Island Hopping in Mid-coast Maine

 

Island Hopping!

 

It is soooooo much fun to hop a ferry and imagine what life would be like living on an Island.... whether you take your car along, plan to bike the island, or are an avid hiker, you will find Maine's islands to be full of fun and adventure. Some are well populated while others are not. Some have year-round communities while others swell with visitors "from away" during the summer months. If exploration is your goal then traditional Maine harbors, island lore, and small shops await you .... or a cup of coffee with someone obscure or someone famous... hop onto one of the Maine State Ferries and head to an island.

 

Along the mid-coast of Maine there are thousands of islands - off the coast and within the bays. Penobscott Bay is where most of the "midcoast Maine" islands are found. Some are quite large while others only big enough for a tiny shack. There are mansions worth tens of millions of dollars to homes for sale at a mere $50,000! What one soon discovers is the economic diversity of island dwellers. The salty fisherman trapping and selling lobsters, hermits escaping the world, wealthy businesspersons, and Hollywood celebrities inhabit Maine's islands. Homes like that of John Travolta/Kelly Preston can be seen online at Architectural Digest magazine. Or homes for sale like that of Kirstie Alley can be viewed on www.realator.com.

 

The best reason to hop to an island is the ride itself - passing sailboats, fishermen, buoys and lighthouses, a 15 min to 1.5 hour ferry ride makes it all possible for a reasonable cost.

 

If you elect to "Island Hop" be sure to check the Maine State Ferry schedule in advance. During busy summer season, tickets may be harder to come by especially during popular times of the day. Reservations can be made for those desiring to take a car to/from an island at busy times. If you don't need to have your car along, just park it at the ferry terminal and hop on the ferry (ticket in hand). Bring a bike, bring your dog, bring your sense of adventure, but most of all bring your camera!

 

Each island has it's own character and features. Most have lighthouses. Many have shops and restaurants. Some have trails. Some have villages close-by where the ferry docks though some do not (making hiking, biking, or bringing the car more important).

 

Where to catch a ferry to island hop?

 

Midcoast Maine:
Port Clyde - Penobscot Bay and Altantic Ocean - ferry or mail boat to Monhegan Island (see Monhegan Boat Lines). Monhegan Boat Lines also has nice day trips and 2-hour trips to island-watch for amazing nature (birds, puffins, seals, dolphins). Overnight lodging is available but reservations are essential (with some places booking up years in advance!).

 

Rockland - Penobscot Bay - two options - ferry to Vinalhaven and ferry to North Haven. For day-trippers who wish to walk (versus hike), go to Vinalhaven. Vinalhaven has small shops, restaurants, and galleries in town close to the ferry dock. For the more "outdoorsy" folks - try North Haven. Overnight lodging available on each island but reservations are essential.

Lincolnville - Penobscot Bay - ferry to Islesboro. Take a bike, a car, or plan to hike (there are no sidewalks or trails so you are "on the road" throughout the island). Overnight lodging is unavailable so plan ahead.

Stonington - Penobscot Bay - mail boat to Isle au Haut (half of which is in Acadia National Park). Plan to walk/hike or take a bike along. Much of the island is unpaved roads and trails. There are a couple of shops. Overnight lodging is typically unavailable - plan ahead!

 

Southern Maine:
Portland - Casco Bay - Block Island, Bailey Island, and others - some reached by Maine State Ferry services and others by Casco Bay Lines and the local "mail boat" - another great option! Each island has different options so it's best to check for lodging/restaurants/shops/galleries in advance.

 

Remember that medical services, food, fuel, and other resources are limited on the islands. Plan ahead and plan for changing weather. Do your homework, get the ferry/boat schedule, make reservations, and have tons of fun!!

 

 

 

Cycling Around Mid-Coast Maine

Whether you like to join an organized bike ride like Pedal to the Port (shown above) or Lobster Ride and Roll, mid-coast Maine is a good destination for road bikers and trail bikers. If you don't wish to bring your bike along and decide to cycle once you get here, there are bike rentals available in Belfast, Camden and Rockland. Rent by the hour or by the day (or longer) with touring and trekking bikes available.

