Maine Travel Maven

Island hopping 3: North Haven

Hilary Nangle

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August 26, 2009

North Haven isn’t the most welcoming of islands, but it makes for a nice half-day trip (take the 9:30 Rockland boat and return on the 12:30, allowing about two hours on island.)

The ferry ride alone is worth the effort, especially once it enters the Fox Islands Thorofare, which flows between North Haven and Vinalhaven. It provides a good view of Vinalhaven’s Brown’s Head Light, and when I went on a Saturday morning, I was able to view kids racing sailboats (or trying to, it was at times rather amusing).

You won’t need more than an hour or so to wander North Haven’s downtown shops and galleries. Calderwood Hall is a must for fiber-arts fans and hobbiests; it carries gorgeous wool, some of it from island sheep. Upstairs is the Herb Parsons Gallery.

June Hopkins’ North Haven Gift Shop is another must-stop, especially for the gallery. And adjacent to it (actually connected by a elevated corridor) is June’s son Eric Hopkins’ gallery; his name recognition extends far beyond Maine’s shores (he paints those dreamy birds-eye views of the coast). He also has a gallery in Rockland.

Right near the ferry dock is the Waterman’s Community Center, constructed as a community gathering spot. Inside are a coffee bar with snacks, comfy seating, Wi-fi, and restrooms.

IF you arrive on a Saturday morning, you might be able to catch a bit of the Farmers Market, just a couple of blocks up from the ferry dock, but it does sell out quickly.

If I’d wanted to stay overnight, Nebo Lodge has nine rooms (some with shared baths), and dinner options expand to include Nebo and the waterfront Coal Wharf, next to Brown’s Boatshop.

And here’s a tip, while no official ferry operates between North Haven and Vinalhaven, you can arrange transport at J.O. Brown’s for $10 round trip.

Maine's going to the birds

Hilary Nangle

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August 21, 2009

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It’s late August, which means all too soon, the birds will begin winging their ways to more southern climes. That means birdwatchers will begin flocking to Maine, hoping to sight a few species to add to their life lists. Helping them achieve that goal is the new Maine Birding Trail map and brochure, which details where to go and what you’ll see.

Maine is a major stop on the Eastern Flyway, and its deep forests, long coastline, hundreds of lakes, and flowing streams and rivers provide varied habitats for all manner of birds. The list of regular occurring birds now numbers over 330 species.

You can pick up the free map and guide at tourist information centers and selected state parks statewide.

Splurgeworthy: Camden Harbour Inn

Hilary Nangle

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August 13, 2009

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Once a classic summer hotel, over the years, the Camden Harbour Inn had morphed into a B&B, sprouting wings and adding private baths, and gone Victorian to the hilt, with ruffles, flowers, and layers of clutter. Not anymore.

Partners Oscar Verest and Raymond Brunyanszki have infused this genteel lady with light, opened walls and windows, and brought it fully into the 21st century with vibrant color, comfy furnishings, and all the whistles and bells that a four-aiming-for-five diamond property requires. It is most unVictorian inside, yet there are faint echoes of that era. Those echoes, however, are dulled by the purples, silvers, and reds of the upholstery, the minimalist gas fireplace, and the Asian and African accents. I know, I know, it doesn’t sound soothing, but it is, and it works.

DINE

Now add a fabulous restaurant, Natalie‘s, decorated to evoke a Parisien brasserie on the Seine in the 1930s—think: stop red chairs and fringed lighting—again, it works.

Settle in for a leisurely meal with well-trained servers who are friendly but not gushy, in a setting that invites relaxation and is not the least bit stuffy. Dine inside or on the porch, with views of Camden Harbor from many tables. Dining here is splurge-worthy, but consider the lounge menu if your budget isn’t flush.

SLEEP

Every guestroom has a water view and a stocked mini-bar. Beds are comfy clouds of down; chocolates, a quote note, and slippers are provided at turndown. Some rooms have fireplaces or whirlpool tubs, some have balconies, and a few are suites with separate sitting areas. All echo the inn’s decorating theme: White walls offset by reds, silvers, and purples and accented with worldly art and antiques.

REVIVAL AND BREAKFAST

Now this is where the inn really adds value. Guests are welcomed with a glass of Prosecco. Snacks and treats are always available. And breakfast includes not only a European-style buffet with fruits, cereals, baked goods, meats, cheese, and even smoked salmon but also a choice-of-menu entree, and those choices include lobster benedict (oh so good!).

Flash! In the Pans!

Hilary Nangle

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July 13, 2009

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A steel pan band is not what you’d expect to fine in Down East Maine, never mind in sedate and serene (at least on the surface) Blue Hill. But the Flash! In the Pans! community steel-drum band is one of the largest such bands in the country.

Thirty or so members, ranging from grooving young dudes to gray hairs, usually perform somewhere on the Blue Hill/Deer Isle Peninsula on Monday nights, 7:30–9 p.m., but occasionally the band makes a foray to more distant points, such as Bangor, Belfast, Southwest Harbor, or Hancock. See schedule here.

