Miyake has barely been in its new location in the Portland Harbor Hotel building on Fore Street for a week, but judging from my lunch there earlier this week, Chef Masa Miyake and his staff are already feeling at home. I met two friends (a food writer and a newly minted culinary school grad) there for lunch, and between us, we sampled a small, but representative, selection of the fare, although none of us opted for the tasting menus. Nor did we imbibe from the wine, beer, and sake menu, a new addition with this space (previously, Miyake was BYOB).
Let’s start with the space. It’s chic, sophisticated, sleek, and comfortable, decorated in earthy tones heavy on charcoal and natural woods. The tables are set with stoneware accents and chopsticks rest on small stones. Chairs are supportive and comfortable. Adornments are few; the patterned ceiling adds texture without being obtrusive. It’s a down-to-business decor that tells diners (or at least me) they’re in the right place for a serious food experience, a restaurant that’s in the hands of a professional who values local and natural and understands that simplicity can be complex.
That decor complements the fare. Chef Masa Miyake skillfully blends techniques and flavors gained from his background cooking in New York and Tokyo in Italian and French restaurants when creating his style of Japanese cuisine. The results are unexpected pairings, innovative ideas, shockingly fresh, and unquestionably delicious.
I kept it simple, ordering a luncheon special that came with the daily miso soup, a house salad (mixed greens and vegetables topped with a homemade miso dressing), and the salmon lady ($15). My friends began with the marinated salmon (thinly sliced raw salmon served with capers, mustard vinaigrette and obba; $12), hamayaki (local lobster,crab,and scallop on sushi rice and coated in spicy mayonnaise; $10); and ceviche (Japanese snapper diced and tossed in lemon, lime juice, cilantro, truffle oil and obba, rolled in a soy aper wrap with tobiko and radish sprouts; $18. Presentation on each was superb, with ceramic and stoneware plates that enhanced the artistic assembly of each.
We did a bit of tasting and sharing, so I quickly realized my salmon lady Miyake-style roll was kind of an introductory choice. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t have the finesse or complexity of the ceviche Miyake-style roll. The flavors of the ceviche were as complicated and yet harmonious as the jazz playing softly in the background, they danced over my tastebuds, developing and changing as they touched the varied triggers: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
Bottom line: I loved the space and the food, and my palette (which is, honestly, rather unsophisticated, especially when it comes to Japanese fare) got an education. Now I’m saving up so I can splurge on one of the tasting menus ($35 four-course vegetarian; $50 five-course, add$35 for sake pairing, $50 for wine pairing; seven-course $75 or seven-course chi-muuwa-ku $90, add $45 for sake pairing, $65 for wine pairing). I suggest you treat yourself, too.
We’re looking at a few days of scorching heat, at least by Maine standards. Keep that in mind: It IS worse elsewhere. And many of those other places aren’t rich with nature’s natural coolers: mountains, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and miles upon miles of oceanfront. Here’s where to escape the heat in Maine.
1. Hit the beach
Hint: If you’re going to spend the day at one of Maine’s beaches, go early to stake your claim on a patch of sand. It’s easy to find the beaches along Maine’s Southern Coast: From York through Old Orchard, sand beaches line the shore. Beyond that, they’re a bit more elusive but do exist.
Try the Maine State Parks: Crescent Beach, in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough Beach (a.k.a. Jordan’s), Popham Beach on the Phippsburg Peninsula, Reid on the Georgetown Peninsula, Birch Point in Owls Head (a.k.a. Lucia Beach), Lamoine, and Roque Bluffs, which also has a pond, near Machias.
Town ocean beaches include Pemaquid Beach Park, Laite Beach in Camden, Lincolnville Beach, Sandy Point in Stockton Springs, Mowry Beach in Lubec. There’s Sand Beach (see photo) in Acadia National Park. And then there are the local secrets, the little pocket beaches that niche the coastline, and the private ones that allow day trippers.
