Ripening blueberries on the coast of Maine.
Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!! With all the rain this summer, our first few months in Maine have been a bit less active than we’d hoped. We braved the completely unpredictable weather patterns, however, and took our troops on a three day camping trip to Harrington (Map 25) in mid-July. We did well and only got rained out the last night of the trip, so we all camped out in the tent a little early that night. We took turns narrating a revolving story with our kids. That was quite an adventure!
Maine Wild Blueberries
Brad and I found a really nice campsite right on Harrington Cove that was off the beaten path and wasn’t crowded at all. Right there at our camp, we were able to pick wild blueberries to snack on, watch the fish jumping like popcorn during high tide and clam diggers working diligently for their haul during low tide. We enjoyed those gorgeous Washington County sunsets we’ve come to love and were serenaded for quite a while the first night by coyotes – a beautiful, haunting sound we’ve never heard before. I am constantly amazed how closely wildlife co-exists with humans in this new home of ours.
Our kids, who are accustomed to swimming in the St. Croix river, decided the water in the cove was too cold for their taste, so we ventured out on a day trip to Roque Bluffs State Park (Map 26). What a gorgeous spot! The ocean side was too cold for swimming, but the small pond across the road was perfect. While the kiddos played in the water, I caught some shots of various sea birds and ducks as they descended on the pond, completely ignoring the splashing children in the vicinity.
The final day of our journey started out too damp and foggy for outdoor play, so we decided to take the “scenic route” home and went out to visit the small fishing village of Jonesport (Map 26) on Moosabec Reach and the Indian River. Jonesport has the interesting distinction of being the only town on the continent of North America to bear that name. We hope to return soon for one of the famous puffin watching tours that are available in the area. We’ll wait for a sunnier day!
Jonesport Harbor
We crossed the bridge over to Beals Island and Great Wass Island. Beals Island, with its beautiful beaches, parks and hiking trails is also home to The Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research & Education. DI is a non profit organization that creates hatcheries in an effort to rebuild shellfish stocks, and also does marine research and provides marine resource education. Great Wass Island, nearly untouched, is covered in hiking trails that we hope to visit again in better weather. Even shrouded in fog, it was a lovely area of the rugged Maine coast!
Every nook and cranny of Maine holds the key to some long hidden treasure! Every turn of the road, and goodness knows she has some winding roads, reveals a stunning feat of nature that we are granted the opportunity to observe when we are persistent enough to just keep driving. If it takes me a lifetime, I’m determined to see them all!