As part of our commitment to only run races that promise unique and beautiful experiences, we scheduled Maine just 4 short weeks after Michigan.   We had been told that Blueberry Cove 13.1 was the race to run in Maine, so we ignored the loaded schedule and put it on the master plan for August 2019.

The travel required to visit the St George Peninsula in Midcoast Maine was convoluted and long.   Midcoast Maine is pretty much as far east as you can go and still stay in the United States.  Google maps show 3,279 miles from Oakland to Port Clyde for Melodie and 2,806 miles from Mesa to Port Clyde for Colleen, Kathy, and me.   However, never let it be said that we let a little thing like travel challenges deter us.   We put on our planning hats and figured out the most economical and survivable way to make the trip.   We decided to fly into Boston on the red eye, stay in Danvers for a few hours sleep, and then drive 175 miles up the Atlantic Coast on Friday to the little fishing village of Port Clyde where we were staying.    This approach would add an extra day to our typical 4 day trip, but it would give us a chance to see some additional country as well as split up the long hours of air and road travel.

We boarded our flights on schedule Thursday afternoon with the plan to meet in Nashville and go together from there.   It was an extra treat to have Kathy and Colleen along as neither of them had been able to travel much in 2019.

The Mesa contingent arrived in Nashville with plenty of time to make the Boston flight, but Melodie’s flight was delayed by 30 minutes and she already had a tight connection.    We had some anxious moments wondering if she would be able to get off her crowded plane in time, but she literally came running up as we were boarding the plane.    Traveling seems to provide a lot of these types of moments.   It keeps us young, at least that’s the plan.

We arrived in Boston as scheduled at 1:00 am in the morning.    You would never know it was the middle of the night by the level of activity in this airport.   We caught the shuttle for our rental car, loaded up and drove 25 miles to our hotel in Danvers.   We were again challenged to find anywhere to eat so ended up paying premium dollars for a snack at the hotel.   Between the 3 hour time change and the fact that it was 2:00 am, it was hard to know if we were hungry or tired, but it seemed like a good idea to proceed on the premise that we were both.

We gave ourselves permission to sleep in the next morning, but of course, it didn’t happen.  Our clocks were too mixed up for that.   We left the hotel around 9:00 am,  found a great little brunch spot, then proceeded up the coast for our 175 mile drive.

It was an unseasonably cool, overcast day for August in New Hampshire and Maine, but the beaches were still full of people intent on enjoying the last few days of summer.   We stopped and took pictures in several spots, but since most of the state parks required $15 to park, we mostly enjoyed the countryside via car on US Coastal Highway 1A.

We arrived at our lodging, dubbed the Salt and Fir Farmhouse, around 5:00 pm Friday evening.   The farmhouse was very old with that disjointed feel you get from a home that has had multiple add-ons.  Attempts had been made to remodel and update it, but it was impossible to disguise the fact that it was a very old farmhouse with no insulation, a sloping, creaky floor, low slanted ceilings upstairs, dingy outdated appliances, and lots of bugs.   The beds seemed comfortable, however, and there was a certain charm to it overall, so we focused on that and the beautiful view across the road.

One thing we discovered early on is that there was no such thing as cell service in Port Clyde, Maine, population 229, unless you happen to have US Cellular.   The farmhouse had wi-fi, but once you were in the car, you were on your own until you got into the larger towns of Rockland and Rockport.    We learned to download addresses before heading out, otherwise getting lost was a certainty.

We drove down to Port Clyde Harbor that evening in search of a place to eat.   Port Clyde is a sleepy town unless it’s Friday night in August and you happen to be hungry.   Every place we checked had waiting times of well over an hour.  And no one took reservations because voila, you’d need a phone to do that.  We finally just waited it out at a restaurant called The Black Harpoon.   Once we were seated and served, the food was delicious and the service friendly.   An additional treat was the lovely sunset as we walked back to our car.

Our plans for Saturday included an Educational Eco Sailing Tour on the Schooner Heron, sailing out of Rockport Harbor, about 33 miles north of Port Clyde.   On our way, we stopped at a place called 47 West for breakfast and coffee.  New England eating establishments are unique in that they all look like homes rather than a typical café, pub, or restaurant.   It made them a bit difficult to identify.   We will remember this one for the lovely circular hand-carved wooden staircase and the amazing coffee.

The 65′ Schooner Heron was built by Captain Twigg and his wife Bonnie, both of them 100 ton USCG licensed captains, having sailed extensively in the Gulf of Maine, trans-Atlantic and the Caribbean. They have been doing tours from Rockport Harbor for more than 20 years and doing charters in the Caribbean the last 13 years.  They built the Heron in 18 months to the 1928 plans of the famous yacht designer John G Alden.  The family has sailed HERON over 100,000 sea miles since launching her in 2003.

There was a fairly gusty northwesterly wind that morning so Captain Twigg was initially concerned about a rough ride, but once we were out in the bay, he did go ahead and “unfurl” the sails.   I even got to help a little.   This particular tour was an “Educational Eco Tour” where in addition to sailing, we learned about lobstering, the historic Indian Island Lighthouse, Rockport Harbor’s working waterfront, and the story of Rockport’s famous Andre, the seal.    

Lobstering is the backbone of life in Maine.  Maine lobstermen supply 90% of the lobsters consumed in the United States.  In 2018, Maine lobstermen brought more than 119 millions pounds of the state’s signature seafood ashore.   We learned that every licensed lobsterman has a color for his buoy so he can recognize his traps.   Solid colors have long been taken, so current buoys are multi-colored and come in myriads of designs.   Lobster season typically runs from June to December, but some intrepid lobstermen will fish all year long.   It can take years to get a lobster license and a lobsterman must serve two years as a sternmaster before he can have his own boat.   The industry is largely self-regulated.