2. Whitewater rafting
What better way to stay cool than to spend the day on one of Maine’s dam-controlled whitewater rivers yiii-hah! The Kennebec is the classic trip, the Penobscot flows through some of Maine’s most spectacular scenery near Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin, and the Dead River is anything but Dead. Try Northern Outdoors for the Kennebec or Dead and New England Outdoor Center for the Penobscot. Another resource is Raft Maine.
3. Jump in a lake
There are so many possibilities I can’t even begin to list them. Begin with the Maine State Parks listings if you want a park with services. If you simply want water, get out your DeLorme (You have one, right? If not, get one). The entire state is mapped in book format, and all waterways and access points are marked.)
4. Go boating
Almost every coastal Maine town with a harbor has at least one sail, fishing, whale/puffin-watching, lighthouse-viewing, lobster-catching excursion boat. And most of its larger lakes have excursion boats (Rangeley Lake, Moosehead Lake, Long Lake). Catch an island-bound ferry. Or can ride along on the Casco Bay Lines Mail Boat out of Portland. Trips can vary from one hour to all day. Even easier, rent a canoe or kayak, motor or rowboat, and explore a pond or lake.
5. View cool art in an air-conditioned museum
Chill with the art at any of the museums along the Maine Art Museum Trail: Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick), Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville), Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland), Ogunquit Museum of American Art (Ogunquit), Portland Museum of Art (Portland), and University of Maine Museum of Art (Bangor).
6. Go island hopping
Hop a ferry and head to Peaks from Portland; to Eagle Island from either Portland or South Freeport, to Monhegan from Boothbay Harbor, New Harbor, or Port Clyde; to Vinalhaven or North Haven from Rockland.
7. Zip down a mountain
Swing through the trees Tarzan style (well, not quite, it’s more of a controlled zoom) at either Sunday Riverand Sugarloaf. Both have zipline parks, and the Rivah also has a lift-accessed mountain bike park, with 30 trails covering more than 20 miles of downhill terrain.
Nothing finer than soaking in a rock pool at the base of a waterfall, and Maine has plenty of them. Easily accessible ones include Small’s Falls, off Route 4 about 12 miles south of Rangeley, and Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch State Park. If you’re willing to hike in the heat, there are plenty more. A good bet is Poplar Falls, in Carrabassett Valley, which is off a side trail from the Maine Huts Trail and close to the Poplar Falls Hut.
10. Berries! Lobster! Ice cream!
My solution to the it’s-too-hot-to-cook dog days of summer: Lots of Maine food.
Late July/early August means berry season, and depending upon where you are, possibilities include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Farmstands and farmers markets can be found throughout Maine, and there are also plentiful enterprising folks who set up roadside tables and honor bars.
Find a coastal Maine lobster shack, not a fancy one, but a bare-bones one where you can dress down in shorts and even go barefoot.
Top it all off with a Maine-made ice cream. You’ll find stands statewide. Sure, you can get outta-state products here, including those corporate Vermont flavors, but trust me, the local products are far superior, creamier, tastier, and come in even more creative flavors than national companies could even contemplate. If you can’t find a small shop, look for one of the bigger Maine-made ice creams, such as Giffords and Round Top.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please! If you’re traveling with your dog, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE HIM/HER IN YOUR VEHICLE ON A SUMMER DAY, and ESPECIALLY ON A HOT SUMMER DAY. Thank you. Consider this a PSA from my dogs, Bernie and Dooley.
Psst: Seeking Maine’s best bagels? Hankering for a taste of the Southwest? Mosey over the Casco Bay Bridge to South Portland (SoPo, if you’re feeling trendy), and check out these two spots.
Scratch Baking Co: Bagels! Getting decent bagels in Maine is a challenge (whenever New York friends visit, they know the perfect hostess gift is bagels and whitefish), but this artisan bakery on Willard Square makes the state’s best. Now Scratch’s bagels aren’t typical New York style, they’re chewy and crusty and made from a sourdough starter but oh! my! are they delicious.