 

Mid-coast places (or nearby destinations/daytrips) to cycle or trek:

Camden Hills State Park (trails)

Acadia National Park (carriage roads or Cadillac Mtn. or Schoodic Peninsula)

Islesboro Island

Vinalhaven Island

St. Georges Peninsula

Blue Hill Peninsula

Camden-Rockport Harbors

Rockland working waterfront

Belfast downtown and ecovillage

Winery to Winery (there are 5 in the area)

Thomaston to Friendship (and back)

Country Roads - Lincolnville to Liberty, Lincolnville to Belfast, Lincolnville to Hope (or Appleton or Union)

Lighthouse to Lighthouse (Rockland Breakwater-Owl's Head-Marshall Point)

 

 

 

 

Chinese Homestyle Cooking Class

Imagine if you could cook excellent Chinese food at home - food that tastes just like it would in the home of a Chinese family. You can learn to do this at Bay Leaf Bistro this summer with their hands-on cooking classes that feature regional cuisines - cold dishes, hot dishes, spicy dishes, soups, dumplings and more! See www.bayleafcottages.com/bistro for more info. Call 207-706-7929 to register.
Sunday Evenings 5-7 p.m.
Adults: $12 pp
Children Ages 9-16: $6 pp
Dates: June 3^rd, July 22^nd, August 12^th

Cold Dishes:

Pickled Cabbage (Pol Cai)
Garlic Cucumbers (Pai Huang Gua)
Sichuan Sesame & Chili Noodles
Sliced Tomatoes with Sugar
Chicken Breast with Soy & Garlic Sauce
BBQ Pork Tenderloin (Char Sui Rou)

Hot Dishes:

Tomatoes and Eggs with Oyster Sauce
Tofu with Ground Beef and Chili (Ma Po Dou Fu)
Green Beans with Ground Pork, Onions (Gan Bian Si Qi Dou)
Roasted Chicken Wings (with soy, garlic, brown sugar marinade)
Cabbage with Chinese-style Bacon and Fermented Black Beans (La Rou)
Eggplant with Green Peppers
Chicken with Leeks and Peanuts  (Kung Pao Ji Ding)

Rice-Pasta Course:
Crab Fried Rice (Yangzhou Fried Rice)
Dumplings (Jiaozi) – with carrot filling

Soup:
Beef Noodle Soup (Tang Mian)

Places we like to eat in Mid-coast Maine

When visiting the Mid-coast of Maine, you'll discover all sorts of amazing restaurants and options. Here's our list of favorites for 2012:

