My trip to Maine

[foxy]

A while back there was a post on Ogunquit and it got me thinking that I had never been to Maine and I had a new car sitting in my driveway. Road Trip!

 

So a couple of weeks ago I hit the highway in brilliant sunny weather and less than 6 hours later I rolled into Ogunquit. I had made a reservation at Moon Over Maine http://www.moonovermaine.com This was the place mentioned in the post several weeks ago and I found it to be the perfect place to stay. Right in town and the price was only $70 a night. I stayed for 3 nights,

 

Ogunquit is a nice little town and very gay friendly. It was pretty crowded with tourists and there are lots of gift shops, art galleries and restaurants. I had dinner the first night at The Front Porch. The restaurant was nice and the food quite good. Upstairs is the gay piano bar which gets pretty lively on the weekends.

The main draw with Ogunquit is the beach which is big and beautiful. A walk along Marginal Way is a must and that takes you to Perkins Cove, a cute if somewhat Disneyfied fishing village. Now it's more gift shops than anything. I walked across the little bridge that goes up and down for the boats and kept going to The Ogunquit Museum of American Art http://www.ogunquitmuseum.org The setting is beautiful and there was a nice exhibit of Ansel Adams photos.

For the next 2 days I drove around the area. Kennebunkport was more gift shops and I didn't stop but driving around the town there are wonderful old homes to see. I didn't look for the Bush compound.

Old York, to the south of Ogunquit, is worth a visit with historic buildings to tour. http://www.oldyork.org

 

At this point I was ready to look for the "real" Maine and headed north. My old duffle bag had split so I figured that was a good excuse to check out Freeport and L.L. Bean. This is a shopper's paradise of outlets...or a nightmare, depending on your point of view. The L.L. Bean complex of stores is pretty impressive. Once I had my new bag in hand I ran for the parking lot. Since it was a Saturday morning it seemed the entire country had rolled into town. Too much for me!

 

Camden was my next stop where I had booked a B&B for 3 days. This is a beautiful town with a gorgeous harbor filled with very expensive looking boats. This town is RICH! More gift shops, antique stores and art galleries, all very high end. If money is no object, some good places to stay are the Maine Stay http://www.camdenmainestayinn.com the Norumbega http://www.norumbegainn.com where a very cute guy took me for a tour, and the Camden Harbour Inn http://www.camdenharbourinn.com I spent an afternoon just knocking on doors of inns and they all took me for a tour. It's a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

 

The best thing to do in Camden is to take a schooner trip and there are lots to choose from. I picked the Appledore, one of the largest schooners (86 feet) http://www.appledore2.com I chose it because they had the cutest guys working on the boat. I went out on the sunset cruise and the views were wonderful especially the cute crew pulling on the ropes to hoist the sails. Lots of bare midsections glowing in the rosy glow of the sinking sun.

 

Plenty of restaurants to choose from in town. You have to have lobster if you're in Maine. I did splurge one night and went to Natalie's at the Camden Harbour Inn. Great food, decor and the wait staff was really nice. Actually, everywhere I went people were super friendly. Everyone says "hello" on the street and cars stop when you step out into the road. All very civilizied.

The Camden State Park is also a must and if you're feeling fit you can hike up the Megunticook Trail. Takes about an hour and the view is spectacular. I climbed the 1385 feet to the summit. I figured I could work off some of the calories I was consuming at dinner. If you don't want to hike you can drive up Mount Battie for the same view only at a lower elevation. I say do the hike, you see a younger, cuter bunch of people.

Another fun hike is to Rockport Harbor. You get to see these belted cows in the pasture which are very decorative. The whole Camden area is very nice but I was still looking for the "real" Maine.

 

My next stop was The Blue Hill Peninsula. This is Maine a little off the beaten path. On the way I stopped at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. This is one of the 3 bridges in the world where you can take an elevator to the top, 42 stories above the river. The towers look like the Washington Monument. On a clear day, which I had, you can see forever.

 

I drove on to Castine, one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen. Amazing view from the Castine Harbor Lodge where I stayed for two nights. Very cute bartender named Jake who goes to the Maritime Academy. This town is loaded with young guys in uniform running around town. I'm sure most of you wouldn't be interested in that but just thought I'd let you know. The Maritime Academy has kept Castine from being over-run with gifts shops.

