MAINE
Although in many ways inhospitable - the Algonquin called it 'The Land of the Frozen Ground' - Maine has been in contact with Europe since around 1000 AD when the Vikings first explored its shores. European fishermen began setting up summer camps here about 500 years later.
North America's first agricultural colonies were in Maine in the early 17th century. In the face of the unwillingness of English settlers to let them farm in peace, local Indians made alliances with the French and, until as late as 1700, regularly drove out streams of impoverished English refugees.
Maine became a separate entity only in 1820, and flourished in the 19th century with a thriving lumber and shipbuilding industry. The economy today is still heavily based on the sea, with lobster fishing thriving.
We drove through the lake region and the weather was not of the best.
Lynne pointed this place out to us: shrink-wrapped boats, garaged for the winter.
PORTLAND
The largest city in Maine, Portland, on the Casco Bay Peninsula, was founded in 1632. It quickly prospered building ships and exporting great pines for use as masts. A long line of wharves stretched along the seafront, with merchants' houses on the hillside above.
When the railroads came in the 1840s they brought the produce of Canada and the Great Plains one hundred miles closer to Europe than it would have been at any other major US port.
The good times didn't last through the mid 20th century but fortunately a group of committed residents undertook the redevelopment of the Old Port.
Has to be said, we weren't overly taken with Portland and we could have done with less time there. The plan was to go on a Harbour Cruise, but as the weather was bad and the water choppy the cruise was not going to go to the main lighthouse, so we set off to it in the bus first.
BEWARE: if you go into the Gift Shop here check your change!! Looking back, it was no accident, but a practised routine.
Back into the bus and off to the harbour cruise. As Portland is a commercial port there's little scenic to see though.
Lunch was interesting. Lynne had pointed out this pub, more for its name than its food (though the sea food chowder was excellent!). In the Yukon during the Gold Rush there was an (in)famous brothel that offered: $1 Lookey, $2 Touchey, $3 Dewey!!
Has to be said, we weren't overly taken with Portland and we could have done with less time there. The plan was to go on a Harbour Cruise, but as the weather was bad and the water choppy the cruise was not going to go to the main lighthouse, so we set off to it in the bus first.
Portland Head Lighthouse.
This is the oldest lighthouse in Maine, commissioned in 1790 by George Washington.
Back into the bus and off to the harbour cruise. As Portland is a commercial port there's little scenic to see though.
Lunch was interesting. Lynne had pointed out this pub, more for its name than its food (though the sea food chowder was excellent!). In the Yukon during the Gold Rush there was an (in)famous brothel that offered: $1 Lookey, $2 Touchey, $3 Dewey!!
KENNEBUNKPORT
Thirty miles from Portland, and our last stop on the Caravan tour.
Kennebunkport is the summer home of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, father of former U.S. President George W. Bush. First built by Bush's maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, it has been a family home ever since, and has been owned by Bush since shortly before becoming Vice President in the 1980s. During his presidency, Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev, to Kennebunkport. In 2007 his son George W. Bush invited Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Sarkozy.
The coach slowed down, it's not allowed to stop, so we could get a glimpse of the Bush compound: a large house surrounded by cottages housing personal staff and secret service agents. It certainly looked secure and separate, but not very homely. We learned that the flag flying denoted that the elder George Bush was in residence, and sure enough, one of our coach party, walking around town later, saw Barbara Bush out shopping with a beefy agent in tow.
We went for a walk around the town, and it is a charming, quirky place.
There's a bridge over a little river
where we took a (not very flattering) selfie.
We certainly felt we could have spent more time here and less in Portland. And we felt this even more when we got to our hotel,
and took a walk in the hotel grounds.
But the icing on the cake was the short walk up the road to the ocean!
A brilliant way to end a great Caravan trip!
Back to Boston airport tomorrow, then we are off to Canada!!
Kennebunkport is the summer home of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, father of former U.S. President George W. Bush. First built by Bush's maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, it has been a family home ever since, and has been owned by Bush since shortly before becoming Vice President in the 1980s. During his presidency, Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev, to Kennebunkport. In 2007 his son George W. Bush invited Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Sarkozy.
The coach slowed down, it's not allowed to stop, so we could get a glimpse of the Bush compound: a large house surrounded by cottages housing personal staff and secret service agents. It certainly looked secure and separate, but not very homely. We learned that the flag flying denoted that the elder George Bush was in residence, and sure enough, one of our coach party, walking around town later, saw Barbara Bush out shopping with a beefy agent in tow.
We went for a walk around the town, and it is a charming, quirky place.
There's a bridge over a little river
where we took a (not very flattering) selfie.
We certainly felt we could have spent more time here and less in Portland. And we felt this even more when we got to our hotel,
 |
| Views from our bedroom |
and took a walk in the hotel grounds.
But the icing on the cake was the short walk up the road to the ocean!
A brilliant way to end a great Caravan trip!
Back to Boston airport tomorrow, then we are off to Canada!!
I can see why you text that evening and said you were in luxury at that hotel- it certainly does look like the icing to the caravan tour, perhaps to make up for all the early mornings.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you say you didn't like Portland the scenery looked interesting. How cool to pass the Bush compound!
I bet you could have done with a pub today rather than the burger joints in Canada.
Selfie was good... obviously not using a phone!