Towns – heading north from Bay Leaf	Restaurant	Location	Comments	Price
Lincolnville Beach	The Beach Store	Rt 1	If you want great pizza go no further (try the pastrami!). Super hamburgers, steak sandwiches, chicken parmesan, ice cream. Not much room for dining in, very casual, good view. No toilet.	low
	McLaughlin’s Shack	Rt 1 at Rt 173	Maine seafood, great view, casual, self-serve.	medium
	Lobster Pound	Rt 1	Maine seafood, good home-style dishes, good view, very traditional.	medium
	Whales Tooth Pub	Rt 1	Maine seafood, continental cuisine, excellent array of choices, desserts to die for, good view, great happy hour/bar.	medium
	Chez Michel	Rt 1	Maine seafood, continental cuisine, French options, crisp clean open-air ambiance, some views.	high
Northport	Copper Grill	Off Rt 1 at Point Lookout (south entry)	Interesting seafood selections at breakfast. Note: Specials for the dining room atop Pt. Lookout (sign is on the highway – Rt 1)	medium
Belfast	Chase’s Daily	Downtown Belfast	Vegetarian, great desserts, farmer’s market. Michelin 4-star chef!	low-med
	Young’s Lobster Pound	Off Rt 1 past bridge	Seafood galore the good old fashioned way – picnic tables, outdoor seating, can bring your own drinks and side dishes	medium
	Wasses Hot Dogs	Off Rt. 1 at Reny’s Plaza	Best hot dogs (and hamburgers) in Maine. Note: They also have two drive-ins in Rockland for the same quality hot dogs/burgers.	low
Searsport	The Angler	Rt. 1	Local hangout with everything from fried seafood to bread pudding.	low
Searsmont	Just Barbara’s	Rt 1	Diner-like setting with excellent fried seafood, daily specials, and blueberry pancakes.	low
Heading south from Bay Leaf Cottages
Camden	Boynton & McKay	Rt 1 (Elm St.)	Best blueberry pancakes in Maine. Excellent array of eclectic dishes, none will disappoint. Great pastries. Best coffee.	low
	Long Grain	Rt 1 (Elm St.)	Inventive Thai dishes – just outstanding. Reservations suggested!	medium
	Mediterranean	Rt 1 (Elm St.)	NEW – Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern Cuisine	medium
	Fresh	At the Bayview	Fresh ingredients and creative cuisine	medium
	40 Paper	At the smokestack	Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.	medium
	Peter Otts	Bay Street	Steak and salad bar	m/h
	Paulina’s Way	Under Peter Otts	Artisan Pizzas. Interesting atmosphere – very European	high
	Harbor Dogs	Parking lot at the harbor	Amazing seafood wraps with chutney (hot dogs with chutney!).	low
Rockport	Rockport Diner	Rt 90	Local diner-style with good salad bar included with each dinner. Wide array of Maine comfort foods and fried seafood	low
	Mr. Wat	Rt 1 south of Camden	Yummy Thai and Japanese Cuisine (Noodles, Sushi, etc.)	low
	Shepherd’s Pie	Downtown Rockport	Amazing new restaurant – make reservations! NYT rating.	m/h
Rockland	Rockland Cafe	Rt 1 (northbound) Main Street	Family-run diner-style with wide array of local specialties. Can’t go wrong with this choice. Don’t forget a cannolli for desert!	low
	Home Kitchen Cafe	Rt 1 heading south on right before road splits	Friendly, eclectic array of breakfast and lunch options. You will not be disappointed in either – the problem will be deciding!	low-medium
	The Compass	Rt 1 (northbound) Corner of Park	There’s one thing you MUST order here: Lobster BLT. They won the “throw-down” with Bobbie Flay on Food Network.	low-medium
	Primo	South Main (heading to Owl’s Head)	Travel Channel’s Anthony Bordain recommends: Top NY Chef creates amazing dishes from on-site raised/grown meats & vegetables. Make reservations for main level – drop in for 2nd Fl.	high
	Conte’s	148 South Main just 1.5 blocks south of Park intersection with Main	Travel Channel’s Anthony Bordain recommends: John Conte – recluse and all-around nut – he gets only the freshest seafood daily. Home-style bowls of salad, crusty bread, large amounts of decent red wine, and amazing Italian seafood. Keep this secret!	low-medium
Thomaston	Thomaston Cafe	At the traffic light in downtown (on Rt. 1)	3 times a day they serve up amazingly good options from twists on favorites to lobster ravioli & German sauerbraten.	low - medium
	Slipway	Thomaston harbor	Very creative, fun, outdoor dining is on the pier, can’t miss this chef!	medium
Waldoboro	Morse’s	Rt 220 off Rt 17	Morse’s Sauerkraut brings out the best in German dining in Maine	low-med
	Moody’s Diner	Rt 1	Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives eatery with old-fashioned diner food.	low-med
Owl’s Head	Owls Head General Store	On Rt 73	Known throughout the state for “the Best Hamburger” according to Food Network. It’s a great burger in a little hole in the wall.	low
Port Clyde	Port Clyde General Store Or  Dip Net	Rt 131	With only 8 stools in the store, try Linda Bean’s Lobster Roll, Linda Bean’s Lobster Ravioli (it’s amazing for $11!). Dip Net has indoor and outdoor dining with good menu	Low Med-high

A New Season on the Maine Coast

A new season on the Maine coast ... it wasn't long before a warm winter was over and I was driving back to Maine for the "summer season". Though the fireplace is running and there's still a nip in the air, it's nice to look out to Penobscot Bay again and discover what's new - closings and openings, the buzz on the street, and the yum in the tummy.

So far - Dohrman's Ice Cream in Rockland is open and everyone is going - we missed the good hand-made/dipped ice cream all winter.

Wasses celebrates it's 40 year with 30 cent hot dogs this Saturday (May 5). And while it's Cinco de Mayo, I think I'll celebrate both events with discounted hot dogs.

The Baked Potatoe closed and The Mediterraen opened - same location (have yet to try the new option). Mr. Wat is now where once pizza came ... and doing well.

Renys is still the best unexpected shop in Maine - while I love LL Bean, Kittery Trading Post, and many other Maine staples, there's nothing quite like Renys - where else can you buy a Maine back-scratcher, Raye's Mustard, and lobster pots alongside Pendleton and Carhart clothes?

Our new water system is in place - kicking out pool-like water and smelling better than that good old iron-metalic smell often an issue along the coast. One task down, many to go. We're making quick progress however.... motel/cottages are cleaned, windows washed, linens ready, restaurant has food for breakfast set to go, new lawn chairs, playground equipment on order, apartment almost finished, lawn mowed, lights working, TVs on, telephone and WIFI going strong.... ready to open! Flags go up tomorrow, sign changed to vacancy.

Come visit - we're ready to see how many lobsters you can eat in one sitting!