Day 13 – September 17

Day 13 - September 17 

Good morning

We only visited two places yesterday—Portland Head Light and Casco Bay. I can describe those two places with two words—beautiful and peaceful.

Now that I have fulfilled my claim that I can describe those two places in two words, it’s time to get into the details.

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse located in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, marking the entrance to Portland Harbor. It was completed in 1791 and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine.

It was the first lighthouse completed by the United States federal government and was built under the authorization of President George Washington.

The lighthouse is widely recognized as one of the most photographed lighthouses in the World. In fact, I have a poster of that lighthouse that hung in my office for years. When we arrived, I instantly recognized it.

We got there around 8:30 a.m. The weather was perfect—about 70 degrees with a light breeze. There were only a handful of people around, and I could have stayed there all day.

I hated to leave, but we needed to get back on the road to our next stop on the way to Bar Harbor, Maine. That stop was Bailey Island on Casco Bay.

Once again, we found a beautiful and peaceful oceanside setting. Bailey Island is a little out of the way, but it was well worth the time to visit. There is only one road onto the island, and Route 24 eventually comes to an end near the southern tip.

There were great views of Casco Bay and an awesome gift shop at the end of Route 24. Below are three pictures from our stop.

The first pic ⬇️ is Casco Bay:

This pic ⬇️ is of a statue just outside the gift shop:

The pic below ⬇️ is of rose hips—the fruit of the rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa), also commonly called the beach rose. There were a bunch of those plants growing just outside the gift shop.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses.” It means to slow down, relax, and appreciate the simple pleasures of life. Well, that is good advice, but when you are on an extended vacation, there is another phrase that is more than a suggestion—it is imperative:

“Stop and wash clothes.”

After leaving Casco Bay, we drove directly to Ellsworth. It is about 20 miles from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park—our next destination. We arrived at our motel around 3 p.m. and washed our clothes.

With our clothes washed and no roses available to smell, we went to Helen’s Seafood Restaurant for dinner.

Gayle had a pork chop. She’s already had fish twice on this trip, and we had popcorn shrimp for lunch earlier in the day. 

Her pork chop, baked potato, cole slaw ⬇️ The pork chop was moist and tender. 

Yesterday’s popcorn shrimp lunch ⬇️

My first fish meal in New England came at dinner last night, and it was excellent—Parmesan-crusted fresh haddock. ⬇️

Until next time…we’re traveling on.

Some additional photos