Here is the journal of Jim's next two days:
Wed., Sept., 20 - Jane:
Today was the only relatively leisurely day on this latest quest. We
headed out to breakfast in downtown Belfast around 8:30. After
breakfast Jim had the great idea to repeat yesterday's stroll - with me
this time - on the Harbor Walk and the wonderful pedestrian
bridge over the Bay. I loved seeing the activity in the shipyard.
There were at least two gigantic yachts completely encased in plastic
tarps, presumably being constructed. There were also several others at
the docks. I wondered what these monstrous boats cost - probably far
more than I can possibly imagine! After
I dropped Jim off at today's start point I headed for the library in
Bucksport where we will meet for lunch. The building has a beautiful
stone facade and it has been in town since 1887. I had the most
delightful conversation with Gerry, who has been the librarian there for
30 years. Believe it or not, they do not have any type of digital
access or check out system. They still utilize the card catalog system
that was in use when I was a child first using my town library!
Needless to say I had to take a picture. I never imagined that this
system still existed anywhere. Fortunately for me, they do have wi-fi
so I was able to access email.
Jim:
After our walk along the Belfast harbor, we returned to the quaint town
of Searsport to begin today's hike where I had finished yesterday's.
Located at the confluence of the Penobscot River and deepwater bay of
the same name, this town is the home of the Penobscot Marine Museum.
Although I was too occupied today to visit it, the museum gets rave
reviews as a multi-building village showcasing the seafaring history of
this town. We will have to schedule a return trip to see it. The weather
this morning was fine, with comfortable temps and rain-threatening
overcast skies. And in fact it did rain twice, just briefly but intense
enough to warrant opening my umbrella. Highlight of the day was walking
the Penobscot Narrows Bridge spanning the Penobscot River just before I
entered the city of Bucksport. This bridge is relatively new (2006) and
designed as a cable-stayed structure that looks like a suspension bridge
( a la the Brooklyn Bridge) but isn't. Unlike a suspension bridge, this
one's two towers do not support the weight of the bridge, but permit
the cables to pass through them. There are only three large bridges of
this design in the world, one of which is the Zakim Bridge in Boston.
The 420' high west tower includes an observatory that is open to the
public, offering great views in all directions. The bridge has been the
site of at least eight suicides in the eleven years it has been open.
Maine legislators have declined to install a suicide barrier fence due
to cost, deciding instead to install solar powered phones at each end of
the bridge, which unfortunately are not always functional when needed.
Chunks of ice falling from the overhead cables necessitated two brief
closure of the bridge in the winter of 2013-14. Adjacent to the bridge
is Fort Knox, a large granite stone fortification built in the mid-19th
century and named after the revolutionary war general Henry Knox. Fort
Knox has been designated a national historic landmark and is today a
state park. This is another local site I would love to visit on a future
trip to coastal Maine.
Like
most modern bridges today, and unlike most old ones, there is a wide
lane for hikers and bikers to use to safely pass to the other side of
the river. Shortly after doing this, I hiked into the town of Bucksport.
A few minutes later Jane arrived and we enjoyed a delightful lunch at a
waterfront restaurant with a view across the river to the large bridge
and Fort Knox. After an hour's rest and with a full belly, I resumed
hiking, leaving town on Route 1, known here as the Acadia Highway. By
now the sun was shining and making it pretty warm for me. But I had
planned only a five mile afternoon, having walked 10 this morning. That I
accomplished in 90 minutes and soon thereafter I was in our waterfront
hotel room in downtown Bucksport. As she usually does, Jane had checked
us in and unpacked the car. Later we enjoyed a great dinner at the
restaurant conveniently located directly across Main Street.
Miles Today - 15 Total Cumulative Miles - 146.5
Thurs., Sept. 21
- Oh what a glorious day! We woke to see a cloudless sky and dry conditions - the humidity we have had to deal with all week was mercifully gone. I reacted by deciding to extend
today's walk to ten miles instead of the previously planned seven. That
I accomplished in three hours. Route 1 in this part of Maine becomes
quite hilly as it goes further east toward Ellsworth, gateway city to
Acadia National Park. I finished today just four miles west of
Ellsworth.
Miles Today - 10 Total Cumulative Miles - 156.5
Some final observations from this week's walking:
As mentioned previously, the wildflowers have been awesome, providing bright colors to the fields and roadsides. I have seldom seen so many lupines growing wild
right next to the road. Asters of many varieties and hues are
plentiful. I enjoyed the great diversity of trees that thrive here in
coastal Maine, including many larch trees that are seldom seen at home
in NH. Spruce trees are common in this area, and some are so full of
cones this time of year that their upper branches are nearly as brown as
they are green.
Readers
of this journal know that I frequently include a comment about roadkill
I have to walk around on the side of the highway. This week I have
observed little variety, just a lot of desiccated porcupines. Obviously this
animal is not on the endangered species list! Most of the critters were
not recent victims, as their bodies were largely gone except for the
many quills that do not seem to disappear. Each quill looks like a
toothpick and the carcass resembles a hundred white toothpicks atop a
small pile of fur. Jane: What
Jim did not say is that at lunch on Thursday he took something out of
his pocket and put it on the table (while we were waiting for our
food). It looked like a toothpick although it was brownish at one end
and extremely sharp. He then explained that it was a porcupine
quill - how do you know that? Because I took it off a porcupine
carcass - I believe "GROSS: was my rather loud response. I am not sure
what our fellow diners were thinking. Of course I had to take a
picture!
While hiking this week I shared the roads with quite a variety of small fauna. Perhaps
this is a seasonal phenomenon. Many species of beetles, and all kinds
of caterpillars, centipedes, and other crawling insects came close to
being squished by my sandals. I saw several monarch butterflies - clad like me in orange and black, I like to think of these as Princeton butterflies. And today I came upon one of the largest anthills I have ever seen - about a foot high and three feet in diameter. I wonder how many thousands of ants reside there.
Today's
hike was bittersweet, as it is the last one here in Maine until we
return on September 30. In the interim Jane and I have scheduled a week
of meetings and appointments and a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. And the
break will give my body a chance to recover before beginning the last
leg of this Maine traverse.
Pictures:
Day 9 - Card Catalog at Bucksport Library
Day 9 - Lovely Reading Room at Library
Day 9 - Penobscot Narrows Bridge Showing the Two Towers
Day 9 - Same Bridge Seen From Straight On
Day 9 - Fort Knox
Day 9 - The Harbor View in the Back of our Hotel
Day 10 - Hike Start on Last Day of this Phase
Day 10 - Larch Tree
Day 10 - East Coast Greenway Sign (seen many times walking up the east coast)
Day 10 - Porcupine Quill
Jim
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