We keep doing this thing of renting cabins out of some romantic idea that a cabin in the woods is the ideal location to get a real feeling of things. The amenities that are in these places don’t really lend anything to our experience since the place where we lay down our heads and grab a shower has little impact on the quality of our day. Having the opportunity to barbecue is certainly a benefit, and if this lodging is far removed from the bustle of a city, then it is certainly more desirable than an expensive hotel. On the other hand, a cheap motel typically gives us all we need, including a much cheaper price.
This was our place in Stockholm, Maine, and even though it was twice the price of what we’d like to pay, we still wish we could hang out a couple more days.
We weren’t gone, but a few minutes before, the glimmer of the sun that shone on our cabin gave way to heavy cloud cover, followed by fog encroaching on our day, but that’s a bit later.
A vacation in Maine wouldn’t be complete without a quick stop at Hubcap Heaven in Littleton. Now we own this experience too.
This quadruple mailbox in Hodgdon caught our eye and had us wondering how often someone manages to stuff something into the top two boxes or if the owner welded those shut to stop any potential shenanigans.
Just down the street still in Hodgdon is a shoe tree. After smelling a few pairs, I can advise you to think twice about following suit.
We checked out this fixer-upper with the seller telling us it is common in Maine for empty homes to take a beating over the harsh cold season but that this wasn’t anything handymen weren’t familiar with.
On closer look, the kitchen showed promise, and the refrigerator was solid. We’ll have to think about this and maybe shop around to ensure this is the best deal, especially because we were hoping for something closer to the ocean.
This home almost has it all, including a beaver-maintained swimming pool.
OMG, I don’t even know if this is real. If this old gas station were for sale, this deal would be clinched as everything to get a clean start here on the East Coast could fall into place.
The interior of the station is impeccable and loaded with treasure; it should be a museum. We drove away from Waite, Maine, and these antiques, trying to stay close to the Canadian border until reaching Calais on Highway 1, where we stopped at the Sandwich Man for lunch. Why is this important? Because they are breadcrumbs for us to follow again someday, that’s why.
Eastport was the easternmost ‘city’ we visited, and a good thing we did as a bright yellow and red building caught our eye and demanded we stop. Eastport is home to Raye’s Mustard, the very last 100% stone-ground mustard maker in America. We ordered five varieties after sampling a dozen and had them shipped back to Arizona.
Our next stop was Lubec, Maine – the easternmost ‘town’ in the U.S. The distinction here is a fine one, but we learned both in Eastport and here in Lubec of the pride of being the easternmost town and easternmost city. We will visit the town proper after going to the lighthouse as we are having a break in the rain we’ve been driving through.
On the shore of the Lubec Channel fed by the Atlantic, Caroline doffed her shoes for a brief walk in the surprisingly warm gray waters before taking a short drive to the easternmost ‘point’ in the U.S. That’s the Lubec Channel Lighthouse and Canada behind here.
West Quoddy Head Lighthouse was heard before it was seen as the foghorn was blaring through the heavy fog. With this visit, we have now been to all four corners of America, from Mile Marker Zero in Key West, Florida, to the Cape Flattery trail and overlook in Washington, down to San Diego near the Mexican border. Oh yeah, we have also been to the geographical center of the contiguous United States near Lebanon, Kansas.
We were not going to bypass Lubec, as just snapping a photo at the Welcome To Lubec sign didn’t represent a real visit. Getting a decent photo in the worsening weather left a lot to be desired regarding the photogenic nature of the place.
It was already late in the day when we left the area on Boot Cove Road that hugged the Atlantic with nary another soul out there. With the fog, our drive became quite mysterious. Merging onto Highway 191 we headed in the direction of Machias for dinner at the Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant before aiming for Mason Bay Road that brought us here to Jonesport.
We later learned that Jonesport is the home of Looks Lobster, the very first lobster reseller in the United States, but it was the whiff of smoke we caught on the way that hinted at a fish smoker in the area and alit our sense of smell with aromas that were teasing us with the desire to sample whatever that was. It’s late, though, and nothing is open out here.
Somewhere out there, the bridge and the sound of frogs take those willing to drive into the abyss out to Beals Island. The island is shrouded in dense fog obscuring our view and begs us to try to figure out where we are and what is happening deep in the mysterious mist. In the bay, a tiny floating dock appears to be an outhouse, but what would that be doing floating in the bay? For now, the circumstances regarding this toilet of mystery will remain outside our realm of knowledge.
The world disappeared with fog so thick we could hardly see 10 feet in front of the car. Good thing it seems that nobody is out there. Shortly before 9:00 p.m. and early on our clock, we finally arrived in Ellsworth at the Comfort Inn we booked over a month ago for the bargain price of only $57.