Memories of Isle au Haut - Off the Coast of Maine

An old time Mainer recounts life as a young man on the Isle au Haut.  Read "Memories of childhood summers on Isle au Haut", The Working Waterfront, June 2010.  Click here to learn more about the Isle au Haut.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Center to Open in Rockland, Maine

"The primary conservator of America's wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has chosen Rockland as the home base for a new headquarters and visitor's center for the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

The Maine Coastal Islands NWR oversees 53 islands and 150 miles of coastline and includes five existing National Wildlife Refuges in Maine - Petit Manan, Cross Island, Franklin Island, Seal Island and Pond Island. Their primary focus is restoring and managing colonies of nesting seabirds. Refuge islands provide habitat for common, Arctic, and endangered roseate terns; Atlantic puffins; razorbills; black guillemots; Leach's storm-petrels; laughing gulls; and common eiders. Over the last 25 years, the USFWS has worked effectively to reverse the decline of these species. As a result, many birds have returned to islands where they historically nested."

Read the rest of the article in "U.S. Fish & Wildlife to Open Visitor Center and HQ in Rockland", The Free Press, April 29, 2010.

How to Live on Isle au Haut - Maine

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live on an isolated island off the coast of Maine?  The link that follows offers some info on that topic.  See "How to Live on Isle au Haut", Islands.com, May 2010.  Click here to learn more about Isle au Haut, Maine.

Wings, Waves, & Woods Weekend on Deer Isle, Maine (May 21-23, 2010)

The fourth annual Wings, Waves and Woods, a weekend festival of birding and art, will be held May 21-23 on Deer Isle, Maine. Events include birding walks, presentations by Maine Birding Trail founder Bob Duchesne, boat and kayak excursions to view eagles, sea birds and puffins, artists' exhibits and studio tours, and an old-fashioned chowder supper. The weekend is sponsored by the Deer Isle-Stonington Chamber of Commerce, Downeast Audubon and Island Heritage Trust. For more information, call 348-2455 or go to: http://www.islandheritagetrust.org/ or http://www.deerislemaine.com/.

Snowshoeing on Sears Island, Maine

The Meandering Maine website has published a post about snowshoeing on Sears Island in Maine.  Entitled "A Perfect Winter Day on Sears Island", February 8, 2010, the post has a description of the trail and some very nice photos.  Click here for more information about snowshoeing in Maine.

Getting Ready for Christmas in a Tiny Island Community in Maine

Christmas in Maine on an island has its own unique character.  The activities (shopping, gift giving, cooking, searching for Christmas trees, etc.) are different as well as the memories.  Read an online column about Maine island Christmases in "Cranberry Report: Parallel Christmases", The Working Waterfront, December 13, 2009.

Bailey Island, Maine - Lodging, Dining and Recreation

If you are looking for a quiet get-away along the coast of Maine then you should consider Bailey Island, Maine. It is an island at the end of a peninsular of land and is a part of the Town of Harpswell, Maine. There are working fishing harbors, excellent water views, and plenty of places to stay and eat. Click here to learn more info about Bailey Island. Read about a recent one-week vacation to Bailey Island that my wife and I took together in June 2009. The photo to the left is a picture of a buoy shed on the shoreline of Mackerel Cove on Bailey Island.

Lupine Festival - June 19-21, 2009 Deer Isle, Maine

The Lupine Festival will be held on June 19-21, 2009 on Deer Isle, Maine. Call (207) 367-2420 for more information or click on http://www.deerisle.com/.

Bailey Island, Maine

My wife and I will soon be spending a week (last week in June - I will post some pictures) on Bailey Island, Maine in a cottage overlooking the ocean. It has been a long year so we are looking forward to it.

Bailey Island is a small island on the tip of a penisular on the coast of Maine. The island is connected by a land bridge to Orr's Island and then to the mainland. It is part of Harpswell, Maine. The island is very small with a population of about 450 people. Bailey Island is easy to get to. Travel north or south on Route 1 and then go south on Route 24.

In anticipation of the trip I am surfing the net for info on Bailey Island. And if I am looking it up I may as well share it with you! Here are some links:

Blog by Bailey Island Inn (some nice pictures)
http://www.baileyislandinn.blogspot.com/

Bailey Island by Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_Island_(Maine)

Cook's Lobster House is one of the places to eat
http://cookslobster.com/

There are some lodging available on Bailey Island but it is best to make reservations ahead of time. Places to stay include Bailey Island Motel, The Parkwood Inn (located in Brunswick), and the Log Cabin Motel.

Other nearby towns to visit include Brunswick and Bath, Maine.

I will let you know how our stay goes!

