Across Frenchman’s Bay from Bar Harbor lies the Schoodic Peninsula, which contains the towns of Sorrento, Winter Harbor, and Prospect Harbor. All of them have experienced the gentrification that has so characterized Mt. Desert Island for the past century. Large second homes occupied for a few months by families from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia dominate the shoreline, with the locals living in more modest structures to the back. The “summer people” create a mini-culture in these areas that is superimposed onto the coastal Maine ethos. In Winter Harbor where we detoured for lunch from our drive along Rt. 1, we found a café with 10 kinds of gelato. Now “gelato” is not said much, if at all, in Lewiston/Auburn, or most other parts of Maine for that matter outside of Portland and Bangor, but in Winter Harbor, population less than 1,000, as in Bar Harbor, you can have your pick of flavors.
After passing Schoodic according to our guidebook you get to the real down east coastal Maine (the phrase “down east” by the way derives from the sailing directions from Boston – run down on a southwest wind, that is, heading directly east, along the coast). The tourists thin out, rocky headlands dominate instead of structures, the harbors, as above, are filled with working boats not yacht clubs and sailboats. The storied Rt. 1 can get downright lonely in stretches, even on a weekend in late August. There are many more trees, and bogs, and blueberry fields than towns, and cars, and people. Side trips are worthwhile. We cut off to visit Jonesport, a fishing town, and Quoddy Head State Park, near Lubec, which is the most easterly point on the US mainland. Julia is standing in front of the candy-stripped lighthouse that marks the spot. We stayed in Machias while Danny blew itself out and the next day also drove to Eastport. All of these places are just hanging on with fishing so meager in New England waters and the lobster fishery in crisis. Despite the awesome natural beauty, as one commentator quipped the economy of Washington County is so down that it has become essentially recession proof.
Julia has been using the opportunities of the large tides to look for snails and other critters in the pools along the shore every time we stop.
