Bob cooked us a wonderful Sunday breakfast and we got hooked on a show on the History Channel about the invention of the automobile and the development of the automobile industry. It was fascinating and we learned so much we didn't know. We got ready for our day of exploration and left the campground at 11:00. I really love to explore new areas on unknown roads, following directions to find new things. It's like being on treasure hunt! You never know what you'll find or the people you'll meet. Today we were searching for 3 lighthouses in the area and a shipyard. I picked up a magazine at the campground office entitled. "Discovering Maine's Lighthouses and Harbors". Not only did it give us the history of the lighthouses and harbors, but it gave specific directions on how to find each one. We found it very valuable in our search today. We drove south through Boothbay Harbor and caught a glimpse of the small cruise ship (115 passengers) in the harbor there.
We drove on just to the other side of the harbor and came to our first destination. It was Hodgdon Marina just outside of downtown Boothbay. We stopped and got out to look at the boats in the marina.
There were quite a few unusual looking boats docked there–more of the down-east style.
From there, we came upon the Hodgon Shipyard where they used to build big yachts, but have transitioned into storage and services. It looked like most of the buildings were used for boat storage. Hodgon Shipyard was once the premier Maine shipbuilding company.
Continuing on Highway 27 south on Southport Island, we passed Robinson's Wharf and made a note to come back on our return trip.
Our first lighthouse was Hendrick's Head Light. Our directions took us right to the beach in Southport where we could view it.
We parked at the beach and got out to get a closer look. The tide was out, but there were people enjoying the beach just the same.
The road to the lighthouse was private, but we were still able to get a good view of it from the shore.
I just love checking out all these little coves with cool Northeast cottages perched on the rocks.
We left there in search of the second lighthouse on our drive. The road took us through some heavily forested areas and quaint little hamlets.
We came upon this campground in the middle of nowhere called Ocean Front Campground and decided to check it out. We drove in and met the husband and wife managers who were working in the yard.
We inquired about camping there and they gave us a brochure and map of the campground so we could drive through and see it for ourselves. It impressed us as to how big it was and what size RVs were camped there. It was right on the water and had very nice facilities. We thanked the couple and drove on in search of Cuckold Light Station about 1 mile off the tip of Southport Island on Cuckold Island near the village of Newagen. We arrived at the designated location where there was a town landing float (pier).
From our location on the pier, we could see the stone signal fog house.
This light sits at the entrance to Boothbay Harbor and has been fully restored.
At our location, we could see the homes sitting on rocks across the harbor.
Today was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies and winds at 10-15 mph encouraging many boaters to be out on the water–especially the sailors.
We ran into our camping neighbors there who were also taking their own "lighthouse drive". From the southern tip of Southport Island, we took Highway 238 north in search of Burnt Island Light. We tried to see it from the shores of Capitol Island, but it was too far away, so we tried to get closer using our directions. We were unsuccessful in seeing it there, so our second option was to try and view it from the docks at the Tugboat Inn in town. Before arriving in town, we wanted to make a return stop at Robinson's Wharf.
The place was busy and we couldn't find a parking space on our first drive by. We could hear the music from a live band and really wanted to stop. We crossed the bridge in the hopes of finding some parking on the other side.
Nadda! We turned around and drove back over the bridge and voila! We found parking on the side of the road. After taking a phone call from my brother, we walked over to Robinson's Wharf. It is a coastal working wharf and restaurant.
It is an active dock where there are commercial lobster boats, as well as a place for pleasure boats to tie up for lunch or dinner.
We sat at the bar way out at the end of the pier and enjoyed a few beers, the live music, and some popcorn as we watched the boat traffic. This is the way I like to spend my Sunday afternoon.
A tour boat arrived from offshore and waited for the bridge to open to continue on their way.
There was a lot of boat traffic to watch from the deck of the bar.
We enjoyed the sunshine and the great music for over an hour and then it was time to head back. On our drive back towards Boothbay Harbor, we saw the Hodgdon Marina from across the water. We also noticed this shipwreck laying in the bay.
We tried to find our last lighthouse, Burnt Island Light. Burnt Island Light became the last lighthouse in New England to be converted from kerosene to electricity. It was also the last light in Maine to be automated. We drove on Commercial Ave.in town to the Tugboat Inn piers. We were able to see the lighthouse off in the distance from town, but we couldn't get a very clear picture of it. We drove back from from town to the and enjoyed some quiet time on our "deck" at the campsite. It was a pleasant 75 degrees with the sun peeking through the clouds and trees. We like our "down time" back at the campsite after a day of exploring. We relaxed a little before dinner of chili. After dinner, we took our evening walk as the sun was going down and settled in for the evening. Tomorrow, we have some other places to visit on our checklist of "things we want to see and do" while we're here. We love our stays at a campground when we can spend a few days in one place. It makes it feel like "home"..
