Maine’s oldest lighthouse was constructed between 1787 and 1791 at the directive of George Washington. It is located on Cape Elizabeth in Fort Williams Park
Our stop in Freeport was intended to break the trip to Bar Harbor into a smaller distances and give us an opportunity to see Maine’s most famous lighthouse on Cape Elizabeth.
Constructed for an original cost of $1,500, Portland Head Light was lowered 20 feet in 1883, then raised to its original height two years later. We can therefore deduce that our government was good at wasting money even in the 1800’sIf you go to Cape Elizabeth, you’ll find there is also a Cape Elizabeth lighthouse located down the road from Portland Head Light. We didn’t visit it, and perhaps only avid lighthouse fans do
Portland Head Light, Maine’s oldest lighthouse, sits at the entrance to Portland Harbor. Completed in 1791 at the directive of George Washington in 1787, it was constructed for $1,500.
How the hell someone missed an “aid to navigation,” as the Coast Guard calls such things, when it was right in front of their face is beyond all comprehension. In any case, the skipper of Annie C. Maguire, a three-masted British barque sailing in from Argentina on Christmas Eve 1886, found the rocks at Cape Elizabeth to be unforgiving. The crew is said to have reported that the lighthouse was in plain view!It was a pretty day for sailing. The winds were blowing about 15-20 knotsA decent example of Maine’s craggy coastlineJudging by the waterline, I estimated the tide range to be about eight feet at the time. My later Google search confirmed exactly that (I’m as shocked as you how close I was)You can see another lighthouse off in the distance. When we first arrived, I thought this was Maine’s oldest lighthouse given it’s condition. But it isn’t. It is Ram Island Ledge Light, completed in 1905. It was put for sale in 2010 with a minimum bid of $10,000. The winning bid was $190,000 and came from a local surgeon (it was so tempting to write “sturgeon” and claim it as a typo)Just more Maine coast . . .and more coastPortland HarborPortland Harbor
Our stay was accommodated by Cedar Haven Campground, and as you’ll see in the pictures, it is very wooded. The site was fine, but they could stand a little tree trimming around the access roads. In an attempt to navigate my exit and avoid getting more brush marks on the sides on the bus, I nearly took out the corner of the bus with a tree. Thankfully, Alayne’s quick thinking and honking the car horn brought the tree to my attention before catastrophe struck.
Our drive through Portland, MaineSomeone had a rollicking good time with a couple of spray cans. Why people feel compelled to tag other people’s property is beyond me. I think they should start making examples out of these idiots. Perhaps public floggings, or even limb removal, might workIf you want a McDonald’s erected in Freeport, you’d better plan on letting the planning commission have its way with you. I can’t imagine what rigmarole Mickey D’s had to go through to open this oneBy all evidence, this tractor at Cedar Haven Campground had run within the last 10 years or so was my guessAlayne likes taking pictures of old barnsAn interesting looking butterfly at the campgroundI’m thinking someone could paddle across the pond in under a minute. Nonetheless, the kids seemed to enjoy itCampground yard artWe are learning to live without satellite TV because of treesThe sites at Cedar Haven are pretty, but they need to shave a few branches around the roads. That fancy blue tape near the back of the bus is helping to hold the top of my radiator grill closed because a screw broke. Yet one more thing to fix when we return to Texas
A couple days after we arrived, it was time to leave again.
Alayne and Steve's RV Escapades 