Book: A Crusing Guide to Maine Coast

"A Visual Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast" is a spiral-bound book of 240 pages that is an aid to navigating Maine's coastal waters. There are over 180 full-color aerial photographs that show Maine's harbors, passages, and approaches. Included are chart segments, approach lines, and text descriptions with piloting instructions. There are about 110 Maine harbors covered. This book is ideal for planning a cruise of the coast of Maine. The author is a sailor, helicopter pilot, explore and summer resident of Maine who has sailed the coast of Maine for over 25 years. Click on the link below to find out more info on this book or to order the book:

A Visual Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast

Click here to learn more info on the Maine coast.

Islesford, Maine

Read about life on a small island in Maine. See "Cranberry Report", The Working Waterfront, June 2009.

Student Experience on Small Maine Island

Read an online posting about student life in an elementary school on a small Maine island. The Chebeague Island School located in Casco Bay has some challenges being on a small island with an extremely small student population but they seem to overcome it. Read "Something to write home about", The Working Waterfront, June 2009.

Profile of a Modern Maine Guide

Read an online newspaper account of a modern-day registered Maine Guide. See "Modern guides expanding", Kennebec Journal, Jan 10, 2009.

Maine Island Trail

The Maine Island Trail has been recognized by the National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the 50 Best American Adventures. This honor was mentioned in the April/May issue. The Maine Island Trail is a superb way to kayak along the Maine coastline.

Read more about the Maine Island Trail and Kayaking in Maine at:

"Maine Island Trail Makes National Geographic List of Top American Adventures", Maine Business.com, May 1, 2009

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/50-best-american-adventures/list-text

Maine Island Trail Association

Kayaking Trips in Maine

Strawberry Island, Maine

Volunteers working with the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) helped return a small island to a wilderness state. Strawberry Island is a small coastal property owned by the state located in Muscongus Bay, near Waldoboro, Maine. In the past an old cabin from the island was removed. Recently the cement foundation pilings and the old floor were removed and grass seed was planted. This is just more good work performed by the Maine Island Trail Association. Click here for more information about Maine islands.

Isle au Haut Chocolates

Read a review about the Black Dinah Chocolatiers who are located on the Isle au Haut of the coast of Maine. The author believes that these are the best chocolates possible! See "Black Dinah Chocolatiers: Amazing chocolates that blew me away", September 15, 2008, Slashfood.com. Find out more about the charming Isle au Haut. Click here to learn more about lodging, hiking, and camping on the Isle au Haut.

Peaks Island, Maine

A Maine blogger describes her day-trip to Peaks Island. Peaks Island is located just off the coast (you get there by taking a ferry to the island from Portland, Maine). She has some nice photos and a good description of her trip. See "Falling for Peaks Island", September 28, 2008. For more information about the islands off the coast of Maine click on the "island" label below.

Visiting Peak's Island in Maine

Visit a blogger's account of her visit to Peak's Island (located off the coast of Portland, Maine in Casco Bay). She has a nice account of renting bicycles and traveling about the island. Some nice pictures of Battery Steele (a coastal fortress). See the blog post at "Peak's Island". Learn more about Maine's islands.

Scenic Cruises to Eagle Island in Casco Bay, Maine

The City of Portland, Maine is a delightful place to spend some time during the summer months. The temperatures are just right, the Old Port area has nice places to walk around, shop, stay overnight, dine, and drink. One of the best attractions Portland offers is the ability to cruise Casco Bay on cruise boats or ferries to visit the many islands in Casco Bay. One cruise boat company is Eagle Island Tours. One of their tours, of course, is a trip to Eagle Island. This island has been designated as a Maine State Historic Site. Eagle Island was formerly owned by Admiral Peary - the North Pole explorer. It is a small 17-acre island with a main house and caretaker's cottage. The island was given to the state of Maine by the family of Admiral Peary and is maintained in cooperation with the Friend's of Peary's Eagle Island. The cruise to Eagle Island will take you past other islands and fishing villages. Once on the island you can walk the trails and enjoy a picnic lunch as well as view other attractions. Eagle Island Tours is located on Long Wharf on Commercial Street in the Old Port Waterfront district of Portland, Maine.

Visit the Islands of Maine

A beautiful part of Maine that visitors sometimes miss are the many islands just off the coast. At first glance it may seem difficult to plan a trip to an island - particularly for those out-of-staters not familiar with Maine and its islands. Many islands can be seen with just a day-trip. A local Maine website and news organization, http://www.keepmecurrent.com/, has just published an article about Maine islands that provides tips for visitors on how to gather information needed to plan your island trip. Some suggestions offered by the article include Appledore Island near Kittery and Wood Island near Biddeford Pool. Also recommended are the Casco Bay Islands - Peak's Island and Long Island. Read the article at "Island hopping", keepMEcurrent.com, June 25, 2008.