Try the sea salt flavor. And while the bagels are why I went, on the advice of a friend, I also purchased their English muffins, which put store-bought ones to shame. And I greedily eyed the croissants and breads and sweets in the case. Next time. My only complaint is that you can’t get the bagels or muffins toasted at the bakery, although the staff will cut them and you can purchase cream cheese. Minor quibble. Note: Go midweek if you can, this place is no secret and it draws crowds on the weekends.
Taco Trio: A friend introduced me to this recently opened Mexican outpost in South Portland’s Knightville section. Judging from reviews I’ve seen posted elsewhere, I don’t think I hit it on a good day. Since the name is Taco Trio and the tacos are priced at $3.50 each or any three for $9, I opted for the trio, ordering the carnitas (seared pork), pescado (battered fish with vegetables en escabeche–slaw, and lime sour cream-mayo), and the day’s special, chicken mole. All came in double soft corn tortillas with onions and cilantro. While the flavors were good, both the pork and the chicken ones were on the dry side. Just add salsa, right? Not so fast.
Taco Trio makes its own salsas and has a salsa bar. Now, every every taco order comes with chips and choice of one salsa, additional salsa are $1 each for a two-ounce portion. That might work for a single taco, but the policy holds for the taco trio. So, while you think you’re getting a bargain, you’re not. If you want to match each taco with an complementary salsa, you have to dish out an additional $2 for two more choices (which brings that $9 order to $11, whereas if you order single tacos, three with salsa are $10.50). My friend wanted a bit of sour cream to calm down the spiciness of her order, and she had to pay $1 for it. That’s just wrong.
I had the good fortune to sail aboard American’s oldest active commercial schooner, theLewis R. French, during the Maine Windjammer Association’s annual Parade of Sail by Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. At the helm as we sailed out of Camden was the youngest captain in the fleet, Garth Wells
Garth purchased the French in 2003 after having crewed on it for five years. “Its’a nice way to make a living, working for myself,” he says. “It’s very busy during the summer, but this is what I do, and whenever I start to complain, I look around,” he says, gesturing to the waters of Penobscot Bay. He owns the boat with his wife, Jenny Tobin, also a captain, although these days she tends to their young son.
Launched in 1871 in Christmas Cove, Maine, the French has always been home-ported on the Maine Coast. “It was built in South Bristol by French Brothers,” Garth explains, adding that he’s the 14th documented owner of the vessel. The 64-foot long coasting schooner is now a National Historic Landmark. It carried freight along the coast until 1971, then was converted to carry up to 21 passengers, and relaunched in 1973.
Sailing aboard the French is a dream. There is no noisy engine; 3,000 feet of sail do the job (assisted by an able crew and willing passengers, who help raise the sails). While this year there was only a whisper of wind, it was enough to keep the windjammers gently moving. If you’re unable to escape for three- to six-day sail aboard a windjammer, the best location for viewing the annual Parade of Sail is from the Rockland Breakwater. Other possibilities are day-trip sailboats and even the Vinalhaven or North Haven ferries, if you time it right.
One of the highlights of sailing aboard a Maine windjammer is the food. Hearty meals are prepared using the galley woodstove, and on the day I sailed, the captain’s favorite was served: A delicious Italian sausage soup (thick enough to earn the designation stew), accompanied by boat-made rosemary bread, tomato-basil-mozzarella salad, and peanut-butter bars. No one goes hungry on a windjammer.
