We had a great first day in Downeast Maine today! Chuck "Chick" McCoubrey and his wife Joanne live in Meddybemps which is south and a little west of Calais and not far from where we are camping. We drove to their house at 0900 hrs, loaded up in their car and hit the road for a day of sightseeing and reminiscing. The last time we saw them was in 2016 w hen Doreen and I were on our very first long trip with a fifth wheel. Prior to that we had been in touch via social media but Chick and I had not seen each other since around March 1976 when he departed Loring Air Force Base where we both served. A few pictures from back then:
1975 Sgt McCoubrey and baby Michelle
Assume this was after he was out and came back up to visit
Chick, Greg Noskowiak and me
1975 Another with a very young Doreen, baby Michelle and Chick
Chick and Joanne owned and operated a greenhouse business in Meddybemps for many year but have sold it in preparation for retirement. We visited the property this morning and then visited Chick's camp which is on the same land. In the summer of 1976 Chick invited Doreen & I and a group from our site at Loring for a weekend party and lobster feed at this same camp!
Ed with a lobster and baby Michelle looking on
Doreen and her lobster
Doreen, Ernie, Chick, Hammy and Deb at Chick's camp
The feast is on!
Look at all of those "bugs" (lobstah's) before they were cooked!!
I did not get any inside pictures back in 1976 but here are a few today:
Nearby stream
I suspect the door shown in this picture is the same as the one in the picture from 1976, above.
Beautiful camp!
On the way out of the camp we passed by the greenhouses that are being sold.
After leaving the camp we drove through Calais where Joanne attended school, and then down Route 1 stopping by the Whitlock's Mill Lighthouse. It was suspect when there were no obvious signs, only a small street sign!
So we proceeded down a narrow trail through the woods and at the end we found ourselves at what appeared to be a private residence with a lighthouse sitting next to it! And that is exactly what it is! I hopped out of the car and asked the gentleman if this was private and he said "Yes!. Oops, but in our defense there were no signs to that effect! The gentleman asked if I was a military Veteran (my Air Force hat was a dead give away) and I told him both myself and Chick were Veterans. He said we were welcome, so everyone got out and we greeted him. He introduced himself as a Navy Rear Admiral (retired) and the conversation went on from there! He and his wife retired from the Navy and bought the property which included the buildings but not the lighthouse itself . It is owned by a historical society, and the Coast Guard still maintains the lighthouse mechanism.
The keeper's house owned by the Admiral.
The Whitlock's Mill Lighthouse
We enjoyed our conversation with the Admiral but did not stay long so as to wear out our welcome! He signed and dated Doreen's lighthouse passport before we departed. That was so awesome!
Our next stop was the St Croix Island Visitor Center. Pierre Dugua's French expedition occupied the St Croix Island in 1604-1605 and that was the beginning of the French presence in North America. That winter was extremely brutal as they found themselves iced in and cut off from food and water. 35 of 79 men died and the expedition moved on by summer. The Visitor Center was built including an interpretive trail, including bronze sculptures of French settlers and Passamaquoddy people, It overlooks the St Croix river and the island in the distance. Visiting the island is apparently not permitted.
St Croix Island in the distance
Not far past the St Croix Island Visitor Center we stopped at the 45th Parallel marker. They have a nice pull-off there and a very old stone marker on the site.
We loaded up and headed to Lubec Maine from here. Lubec was settled in 1785 and incorporated in 1811. It is the easternmost municipality in the contiguous U.S. with a population a little over 1200. Lubec's history revolves around the sea and it was once a proud and bustling sardine canning and fish-smoking center. The downtown is quaint with shops and a brewery. We cruised through town and they were preparing for the Fourth of July festivities tomorrow. On the Canadian side the Mulholland Point Lighthouse is visible so a picture was a must.
A look down main street in Lubec
The Mulholland Point Lighthouse
We stopped at the Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant for lunch as they had outside seating and Liberty was welcome. The food was outstanding and the scenery was great!
Doreen's blueberry margarita!
Joanne, Chick, Ed and Doreen
Next stop was the famous West Quoddy Lighthouse. We were there back in 2016 but it was closed. As we drove to it we passed the Lubec Channel Light, which is nicknamed the "sparkplug". It is out in the middle of the channel, so this is a stock photo from Maine's website.
On down the coast the tide being out provided an opportunity for clam digging and there were quite a few out there doing so!
You can see the Lubec Channel Light in the upper left corner
The tide raises and lowers 20-30 ft here. Amazing!
Soon we arrived at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. This is the eastern-most point in the USA! It was built in 1808.
Doreen inside the gift shop
Daughter Michelle and son Dan and I have enjoyed a few of these!
I like the mustard ones. Jennifer is not a fan!
Next stop on our trip was Cutler Maine and Bailey's Mistake Harbor! Legend has it that Bailey's Mistake in Lubec got its name from a captain who ran his cargo ship aground in the bay on a foggy day in 1809. Apparently it contained lumber and so it was used to construct nearby structures. I want to watch the You Tube on this when I get time. Again the tide was out, so some incredible pictures!!
An anchor run aground!
Tide is way out!
Fishing boat left high and dry! The house in the background if so sale, if anyone is interested!!
Before we left the Cutler area we drove to the Naval Station. Here they operate specialized radio equipment among other things. The antennas are amazing!
We headed back and arrived at Chick and Joanne's house. They showed us
their wild blueberry bushes and the beautiful view from their property in Meddybemps!
Ed and Chick!
Chick and Joanne
High bush blueberrys not yet ripe
Their home greenhouse,
Some low bush berrys were ripe. Delicious !!
Low bush blueberrys
Thank you so much to Chick and Joanne for driving us all over the area today and for the tomatoes from their greenhouse! It was so great to see them again and reminisce about our time at Loring. We plan to get together with them again before we depart the area.
Our Fourth of July tomorrow has yet to be planned. It will likely be a light day for us, with some relaxing in there too!
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