It was definitely colder (44 degrees) this morning with a bit of mist in the air as we left at 9AM for Maine with a few stops along the way.

We made a quick photo stop at a small lake in Eaton, NH with a lovely 1879 little white church on its shore. With the still waters of the lake there was a great reflection onto its waters that gave us some fine photo opportunities.

Speaking of white I noticed that most of the houses we have seen are painted white. You do not see other colors of homes until you get closer to the larger cities. Also, Gary told us about the “long houses” that are in this area of the country and pointed out several along our travel route. Because of the cold and inclement weather here the people connected their home and barn so they did not have to venture outside. Yvonne sure hopes there was plenty of insulation between the barn and home if they housed animals in them. Many of the homes had steel roofs with large slopes, making It easier for the large amount of snow that falls here to slide off.

Soon we were in Maine. The colors were not as dramatic or as far along, because we were in the southern part of the state and closer to the ocean.

Our comfort stop was at a super Walmart that also had a Dunkin Donut franchise in it. Our English travelers were excited to “experience” one as they do not have the franchise in the UK. Several people picked up items while there and more than one person succumbed to the lure of a Boston Creme donut, including me!

From there it was on to Kennebunkport for lunch and everyone was excited to see the Bush compound. Before lunch we drove the shoreline past the Bush enclave. It turns out it is not one house. They own a series of homes along a peninsula jutting out into the sea. We had learned that one of the Bush daughters (Barbara Pierce) married Craig Coyne, a screen writer, there yesterday in a small private wedding with about 20 people present, including George Sr.  People on our coach were hopeful we would see someone important along the way! No such luck and we were told we could not get anywhere near the home and could not even stop the bus on the road past it. We did drive by very SLOWWWLY however.

Kennebunkport is one of those small (5,000) iconic Maine villages with a small harbor with boats, and plenty of shops and restaurants as it is a popular summer destination. The city was shutting down for the season and there were sales everywhere and a sign in the window of the locally famous Clam Shack that stated today was the last day they would be open. Most of our group wandered the town intent on having a lobster (or as the locals say- lobsta) roll or clam chowder, us included. We were given 1.5 hours to eat and wander but delays in getting into restaurants and getting served left no time to shop!

After lunch we stopped at the Nubble lighthouse at Cape Neddick to see the lighthouse. Unfortunately it was in a restoration mode and shrouded in plastic. We did get to see and experience the rugged Maine coastline, which is predominantly rock.

The last leg of today’s journey was to Portland, Maine where we will spend the night and have our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Portland has a population of 67,000 people and the general area holds 1/3 of the entire population of Maine. Portland was originally called Casco and has the unique distinction of having been burned down on four separate occasions. Maybe that is why the city emblem is characterized by a Phoenix rising out of the ashes! Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine. Why, I do not know. Portland is the largest port in Maine and so shipping and tourism (cruise ships) have become an important part of its economy.

We are staying the the Westin hotel near the downtown. Our farewell dinner was held at Tiqa, a Mediterranean flavored restaurant but the main course was obviously lobster! We had a private dining room, the wine flowed freely and we all had a good time.

 

Tomorrow we work our way back to Boston and the end of our journey.