Day 1:
We woke up in Portland ready to explore. We had slept in a little so by the time we had another shower and headed out it, was lunch time. Lane had found a place that was known for their lobster and had a patio, so we could bring Leon. The Portland Lobster Company was amazing. Lane got a Lobster dinner with corn and a baked potato. Jess got his first lobster roll with fries. This started a new obsession for the remainder for the time we spent in Maine. We also had a few Maine brewed beers. Lane had her favorite...Allagash White.
After we ate we went for a short walk around town. Near the water in Portland, most of the buildings are brick and old. Some of the side streets are brick as well. One side street we walked down was right on the water and had lots of dive bars and cool old restaurants. We bought a cigar at a local shop for later and headed to the Allagash Brewing Company. Lane had booked us a tour as soon as we knew that we were going to Portland. Allagash White is one of Lane’s favorite beers. We drove through a more industrial part of Portland to get to the Brewery. The tour was a little cheesy, but it was cool to see the brewery. The tasting was a taste treat as well. We bought some stuff from the gift shop, then smoked that cigar we had in the grass just outside.
On the way back from the tour we spotted a bar with a dog drinking out of a beer glass.
We pulled in and it turns out they were dog friendly. So, the 3 of us grabbed a spot on the patio had a few drinks and some fried shrimp and chips that were a good afternoon snack. The people sitting outside with us were really nice and gave us a few pointers on what to do on MDI. Thats MT. Desert Island. The also told us that MDI is a part of the Calendar Islands. They are called this because there are 365 of them.
We went back to the hotel to change and freshen up for some dinner. Lane called ahead and made us some reservations at Street & Co. Leon stayed at the hotel and took a nap. The Street and Co. was one of those cool old spots down on the cobbled street near the water. We ordered some lobster pasta to share, but before the food came out we were both about to fall asleep at the table. We asked the waitress to wrap it up for us so we could take it back to the hotel. She was nice and threw in a free set of shell crackers for us. We got back to the hotel and ate as much of the pasta as we could. Curled up in bed and watched The Help.
this sequence of leon pics cracks me up. He obviously likes Portland.
old streets
Day 2:
The next morning we took our time getting up, again. We took long showers and packed up all the gear. In hindsight, that was a poor decision. Just as we were about to start taking bags down to the car, Lane asked “is that thunder?” and Boom! one of the biggest storms we have ever seen broke out. In no time at all the parking lot was a puddle. Jess was standing next to the window to try and see how far off the lightning was. Then, a lighting bolt struck the parking lot of the hotel. So, it was close. Ever the patient person, Jess decided to start bringing stuff down anyway. Once the car was loaded and the 3 of us were soaked and on the road, the rain stopped.
Wet and happy we made our way to Mt. Dessert Island and Blackwoods Campground. We stopped for a quick coffee and doughnut at Dunkin Doughnuts. Then, stopped for a lobster roll to share at a roadside restaurant, that was an old train. This roll was not as good as the roll from Portland Lobster. The drive to MDI was just short of 4 hours along the coast nearly the whole time. This was an amazing drive. We went through one small town after another. Some that stood out to us were Searsport and Ellsworth. These two towns were full of huge old houses on the ocean. Some were well kept and look amazing. Others were falling apart. About 1/3 of them were for sale. We saw a mansion on the ocean for $170,000. Probably needed a million in repairs. Still, it's exciting! Lane also saw a campground for sale. We talked about buying it and what we would do with it for almost the rest of the drive. The scenery got better and better as we got closer to MDI.
watching the rain
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