An Industrial Revolution

Our last stop in Maine was Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.  The Kennebunks are charming New England towns with incredible architecture, and both were bustling today in anticipation of the holiday weekend.  Of course, the most famous resident of Kennebunkport is George Bush, and we made the obligatory drive by the Bush compound on our tour of Ocean Avenue.



The Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk



Greek Revival in Kennebunkport



How About A Carriage Ride?



The Coast Along Ocean Avenue



Stretches On the Rocks

Before we made our way to New Hampshire and Vermont, I wanted to visit Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, so we made a slight detour to the south.  Lowell has been on my radar since 1978, when it became a unit of the National Park Service, but I had never managed a visit.  I persuaded Tim that we should go, and we are both so glad that we did.

Lowell National Historical Park tells the story of the American Industrial Revolution through exhibits and canal and trolley tours at various buildings and sites throughout the city.  I had always known that Lowell was an important mill town, but I did not realize that Lowell was America’s first industrial city.



Tim, Trolley and Train



Sarah At the Trolley Stop

Lowell’s location at the falls of the Merrimack River was key to its industrial development as the waterpower was harnessed to run the machines of textile mills.  A system of canals was built to power even more mills, and by 1850 ten huge mill complexes employed more than 10,000 people.

The park interprets not only the rise and fall of the city’s textile mills, but also the human history of mill life as well.  Mill girls, who came from the farms of New England to work in the mills, lived in company-owned boardinghouses, and one of the houses has been reconstructed with rooms furnished in the style of the 1850s.  This building also tells the story of the immigrant mill workers, who gradually replaced the mill girls after the Civil War.



Boott Mills Boardinghouse

My favorite exhibit, however, was at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, where we saw a 1910s weaving room with operating looms.  Cloth is still being woven today, and items produced here are offered for sale.  The Boott Cotton Mill is a fabulous brick building built in 1836.  I love mill buildings, and this is a great one.


Boott Mills



Wonderful Mill Architecture



Weave Room At Boott Mills



Operating Looms at Boott Mills



Cloth Is Still Being Produced

The National Park Service has partnered with the City of Lowell to preserve the city’s industrial heritage, and I was amazed to find out that approximately 80 percent of the square footage of the city’s mill buildings has been adaptively reused.  The new goal is 90 percent.  The loft spaces and condominiums created in these buildings must be amazing.

Ranger Lowell Has Joined Our Happy Family

Tim and His Laptop Kat

The Best Tour of Portland We've Ever Had

We started the morning at the prison store.  Yes, the prison store.  You see, prisoners in Maine produce beautiful, handcrafted items, and the State Prison Showroom in Tomaston sells the items.  The store is a regular stop for tour buses, and with good reason.  Most of the items are crafted of wood and are extremely well-priced.  From wood cutting boards to model ships to small tables and chairs, you can find lots of things to spend your money on.  We left empty-handed, but the visit was a fun one.

The Maine Prison Store, Where Even the Sign Is Handcrafted

We meandered our way down Route 1 and stopped for lunch in Bath, Maine, a shipbuilding town that is reinventing itself.  Lunch at Betty’s was perfect, particularly the apple pie.  Who says that you can’t have apple pie two days in a row?  Besides, this one was so much better.  Plus, we got to meet Betty, who made the pie.



Bath City Hall

 

Downtown Bath



Only One Of Us Wanted Whipped Cream on the Apple Pie

We couldn’t pass Freeport without a stop at L.L. Bean.  Freeport is the flagship store of L.L. Bean, and the store seems to be a mecca for the outdoor enthusiast.  We did not leave empty-handed here, although we did restrain ourselves.



The Quintessential L.L. Bean Canvas Bag

This evening we are visiting an old friend who lives just north of Portland, Maine.  I’ve known Steve for years, but haven’t seen him in a very long time.  Steve treated us to a fabulous tour of downtown Portland, as well as several historic neighborhoods in the city.  Then it was off to Cape Elizabeth and the Portland Head Light, the area’s signature lighthouse.



A Very Windy Day for Sarah and Steve



Portland Head Light



A Stately Lighthouse



The Rocky Coast of Maine

The whirlwind tour continued with a loop through Prouts Neck, an exclusive area dotted with fabulous “cottages,” many of which were built by wealthy seasonal residents during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.  Dinner at Joe’s Boathouse on the harbor was delicious.  I couldn’t resist the risotto with spinach and shrimp, while Tim had the swordfish special.  We ended the evening at Gingko Blue, a jazz and blues lounge in the Old Port area, where we listened to a local jazz band perform. 

