Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

We finally made it to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse! We've driven past it so many times and just never stopped. But on Tuesday, as we headed north on vacation, there it was out in the harbor, calling to us. And when we're on vacation, we go where our whimsy takes us!

The above photo was taken almost at the end of the breakwater, just before we got to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is open for visits on weekends during the summer and on special occasions.

Canada geese over the breakwater at high tide

The granite breakwater is 7/8 of a mile long and you DO have to walk back! We went as the tide was going out but we could certainly see where the waves had broken over the breakwater at high tide. Not a lot of flora and fauna at this time of year, but we did see broken sea urchin shells along the top as well as some sea ducks and gulls. This is an excellent year round location for sighting a variety of sea birds. 

Breakwater Lighthouse at sunset.

Not a lot of foot traffic on the breakwater so it was a nice stroll. A little bit of history here...it took 18 years to build the breakwater, from 1881 to 1899. A small beacon was moved to the end of the finished breakwater 4 times during the construction. More history can be found here.



So you have an idea of how far it is from the lighthouse back to the shore, the 2 figures seen walking back are about 1/3 of the way on their return trip. Now you know what a mile looks like!

Looking back toward shore from the lighthouse.

Directions from White Cedar Inn: Turn north on Rt 1. Drive approx 59 miles to the town of Rockland, stay on Rt 1. Just north of downtown, turn right on Waldo Ave. Follow signs for Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse Museum is straight ahead (toward the harbor) just before you make the left turn in Rockland to stay on Rt 1.

Breakwater at night, fog rolling in.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032
www.whitecedarinn.com 

Cranberry Scones

Cranberry scones.

 Just in time for the holidays! A bright, cheery cranberry is exactly what you need in your life. Full of antioxidants and nutrition and wrapped in a yummy, biscuit-y dough.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour, extra for work surface
5 tbsp sugar, extra for topping
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
2/3 c half & half, plus a little extra for brushing tops
1/2 c halved cranberries

Preheat oven to 425

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. (I never reach this state, it's always flour-y when I give up and add the liquid!) Add half & half and stir until moistened. Fold in cranberries. (A hint about the cranberries- they have wee, tiny seeds that get everywhere. You can rattle the cranberries around in a sieve to get rid of the seeds or don't worry about them at all!)

Lightly flour your work surface and plop the dough ball in the middle. Knead gently about 10 times. Pat into a 1" thick round. Place on a cookie sheet and cut almost through into 8 wedges. Brush tops with half & half and sprinkle remaining sugar on top. You can also sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Tops should be golden brown. Cut through to separate. Serves 8.

These come out with the consistency of a shortcake biscuit rather than the density of what we know as a scone.

Great afternoon snack with tea or hot cocoa. Easy to pack breakfast for the train. (Which I'm thinking about a lot because I hear the whistle during the day!)

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Tidebrook Trail

Red trail: Harraseeket River

Decided to try one more time to figure out where Tidebrook Trail (part of the Freeport Conservation Trail System) starts. We drove down Bartol Island Rd and measured .25 on the odometer and found the cedar trees and parked the car. I have come down here several times, assumed the 'parking' area was a turn around as the road beyond the cedar trees is a private driveway and thrown my hands up and gone home. There are NO indicators to let you know 'You Are Here'. Once you get out of the car, you are on your own, especially if you come here in the summer when the trees are all filled in.

So, feel free to use this handy pictorial guide to find your way.

Park car at the cedar trees. Space for about 4 cars.

After you park the car you have 2 options: walk about 75 yards down the private drive (see why it is hard to find!) and the red trail along the Harraseeket starts on the left. This trail winds along the river (go at low tide) and thru the fields along the river. The photo at the very top was taken at low tide. (If someone can tell me what that tower is I would be grateful. I know Tom Ring told me years ago when we went out to Eagle Island, but I've forgotten!)

Or, head across the road toward the big white house. (Hidden behind more cedars.) Walk along the orchard, down the driveway toward the small kiosk where you can sign in. Continue on toward the yellow, green and blue arrows that mark the other trails. Please respect the owner's personal yard space and stick to the trails! The orchard is gorgeous in the spring, filled with daffodils. (Yes, I drove down here in the spring, too.)

Start of yellow, blue and green trails.

We did not walk the yellow trail. Once you see the hills on the blue trail you'll understand why we only walked 3 of the trails! If you're training for x-c running, the blue trail is for you. If you're one donut away from a heart attack this is not the place for you!

