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Trammell Travel Blog: Exploring Maine
Columnist Berry Trammell explores the Maine coast. Check out the travel blog to read about his adventures.
Berry Tramel, Oklahoman
A few yards from the head of Portland, we stopped at the small jut ground that marks the junction of Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine.
I’ve used “amazing” and “awesome,” “amazing” and “beautiful” in this Maine travel blog. But after seeing the majesty of Portland’s head light, I needed a new word.
Cool looks great. Not as impressive as the inside, this is an amazing lobster roll. Awesome as in “wonderful thinking”.
Maine’s oldest lighthouse setting is excellent. The waves of the North Atlantic crash into the rocky outcrops, with the Portland Head Light standing above it, along with the charming light keeper’s house, now a small maritime museum.
Portland’s Head Lights is Maine’s most famous spectacle, and it’s spectacular. Trish the Dish and I were there on Friday afternoon, after seeing the lighthouse from the water during a boat tour of Casco Bay.
Tramel Travel Blog: Visiting Maine’s Old Orchard Beach is a time machine.
And we ended the evening with dinner at a lobster shack a few miles down the beach at Two Lights, a worthy complement to Portland’s head light. Two Lights State Park is named for two more lighthouses, which I estimate are a few hundred yards apart.
It leads to the edge of the cliff where the lobster shack sits. The restaurant has 12 tables inside and 31 picnic tables overlooking the sea in a small clearing next to the bluff. I have had many dinners on the beach, almost a few times on the sand. But with Two Lights you can literally have dinner on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean cliff.
What a day in Portland, one of America’s most underrated tourist meccas. Portland, Oregon, Portland ranks a distant number 2 in our country.
What is the population of Portland, Maine?
Portland is Maine’s largest city, but only has a population of 68,408 as of the 2020 census. This makes about 56,000 people Less than Norman. Portland’s metro population is 556,000, about the same as Modesto, California or Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Portland has undergone a downtown renaissance along its waterfront in recent decades. Portland has its own story of Bricktown, the gentrification of downtown.
Businesses and retailers fled downtown Portland in the 1970s, especially with the construction of the Maine Mall in suburban South Portland. But in the mid-1990s, when downtown Portland came together and the old seaport was revitalized with shops and tourists, Maine built its vacation reputation. Lobster is the No. 2 industry in Maine. Tourism is number 1.
Tramel Travel Blog: Lobster BLT and leather shopping in beautiful, rainy Camden, Maine
Portland’s waterfront is famous for its brick buildings, where brick is rarely used in construction. Portland was almost destroyed by fire four times – once during the 18th conflict with the Native AmericansTh century, once in the French and Indian War in the 1760s, once in the War of 1812, and once in the Fireworks of Blame in 1866. .
Today, downtown Portland’s Bayside neighborhood is bustling with yachts and shops, restaurants and tourists. Portland remains a busy seaport, and the nautical theme draws people from both sides of the world.
Dish and I walked down Commercial Street on Friday morning and found all kinds of cool shops, many related to Maine history. One store had an incredible collection of kerosene lamps. He burned my hand in a panic next to him.
We had a light lunch of chowder at Dewey’s Saloon on Commercial Street, then walked across the street to the waterfront and went on a boat tour.
Portland Harbor contains 136 small islands, many of which are inhabited, some year-round. Casco Bay Ferry transports people on time, including to and from school.
Our tour took us up close to those islands, a few military forts from earlier days, and various majestic lighthouses. It was one of the most beautiful boat tours we’ve ever been on, and we took a lot.
Portland’s military history is extensive. The British tried to enter Casco Bay during the American Revolution and succeeded in the War of 1812. And as recently as World War II, the US laid submarine nets from island to island to keep German U-boats under the water.
Tramel Travel Blog: Life-size rocking horses and blueberries pop up in Bar Harbor, Maine.
And the best part of the tour is overlooking the grand lighthouse, built in 1791, which sits at the entrance to Portland Harbor’s main shipping channel.
George Washington himself directed the construction of the Portland Lighthouse, with the US government providing $1,500 for the project. Even in 1791 this was not enough. The people of Maine pooled their resources to complete the lighthouse.
The lighthouse has been modified over the centuries; Today it’s 80 feet above ground and 101 feet above water (apparently more).
Today the grounds and keeper’s house are owned by Cape Elizabeth, an affluent town in Portland. But the U.S. Coast Guard owns and maintains the lighthouse, which still serves as a beacon for ships at sea.
After our boat returned to port, we headed back to our hotel and watched our grandson’s Alcott Middle School softball game via GameChanger, a game changer indeed. Thanks to live streaming on cell phones, we can watch you play softball 1,800 miles away.
Then we drove 20 minutes from downtown Portland to Portland Head Light in our rental car.
The lighthouse is part of the 90-acre Fort Williams Park, owned by the City of Cape Elizabeth and also including the decommissioned and partially demolished Fort Williams, which was active during the two world wars. But different buildings remain. The city built a one-mile walking trail along the cliff. Very place.
Then dinner came with two lights. We had good lobster rolls – not the best of the week, but it was hard to even care about the food, the view was so amazing. Beyond the picnic area are rock formations that gently descend into the sea, not cliffs. It is not particularly dangerous for children.
Tramel Travel Blog: Sea Villages in Maine’s Mid-Coast
The sun was setting, which meant we only had time for one more activity. We drove to Freeport, about 20 miles from Portland, to shop at LL Bean.
I wrote about the popular Maine retailer during our visit two years ago. The Short Story: Leon Lyonwood Bean founded a company in 1912, Maine Hunting Boots, which today people call Duck Boots.
From that humble beginning, LL Bean has become a global retailer. Established a nationwide mail order business. Sorry, Generation Z’ers, but Amazon didn’t invent the idea of home delivery for groceries. The likes of Spiegel Catalogue, Sears and Roebuck and LL Bean pioneered the concept.
Today, LL Bean sells a variety of outdoor gear, from hunting and fishing gear to clothing and boots to guns and tents. Over the years, LL Bean has opened retail and outlet stores in various locations, but the anchor is Freeport.
The huge complex is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It includes a furniture store; Bike, boat and ski shop; And a great store that’s half outdoor, half clothing.
What a place. We arrived around 8:30pm, spent about an hour and a half, and by the time we left, there were plenty of shoppers left. An employee told us that few people shop in the middle of the night when the shop is freshened up and ready for the next day, but occasionally celebrities come in to browse.
I bought a shirt and pants. I thought they would be nice reminders of a special day in Maine when I saw Portland’s lighthouse from the cliffs and the sea.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or btramel@oklahoman.com. It is heard on The Sports Animal Radio Network, including FM-98.1, Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. Support his work and that of other Oklahoma journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
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