Here’s the recipe (this is enough to feed a full windjammer, you might want to cut the ingredients proportionately or better yet, make it all and freeze some for later):
The Schooner Lewis R. French’s Italian Sausage Soup
Ingredients
5 lbs sweet or hot (or mix) Italian sausage
12 cloves minced garlic (1/2 cup)
4 large onions
5 cans (28 ox) Italian-style tomatoes
5 cans beef stock (8-10 cups beef boullion)
9 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 cup dry red wine
3-6 teaspoons basil
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 small zucchini, chopped
1 package uncooked bow-tie pasta
grated Parmigian cheese
Directions
• Remove and discard sausage casings and break meat into pieces
• In large soup pot, saute sausage, garlic, and onion in small amount of stock until sausage is browned
• Drain in colander to remove grease, rinse, and return ingredients to stock pot
• Add tomatoes, stock, wine, parsley, and basil
• Simmer for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally
• Add zucchini and bell peppers
• Simmer for another 20 minutes or so
• About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and cook until tender.
Recently, I spent a few days in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine, and I made an effort to visit a few of the newer places in the area, those with updates, and a few favorites.
The Tides Beach Club: Located in the completely renovated and elegantly updated former Tides Inn by the Sea on Kennebunkport’s Goose Rocks Beach, the Tides Beach Club restaurant comprises a chic and sophisticated lounge with small dining room in the glassed-in porch, with big views. The chef is Bryan Dame, previously with the Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnville.
The menu is rooted in fresh and local (no surprise there, what self-respecting Maine restaurant isn’t these days). I began with the “crispy fish,” Chef Dame’s take on a classic fisherman’s platter, with tasting portions of fried calamari, Maine shrimp, clam fritters, horseradish, and potato. Definitely a keepah. I also loved the “cod chowder,” not a soup, but an entrée comprising fresh cod and cured cod, bacon, radish, and creme fraiche ($27). Truth is, I could have made a light meal off the appetizers alone, especially paired with the bread. Afterward, tea on the porch. Perfect! The restaurant serves lunch and dinner.
Earth: Located in The Tides Beach Club’s tony sister property, Hidden Pond, Earth is the creation of Boston’s James Beard award-winning chef Ken Oringer. The setting is haute rustic, with both indoor and outdoor seating and a menu that emphasizes farm-to-fork cuisine; much of the produce grown on the property. .
Pedros Mexican Restaurant: I’d heard mixed reviews on this new restaurant in Kennebunk’s Lower Village, and after dining there, I understand why. I snagged a table on the deck and ordered the small plate of tacos (2 for $8), which allowed a choice of two of six tacos (a large plate came with rice and refried beans for $12). I opted for the mahi-mahi with lime-scented cabbage, salsa fresca, and sliced avocado and the carnitas with chipotle-braised pork, cheddar, lettuce, onions, cilantro, and queso fresco. Both were all heat with little flavor. If you’re not that familiar with Mexican (Cal-Mex, in this case) or are going for drinks and apps, you’ll likely love it, but if you’re craving authentic flavor, this doesn’t do it. (FYI: The folks at tables around me who were raving had also asked questions such as “What’s a burrito?”)
Old Vines Wine Bar & Tapas Restaurant: I fell in love with this spot when I visited last winter. This time, I found it even better, with an outside patio for evening drinks and dining, along with the inside dining area and bar. It’s just a few doors away from Pedros, on Route 9 in Lower Village. Also new this year is a full bar. The summer white gazpacho (chilled almond and garlic soup) was divine (if you love garlic), especially accompanied by grilled bread. Owner Mike Farrell knows his wines, and allowed me to choose a bottle, then divided the price to reflect a per-glass rate. Nice! The bar also creates its own juices and mixers, including bitters and infused syrups, such as ginger habanero cane and lemon-flamed orange twist. There’s a house-made limoncello, too.
Cape Porpoise KitchenLocated at the Route 9 intersection in downtown Cape Porpoise, this combination gourmet market/catering company/take-out cafe is a gem and a good spot to pick up creative freshly made sandwiches for a picnic.
Pier 77: Truth is, we had planned on having a light meal at The Ramp, the small pub underneath this waterfront restaurant in Cape Porpoise. That was packed, but I knew we could order off the same menu, if we asked, in the fancier— yet still casual—restaurant upstairs. Although also busy, we were able to sit at the bar, where we cobbled together a meal from the bar menu, enjoyed the sea views out the windows, and listened to the pianist play in the background. FYI: The acoustics here aren’t conducive to a quiet meal.
