~Monday, September 6, 2021~
Day 449
Happy Labor Day everyone! And thank you to all of our firefighters 👨🚒🧑🚒and healthcare workers 👩⚕️👨⚕️tirelessly making sure we all stay safe and out of harm’s way. These workers have had to double down with these challenging times we’re in and we are so grateful for your unwavering concern and care.
We’re noticing some changes in the weather, as Fall seems to be knocking on our door. The leaves are slightly changing and the evening temps seem to have cooled down; nice to see the mosquitos finally take a hike. We’re really hoping that we’ve timed our trip right as we eventually head from Maine to New Hampshire and Vermont for the Fall “show”.
With it being the final day in the Rockport area, we thought we’d check out another lighthouse nearby as well as downtown Rockport and its harbor. We had a bit of a challenge in finding the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse as Google Maps took us to a dead end street. So then we thought, oh, the lighthouse is on an island which is why Google didn’t direct us right to it. Well, it’s kind of on an island, as you have to take about a mile walk on granite blocks (seabreak) out to the middle of the bay.
The Army Corps of Engineers built this breakwater from 1880 to 1900 with the help of Bodwell Granite Company which used around 700,000 tons of granite for the project at a cost of about $750,000. The keepers (also called “stags”), usually traveled by boat to Rockland Harbor 2 miles away rather than use the breakwater to and from. The light and keeper’s structures were completed in 1902. The light became automated in 1965 and shines to this day where it is visible 17 miles from its location. The views of the surrounding bay are beautiful. We were astounded at how many buoys were in the water, with fishermen marking their perfect lobster pot spot. And most have a whole line or row of them. Must be quite the hot spot.
From the lighthouse, we took a drive to Rockport Harbor on Penobscot Bay. There isn’t a whole lot in the town itself, but the harbor is quite beautiful.
It was also once the home of Andre the seal and the harbor proudly displays a statue in his honor. Andre spent winters at the New England Aquarium in Boston and summered in Rockport Harbor. For over 20 years, the aquarium would free him after the winters and Andre would swim 150-plus miles north to Rockport. Can you imagine being a local and witnessing this each year? Pretty cool. They also have a few old abandoned lime production kilns in the harbor area, just below the mouth of the Goose River. Lime production was a major industry during the early part of the 19th century. In fact, in 1817, Rockport shipped 300 casks of lime to Washington for use in building the nation’s capitol.
On the way out of Rockport, we took a slight detour onto Chestnut Street in Camden. Most of the homes have historic significance and boast beauty beyond words, in Greek, Queen Anne and Federal architecture, not to mention their lush, forested setting.
After we got back to our campsite, we decided to skip dinner and just enjoy the evening. One last look at the Penobscot Bay from the campground’s lookout point. Darn, I should have brought the camera since the sunset cast a beautiful pinkish/purple hue on the water and it was just simply, the perfect time of day. I don’t miss many photo ops, so am bummed I missed that one. ☹️