Not only is the band is excellent, but also the people-watching is superb. These aren’t sit-down concerts, they’re street dances and community events that attract all ages from all walks of life. Families picnic, folks dance, toddlers boogie, teen-agers flirt, old salts swap fish tales.

Performances usually benefit a local nonprofit organization, and admission is by donation. There’s always a suggested amount, but it’s truly give what you can, be it 50¢, $5, $50; I’ve never seen anyone turned away. If you get the opportunity (or can make it happen), go!

Sweet dreams at the Blue Hill Inn

Hilary Nangle

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July 13, 2009

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Two nights at the Blue Hill Inn isn’t nearly enough time to enjoy the inn, never mind the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle.

So far, she hasn’t made too many changes, and those have been subtle. When I asked, Sarah said she’d been advised not too make any for two years, which would give her a chance to get the feel of the place and repeat guests to get to know her. She’s closing on that marker, but I wouldn’t expect anything too earth-shattering.

The Federal-style inn, built in 1830, is located across from the George Stevens Academy, and just steps from Blue Hill’s eclectic shops and restaurants. It’s a five-minute walk to the waterfront town park, where we caught the Flash! In the Pans one night (more on that, later).

Rooms are decorated in period style done right, antiques are balanced with plush linens and contemporary amenities including air-conditioning (not that we’ve needed it this year, sigh) and Wifi. Our room even had a wood-burning fireplace that was ready to light.

What I really like here are the downstairs common rooms. I spent a rainy late afternoon hunkered down in the living room, with another fireplace (there are quite a few in this inn), and a rainy evening in the library, which is stocked with good reads as well as a guest computer.

CalMex in Maine done right: Loco Coco’s, Kittery

Hilary Nangle

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July 2, 2009

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Our plan was dinner at an upscale bistro in downtown Kittery. Foolish me, I thought: rainy, Wednesday night, no prob. Hah. That local gem was packed, with a minimum of a half hour wait for a bar stool, and only the possibility of a cancellation for a table.

Back out into the rain we went, and off to tongue-twister Loco Coco’s Tacos, the li’l takeout that keeps growing. First it added a greenhouse-like bar, and since I was last there, a full-service dining room (nothing fancy, but lots of natural light and bright colors), in addition to a take-out area with seating (again, colorful and cheery).

Locos is another happening Kittery place, with a nearly full lot that almost had us in a panic. We lucked out in that most folks were getting takeout. The lounge still had a few seats, as did the dining room. We snagged a tall top and, I kid you not, within 15 minutes of sitting down had our meal.

There’s a reason this place keeps growing and is so busy, or I should say reasons. First, service is fast, friendly, and efficient. Second, the food is not the usual Maine version of Mexican fare–no cheese glopped on brown-sauced food with lackluster salsa.

Let’s face it: You can’t get much farther from Mexico than Maine and remain in the continental United States. No wonder that with only a few exceptions (Vazquez Mex in Milbridge and Downeast Mex in Gouldsboro), what passes as Mex-inspired here is usually a far cry from authentic. That’s not the case here. Loco’s serves damn fine Cal-Mex. It’s gorgeous to look at and tastes even better.

“You know the usual story of the Mexican grandmother in the kitchen,” our waitress replied when I asked her if everything was made from scratch. “Well, we’ve got the grandmother, her kids, and her grandkids.” And the proof is in the flavor.

We had a chicken burrito made with marinated char-grilled chicken, rice and beans, jack and cheddar cheese, fresh salsa, lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream; and a Baja-style fish taco: beer-battered boneless fish, shredded cabbage, fresh salsa, avocado sauce, sour cream, and sauce. Our waitress said if we wanted to ramp it up, we could do so at the salsa bar, where four salsas (three medium and one hot; avocado, chipotle, habanero, and one I can’t remember) were available. And trust me, even a couple of the medium-ranked ones had quite a kick.

UPDATE: new owners in 2023

By the sea, by the sea…

Hilary Nangle

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June 21, 2009

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…by the beautiful sea. That’s the location of the Inn by the Sea.

The inn, a collection of rooms, suites, and two-bedroom cottages evoking Victorian shingle-style architecture, has long been one of Maine’s finest accommodations. Now, one year after a multi-million dollar renovation, it shines even brighter.

Now this is not the place to come on a meager budget unless you snag one of the off-season rates or spring Habitat for Humanity programs, but if you got the bucks, well, you won’t find much classier accommodations in Maine, nor a better inn dining room, nor better service. Nor a place more accommodating to kids and pets.

Now add a cozy lounge, a spa (open to nonguests), a pool, a private boardwalk over the wetlands and dunes to Crescent Beach, a welcoming paw to pets, and ultra-green status—Heck, this place is a certified butterfly waystation and a certified wildlife habitat with five acres of indigenous gardens, it offers eco-education programs, uses biofuel, has solar heating, a saline pool, amenities in recycled bottles, it has dual-flush toilets, and all the other musts of any green resort, from lightbulbs to bamboo sheets. No green washing here; this place is the real deal.

