And have some really good food.
This is the very lovely salad I had at the Flatbread Company in Portland on our first day in Maine. We wanted to eat, preferably on the water, and a quick call to my son, a former Portland resident, gave us just what we needed.
Later we went on to have a great seafood dinner just outside of Bangor at McLaughlin's at the Marina, a yummy brunch in Bah Hahbah at the Cottage Street Bakery, and more than a few surprisingly good muffins/pastries at some of the ubiquitous Dunkin Donuts that for some reason are more numerous in New England than Starbuckses.
Certainly well-fortified for sight-seeing, we had lots to see.
Here's a view looking toward the mouth of the Penobscot River, and, no, my lens isn't faulty. What looks like light streaks on the image are reflections from the glass of the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, atop one tower of the snazzy new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. What great views in all directions! As you'd expect from the highest bridge observatory in the world.
the view east from the Observatory
Perspicacious readers will notice two bridges in the photo above. The new one is on the right and the tower you see at the other end is the twin of the one with the Observatory in it.
The bridge on the left is the old Narrows bridge, called the Waldo-Hancock Bridge (because it connects these two Maine counties, not because it's the answer to that burning question 
) .
When work began on refurbishing this lovely old bridge, it was discovered that the cables were too far gone to be reinforced. So a new bridge was needed and the sleek beauty you see on the right here was built in record time. That's the Observatory at the tippy-top.
We really enjoyed seeing these bridges and the views from the top, as well as learning the stories behind these cool structures.
Here's a shot from below of both bridges side-by-side...a nice picture, and a nice metaphor for old and new Maine:
After our Observatory stop, we had planned to head right on over to Acadia. But our ticket to the observatory included admission to this interesting site, and our hosts recommended taking a look there, so we decided we had time for a little spontaneity in our sight-seeing. And weren't sorry we did.
This is the central courtyard of the somewhat confusingly-named Fort Knox, a really neat structure to explore. If, also, a great example of "fighting the last war," since it was part of a string of forts along the eastern seaboard built to defend against British depredations after the War of 1812.
The Fort's interesting system of tunnels and cannon embrasures, arcades and magazine pantries, was just plain fun to walk through. (We found out later that they have a big Halloween party there and that it's a favorite "haunt" of ghost hunters...an ideal setting for both activities.) And little architectural touches like the handsome brick ventilation hole on the left add to the interest of the place.
But we also learned some history of the area, too. Maine's boundary was a matter of dispute with Britain well into the 1800's and of course the proximity of once-French areas of Canada threw another complication into its earlier history. One of the great things about travel: every place you go has an interesting history, with more to learn all the time, no matter how much you think you know about it.
Not the least attractions of the Fort are the views it affords of the surrounding area. You can see why it was placed where it was. Should British warships ever have tried to invade up the Penobscot, they would have had their hands full. But for now, it's a nifty little unexpected jewel on tourists' itineraries.
the town of Bucksport seen from Fort Knox
the Penobscot Narrows bridges seen from Fort Knox
The bridge on the left is the old Narrows bridge, called the Waldo-Hancock Bridge (because it connects these two Maine counties, not because it's the answer to that burning question 
) .
When work began on refurbishing this lovely old bridge, it was discovered that the cables were too far gone to be reinforced. So a new bridge was needed and the sleek beauty you see on the right here was built in record time. That's the Observatory at the tippy-top.
We really enjoyed seeing these bridges and the views from the top, as well as learning the stories behind these cool structures.
Here's a shot from below of both bridges side-by-side...a nice picture, and a nice metaphor for old and new Maine:
After our Observatory stop, we had planned to head right on over to Acadia. But our ticket to the observatory included admission to this interesting site, and our hosts recommended taking a look there, so we decided we had time for a little spontaneity in our sight-seeing. And weren't sorry we did.
This is the central courtyard of the somewhat confusingly-named Fort Knox, a really neat structure to explore. If, also, a great example of "fighting the last war," since it was part of a string of forts along the eastern seaboard built to defend against British depredations after the War of 1812.
The Fort's interesting system of tunnels and cannon embrasures, arcades and magazine pantries, was just plain fun to walk through. (We found out later that they have a big Halloween party there and that it's a favorite "haunt" of ghost hunters...an ideal setting for both activities.) And little architectural touches like the handsome brick ventilation hole on the left add to the interest of the place.
But we also learned some history of the area, too. Maine's boundary was a matter of dispute with Britain well into the 1800's and of course the proximity of once-French areas of Canada threw another complication into its earlier history. One of the great things about travel: every place you go has an interesting history, with more to learn all the time, no matter how much you think you know about it.
Not the least attractions of the Fort are the views it affords of the surrounding area. You can see why it was placed where it was. Should British warships ever have tried to invade up the Penobscot, they would have had their hands full. But for now, it's a nifty little unexpected jewel on tourists' itineraries.
the town of Bucksport seen from Fort Knox
the Penobscot Narrows bridges seen from Fort Knox
The resort town of Bah Hahbah (spelled Bar Harbor on maps) wasn't an unexpected stop on our Downeast Maine excursioning, but it was a pleasant surprise for us.
We were expecting crowds, high prices and ritzy-but-sterile shops, and instead found a charming little town that, although obviously living for tourist revenue, still seemed genuine and sweet.
Admittedly we were there in the morning, perhaps before the full flood of summer day-visitors, but the crowds weren't bad. And we were pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices for brunch food items and souvenirs.
Flowers were everywhere (as we found all over New England) and we especially enjoyed a short walk along a path rimming the harbor.
To be sure, there's evidence here of lots of money, especially in the boats just offshore.
The four-masted schooner (?) I saw in the distance was the most elaborate we saw, but I imagine it's rather expensive to run... (note the floats in the water: lobster pots!)
And there were lots of shops, many with very clever names and of course catering to the tourist trade. But somehow we found them endearing rather than off-putting.
a highlight stop for my dog-loving sibs
a selection of Bar Harbor business signs
As my Colorado sister remarked, if Bah Hahbah is your state's Aspen, then you have a pretty nice state.
I forgot to add this link when I first published the post, but if you want to see about 40 more photos of these areas, check out this Flickr set. And photos from the whole trip (including many not used in the blog posts) are in this Flickr collection.
