Away to Maine
Since I moved to Connecticut almost forty years ago, I have concluded that, just as there are enthusiastic Red Sox fans and rabid Yankee fans in our tiny state, there are loyal Cape Cod vacationers and consistent Maine vacationers. I’m one of the latter, and a short getaway to the Maine coast seems to give my soul what it needs.
During my few days in Maine in October, I stayed in Kennebunkport at a well-located bed and breakfast called the Old Parsonage Guest House, which allowed me to walk everywhere in this traffic-clogged village. During the trip up I developed my my usual craving for a cup of clam chowder and a lobster roll, which I immediately satisfied at Alisson’s Restaurant in Dock Square. Like many of the shops and restaurants in KPT, Alisson’s has occupied the same real estate since I first visited in 1978. After lunch I spent the afternoon poking into the shops. Not much changes in KPT from one year to the next.
The next morning I set out for the Rachel Carson Nature Preserve, located just outside of town, and providing a quiet respite from shopping tourists. A well-maintained boardwalk winds through its hardwood forest, and a dozen or so platforms allow one to stop and get a peek at the estuary that inspired Silent Spring. It was a sparkling but chilly day, and I totally geeked out taking photos.
Along the trail I met a couple from Pennsylvania who had visited the Wells Preserve just up the road, so I decided to give that a look as well. Much larger than the Carson preserve, Wells has about seven interconnecting trails allowing the visitor to go to the beach, explore the marshes, and walk through the quiet woodlands. The vast acreage is Laudholm Farm, donated to the town by the Laudholm family and included on the National Register of Historic Places. It serves as a center for estuarine research.
Since I was in Wells I decided to continue on to Ogunquit, which is where I usually stay. Snagging a precious parking spot in Perkins Cove, I had a quick lunch at Jackie’s and set off along the Marginal Way, which, for those who haven’t been, is the loveliest cliff walk in New England (IMO). Waves batter the rocks and rush into narrow inlets, the receding water sounding like a crowd of clapping sports fans. Crazy surfers in wetsuits paddled out from the sandy beach looking for the perfect wave in the frigid waters. The town has done a great job maintaining the path and providing numerous benches for resting and sea-gazing.
By the time I left the Marginal Way there was just enough time to scoot back up to KPT and make a run to Cape Porpoise before the late sun disappeared. The full moon was just rising as my day came to an end.
The following day, after one more turn around Kennebunkport and a visit to my favorite pottery shop, The Good Earth, I decided to take the scenic route back to Kittery before jumping on I95 toward home. I said goodbye to my favorite dories…
…and stopped at Nubble Light to sit on the rocks and savor the last breaths of salty sea air.