In the main inn are deluxe rooms (fireplaces), Garden Suites (ground floor level with patio; separate bedroom), and Spa Suites (bi-level with loft bedroom and balcony). Lucky me, I stayed in a spa suite. It was more than spacious, with an expansive downstairs living room, a wet bar with mini fridge and coffeemaker, a porch, and an upstairs balcony bedroom with a bathroom that’s larger than many motel rooms. It has a large spa tub, separate and humongous shower, water closet, dual sinks, and heated floors (loved those!). And the views! Over the gardens, lawn, and pool, to the shrubs shrouding the wetlands, and the ocean.

Throughout the inn the decor is contemporary with a nautical vibe and vaguely reminiscent of a tony yacht: dark wood, compass rose patterns in the floor tiles, images of boats, berth-like sofas, rattan chairs like you’d have expected to find on the Queen Mary, porthole-shaped mirrors. But make no mistake about it, the ocean views are the centerpiece, with big windows framing the gardens and lawns and beyond them, a short stretch of woods-framed wetlands, the dunes, the ocean.

My favorite part: At night,I left my window open to hear waves crashing on distant reefs and against the shore and, on the foggy night, a distant fog horn. That’s my kind of sleep-inducing symphony.

FOOD: If you can’t afford to sleep here, at least dine here; the Sea Glass restaurant is a treat. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and dogs are allowed in the lounge, which offers the same menu. C

WOOF: Seventeen rooms are dog friendly. Get this: Fido can order off a room-service pet menu and have an in-room massage, is welcome throughout the inn and on its grounds, and in winter, is allowed to play on Crescent Beach. If I return, I’m bring my Leos.

Bridging the ages and the islands

Mid-Coast

Hilary Nangle

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June 16, 2009

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Rebuilding the Cribstone Bridge connecting Orr's Island to Bailey Island. — Rebuilding the Cribstone Bridge connecting Orr’s Island to Bailey Island.

Mind the gap

Hilary Nangle

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June 9, 2009

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Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge is a tenuous tether crafted by fishermen 350 years ago to bridge the gap between Northern Ireland’s mainland cliffs and an island just offshore the namesake town, which happened to be the best place to fish for migrating salmon.

I timed my visit here far better than that to the Giant’s Causeway; no tour buses in the parking lot, no crowds. Even better, no souvenir shops. Parking is free, but it costs a few pounds to walk the walk and cross the bridge, if you wanna talk the talk later.

It’s about 1 k out a well-kept cliff-hugging path to two sets of worn, uneven rock steps that descend to the bridge. Earlier in the morning, another guest at our B&B labeled the walk “arduous.” I didn’t find it so. I enjoyed the walk and the views over an almost Caribbean-blue sea.

A monitor punches tickets at the bridge. Crowds back up here because only eight people are allowed on the wobbly rope-and-plank bridge at a time. Most folks stop traffic for photos, and there’s no passing lane. So expect it to take a while to cross over it and then, after exploring the island, to return.

If you simply want to see the bridge and snap a few shots, you can do so from the Portaneevey pullout and viewpoint a few kilometers east of the actual bridge (binoculars will help). Actually, if you’ve got a decent lens, that’s a great spot for photos. Note: If you’re fearful of heights, enjoy this from the distance.

The bridge location, a National Heritage Trust site, is also home to a tearoom serving light lunches, sweets, soup, and other goodies (we shared a scone and a bowl of soup, both quite good). From here you can also see an old lime kiln and across the water to Larrybane, site of an AD800 Iron Age fort.

Northeast by Down East

Hilary Nangle

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June 3, 2009

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If you want a taste of Maine’s Down East coast abroad, loop around the Antrim Coast, which wraps around the northeast of Northern Island. That’s where I am now, which is also why I’ve been rather silent of late. Like Newfoundland and way Down East Maine, this coastline is raw and undeveloped, scalloped with lofty headlands and craggy cliffs. Few places so speak to the soul (to my soul, at least).

And like Maine’s coast, it’s key to get off the usual tourist routes. In Northern Ireland, that means getting off the main roads and detouring down the one-lane byways, roads that hairpin and corkscrew, edge cliffs, and mosey through farmlands. The countryside is a crazy quilt of greens, stitched together by stonewalls and hedgerows. And round many a bend are glimpses of the sea.

We’ve spent the last two nights at Dieskirt Farm B& (now closed), James and Ann McHenry’s working sheep farm, snugged in Glenariff, the Queen of the Glens of Antrim. The farm has more than 800 sheep, as well as cattle, a horse, a donkey (for the American tourists), and six working dogs. This B&B isn’t for those who need to be in action central or even within a half hour of it. Nightlife is the animals; live entertainment is the forlorn cries of young lambs seeking their mums. But the peace, the friendship, the walks, and the breakfasts make it all quite grand.

According to James, Glenariff is the queen not only for its forest headlands and spectacular views, but because it is a rare, U-shaped glacial glen, a valley from the mountains to the sea. Its calling cards are the waterfalls, which trickle and flow, stumble and gurgle through the forestlands at the glen’s head. From the B&B, it’s about a 10-minute walk into the national parkland and a restaurant, where we’ve dined twice listening to water music. Good food, fair prices, priceless location. Just like Down East Maine.