Having Steve show us his city was wonderful.  We could sit back and enjoy the tour and not have to worry about which way to go.  Being able to stay out late at night was an added bonus.  We’ve shied away from that because we don’t want to return to a campground when it’s dark.  It’s often hard enough to back into a site, level the RV and hookup in the daylight, plus we don’t want to disturb our neighbors.  We’ll probably save evenings out to those nights we stay in hotels.

A Little Art Acculturation

The sun came out today.  The temperature never got out of the 50s, it was very windy and the sun sometimes hid behind clouds, but we basked in the sunshine whenever we could.  (We’ll try to ignore the rain that returned this evening.)

Despite my protests, Tim decided we should visit the Farnsworth Art Museum today.  Although I had wanted to go there, I wasn’t sure walking was the best idea for his leg.  Nonetheless, he won, and I’m glad we went.

The Farnsworth is a wonderful regional art museum, with a permanent collection that showcases “Maine in America.”  The collection includes landscapes and portraits by prominent American artists including Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, George Inness and George Bellows.  As a former American Studies major, I am drawn to American art and enjoy seeing how great artists are influenced by a particular region of the country.



Farnsworth Art Museum Property With the Farnsworth Homestead On the Left



The Museum Store With Robert Indiana's Sculpture EAT.
This sculpture was commissioned in 1964 by American architect Philip Johnson
for the exterior of the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair.

Perhaps the best-known collection at the Farnsworth is the Maine-related work of the Wyeth family, N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.  The current exhibit in the Wyeth Center is Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World and the Olson House.  Christina’s World is Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting and is in the Museum of Modern Art.  This exhibit features works that depict Christina and Alvaro Olson, as well as the Olson House, which is located in Cushing, Maine, and is owned by the Farnsworth.



Wyeth Center

After Tim’s second round of physical therapy, his leg is showing improvement.  There is less pain and more flexibility. 

To celebrate, we had pie for lunch.  We had been pie-less for way too many days.  For a trip that has pie as one of its themes, we need to do better than that.  The apple pie was very good, but the apple crisp that we had had at the same restaurant on Monday was much better.



Pie-less No More

Not A Leg To Stand On

Tim had his first appointment with the physical therapist this morning, and the news was good.  There was no rupture of the calf muscles or tendons, and the knee structure is fine.  The tendon near the knee and the calf muscle were pulled, causing a pinched nerve.  Massage, stretching and ice are helping to relieve the pain and increase mobility and flexibility.  Recovery should be fairly quick if he behaves and doesn’t aggravate the injury again.

We’ll stay in Rockland for two more nights so Tim can mostly stay off his feet.  He has another appointment tomorrow for more therapy, and then he should be good to go, or at least much better.

A Leg Up

Tim has been struggling with a pulled ligament in his left calf ever since he arrived in Maine last week.  He injured his leg before he left Colorado, and I’ve given him a hard time for not seeing a doctor before he left.  This is the second time he has hurt one of his lower limbs just before a trip.  He sprained his ankle just before our honeymoon!  As Jane said to him, “If you didn’t want to go on the trip, you didn’t have to hurt yourself.”  We know that’s not the case, however.

Tim’s leg has not gotten any better, despite rest and icing, so he decided that today he would do something about it.

We had planned to head south today from Belfast, Maine, toward Rockland to visit the Farnsworth Museum, but a doctor’s visit was more pressing.  A receptionist at a doctor’s office in Camden recommended a clinic, and we arrived at the Coastal Medical Clinic in Rockland just before noon.  Amazingly, no one else was waiting, and Tim was able to see the nurse practitioner.  She made several recommendations, including a compression wrap, continued icing and physical therapy, if possible.  Tim was able to get an appointment with a physical therapist for tomorrow, so we decided to make Rockland our base for the next few days.



Can They Fix Tim's Leg?



The World's Largest Lobster

After another seafood lunch downtown (I just can’t get enough crab and lobster), we decided to save the museum for another day and headed to the Saltwater Farm Campground so Tim could rest his leg.  The campground is very pretty and sits above the St. George River.  The sun was starting to peek out of the clouds, and we have been enjoying the sun in our wide-open site and drying out.


St. George River



Pretty View From Our Campsite

A Canadian couple pulled in shortly after we arrived.  They were driving a 1999 Leisure Travel Vans Free Flight.  We compared notes and listened to their stories of the many years of pleasure they’ve had in their van.

