Monhegan Island

Monday was a spectacular (and spectacularly tiring) day! We boarded the ferry to Monheagn Island first thing, and I made sure not to eat anything so I wouldn't toss my cookies (or coffee or breakfast) into the sea or onto Kef's lap. I practiced dad's mantra of picking a spot on the horizon and focusing on it, and that really worked. Plus, we were on the top deck in the fresh, open air.

The card Kef presented to me that morning promised a shipwreck and a lighthouse, and so I was ready to go find them as soon as we got there. But first: food. We stopped at The Fish House first thing and sat near the water to eat our crab roll, clam chowder, lobster bisque, and fish tacos. All were excellent, but Kef said the lobster bisque was the best she'd ever had!

We set out to find the restrooms before further hiking. This is an all-walking island, for the most part, so we were on foot for the entirety. We then split up for a little while as Kef wanted to look in some of the galleries and I was interested in the shipwreck. As I tried to decipher the trail map, following unmarked roads, I must have looked lost. A lady stopped and asked if I needed help, and she directed me along my way. Her grandfather had passed down a house on the island that she and her family now get to take turns using for a week or two out of the year. We found all of the people on the island to be very friendly - both the people who lived there and the visitors. We chatted with a couple of different ones who were also there visiting from New York State.

I set out to see the lighthouse, which is at the highest point of course. I turned down the wrong street, saw the light up above me, and cut up a nearby trail that looked like it might be leading that way. It was not, of course, so I expended some up-hill energy for no reason... and ended up at the cemetery! Of course. I grabbed a photo, then worked my way back down the hill to circle around to the next street and try again. This time, I was rewarded by some Adirondack chairs near the library, where I sat and emptied rocks out of my shoes, and a bench just past the Edison house and studio, where I rested before setting out again. Earlier I had passed a couple coming from the shipwreck who advised me that it was steep and narrow and rocky, so I didn't go all the way down and photographed it from afar. The same couple was leaving the lighthouse as I approached, and assured me that I was almost there, and there were plenty of places to sit and rest!

Up at the lighthouse, I took pictures of the view and sat enjoying the breeze and gathering my strength to go back down. That was, of course, much easier than going up. When I got to the bottom again, Kef was sitting outside Lupine Gallery, a spot where members of the large local art community sell their works. We went inside and looked around at the beautiful pieces, although we were surprised to only find a couple that featured the lighthouse.

As we sat and waited for the 4:30 ferry to take us back to Port Clyde, we enjoyed a blueberry scone and almond croissant to ease us toward dinner time. We had a couple of stops to make after returning to land... more lighthouses to see!

So, continuing our count:

  • 27. Monhegan Light - as described above... there was a boat up there too, that apparently a lot of people photograph, although I'm not sure the significance of it.
  • 28. Franklin Island Light - I'm not sure whether I actually saw this or not... it was far in the distance as we were taking the ferry out to Monhegan, and looking through the binoculars was making me too motion sick. But Kef saw it and got a pic of it with her good camera, which I haven't seen yet. It's the third oldest lighthouse in Maine, and all that's left is the tower... not the keeper's house.
  • 29. Marshall Point Light - We had actually seen this from the ferry as we were going to and from Monhegan Island, but we took a little jaunt and saw it up close and personal after we returned from the island.
  • 30. Tenants Harbor Light (Southern Island) - this one was only visible with a long-range lens, or binoculars. We walked out on a little public boat landing and I saw it through the binoculars while Kef got some pics with her good camera!

We finished our very long and rewarding day with a large dinner at The Causeway Restaurant in Rockland. 

Reward #1 to the uphill hike: the Monhegan Lighthouse!

Reward #2 for the uphill hike: the view! Notice the little cemetery down there... halfway between where I was going and where I had been.

If you look closely you can see the shipwreck to the left, along with some scattered pieces.

Our post-island visit to Marshall Light.






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