Deer Isle/Stonington

Seeking to see as much as humanly possible of Downeast Maine, we headed out on Wednesday morning for Deer Isle and Stonington. Also known as the Blue Hill Peninsula for its namesake Blue Hill Mountain at 800 ft elevation, the area is formed by a ridge running south from the village of Bucksport, across the Eggomoggin Reach to become Deer Isle, then out to the see to become Ile au Haut, a forty minute ferry ride into the Atlantic Ocean. Running south along the west side of the ridge, we stopped at Caterpillar Hill and looked across the whole of Penobscot Bay, its islands and the Camden Hills beyond.
Small towns are scattered across the length of Blue Hill Peninsula, from Blue Hill at the head of the bay to Brooklin, Sedgwick, Penobscot and Castine.

The bridge over Eggomoggin Reach (think: some water that separates the island from the mainland) is an amazing structure built in the 1930's to connect the farming and fishing industries on Deer Isle to the rest of the world. Previously a Horse driven ferry had been used, to the detriment of horses. It also took a great deal of time to cross the "reach".

The village of Stonington, and the south end of Deer Isle, is a New England fishing village, just like the pictures! With fishing boats anchored in the harbor after a morning trip, it captures all those things we have come to expect of New England.

A number of the houses and businesses in Stonington show great attention to building detail, since they were built in the 1790's or 1800's. This house had an interesting shingle pattern on the roof.

It was a clear, calm day, and the sailors were out in force!

We stopped for lunch at the Harbor Cafe for a bowl of Chowdah and a Haddock sandwich washed down with Sweet Leaf Tea. Good stuff! On we went, north this time, completing the loop back to Blue Hill. We stopped in Blue Hill Falls, another fishing village, and took a look at the Falls. These are created when the tide rushes in or out through a narrow space with a shallow bottom. They are referred to as Reversing Falls, since they appear as the tide moves in both directions.

The ocean water was rushing back onshore at such a rate that one adventuresome sort tied himself to a bridge and surfed the waves!

Just about anywhere there is a village, there is a harbor with hundreds of boats and ships moored, waiting for their owners to come out and take them for a ride, or to work!

After our return to the motorhome, we joined our next, next, next door neighbors, Ron and Dorry for dinner at Ruth and Wimpys. Now, the name may be weird, and that's a huge lobster claw you see in the photo, but let me tell you that dinner was awesome! Stuffed shrimp, Lobster salad, and a dish called Seafood Imperial where Lobster, clams, and scallops are cooked in a light cheesy sauce, with sides ranging from pickled beets to mac and cheese took care of our hunger pangs!

We completed the day with several hours of campfire conversation and fell into bed at just after midnight. We're too old for that! But what a great day!