For those of you Lobstah Lovers who might not know,
Our office has been moved full-time to Round Pond, Maine. Since I was knee high to a grasshopper (about 8 haha), I have been visiting Round Pond and the Pemaquid region, so it only seemed right to move the office there when my grandparents offered me an old boathouse to transform (more on that later, I promise). After over three weeks of work from sunup to sundown, Madison, my marketing master, and I decided we needed to take a day to go exploring. After whipping up a quick pasta salad and grabbing our all-time favorite snack, Cape Cod: Sea Salt & Vinegar chips, we were off down the peninsula!
After cruising through the charming village of Pemaquid, we arrived at Pemaquid Point State Park. Run by the Maine State Park system, it was a steal at only $3/person to get in! You may recognize Pemaquid Point, as it is proudly flaunted on the Maine state quarter. We decided with such a long line to look into the museum and climb the steps to the top of the lighthouse, our time was better spent strolling (and sometimes struggling) along the rocky edge of the park.
It honestly felt as if we were photoshopped into a postcard; the landscape a brilliant green, and the sea foaming with delight on the first sunny day in over a week! As we came around the Southern point, we noticed a large rock jutting out above the waves. Luckily, at low tide, it was within reach. Never one to miss an opportunity, I grabbed a golf club I had in the car, and scampered up onto the rock (see below). At that point in time, I felt myself and the Paul Landry Company teeing off the summer (corny... I know, but it cracks me up!).
As most of the families were packing up, or settling in for a picnic, we put down the camera and took advantage of the now vacant museum and lighthouse. The small building was steeped in history, with the stories of families, keepers, and violent shipwrecks along the coast occupying our interest. I promptly discovered I was about six inches too tall for the lighthouse, having to hunch over for a majority of the climb. It was definitely worth it at the top, though, where we spent a good fifteen minutes gazing across the ocean. The skies were so clear, in fact, our eyes could span the twelve miles out to Monhegan Island. Wishful thinking had us longing for a boat to float by and bring us out.
Nevertheless, the call of the lighthouse keeper brought us back to reality and scurrying down the spiral staircase. After enjoying our lunch at the picnic tables overlooking the ocean, we headed out in search of another adventure. It was only two o’clock, and we planned to get a full day’s worth!
Winding through trees lining narrow roads, we came upon the sweetest little ice cream shop in the small town of New Harbor. Boy, was it cute, plucked right out of a storybook, pastel picnic benches and all. After debating over the various flavors beckoning us, we settled on two very Maine choices: Caramel Caribou (toffee ice cream with a caramel swirl and caramel-filled chocolate cups mixed in) and for Madison, Campfire S’mores (graham cracker ice cream with a marshmallow ripple and chocolate chunks). Sorry, we have no photo evidence of our waffle cone wonders. The experience was truly ‘gram-worthy (as the kids say), but we were too busy enjoying our scoops to take a picture.
Our final stop was the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve where “a bit of the sea is left behind every time the tide recedes” ~The Nature Conservancy. It is easy to see how Carson spent so much time there while researching Edge of the Sea, as hours felt like minutes on those rocky shores. Unfortunately, there isn’t much parking as it is quite literally next to the road, but doing our best Frogger impressions, we made it to the steps and descended the rocks. Immediately, a smell of Maine sweeps over you. It's hard to explain the scent, really, but one could say it is a sweet mix of saltwater, seaweed, clams and lobster all packed into a perfume bottle. Clambering over the rocks and through the tidal pool, we uncovered a little world, complete with crabs, oysters and clams, as well as about a dozen different types of sea plants. As you have probably struggled with, we could not, for the life of us, get an unmirrored or non-blurry picture of the tidal pool. Just as dogs do, a flock of ducks caught our eyes, and we went after them to try and snap at least one decent picture. What we discovered on the far side of the pond, and close to the ocean, was hundreds and hundreds of sparkling granite ledges. The pictures do not do it justice, but it seemed as if a giant had delicately glued sheet after sheet of granite together to form the cliffs of Maine. I was so glad those cute little ducks showed us the way, otherwise we would have missed it entirely.
By five o’clock we had our fill of the preserve, and with the wind picking up, and temperatures dipping down, we grabbed our things and walked back to the car. Our ride home was filled with smiles and discussion of our next grand adventure.
You have our hearts, Pemaquid,
Pat & Madison
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