The annual Yarmouth Clam Festival is more than a seafood celebration, it’s a full-blown festival, with entertainment, crafts, a parade, and more. Events include bike races, foot races, and canoe and kayak races, as well as concerts, children’s activities, a diaper derby, and, of course, plenty of clams and other Maine seafood.
Highlights include:
• The Clam Festival Parade, Friday, July 15, 6 p.m., on Main Street. The theme of the 2011 parade is Great American Inventions.
• Maine State Clam Shucking Contest, Sat., July 16, 11 a.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.) at the Merrill Memorial Library Lawn Tent.
• Firefighters’ Muster Competition, Sat., July 16, 1 p.m., on the Memorial Green on Main Street. Watch firefighting teams compete in events such as a bucket brigade, firefighter suit-up, and an old-fashioned hose-pull contest.
• Carbon Leaf, Friday, July 15, 8:15 p.m. in the NYA Tent: Celtic/bluegrass rock.
• Gypsy Tailwind, Sat., July 16, 7:30 p.m. in the NYA Tent: folk/rock/alternative
What’s green, then blue, then red, then black all over? A Maine wild blueberry field through the seasons. Author Virginia M. Wright spills the berries about this delectable fruit in The Wild Blueberry Book. (Down East Books). Sure, the whoopie pie may have been selected Maine’s official treat, but it’s the wild blueberry pie that’s the state’s official dessert.
Here’s a little teaser, a bit of trivia that I bet you didn’t know: There’s is no one wild blueberry, and that’s why the flavors are so rich and varied. “One acre of wild blueberries typically contains well over one hundred varieties of the berry, each one as generically distinct from the other as a McIntosh apples is from a Delicious.” It’s that rich genetic diversity that provides the equally rich and distinctive flavor. “There are more than 6.5 million distinct wild blueberry clones in Maine alone.” Now compare that with the uniformly sized cultivated or highbush blueberry, which has only a bit over one hundred possible variations. No wonder the latter taste flat, downright boring, when compared with Maine’s little gems.
Speaking of gems, this book is one. It’s a treasure of Maine wild blueberry facts, legend, lore, stories, and, yes, recipes. Not just any recipes, mind you, but Blue Ribbon recipes from Maine’s top wild blueberry chefs, winners in the Union Fair’s Wild Blueberry Festival and Machias Wild Blueberry Festival annual cooking contests, along with others supplied by blueberry experts and cookbook authors.
Maine wild blueberries have long been prized by cooks because they hold their shape when baking. Recipes include: Faye Harvey’s Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie; Rose Skidgell’s Blueberry Mountain Muffins; Andy Knoch’s Blueberry Spice Whoopie Pies; Charles Urquhart’s Blueberry Golden Been Salad; Wild Blueberries with Roquefort, Celery, and Cucumber; Wild Blueberry Daiquiri; and that’s just a sampling.
There’s even a recipe for an ultra-healthful Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie. This is a good place to note that Maine wild blueberries are rich in antioxidents. Studies have shown wild blueberries can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels; protect against urinary tract infections; protect against eye diseases; and reduce some of the effects of aging. They may also ward off diabetes by improving blood sugar levels. So go ahead, and indulge in these ultra-sweeties.
