Farewell to Maine

We leave tomorrow morning for Canada (we're taking the loooong way down to Kentucky) and are just about ready. The dogs have been to see the veterinarian for their health certificates (needed for border crossings). The oil has been changed and the tires rotated. The laundry is almost done, the trailer almost packed, and the RV sites are all booked. It will be exciting to see this new part of the country and visit family along the way!

Last weekend we tried to fit in as many last minute things as we could because there is still so much we'd like to explore here in New England. On Saturday we drove to Portland to visit the Portland Head Lighthouse. Years ago I bought a framed picture of it when a frame shop was going out of business. I had never been to see it before but I liked the image and I loved the price. Since it's close to us now, we couldn't miss the opportunity to see it in person.

You can see several lighthouses in Casco Bay by Cape Elizabeth. In fact, you can see two in this picture! See that tiny dot in front of Portland Head, out in the water?

This is what Ram Island Light looks like when you zoom in.

If you look to your left you'll see Spring Point Ledge.

And if you look to your right you'll see Two Lights.

Here are a few other sights surrounding Portland Head Light

On Sunday we explored downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and drove the entire length of the NH coastline. We drive by Portsmouth every time we cross into Maine. It's a historic town full of character and has many interesting things to see, do, and taste.

These are some of the sights we saw as we drove down the coast. There were some fantastic estates along that route! I imagine it must cost a pretty penny to maintain them so close to the ocean.

The kids had fun by the water...

New England is full of marsh land. In Massachusetts you'll see lots of cranberry bogs.

Have I ever mentioned how big Dunkin' Donuts is out here? They're everywhere!! Sometimes you will see them right across the street from each other- like Starbucks in Washington...

We hit Salisbury, Massachusetts and turned around, finishing the day with a true New England experience of eating at a clam shack. We had our first "eating in the rough" experience at Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine and it was cold outside! I guess Bob's is famous for being on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Boy, was it packed that day! The food was good, though.

I'm sure you've heard of the Shaker style of furniture, but did you know the Shakers are actually a religious group? They got their name because of their worship practices. They would shake, dance, roll on the floor, march, and speak in tongues during worship "if The Spirit moved them". There are only two remaining Shakers left on the planet and they both live here in Maine at Sabathday Lake, the last active Shaker village. Monday my husband and I decided to drive out to tour the village and learn about their history and culture.

We were only allowed to take pictures outside out of respect for the residents. This village has many apple orchards and they keep beef cattle (as pets) and sheep (who were sheered recently). In the past they made cider and hard cider. That's right! They are not teetotalers. Everything in moderation was their philosophy.

In the Shaker faith, men and women live separately but are considered equal. There is an elder woman and an elder man in charge of their respective gender. Shakers never marry which made it difficult to expand their communities over the years. Married couples who joined the Shaker faith with their families became like brother and sister and lived separately. The groups took in orphans and raised them but the children were never forced into the faith. They could choose to leave when they came of age and were educated enough to support themselves in the outside world.

The Shakers came up with many inventions like the spring used in clothes pins and had an eye toward making life easier. They embraced technology and worked with the outside world to sell goods to support their communities. They were mostly self sufficient but never wanted to isolate themselves. In fact, to this day they pay property tax even though they don't have to because the taxes go toward education in the local communities and they highly value education. Many of these villages across North America are maintained by trustees to ensure they will be preserved even after the last Shakers are gone.

Did you know that you can become a Shaker? The process is much like becoming a priest and it takes years of training and internship. The current two Shakers would have to approve your membership, so if you're planning on this life you'd better hurry! Oh, and they're pacifists, so keep that in mind!

Here are some examples of the the "fancy goods" they would make and sell from the shop. In their heyday they grew large gardens and sold medicinal herbs, teas, and seeds. After the Food and Drug Administration was established, they had to stop selling the medicinal herbs but they traveled up and down the East Coast selling other items. Shakers were extremely capable and resilient people. They paid a lot of attention to quality and detail in everything they did.

When the tour was over we drove to the LL Bean Flagship Store in Freeport, which is similar to a giant Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops. We only had 15 minute parking so we had to make it a quick run though but it was still fun. I have a feeling that if we had more time there our trailer would be weighed down way more than it is right now!

The next time I post, it will be from Kentucky. I'll be sure to check in from our different locations on social media, though, so be sure to check the links at the top right side of this page if you want to follow along.

Wishing you a great week!

- Jen