Lofty Lonely Lodestars

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse
Lubec, Maine

Yesterday consort and I drove about two hours north to Lubec, Maine, the easternmost point of the United States.  We took the scenic route, which was most enjoyable, as we were not pulling the fifth wheel.  West Quoddy Head Lighthouse is the most unusual and out-of-the-way lighthouse we've seen.  As we walked from the parking lot to the lighthouse, I received a text on my phone welcoming me to Canada.  The phone also automatically switched to Atlantic Daylight Time.  Behind the above pictured lightkeeper's house, you see the ocean.  There's a slightly different color at the horizon line of the ocean which is actually Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada.  Behind the island is Nova Scotia.  The US border with Canada remains closed.  On September 24, the brain trust, a/k/a the governments of both countries, will decide whether to reopen the border.

The picture of the solitary lighthouse surrounded by water is the Lubec Channel Light Station, a working lighthouse.  It is one of three remaining sparkplug lighthouses in Maine, built in 1890.  In 2006, the lighthouse was deemed unnecessary and offered at no cost to various entities, including federal, state, and local agencies; nonprofit corporations, and educational organizations.  No one was interested in taking over this "wedding cake" style lighthouse.  As a result, the lighthouse was sold via online auction.  The winning bid, for $46,000, was placed by the owner of Artisan Restoration Group in New York City.

We are camped just outside of Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island.  Desert is pronounced dessert, the locals say, because the island is such a treat.  So now you're in the know.  We are on the northeastern side of the island.  Today we drove around the island to the southwestern tip to view Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  The lighthouse was built in 1858 and is still in use today.

Above photo:  Upper left, apples are in season!  Upper right, stacks of rocks on the shoreline.  I asked someone if there was a purpose for the stacks, you know, are they playing a game of nature's Jenga, or what?  The response was so simple, it made me laugh:  Because they're there.  The two pics on the bottom are of the leaves that are just beginning to change colors.  I have been pretty excited about these turning leaves until I realized that these couple of dozen colored leaves represent a microscopic percentage of the billions and billions of leaves here in Maine.   With any luck, we'll be surrounded by colorful fall foliage as we leave Maine and travel through New England.

Hard to believe, but these are the only two pictures I have, so far, of Bar Harbor.  We have only been into the city once, but hope to spend another day touring while we're here.  The picture of the "house" is Bar Harbor Inn which faces Frenchman Bay.  The opposing picture is a view of Frenchman Bay.

Kayaking in Bass Harbor