Dat 18 East coast Trip Thursday Oct. 5, 2023

 Day 18 Thur. Oct. 5, 2023

As we headed north from the campground some 80 miles I am going to let the photos tell the story today. There were three lighthouses  to see, and a Museum of lighthouses, as well as a very good vistor center. The lady, Sue , was very helpful and especially about lighthouses .  Here we go.

All of these lighthouses centered near Rockland Maine.

Owl's 'Nest Lighthouse was in heavy fog,

It was a long climb up, but there was a ramp partway

The view down from the bottom of the stairs to the keeper's house and gift shop.

This mansion overlooked the lighthouse

Today it has been remodeled  (Compare)

The Rockland Breakwater light is a mile walk out.

A closeup of the light a mile out there. ( We did not walk)

 

 

When the Owl's Nest (Head)  was a covered walkway up.

Marshall Point Lighthouse is at Port Clyde

Marshall Point Keepers house

This was the only Lighhouse that had a walkway to it.

Most of the lighthouses on the Maine Coast are on peninsulas that are about a 10-12 mile drive from the main roads, or on Islands There are 40  of them.

The Museum

A 2nd order Fresnel (1st order is 3 feet taller)

Other Fresnels, (pr. Fray-nel)

When oil was used reflectors were the key.

Coast Guard Transfer  chair  (ship to ship)

USCG Cutter  "Eagle" (used today for traning.)

Oil cans and polishing tools for lights

There were more photos which I will insert in other blogs. It was a long day as we stopped to eat dinner at "Taste of Maine" Restaurant near Bath. and again Ruth enjoyed the Lobster Roll even though we knew Maine prices were much higher than back in Rock Harbor,MA.  ($40.00 as opposd to $19.00)

Jim settled for a seafood combination of Haddock, Shrimp and Scallops. YUM.

Tomorrow we will see some more lighhouses but not travel as far. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Day 17 EAst Coast Trip Wed. Oct 4, 2023, At Scarborough, ME

 Day 17. Oct. 4, 2023, Wassamki RV Cpg. ME

It was another beautiful day and even though the temperature did not get to 85F it was warm enough to wear a light shirt and shorts. (75F)

Let me back up a little bit and relate an adventure of the night. Remember yesterday was very warm and hot and then in the evening we had the windows open to cool things off. The fan was on to circulate some air and that was pretty much the way it was when we went to bed, forgetting about the windows. We did turn the fan off when we went to bed. It was about 5:30AM when I noticed it was quite cool in the trailer but not cool enough to get up and check on things. So at 6 o'clock I got up and just knew that the propane hed gone empty. The first instinct is to go out and check the tanks and switch them over as there are two of them. But as I was getting dressed, I noticed the windows were open, and I said to myself "UGH", and realized why it was so cold. So I went out to the tanks and checked them and found that they were still in the green (plenty of propane). I went back into the house and 'lo and behold' we had not turned on the furnace when we turned off the fan last evening. I switched it on and  that solved the problem. I stayed up and found that the internet worked very quickly at 6:30 in the morning. 

After shower and breakfast it was determined to go to see the Portland Head Lighthouse. It was just a few miles away although in these old towns the streets are so narrow that it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to travel 5 miles. And that was a case. I was only 4 miles to the lighthouse but would take about 30 minutes.

 

Ship Cove  Ft.Williams Park

Whaleback Light

Portland Head Lighthouse

 We did get there and saw the lighthouse and quarters on top of a very rocky cliff. Much different from the Massachusetts lighthouses which were built on sand. There is no moving these. The Portland Head Lighthouse as it is called, is adjacent to Fort Williams Park, an old military fort that was once there but the buildings still remain. There seemed to be many people more than usual for October and we didn't find out till later that three tourist ships had come to Portland in the last two days, bearing with them about 5000 people. That made the walking around the lighthouse much more busy than it should've been at this time of year. But we did get some pictures and a few postcards and found a few birds as well.

Longfellow's's inspiration

Now  private Home

 

Portland Light and keepers quarters. 

The Goddard mansion of years gone by (Fort Williams Park)

            

Officer's quarters Fort William

 

 

 Driving around the park we found a small pond but it was not accessible except by long walk. Ruth saw that there is another entrance to the park through a pedestrian gate but we had to go outside the park in order to get there. After visiting the military post buildings that were still there and Ruth getting a few birds while sitting in the truck, we did just that. We took our lunch to the pond down a small hill, found some benches by the pond that was isolated and away from all the crowds and had lunch by the pond. Joineed by Eastrn Phoebes, Chipping Sparrows, Red Darter Dragon Flys and the ducks in the pond..

 

Red Darter Dragon Flys on Jim.