I’ll end with Catherine Ryan Quint’s recipe, a prize winner at the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival that combines two of Maine’s favorite foods, lobster and wild blueberries:
Baked Stuffed Lobster (serves 2)
Ingredients:
Two 1.5-pound lobsters, ready for stuffing
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 cup blueberries
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cub crabmeat (optional)
Directions
Melt butter; add garlic and onion and sauté until soft. Stir in parsley and wine; cook 2 minutes more. Ad bread crumbs, crabmeat, and blueberries. Remove from heat. Season to taste. Stuff body cavity of ech lobster and place in shallow baking an. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
Long before the movie, Maine’s Belgrade Lakes were drawing fishermen, summer rusticators, writers, and even beauty queens. On Golden Pond, that dreamy sunset-of-life film starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda, may have been filmed in New Hampshire, but playwright Ernest Thompson took his inspiration from Great Pond, the largest of Maine’s Belgrade Lakes. (Note: Updated Aug. 3, 2019)
“[The mailboat was] one of the few inland mailboats left in the country,” says Esther Perne, owner and editor of Summertime in the Belgrades, a biweekly summer newspaper. Her family roots here date from 1908.
“People still come here for the fishing. They know they can give their children and grandchildren an On Golden Pond experience.” —Esther Perne
“Historically, what put Belgrade Lakes on the map was the fishing. Fishermen can’t keep their mouths shut, and they started talking,” Perne says. They began arriving at the turn of the last century to cast their lines for large- and small-mouth bass, northern pike, salmon, brown trout, brook trout, and other species. They returned with their city friends, some built summer cottages, others stayed at sporting camps.
“People still come here for the fishing,” Perne says. “They know they can give their children and grandchildren an On Golden Pond experience.”
The mailboat and the endless stream of anglers capture the timeless allure of this region, a timelessness bred from familiarity. Beginning in 1904, writer E. B. White spent many an August of his youth here. When he returned with his own son many years later, he wrote of “there having been no passage of time, only the illusion of it as in a dropped curtain” in his 1941 essay “Once More to the Lake.”
White mused: “It seemed to me, as I kept remembering all this, that those times and those summers had been infinitely precious and worth saving. There had been jollity and peace and goodness. … The only thing that was wrong now, really, was the sound of the place, an unfamiliar nervous sound of the outboard motors.”
The Belgrade Lakes, Perne says, “is a bit of a time warp; there’s still enough of the old that remains. People from away come and think it’s heaven.” Kids play with abandon, hopping in boats with no preconceived destination, no agenda but the pureness of play, no oversight other than the community of neighbors and families whose grandparents grew up together and parents played together.
There are no supermarkets, box stores, or fast food chains. In these parts, general stores sell everything from hardware to trinkets, fresh meat to hot pizza. People leave their cars open and running when they dash in to pick up a few necessities.
One of my favorite throwbacks is the Sunbeam Roller Rink, a lakeside treasure in nearby Smithfield.
“The area is remote, but not removed,” Perne says, but change, although subtle, is coming. “Augusta is galloping up the road,” she cautions, pointing to the creep of progress northward.
The sounds of summer drown out the hoof beats of development at Castle Island Camps, one of four traditional, American Plan sporting camps woven into the time warp that is the Belgrade Lakes.
White stayed at Bear Spring Camps, but I’ve checked into the past at Castle Island, a blip on the causeway bisecting Long Pond. The camps, opened in 1929, after owner Leighten Castle trumped his formidable neighbor, cosmetics maven Elizabeth Arden. Their David-versus-Goliath lawsuit over property ownership pitted the Belgrade native and fishing guide against Arden and her Maine Chance, a farm-to-table spa-like experience patronized by wealthy and famous women.
Fourth-generation owners John and Rhonda Rice now operate the camps, which comprise a main lodge, where all meals are served, and guest cabins fronting on—or in some cases actually built over—the lake, and a recreation hall. It’s not only fishing that attracts families to sporting camps these days, John says.
Those seeking the ease of not having to prepare meals or desiring their children to discover life beyond social media, smart phones, and video games also fill the dozen simple one- and two-bedroom cabins. There is Wi-fi, but no TV on the premises. The recreation hall features Ping Pong, pool, board and table games, but no one comes to Castle Island or the Belgrade Lakes to play indoors.
While I could ease the day away by simply gazing down Long Pond, attempting to hook a mega trout, paddling along the shoreline’s nooks and crannies, or motoring a boat up to Day’s Store for an ice cream cone, I’ve come here to noodle the rural byways around the lakes and foothills, to explore the shops, galleries, and farm stands splashed amidst the children’s camps and summer cottages, and to hike the trails etched into the hills.
