Our road trip team goes even more north and deeper into the woods.
At Captain Lindsey's House we enjoyed a convenient, help yourself breakfast and I started the day with a bowl of cereal and a double scoop of some Maine blueberries. Early in the morning we walked along the Main Street of Rockland and all you could hear was the sound of brooms shuffling over the sidewalks. The shopkeepers were all out sweeping away the bits of debris or few stray leaves that might have fallen during the night. Each car came to an abrupt stop when they saw a pedestrian standing by the curb, waving him across the street. There is a small town, quaint, friendly feel here. I might have discovered a modern Mayberry.
Our first stop on our agenda today was The Strand Theater for a behind the scenes tour. Built in 1923, the original family owned this grand theater for 75 years. It was restored with period motif and re-opened in 2005. This 350 seat, one screen theater now features independent movies and live shows to a community excited and appreciative of its historical value. Sit in the balcony when you come to see a show and you will see the bar. With a glass of wine in your hand, movies never looked so good.
At the edge of Main Street we picked up a trolley for a tour of the city. Our guide, Sally, filled us in on all the history trivia we might have missed. Who knew that Maine has the longest seacoast, with 3,500 miles? I would have guessed California. Rockland was known as Shore Village, for obvious reasons and up until 1938 it was also known for its lime quarries. When sheetrock came along, lime was no longer needed as much to make concrete, so in an effort to survive, the town started to fly out lobsters to other places and the rest is history. Every year during the first week in August, Rockland hosts a five day Lobster Festival, where 26,000 pounds of lobster are cooked for over 100,000 visitors. I’m sorry we missed it.
On our tour we passed hundreds of boats dotting the ocean; boats of all kinds: sailboats, lobster boats, yachts - all forming one grand seascape after another.
Before leaving Rockland we checked out the Maine Lighthouse Museum and Maine Discovery Center, that is open for less than a year. This is a great resource of information for the traveler and, I guess, should have been our first stop and not our last. Oh well. Here we found videos, displays, paintings, a small museum, photos and the mandatory gift shop. The museum houses a collection of dozens of lighthouse lights, each one unique in size and style, so sailors could identify to which lighthouse it belonged.
Now we needed to head off for our next stop: Belgrade Lakes, Maine. It was time to break out the GPS unit again. Though I hate to admit it, I was beginning to have fun programming each destination and hearing its voice countdown the miles left to go.
We checked into the Wings Hill Inn and met the owners, Tracey and Chris Anderson, who are also the chefs. Having met in culinary school, they bought this inn in 2001, and came here to raise their family. They couldn't be more welcoming, friendly or helpful to their guests. They make a great team, with Chris specializing in elegant dinners and Tracey working magic with breakfasts and baked goods.
After getting settled, we walked into the small town of Belgrade Lakes and found Captain Norm's Mail Boat, the only one left in Maine. For those city folk, like me, Captain Norm delivers the mail to the homes lining the lake, during the summer months, by boat. During the winter months, for the brave souls who remain here in that season, mail needs to be picked up at the post office, since the lake is frozen and the roads can be treacherous. This unusual situation actually began in the 30's and 40's when the iceman began dropping off the mail in the summertime. A local man named Dave Webster ran this route for 49 years, somewhat guaranteeing his name in local history. Norm has taken over the tradition and has been doing this for the last three summer seasons. For him, it's a job made in heaven. Norm really loves the water and he really loves people. It's a unique situation. Since he is an independent contractor for the Postal Service, he has an established, daily route on which he also takes visitors.
Along the 33 mile route, he pulls up to 125 mailboxes placed on docks, chats with each neighbor, gives out biscuits to the various dogs and spreads some local cheer. The ride is a little over three hours and Norm was proud to point out that this is indeed "On Golden Pond." Though actually filmed elsewhere, the story was written here, and the characters were based on the people here. Norm himself seems like a character out of a book and spending the time with him was a pleasure.
Wings Hill Inn
Dinner tonight was back at Wings Hill Inn, to sample some of the culinary expertise of our hosts. The restaurant serves a five course dinner for a fixed price, with two seating times, in cozy and intimate dining areas. This is elegant dining in a country setting. We started with Brie and artichoke in a Phyllo pastry. Then came a choice of hot or cold soup, salads and, of course, our entree and desserts. Everything is homemade and my ribeye steak melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor. Don raved over his oven-poached halibut with a Chinese aromatic broth. Don ended this exceptional meal with a crème Brule and I with a chocolate shell filled with caramel cream. The menu here changes weekly and it is like dining with your personal chef, cooking just for you. It was great.
This was a wonderful day in Maine - a day to savor and remember. I could get used to this.
