidelights. Drove from Boothbay Harbor back up the long peninsula to the coast, then back down the next peninsula to Popham Beach and Ft. Popham. Not many people get down there. Popham beach is just inside the mouth of the Kennebec River, a pretty, tiny fishing village. There was a lobster boat heading out with a steadying sail set. I've seen a few boats with steadying sails rigged, but this was the first one set. The fort was built in the Civil War to protect the river, which leads up to the important shipbuilding city of Bath. It was garrisoned again in the Spanish American War and WWI. Built of granite, well preserved in form of 2-story semicircle with gun ports facing out over the river mouth. Great accoustics inside the fort, and just enough room for a small concert. Don't know if they ever use it for that. Back up that peninsula to Bath, and stopped at Maine Maritime Museum, built on the grounds of Percy and Small Shipyard, 1895 to 1920, which built 40 large coasting schooners, including the 6-masted Wyoming, the largest wooden ship ever built in U.S. at about 325' and about 3500 tons. Many of the original shipyard buildings are still there, including the mold loft, blacksmith shop and lumber mill. Many old tools and machines. A full-size sculpture on the site of Wyoming's building way showing the shape of the stern and stem. Incredibly big. They finished it in 9 months and launched it fully rigged and equipped: raise the sails and sail away. Much to see, and we spent most of the afternoon there. Perhaps the best maritime museum we've ever seen, other than Mystic. Leaving the museum, passed Bath Iron Works where they build Navy ships. Went through our neighbor Jan's childhood hometown of Brunswick, Me. and snapped a few pictures for her. Drove past beautiful campus of Bowdoin College right in town of Brunswick. Circled around Portland and reached Kennebunkport. Too late to cook dinner so we went in to town, walked around to see it. Small town, full of boutiques and jewelry shops and very well dressed people. Too much money in any one place can at times not be a good thing. Pretty harbor. Had a very good dinner, not over the top.
While we were at the Maritime Museum, we had thunder and lightning and a little rain. First real rain in a couple of weeks.
Friday, 9-4: Air distinctly cool and fresh this morning, with a good breeze. Sign of season changing? Last few days we've seen a few branches of Red Maple trees with fall colors. Think we'll be too far south too soon to see much fall foliage. Another short mileage day. Drove a little out of our way to Ft. McClary at Kittery, Me. Various fort buildings from 1600's to Civil War. Lots and lots of sailboats moored in the river and coves of Kittery, across river from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Google tried to send us up a one-way street in downtown Portsmouth, which was exciting. In Portsmouth visited Strawbery Banke (original name of city of Portsmouth)Museum where an old neighborhood has been preserved of houses and shops dating back as far as 1670. Furnished to correspond with various times right up to 1950's. Interesting buildings and stories. Good display of old tools. Leaving Portsmouth, a very attractive center city with lots of 19th century houses and other buildings, we turned to our TomTom GPS. It did just as badly as Google, directing us to turn up a pedestrian street so narrow I think you could reach out and touch buildings on both sides. Didn't fall for that; not completely lacking in common sense. On to campground just over state line in Salisbury, Mass.
No comments:
Post a Comment