Old and New Leisure Travel Vans
(Our Neighbor's Van Is In the Left Background)

Ophelia, We Are Not Amused

Thanks to Hurricane Ophelia, we have had rain for the last two days, and more is forecast.  Yesterday, it rained so hard at times that we just stayed inside.  We had planned to take a day off, but there would be no sitting outside and enjoying the weather.   We even discovered a leak inside the RV and cannot figure out where it’s coming from.  Thank goodness I had purchased a water snake for the purpose of absorbing any wayward water when we showered, but it has come in very handy for averting a flood inside the RV.

The weather wasn’t much better when we awoke this morning.  Luckily the rain subsided while we disconnected the hookups.  We had decided to leave Mount Desert Island and head down the coast.  We were going to stay in a hotel tonight so Tim could watch the football game.  Getting out of the rain would be an added benefit.

We stopped at an L.L. Bean Outlet in Ellsworth after we left the island.  A bit of shopping is always a good thing to do when it’s raining.  My, that town has changed since I was here last.  A Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot and numerous new chains have popped up everywhere, and the traffic patterns have changed to handle the increased traffic.

I wanted to take the back roads around the Penobscot peninsula and see the charming towns of Blue Hill and Penobscot, and they were pretty, even in the rain.  My absolute favorite town, however, was Castine.  What a beautiful place – outstanding Federal and Greek Revival architecture, the Maine Maritime Academy and a harbor with seafood restaurants.



On the Square in Castine



Abbott School in Castine



Classic Architecture in Castine

Maine Maritime Academy



State of Maine, Maine Maritime Academy

At Bucksport, we crossed the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, a dramatic, cable-stayed bridge over the Penobscot River.  At the other side of the bridge was Fort Knox State Historic Site, and Tim pulled into the parking lot.  Fort Knox was the first and largest granite fort ever built in Maine.  Construction began in 1844 to protect the Penobscot River Valley from naval attack.  The fort saw limited military activity during the Civil War and Spanish-American War, but no enemy ships ever threatened the Penobscot.



Penobscot Narrows Bridge

Fort Knox State Historic Site

Fort Knox State Historic Site

Acadian Reflections

We checked out of the Blackwoods Campground this morning, but had decided yesterday that we were not yet ready to leave Acadia National Park.  Blackwoods Campground was beautiful, and we enjoyed our stay, but we decided to check into a private campground on the other side of the island.  Maybe I’m becoming soft, but three days without electric and water hookups is about my maximum.



Our Campsite at Blackwoods Campground

With the computer, phones, microwave, etc., it’s much more convenient to be able to hook up.  Yes, we have a generator, which we used very sparingly in the park, and, yes, we can charge our electronics as we drive, but it’s just not as convenient.

Having to conserve our fresh water supply can also be trying.  Plus, we wanted a cell phone signal, Wi-Fi or a Mi-Fi signal, cable TV for Tim, showers and a laundry.  The campground in the park had none of those, so I was not able to make blog postings while there.  I prefer to do my postings at night so as not to take time away from daytime activities.

So we moved to the Smuggler’s Den Campground in Southwest Harbor and now have all the comforts of home.  We are spoiled.

In order to truly experience Acadia, you need to get out on the water.  This afternoon we took a cruise on the Sea Princess from Northeast Harbor to Little Cranberry Island.  The weather was perfect as we headed out to sea.  We sailed past Bear Island Lighthouse, saw an osprey nest, took in the views of Cadillac Mountain and docked at Islesford.



Bear Island Lighthouse



A Working Lobster Boat and Lobster Buoy



Islesford Harbor

Islesford is an unspoiled island community with simple Victorian buildings, a general store with yummy gingerbread and a National Park Service museum that unfortunately had closed for the season.


Church in Islesford



Tim In Front Of a Typical Victorian House in Islesford



Too Bad the Museum Was Closed



The Sea Princess Departing the Islesford Harbor

On the return trip we sailed into Somes Sound for wonderful views of Eagle Cliffs.  My favorite part, however, was cruising past the nineteenth century “cottages” along the coastline.  These cottages, which were occupied for only two months during the year, were built by the wealthy “rusticators” who called Mount Desert Island their summer home.  It was these individuals who were responsible for donating the land that created Acadia National Park.


Sailing Away



Along the Shore



I'll Take This Cottage



This One Would Also Do



The Entrance to Somes Sound



Photo Opportunity In Somesville, the Oldest Town on Mount Desert Island

I’ve been amazed at how many Class B RVs I’ve seen during the past week or so.  Especially Sprinter vans.  We’ve been waving at the ones that we pass on the road but have not been able to talk to and compare notes yet with any of the owners.