On Saturday July 22, we moved from Leeds, Maine to Nobleboro, Maine. The drive was only supposed to be about an hour and a half but, thanks to a few detours, it ended up being about 2 hours. Still not a bad drive. The roads were pretty rough, though, and we did end up losing a piece of our plumbing from under the house. I didn’t actually get to see it fall off as we got separated by a few cars while passing through a small town. I did notice a piece of PVC pipe laying in the road at one point on the drive and I just knew it came from our house. I radioed up to John to let him know.
We arrived at Duck Puddle Campground around 2:00 and found our site. The ground was very uneven and we had some trouble with our wheel chocks and blocks due to the wet, sandy earth. Thankfully, the owner of the campground is parked next to us and went and found some thick boards for us to put under our wheels which basically allowed us to level the house. Once we got things settled, we were off to Home Depot in Rockland to get what we needed to replace the plumbing.
While in Rockland, we decided to grab dinner from Claws, a seafood restaurant right on the water. We ordered the Seafood Fries, a Lobster Burger, and the Fried Clam Strip Basket. It took FOREVER to get our food but we did get to sit outside and watch the fog roll in off the bay. The Lobster Burger was really good, the fries were enjoyable except for the cheese sauce being a little bland, but the clams really needed some more seasoning in the batter. Regardless, we ate until we thought we were going to burst then drove back home to fix the house.
When we got back, there was a band playing at the stage just down the lane from our house so we put up our gazebo and Harley and I sat and listened to music while John fixed the house. We had a few neighbors stop to say hello and had a really relaxing evening.
On Sunday, we headed out to breakfast at Moody’s Diner in nearby Waldoboro. This diner has been around since 1930! We each opted for the All Day Breakfast Special – bacon strips and scrambled eggs for both of us with blueberry pancakes for me and French toast for John. We also split a blueberry muffin.
After breakfast, we drove back over to Rockland to scope out the location of the Lobster Festival next week. We got out and walked around the cutest little shopping area. We visited several stores, including a pet store where we bought a stuffed lobster for Harley, and walked off a little of our breakfast. We stopped off at a few shops on the way back to the campground, too. At one farmstand we bought some carrots, spinach, beans, and jelly and at another we bought some wild Maine blueberries. We checked out an antique store, too, but didn’t see anything we couldn’t live without.
The coolest store we stopped at was the Maine State Prison Showroom in Thomaston. This store sells handcrafted items made by inmates serving time in the state of Maine. This program serves to provide a way for inmates to fill their time while teaching them job skills and a way to earn and save money to help them after they are released. The items were all really well made and very reasonably priced. They had furniture, toys, and household items all crafted from wood along with a few other things like candles. We bought the cutest bird house that looks like an acorn and a tin cup candle.
On Monday we FINALLY got to go on a whale watching trip! We had been rained out for both of our reservations in Portland so we had opted to book through Cap’n Fish’s in Boothbay Harbor. This tour also offered the opportunity to visit Eastern Egg Rock to see puffins. We were able to snag seats right at the front of the boat on the upper deck. The weather was warm and sunny and it turned out to be a perfect day.
We watched in awe as the captain threaded his way through all of the boats and buoys in the harbor. We hadn’t been moving long when we spotted a few small groups of porpoises swimming alongside us! We even got to see one seal. I was feeling a bit sad because we didn’t get to take any photos of these animals because they were just moving too quickly. I was worried about not being able to see or get photos of the whales. I shouldn’t have been concerned.
The captain took us to a spot where some whales had been sighted earlier in the day and within a few moments we were watching these giant creatures slide through the water all around us. We think we saw about 5 in total – a combination of Humpback and Minke whales. We would see their back come up out of the water in one spot, then see and hear a burst as they spouted water somewhere else. Occasionally we would see a tail flip up out of the water as well.
I was already so excited that I had tears running down my cheeks. We had been told that seeing a whale isn’t a guarantee and now we had seen several. This was even better than I had hoped for and I was absolutely sure that I would be returning to the dock a happy girl. Then we saw one breach. The captain said that we were lucky- that this is what everyone hopes for but not many actually get to see. To watch something of that size just pop up out of the water was unbelievable. Even though they twisted and kind of side/belly flopped back into the water with a huge splash there was still something really elegant about it.
We floated about for a little while longer and the captain came on the speaker and said that we would be moving on as it appeared that the show was over. Then we saw a second breach.
I don’t usually like to brag but I am damn proud of myself for snapping photos of both of these events. It was absolutely amazing to witness and I would have been happy going through life with that in my brain but to have photos of it (and video that John managed to capture), we can relive it over and over. We were so lucky and thankful!