Bachelor quarters Ft.William

 After eating and deciding to go downtown to the Visitors Center to get some materials, we headed that way. It was there that we realized that there were those 5000 people roaming around town so even though we found where the visitor Center was, we decided not to go into the parking lots that seemed to be quite full. Another lighthouse up the road called  Bug light, was our goal. We did reach there and it was a good move. Not only was a lighthouse there, but there were wonderful views of Casco Bay, one other lighthouse call the Spring Ledge lighthouse. It is on another rocky shelf in Casco Bay about 2 miles away.

A bonus at that stop was a man flying two kites of different design which drew many onlookers.

 

Quite a kite!

Readable about the Officer's quarters

             

Blown up you can probably read it.

 

A man in his 60s stopped and chatted with me and it seemed like he was a good historian for the area and knowing I was from out-of-town filled me in a lot of the details. Across the Bay was an old Fort no longer used, and to my right was a  curious length of green pipeline leading out to a pier in Casco Bay. I looked behind me and there were six or eight giant oil tanks on the horizon waiting to unload oil to  ships sailing elsewhere. The man's time here, as he is a native  saw  so many changes and especially along the shoreline where many million dollar homes have been built. When he was a boy he said there was only one house on that hill by the shoreline. "Tempest Fugit's" and life changes for sure.

 Did you now that Portland  caught fire and burned to the ground in 1860's?

They call it "Bug"Light

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse on Casco Bay.

 

That was a full day and so at about 2:30 we headed home to the trailer with a short stop for tomatoes at a Walmart on the way. We needed them for the hamburgers on the grill tonight.

That meal ended the day And Ruth  said also snuck in  some ice cream bars that we had for dessert.

Tomorrow I think we will take a longer trip to see another lighthouse or two as we have exhausted the ones near Portland.

See you then and thanks for reading,--Jim

P.S. Stay away from downtown Portland tonight if you want to avoid the crowds.

Day 16, Oct 3, 2023, East Coast trip, Moved to Scarborough, ME

 Day 16, October 3,2023, moved to Scarborough ME.

We had some business about brakes to take care of in regard to the trailer before we started heading very far on the road. I think getting up  at 5:30 to be to a certain  place by 9:00 AM was a bit erly as it was     30 miles away. Our  contact named Seth was supposed to meet us there at  the little town of Paistow, NH  and we're about 45 minutes early when we arrived ( used GPS).  I inquired of the secretary who was there if they knew about Seth or that there was brake work to be done on our trailer. She knew nothing of the sort. But she said to wait for Dean who would come in at 8:30 he might know. Dean didn't know anything about the trailer arrangement either, but he quickly called Seth, as we had his  number, and he assured us that that was not the place and that his place was on a back road near where a large Mor Bark plant was located. We could not find the street number anywhere, but finally after backtracking, we found the Morbark Road. And drove back behind many buildings and waited.. Seth came along soon after and we discussed the brake issue. It seems that when I was driving I had my trailer calibrator set at 3.5 which he indicated and it was supported by others may have been the problem the brakes we're grabbing. Earlier that morning I had set the brakes at 1.5 and they worked fine. So in summary we decided that the work was needed on the brakes as long as I kept the calibrator at 1.5 and watch my stopping distance. We were delighted and headed down the road to the next stop.

That next leg of the journeytook us on a  drive through Bunkport, Kennebunkport, "The Hampton's" famous for their Summer activities and of course the beaches. It was actually old "US 1" that parallels the Eastern seacoast there in Maine and New Hampshire. Our goal was to get to a RV store called Seabreeze. And we did find it in North Hampton. (There are lots of Hamptons, (N. S, Falls, etc.). As I drove into the parking lot, which was very unorthodox as it was like a field, was not level, and you could not see any RV store from the driveway/trail. Two men were in the lot and so I stopped and talk to them. To my surprise one of them and was Ray, who was camped next to us back in Massachusetts. He is an RV technician and travels around a lot.  (He also told me about the 1.5 calibration on the trailer brakes). So Keith the owner was with him and directed me to the store which was out of sight around the corner. I made a purchase of the valve that releases the water from the freshwater tank, as it had frozen up and was leaking. 

Again we were on our way and headed north on I-95 toward our goal in Scarborough Maine.

Three photos of the trailer in the campground.

Big trees (White Pine, Black Oak)

Lots of room and space

 

We were early at the campground as we arrived at 11:30, well before the usual entry time of 1 o'clock. So we had a chance to eat our lunch and the trailer before we went to the campsite. But at 12:30 I asked the lady if we could door campsite and she said okay.

The campground surrounds a very small lake/pond and it is completely wooded with White Pine and Oak trees that are 80-100 feet tall. The sites are large and easy to get in and out. After getting everything secured and the floors swept we took about an hour to feel the relaxation of being off the road. Also we're very happy the brakes are working on our trailer. ****The campground is on the approach path, however, to the Portland ME airport. So getting used to the sound and sight of plane going over at 1,000 feet or so, will take a day or two. Already at 6:30 this AM there have been about 10 planes go over.

It was then time to get a few groceries so we wouldn't have to do that during the rest of the week as we will be here six days. We found a Hannaford store that was about  4 miles away and it worked really well.

Then I sat outside where a  cool breeze was helping cool our  bodies as the temperature outside was 85 most of the afternoon. It felt good.

We settled for hotdogs for the supper meal as sometimes it's best to have something simple

That was the adventures for the day and from now on we are going to concentrate on the many lighthouses that are here along the Maine coast. I'm sure we will will pick up a few birds along the beaches and in some wildlife areas that we will find.  Saw some Boreal Chickadees in the campground, Which we have not seen or many years. (We are getting north.)

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you tomorrow

 

Day 15, Monday Oct. 2, 2023 At Salisbury ,MA

Day 15,  October 2, 2023 At Salisbury MA 

Monday wash day! everybody happy! well I should say.  And that's what it was at least in the morning. The laundromat here has five washers and dryers and the price is right so we took advantage of it. It was a nice sunny day temperature and already up in the 60s and the laundry  was only a few hundred feet away. Washers for two dollars for 30 minutes and dryers were eight minutes for a quarter. I don't think you can beat that  anywhere . It did wonderful washing as well. I brought a chair for Ruth to sit at a table and work on Christmas cards (she never sits idly!) And I caught up on some computer work.

The couple that runs the camp ground is very cooperative and helpful. Their friendly attitude makes the stay that much better. Thank you John and Sissy!

The camp sign next to the laundry. (Left)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A type of pyracantha grows wild .

Greater Yellowlegs at rest  with a Green Winged Teal

Merrimack River has dozens of Boat  and Yacht clubs along the river.

Ruth was attempting these photos when the camera mirror dislodged.

 So we finished the laundry  and of course put all the clothes away and remade the bed. That may be about the toughest thing to do when trailering on the inside of the trailer. It depends a lot upon how the bed is situated and whether you have room to move the mattress or not.  There usually is a cabinet  next to the beds which makes putting on the sheets difficult at best. At about 11:30 it was time for lunch, where I finished the other half of that clam chowder that I saved. Yum.

There still was sometime in the day so we went back to Parker River NWR one more time. Today was sunny and in the 70s so we had anticipated the birds would be flying more than the previous days. It was true, but seeing birds flying across the road from one woods to the other is not amenable to identification. But, at a few stops when we were able to stand in one place and watch the bushes or shrubs it was much more profitable. We did see 25 birds today and although there were no new species we finally were able to identify a very elusive Savanna Sparrow that we had seen previously but could not make a positive identification. There were the usual Yellowlegs, Harriers, Semi Palmated Plovers, Gadwalls, a Widgeon, a Tundra Swan, and of course many Black Ducks which are very common in this area.

Green Winged Teal in flight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkeytail Mushroom

One of the boat lifts at Merrimack R.

 The tide was high again in the afternoon, so shorebirds were not generally visible. Of course there were the Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets as this is a perfect habitat for them. Marshy, but not too deep water and enough grasses to keep it interesting

The traffic was much less than previous days being on Monday, so getting in and out of places was quite easy. I am sure this the wildlife area during migration is buzzing with activity. Particularly the  northern  migration in the 

spring. Migration to the south is more erratic as birds have their own schedule depending on many factors. Of course that includes but is not limited to; the weather, light, wind, food source and water levels.  A few days ago we saw flocks of 30 to 40 tree swallows on the beaches catching flies and other insects as they journey southward. Later that day someone said that a few days before there were thousands of tree swallows heading south.

One of the viewing stations has a bench to make one more comfortable and we used that a few times. This day we shared that bench with a Young man named Marko. He  has frequented this wildlife refuge a number of times and lives south of Boston. He knew his birds quite well and was learning more everyday. Unfortunately, he had lost his job about two weeks ago and was sort of "in between jobs" as it were. We  talked to him for a while and left for our car and the parking lot when he arrived at the window of the truck and indicated he had a photograph of a bird that he just took. The same path we just walked on is visible for the large growth of reeds growing on the edge of the water. And in those reeds a man saw a Gallinue or a type of wading bird that lives in the reeds and rushes. We had only seen those in Florida previously. It was quite a find for the young man and he was  really excited as he should be.

We exited the Refuge and headed home to download pictures again. Ruth's camera had a problem when she was taking some grasses. It seems that the reflective mirror slid out of place. And even the instructions on internet for the camera could not solve the problem. We will attempt to get that repaired ASAP.

Supper followed and it was leftovers for sure. There were about seven or eight choices, so there was good variety and many offerings. I chose mash potatoes, cornbread under John Wayne stew, cole slaw, chili and rice, and a few leftover chicken and noodles that we had saved. Meals on the road can be interesting.

As we are leaving early in the morning to work on that brake of the trailer,  we will get an early start. I took care of the dark water so we won't have to do that in the morning. We hope to be at the repair shop by 9 o'clock. It's about a half hour drive so we should make that okay.

Our next move is to Maine at a campground in Scarborough Maine.

Check in tomorrow for an update.--Jim

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Day 14, EAst Coast Trip, Sunday Oct 1 2023, At Salisbury MQ

  Day 14 Sunday October 1, 2023 At Salisbury, MA

The sun was shining this morning and that's always a good sign. The Temperature got up to 73 F which was the highest in about two weeks. It was a good day to go see some more wildlife.

 We looked up the National Wildlife Refuge that was in Hampshire about 25 miles from here. It seems like a good place to go, it had a few roads, and many trails. We decided to head there, taking our lunch of course with us as we were thinking about having a seafood dinner that night.

The ride up to the NWR does include driving on I-95 for about 8 miles. I-95 for this stretch at least, is four wide lanes, each way, plus exit lanes when there's a ramp, so there's plenty of room. As it was Sunday we noticed the traffic heading south, going  the other way, was very full but moving along at a nice pace.  (Bostonians heading home agan after being "Up North") Going through the E-Z Pass lanes makes it much quicker and going north the traffic didn't slow down very much. The GPS even tells you to get over into the proper lanes for E-Z Pass. I cannot say the same about the traffic going south after we left the refuge, as it was stop and go for a number of miles before the toll booths.

The fence between the Military post and the Refuge

One of the ponds on the trail

 

There is a nice, quiet, wooded entry into the NWR  which is called Great Bay NWR. When we arrived we found that the road we thought we could drive on, had a gate locked for "no entrance". So we tried to figure a good place to watch for where birds were located. Interestingly this location is adjacent to a very large munitions storage area that was used during World War II.  ** (See paragraph at bottom). It was then we noticed by this huge gate that there was a bird activity and so we camped there for more than an hour and picked up some birds. That included the Bluebird, in Eastern Phoebe, a House Finch, and a Northern Harrier that perched himself on the telephone pole. Also saw  a small flock of Chipping Sparrow's. 

After lunch, we did decide to walk one of the trails that was just one half mile long. It was a boardwalk so walking was easier. The entry sign said there were six benches along the way which we use if possible, but there was only one on the entire trail. (Time for a letter, eh? To the management).)

Bittersweet Berries (poisonous)

 Turkeytail Mushrooms (the fan tail?)

Green Spored Parasol

Ruby Meadowhawk Dragon Fly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boardwalk takes us through a very thick maple forest. I believe it's a second or third cutting but the trees are 80-100 feet tall and as there are many fallen timbers, so one would know that it's been there a long time. One of the big features of this forest was the number of mushrooms that we saw along the way. I think we saw eight or 10 different varieties many of which we photographed.

One half way around the loop there is a large pond where we did see some Widgeons and a Green Winged Teal. There were no Great blue Heron's, or Egrets to be seen. I think the pond was too deep for them as they like shallow water. Remember the Marshes of Parker River!

Greenshield Lichen

Paneolus antillarum

Little puffball mushrooms (their name)

 

It was a quiet walk and the time by the pond was quiet, relaxing and refreshing.

We headed back to the trailer a little earlier than we usually do, but that was okay considering it was really a very fine day.

The closed (permanent) main gate .We saw birds here  on the fences.

 

Downloading pictures, and checking mail, got us up to the suppertime. Then we ordered those lobster buns, and I added a bowl of clam chowder from a restaurant that specializes in that. Although lobsters are a little pricey, that special taste was delightful. It was a good way to end the day. (East coast food!)

It looks like tomorrow will be a laundry day in the morning and then back to a NWR in the afternoon.

One more day here and then will be moving up to Scarborough, New Hampshire.

Thanks for reading, and keep in touch,-- Jim 

**Paragraph... (from above)

The munition storage area is  connected with what was called Pease AFB  until recent years. It held many of the Strato bombers that carried nuclear weapons , and troops deploying from overseas often land here to embark.  The National Guard refuels ther planes frm here (Air to air). Now the airfield complex is called "The Pease Development Authority". and has over 300 businesses, with  about 10,000 employees at the site.  What a change from the war years of WW2.