Blue trail: You really are thankful for these handrails, believe me!

Green trail: Someone with a sense of humor was here before us.

Enter here for the yellow, blue and green trails.

Now I know you're saying to yourself, 'She couldn't find this when it is clearly marked?' Well, you're right. I never saw that (tiny) sign until I turned around to take the photo after we had hiked the green and blue trails and we were headed to the car! So, now you know- #38 Tidebrook is where you want to walk in.

Walk down this road a little way for the red trail. The trail is mowed and there are red arrows to follow.

It was a bit brisk the day we went. OK, it was frigid! But, there's no such thing as bad weather, just improper clothing. Any day you can haul yourself out of bed is a good day to get out of the house and go for a walk.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main Street Freeport, Maine 04032

Fort Baldwin State Park

Fort Baldwin steps to gun emplacement.

How many times have we driven down the road to Fort Popham and never even knew there was a whole other fort hidden behind the trees? Well, we've been here for 8 years now and you've seen all the photos from Popham Beach so you know the answer is 'quite a lot'!

Battery Cogan at Fort Baldwin

Yesterday we took a different road and found this fort. Fort Baldwin is newer than Fort Popham. Built about 40 years after Popham it is constructed of concrete (which you can see is leaching out in the photos above and below). The tops of the three batteries are covered over with soil and grass to better blend them into the surrounding terrain.

Most of the trees you'll see in the photos weren't in place when the fort was in use (WWI and WWII) so the view was quite expansive from up on the hill. Still is if you walk around a little!

Remember you can enlarge these photos by clicking on them.

Fort Baldwin State Park is 38 acres on both sides of Rt 209. Next time we're out that way we'll go down a different road to see what's on the other side. (So, there's the answer to why the chicken crossed the road....)

The trail we were on kept going long after we decided to turn around. It looks like it might be good in the winter for snowshoeing! Remember in hunting season that many local and state park grounds are open to hunting. No hunting allowed on Sunday.

Some scenes from the fort:

Pond Island Light from the top of the battery.

Around every corner of the trail was another discovery.

Will have to come back in the fall for the colors!

Circular gun track overlooking the Kennebec.

The batteries all had fire brick walls and ceilings. You can see there is another opening at the back. It's a rabbit warren of hallways and rooms in the batteries.

This moss was growing all along the tree roots.

Fort Popham as seen from the parking area for Fort Baldwin.

A marker near where the first ship built by the Popham Colony was constructed.

Sign at the bottom of the hill. 500' straight up.

Directions: To get here take Rt 209 almost all the way to Fort Popham. Where the road takes a sharp right (just before the Fort Popham library) go up the very small road straight ahead of you (Fort Baldwin Rd). This is a one lane road so go slowly and be prepared to back up!

There is a parking lot across the street from the entrance to the park. Great views! Space for picnicking. Walk the park road (Sabino Head Rd) past all 3 batteries and to the tower. After that the road ends and the trails begin. Trails are on both sides of Rt 209 but there is NO parking on Rt 209. (We'll be checking for other parking areas next time out.)

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If time is short and you need a treat for a group or for a bake sale this should be your go to cookie bar recipe!

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
5 tbs butter
1 bag chocolate chips

Yup, that's it. You could use chocolate cake mix as well for a double chocolate recipe! I will add walnuts to this next time as I thought it needed a little something else.

Mix together the first 3 ingredients using a mixer. The batter is really thick. Fold in the chocolate chips, I used a spatula. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking dish. This was the hardest part...spreading it out! I used the spatula for this, too.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the top of the 'cookie' is lightly browned. It will puff up while cooking but it falls in after cooling. My oven took 30 minutes to bake this up so you'll have to experiment.

Cool, cut and enjoy!

Printable recipe here.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Amtrak Downeaster to Freeport

Check out the lobster wreath on the front of the train!

The inaugural run of the Downeaster to Freeport & Brunswick rolled into town today. It's been over 50 years since the last passenger train stopped here. The scheduled runs for the train can be found here.

There are certain sounds that evoke deep feelings- the sound of a church bell in a small town gives me a sense of community and a train whistle signals the wanderlust many of us have to see new places and meet new people.

The train whistle is calling...will you answer?

The guy who made sure all the signals worked right today!

The crowds at the station

Senator Olympia Snowe praises joint efforts to get train running again.

Downeaster heads out of Freeport toward Brunswick.

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Halloween Moon