We did eventually tear ourselves away from the whales (I think even the captain was reluctant to leave them) and made the hour long ride out to Eastern Egg Rock where a colony of puffin are located. The island is very small but there were so many birds – puffins and seagulls and cormorants and more. We also enjoyed spying on the little shack and tents setup in the middle of the rock – an outpost for scientists to study the puffin. The puffin weren’t super active because it was a warm day and they usually like it a little cooler but we did get to see a few floating in the water off shore. We even got to watch them dive. The hour long ride back to the harbor was really peaceful and everyone was smiling after the incredible luck we had had.
We had a great time on the tour and would recommend them to anyone visiting the area. They often have openings for walk-ups but you can schedule ahead by visiting https://www.boothbayboattrips.com/. We checked out several different tour companies but went with this one as we wanted to see both whales and puffins so be sure to shop around for the option that works best for you.
On Wednesday, we found ourselves back on the water in Boothbay Harbor. This time, we boarded a boat called the Bennie Alice which would ferry us to Cabbage Island for a clam bake. We booked through a company called Cabbage Island Clambakes on the recommendation of my aunt Penny who knows two of the owners. We tried to book about a month ago but they were booked solid! Thankfully, we were able to get on their waitlist and the contacted us a few weeks later with an opening- we said yes immediately!
A little history about Cabbage Island Clambakes – the island is currently owned by the Moore family. It was purchased in 1986 by Wayne Moore as a summer retreat. Previous owners had created Cabbage Island Clambakes but the business had ended when they sold the island. At the urging of local fishermen, Wayne and his brother, Bob, along with their families, brought back the business in 1989 and has operated annually since. The Bennie Alice (the boat that transports passengers to and from the island) was named after the matriarch of the Moore Family who loved spending time on the island and spent her summers running the gift shop. She passed away just a few years ago at the age of 100. For full history and to make your reservations, be sure to visit https://www.cabbageislandclambake.com/. They do book up so be sure to reserve well in advance but don’t completely give up if they don’t have openings when you check – just join their waitlist and you might still get to go! This was a truly unique experience and we loved every minute.
The experience started with an hour long tour of the harbor and bay. The captain pointed out lighthouses and private islands and told some great stories. We learned that actress Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch from the original Wizard of Oz) lived on one of the islands for many summers. She would take her boat into town to get groceries from Hannaford’s. We learned about one island that is now a private spa where you can stay for just $25k per week.
The island is around 5 acres and has rocky shores with lots of green vegetation in the center. One end of the island is more open and we were able to see a huge osprey nest in a tree. We were told that it isn’t uncommon to see seals sunbathing in the rocks but there were none there that day. Near the middle of the island along the coast was the clambake area and as the boat approached the dock we could see the steam rising up from the piles of delicious food.
Bob and Wayne were there to greet us as we disembarked. We walked up the hill from the shore and found several different areas with picnic tables. We chose a seat and were soon greeted by our server. We were provided with tea, water or coffee for free or could order drinks from the cash bar. We were served steaming cups of New England Fish Chowder which were absolutely perfect.
Suddenly, a bell rang and everyone started lining up. The line moved quickly and several members of the Moore family spoke to guests in line. When it was our turn, we were each handed a tray with two lobsters, steamer clams, an ear of corn, a potato, an onion, and an egg. Back at the table, our waiter was kind enough to show us how to eat our clams and lobster and we were very inexperienced. He was so helpful and didn’t make us feel dumb for asking for help.
The food was amazing. I have never eaten a whole lobster before but I have had plenty of lobster rolls, lobster tail, and many other dishes containing lobster. This was the best I have ever tasted. John, who is not a seafood eater, was worried that he wouldn’t like anything on the menu but he was willing to try it for the experience and because I was so excited about it. He loved everything. After lunch, we were also served a gigantic slice of blueberry cake. John especially loved the cake and at his and half of mine.
After dinner, we said hello to Kathy and Ryan Moore (a request from my aunt) and set off to explore. Kathy had told us that the path behind the gift shop leads to the end of the island and that, at low tide, you could actually walk across an exposed land bridge to a smaller island. The water was low enough while we were there so John made the trek over for some solo adventuring. My knee had been bothering me so I opted to stay on the connecting bit of land and check out all of the cool rocks. We were both in our own happy places. We made it back to the boat just in time for boarding for the return trip. We were super full and very happy and enjoyed the ride back to the dock in contented silence.
I am always happiest on the water and was so happy to have been able to spend two days on the water. Boothbay Harbor is an amazing town and the views are gorgeous. Our first week in this area had been wonderful and we still adventures planned for next week and will have the Lobster Festival to attend!