I came expecting deer and perhaps moose, but I find lions and tigers and bears, as well as hyenas, monkeys, zebras, and other exotic-for-Maine animals at DEW Haven (the D. E. W. stands for domestic, exotic, wild), a non-profit zoo and rescue in Mount Vernon. Julie and Bob Minor raise and rehabilitate exotic and animals and educate visitors about them on guided tours.
From protecting wildlife, I segue to protected wildlands with a hike up French Mountain, off the Watson Pond Road, a byway connecting Castle Island Road with Route 27, in Rome. This property is protected by the 7 Lakes Alliance, which aims to conserve areas that provide high value habitat and protect water quality and also to expand recreational activities that promote healthy living.
It’s a relatively easy jaunt to the summit ledges on the roughly 1-mile loop trail. The rewards far outweigh the effort, with views taking in Whittier Pond, Long Pond, Great Pond, Mt. Phillip and The Mountain.
When I return to the camps, a guest is checking in. “Where’s the moose?” he asks. “I’ve been coming here for 30 years, and there’s always a moose.”
Rhonda replies that the moose is out for a bit of taxidermy assessment, as he was looking a little worse for wear. She fills me in on the back story: Over those 30 years, it hasn’t been the same moose. One was stolen during the winter (ponder that for a minute). Another, placed in a restaurant for safekeeping during the off season, burned with the restaurant. Rhonda is hoping the curse has been removed with the moose.
I retreat to my cabin, exhausted from my day’s explorations and well satiated from filet mignon paired with potatoes and corn and chased by a brownie sundae. Out my window, a brilliant rose-colored sunset surrenders to the smoky hues of dusk as the joyful noise of day cedes to the silent symphony of nightfall. Water sings a lullaby and one loon, then another, add their choral voices to the song. I drift off dreaming about chasing fireflies, laughing and playing unencumbered by responsibility or worry, listening only for a bell to call me home.
If you go
Besides Castle Island Camps, other traditional American Plan, Maine sporting camps in the Belgrade Lakes Region include Alden Camps on East Pond, Bear Spring Camps on Great Pond,and Whisperwood Lodge on Salmon Lake. The per-person rate at each includes lodging as well as three hearty, homestyle meals daily; box lunches are usually available for those who don’t want to return for lunch. Use of canoes and kayaks is often included for guests. Rental motorboats are available as are fishing guides for additional fees. Service fees/gratuities and taxes are not included.
Bunk down in primitive cabins or pitch a tent, dine outdoors under a tent, and fiddle the days and nights away at the lakeside Maine Fiddle Camp. The program of workshops, jams, song swaps, concerts, and dances, focuses on the traditional dance music of the Scots-Irish, French, and Scandinavians, with a Maine accent.
While fiddle is the focus, other instruments available, including guitar, piano, bass, banjo, mandolin, accordion, harmonica, cello, whistle/flute, voice, and more. Camp is open to all ages and abilities, although children younger than 10 must be accompanied by an adult. The $350 pp fee ($300 for each additional family member) covers the program, cabin bunk or campsite, and meals.
I mean, really, where else in Maine, or New England for that matter, can you see a trophy marlin caught by Ernest Hemmingway; a ceramic amphora recorded to have come from the ruins of the palace of Nebuchadnesser, King of Babylon, 605-562 B.C.; or a double-wattled cassowary? Yet, all that and much more await visitors to the L.C. Bates Museum. This early 20th-century natural history and cultural museum is on the campus of the former Good Will-Hinckley School, just east of Skowhegan on Route 201.
In 1889, preacher, professor, and social progressive George Hinckley opened the Good Will farm school for needy children, emphasizing faith, education, and work. He also acted upon a childhood dream and created a museum displaying his collections from the natural world. The museum, quips long-time director Deborah Staber, began with three rocks: a stalactite from a Kentucky cave, a fossil, and a lump of sulphur. Each was given to Hinckley at age 8.