The town is loaded with history and has a little, odd museum called The Wilson Museum http://www.wilsonmuseum.org Driving around the Blue Hill Peninsula is really great. I felt like I was in a car commercial. Mostly empty roads, beautiful views every where you look. I drove to Dear Isle to a little town called Stonington. This was the Maine I was looking for.

Other great places (expensive) to stay in Castine are The Pentagoet and The Castine Inn. The Castine Inn is in the book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die". I checked it off my list.

 

Now I was on my way to Acadia http://www.nps.gov/acad the national park. You have to purchase a $20 pass but it's good for a week. Lots of places to hike and do out-doorsy stuff. However, there are lots of crowds. I drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain and it was jammed with tour busses and cars. People crawling like ants all over the mountain top. It was almost funny...almost. I was warned about Bar Harbor but drove in to take a look. There was a huge ship in the harbor and the town was filled with tourists. I mean FILLED! Gift shops, gift shops, gift shops! Arrrrgh! I got out of town in a hurry. I headed for Bass Harbor, an actual real fishing village and breathed a sigh of relief. I think I was the only tourist in town. Stayed at a nice little B&B and ate another lobster as the sun set over the water. Nice. This was what I came for. My hosts told me to go to the Schoodic Peninsula the next day. I was glad I did. Acadia without the crowds and the really, real Maine. Talk about your rocky cliffs, fog and all. I had it almost all to myself. This was the place to be. Sssshhhh....don't tell anyone!

 

My last stop in Maine was Portland as I headed south. Portland is a great town and from what I saw very gay in spots. I stayed at a nice B&B in the western promenade historic district. Wonderful Victorian homes many now operating as B&B's. Some quite over the top and pricey. My host suggested a restaurant nearby called Caiolas http://www.caiolas.com Gay owned and operated, cute bartender, great food and very friendly. I could have easily spent a few days in Portland but everything was booked for the weekend so I only got one night. Worth a return visit.

 

The weather couldn't have been more perfect the entire trip. Maine is the place to go in September...just don't tell anyone.

[+ Charlie]

Thanks for the report. It brought back wonderful memories of places I will probably never see again now that I live on the other coast. If you want to find the "real Maine," however, you also need to go inland, to places like Sebago, Farmington, Augusta, Bangor, and Aroostook County--not as picturesque, but filled with authentic Mainiacs and few tourists.

[Guest zipperzone]

Thanks for that great report - I wish I had taken the chance to see Maine when I was living in Toronto and Montreal. Now that I'm in Vancouver the chances of that are pretty slim. But.. maybe next year as I am planning a trip to Cape Cod and could add on an extra week for Maine - Thanks again.

[AdamSmith]

>But.. maybe next year as I am planning a trip to Cape Cod and

>could add on an extra week for Maine - Thanks again.

 

Some Maine addicts (count me in) might say skip the Cape altogether. Even though them's fightin' words here in Boston. :-)

[bamaguy]

Yes, Ogunquit is a nice place. Slower place than P-town, which is something I like. I've also stayed at Moon Over Maine, and really like it...great location!

[Guest zipperzone]

>>But.. maybe next year as I am planning a trip to Cape Cod

>and

>>could add on an extra week for Maine - Thanks again.

>

>Some Maine addicts (count me in) might say skip the Cape

>altogether. Even though them's fightin' words here in Boston.

>:-)

 

Well if Maine had a substitute for getting fucked on the sand dunes, you might just convince me.

[+ purplekow]

>>>But.. maybe next year as I am planning a trip to Cape Cod

>>and

>>>could add on an extra week for Maine - Thanks again.

>>

>>Some Maine addicts (count me in) might say skip the Cape

>>altogether. Even though them's fightin' words here in

>Boston.

>>:-)

>

>Well if Maine had a substitute for getting fucked on the sand

>dunes, you might just convince me.

>How about getting some wood in the forests of Maine?

 

 

I have never seen a purplekow;

I never hope to see one;

I can tell you anyhow;

I'd rather see than be one

 

Help there is a purplekow in my mirror

[AdamSmith]

>Well if Maine had a substitute for getting fucked on the sand

>dunes, you might just convince me.

 

How about getting laid at the Yellow Monkey http://www.yellowmonkeyguests.com/ by one or more of the gorgeous Canadiens who flock to Ogunquit in summer?

[+ Lucky]

Foxy apparently leftout all of his sexual activity so that he would have something left for his reviews!