We learned that Penobscot Bay spreads 40 miles long and 15 miles wide and is graced by more than 200 islands before it dumps into the Gulf of Maine.   Unfortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife on this tour as it was a bit too windy.   On the plus side, it was an enjoyable couple of hours, we learned a lot, and no one got seasick.

A bit of rough water…

Indian Island Lighthouse

Heading back

After the tour was concluded, we headed back to Port Clyde and stopped for lunch on the harbor at a spot called the DipNet.   Despite their unusual name, they served a delicious lunch.   To whet your appetite, they kept a bathtub full of live, wiggly lobsters right out front.

After lunch, we walked through the Wyeth Art Gallery located on the top floor of the Port Clyde General Store.   Port Clyde was the summer painting grounds for 95 years for three generations of Wyeths.  Andrew Wyeth’s son, Jamie Wyeth, still lives there and continues to paint at the age of 73.    Although none of us lay claim to being art experts, we enjoyed viewing the paintings and learning more about the famous Wyeth family.

Next stop was Blueberry Cove Camp, home to the UMaine 4H Camp & Learning Center and the location of our race start.   All proceeds from the Blueberry Cove 13.1 Half Marathon go directly each year to supporting the camp by providing funds for children who otherwise could not afford it.   This year, we were told that $25,000 was raised for this worthy cause.  Because of this, the race had very little fluff.   The race director greeted us with a smile and bare feet as we entered the camp that afternoon.   White boards with hand-written race instructions and cloth bibs were a first for us.   There were no timing chips, no t-shirts, no handouts, no bling – just friendly people, a beautiful location and a great cause.

After collecting our unique bibs and getting race instructions for the morning, we headed back to the farmhouse, stopping at Tenants Harbor to grab a few more pictures.   The countryside was quintessential New England with quiet coves, gentle hills, and homes dotting the landscape.

For dinner that evening, we chose Luke’s, a spot close to the house and reputed to serve good food while not being quite as busy.     Unfortunately, we decided there was a reason for that.   The service was almost nonexistent and the food was mediocre with few choices besides lobster.   We made do, but had no plans to go back.

Race morning dawned cool and pleasant.   The forecast had been for sunny and 60’s and that’s what we had – perfect running weather.  Colleen and Kathy made logistics simple by dropping us off at the race start and taking care of details like parking.   The camp had a very laid-back, personal feel which made it easy to relax and enjoy the moment.    There were no electronic mats, just homemade signs with the signature buoys attached.

And here’s our race director, still barefoot, calling out the signal to start.

The race course was on back country rural roads in and around Tenants Harbor, winding along roads with views of the ocean crashing against the beaches and rocky shorelines, with houses dotting the landscape here and there.   Not much of the course was flat, we did a lot of running up and down hills which always adds an element of challenge, but the course was beautiful.   Even the mosquitos didn’t trouble us.  We ran by Marshall Point Lighthouse, best known as the turnaround place from the movie “Forrest Gump”.

We ran out of steam a little at the end, but overall both of us had a great race.   We don’t take much for granted these days and feel blessed to be able to run.  Melodie came in first, looking like the professional she is, with yours truly following shortly after.

One of our traditions is to treat ourselves to a really special meal after a race.   We felt like we had exhausted most of the local spots in Port Clyde, so we drove to Rockland and had lunch at an amazing place called Archer’s on the Pier.   We sat outside and enjoyed beautiful views, delightful food, perfect weather and the world’s most congenial company.

After lunch, we decided to go back and visit the Marshall Point Lighthouse and Museum. The lighthouse features a walking bridge which brings you to the light station with lovely views of Penobscot Bay on one side and the St George river on the other.   There is a small, quaint museum with interesting displays and history of Port Clyde.   The museum also showcases a touching memorial to lost fisherman as well as a board displaying the colored buoys assigned to current local lobstermen in the area.    It was a fun spot to visit, despite the wind that had picked up.

We returned to the farmhouse for a little R & R prior to tomorrow’s travel marathon.   This group is a working crew so computers were pulled out and a little work got done.  Later that night, we drove into Camden and had dinner at a little pizza spot.   Both Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde were small fishing villages where boats outnumbered cars and restaurants could be counted on one hand, but Camden was a regular town, population 5,254, with more typical small town amenities and lots more eating choices.

Monday morning we got up, packed our bags, completed the exit list required by our host, and were on the road by 9:30.   We knew we were facing 200 miles of driving and 7 to 8 hours of flying, so wanted to get a good start on the day.    We drove for a couple hours before stopping at a small mid-Maine town called Damariscotta for brunch.   All of these little towns were chock full of colorful history.   This particular town sat  on the Damariscotta river and was home to a thriving oyster business.

We arrived at the Boston airport with plenty of time to return our rental car, grab something to eat, and get on the 6:00 pm flight.    We had a 5 hour flight to Denver and from there, we split up and took the final flights to our respective homes.   Gratefully, there was no travel drama this round, just long flights and tired bodies before arriving home at 11:00 pm, PDT.

Long, complicated travel, small villages with no cell service, and an old farmhouse full of bugs were just blips in another awesome state running trip.    We are so blessed to have the experiences that travel brings, the opportunity to learn, and the chance to spend time together.   It’s hard to believe we have completed 37 of these trips;   22 of them have been in the last 4 years since I started blogging.   Even though we have established some traditions and patterns, every trip is unique and full of new things to learn and experience. We treasure each and every moment – those that are the same, and those that are different.

Next up, Fargo, North Dakota, state #38, where the total travel time will be much less!