Hinckley encouraged donations to his fledgling museum, and the collection grew. Friends, fans, and even the Smithsonian Institute sent gifts such as taxidermy specimens and mineral collections. By 1904, in Hinckley’s own words, the museum owned “225 birds, 40 quadrupeds, and 650 specimens of minerals. Smaller collections illustrate entomology, botany, history, and foreign missions.”
In 1920, Lewis Carlton Bates financed renovating a former manual training center into a museum to house Hinckley’s growing collections. Little has changed since it opened; displays are simple and without technological improvements or enhancements. Now this quirky cabinet of curiosities reflects Hinckley’s fascination with the natural world and the curatorial techniques of the era.
Although Hinckley’s original three rocks were lost to a fire, the current collection of rocks, minerals, and gems fills a downstairs room. Oceanic treasures, such as shells and mounted fish, fill another room. Here you can see an 800-pound tuna and Hemmingway’s marlin, as well as a claw from a 33-pound lobster. Cultural artifacts vie for attention in another room.
Most impressive are the mammal and bird rooms, filled 28 natural history dioramas created by American Impressionist painter Charles B. Hubbard. Hinckley commissioned the Guilford, Conn., artist to paint them between 1922 and 1924. Each depicts a Maine location that complements the period taxidermy specimens. When possible, Hubbard replicated the setting of where the animal was found or killed. Black bear, whitetail deer, moose, and even a bobcat are set in wooded habitats. And shorebirds flock near Thunder Hole, in Acadia National Park.
Eclectic surprises and treasures
The double-wattled cassowary, one of the world’s largest birds, can be seen in the Bates Museum.
In addition to the dioramas, other mounted specimens fill cases and shelves in both rooms. Although most are found in Maine, there are a few surprises. Snakes, a Gila monster, and a spotted hyena can be viewed in the mammal room. Amidst the eagles and shorebirds, waterfowl and warblers, in the bird room, look for parrots and peacocks, and that double-wattled cassowary, one of the largest birds in the world.
More surprises await elsewhere: a collection of circus memorabilia and models, ceramic pottery from Panama’s Chiriqui Indians, a diagram detailing the life history of a June Bug, two seals from MacMillan Arctic expeditions, even walrus whiskers. And, there’s even a true cabinet of curiosities, Mattie Wadsworth’s insect collection (her dragonfly collection is in the Smithsonian).
Outdoor pleasures
Hinckley’s passion for nature reached beyond the museum’s door into its campus backyard, where trails lace acres of forest habitat. Nature guides and activity booklets are available at the museum. Educational programing may include guided walks and tours, allowing visitors to seek outside the flora and fauna they spied inside.
Let’s start with the space. It’s chic, sophisticated, sleek, and comfortable, decorated in earthy tones heavy on charcoal and natural woods. The tables are set with stoneware accents and chopsticks rest on small stones. Chairs are supportive and comfortable. Adornments are few; the patterned ceiling adds texture without being obtrusive. It’s a down-to-business decor that tells diners (or at least me) they’re in the right place for a serious food experience, a restaurant that’s in the hands of a professional who values local and natural and understands that simplicity can be complex.
That decor complements the fare. Chef Masa Miyake skillfully blends techniques and flavors gained from his background cooking in New York and Tokyo in Italian and French restaurants when creating his style of Japanese cuisine. The results are unexpected pairings, innovative ideas, shockingly fresh, and unquestionably delicious.
We did a bit of tasting and sharing, so I quickly realized my salmon lady Miyake-style roll was kind of an introductory choice. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t have the finesse or complexity of the ceviche Miyake-style roll. The flavors of the ceviche were as complicated and yet harmonious as the jazz playing softly in the background, they danced over my tastebuds, developing and changing as they touched the varied triggers: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
