Down East Maine Drive

It’s nice and cool up here in Maine, and we had a great night’s sleep. Our campground, Salt Water Farm Campground, was rural, secluded and very peaceful. We took a walk after breakfast and then worked for a while, finally packing up and pulling out about 1 pm.

Thomaston campsite with St George River in background.

We decided to drive up Route 1, by the coast, up to Canada. This is called “Downeast Maine” and I finally figured out why. If you look at a map of the state, the “east coast” slants on a diagonal and is really mostly south of the rest of the state, so the “east coast” is really down. I guess that’s why.
It was a nice, but slow, drive through endless little towns and villages, some picturesque and upscale, others looking a little bit down at heel. We had our hearts set on a lobster roll, but it took us awhile to find an open lobster shack (we’re a little ahead of the season up here). Finally found one, and it was good! Lobster was yummy, but the real stand-out was the clam “chowdah”—whole clams and redskin potatoes!

Lobster shack where we had a great lobster roll and clam chowder lunch.

Interesting sights along the way: a black porcupine ambling along by the highway; a spectacular bridge over the Penobscot River, combined with an observatory tower that claims to be the “highest bridge observatory in the world”—but how many are in existence?

 

 

Penobscot River Bridge on US RT 1 in Maine. (Note observation tower in the left tower.)

 

 

We also drove by the crazy blueberry store and amusement park that we stopped at the last time we were in Maine; unfortunately it’s not open yet. The store/restaurant is a geodesic dome painted to look like a giant blueberry. They had delicious blueberry scones the last time…sigh. LOTS AND LOTS  of Duncan Donuts stores—why is there only one DD in the entire Roanoke area, while every little wide spot in the road here has one, or sometimes two??

We are heading for Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, to visit the International Roosevelt  Park tomorrow. Right now we’re staying in the easternmost town in the entire U.S.: Lubec, Maine. This is one of the most beautiful campsites we’ve stayed at—our windshield looks out on nothing but ocean and islands! Gorgeous sunset!

Lubec campsite sunset.

State count: still 9 [Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine]
Starting mileage, Oriskany: 124,375; ending mileage today, 125,416  
Where we are: