A Beach For All!
~Monday, September 27, 2021~
Day 470
Wow, the best weather day we’ve had in Maine yet!! So excited for our bike ride today. But first, more bookings for our 2022 lodging since we didn’t quite finish the list yesterday. Adjustments are always inevitable. Just when we think we have our dates all dialed in, something needs to
shift, since we are at the mercy of what/when something’s available. The good news is we’re getting ahold of people or they’re returning our phone calls. I’m always grateful when people follow up as they should. It seems to be a rare thing these days.
After a few hours (and still not quite finished), we decided to hit the road to take advantage of the good weather. With bikes attached to the back of the truck, we headed for Ogunquit hoping to find the perfect parking spot just outside the town so we could bike in from there. Well, we ended up driving all the way in, still hoping for a side street on which to park. It was definitely less crowded than the day before (Sunday), but I swear this town has it out for us. There really was nowhere to park other than the $25 lots which we refused to pay since we were arriving around 3:00. And it would defeat the whole purpose of bringing the bikes in the first place. There’s nothing that frustrates Jeff more than traffic congestion and figuring out parking. So once again, we decided to scrap Ogunquit and drive back to the campsite and bike to the nearby beach, Goose Rocks Beach,
only about a mile from our campground. We drove by this beach the other day just to check things out, so we knew about the limited parking situation. So the solution was to bike there. There are several beach access areas but chose the one closest to our campground. Evidently there’s been much contention over whose beach this is. In an almost 9-year battle over public access to Goose Rocks Beach, 28 beachfront property owners filed a lawsuit against the town over their property rights, fighting to halt public beach access. Kennebunkport attorney convinced the court by expressing that this beach should be open for all to enjoy, not just to those fortunate enough to own property fronting the beach. The victory for Kennebunkport happened in 2018, and hope being 3 years out from that decision, that the issue is finally laid to rest, though there is speculation that many residents will still appeal. I don’t know about you, but Jeff and I have always felt most beaches should have public access. We’re grateful that the court sided with the city, allowing us to enjoy this special section of Kennebunkport with its beautiful Atlantic views, white sandy beaches and an occasional view of a harbor seal or 2 popping their heads up in curiosity. We must have walked a few miles, enjoying gorgeous sunset views. And…..you’re allowed to bring dogs at certain times of the day. They are allowed to be off-leash (morning and early evenings only). So we’ll be back tomorrow with our pups!
While preparing dinner, Jeff spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out what was going on with our campstove. It just wouldn’t light. He tried switching out the propane tank thinking it might be empty, but that apparently wasn’t the issue. We’re just hoping the stove isn’t broken, especially with the fact we just bought it a few months back. There is a possibility that the propane line may have gotten loose from the critter incident a few days ago, as it toppled over the stove. Looks like a little troubleshooting is in store.