August 27,2013
Three days was a good idea.
When we signed into this campground at Patten Pond we
intended to stay 2 nights. But since it was a Passport America campground we
decided to stay for a third night. That turned out to be a very good idea.
The morning was spent relaxing and having a pancake
breakfast complete with a sounding smoke detector. That aside it was a very
nice morning.
I packed a picnic lunch and we headed out. Ken
researched and found out that there were two lighthouses quite close by. The first one we went to was the Fort Point Light
Station. I knew it was not opened to the public and I knew that the keepers
house was now a Coast Guard residence but that is all I knew.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the light
station was in a state park and that the park was a historical site. The fort was build because of the tensions
between the English and the French in 1759 and it played an integral part in
the revolutionary war in 1775. The light station was established in 1836 as an
aid to navigation for the ships travelling from Penobscot and Bangor and
Castine. There were boards telling of this history and we could see the remains
of fortress walls and moats.
The light is very well maintained and the grounds had
picnic tables where we could sit and enjoy the amazing views of the bay. I was
so pleased to find a passport station on the grounds. A passport station is a
place where there is a stamp and a stamp pad and you can stamp your own
lighthouse passport.
There was a bell tower just a short distance from the light. The bell and the mechanism used to ring the
bell were still there. There also was a diagram showing how the fog bell was
rung. This was the first time we had seen such a setup, the first one in 287
lighthouses.!! We took lots of pictures.
The park covers 120 acres and is on a long peninsula
with panoramic views of Penobscot Bay so we had our picnic here at one of the
many wonderful picnic spots. Next we spent about an hour enjoying the ocean and
looking for treasures along the beach. It was a surreal afternoon.
The day was very hot so we traveled in air
conditioning to the next lighthouse, the Dice Head Light.
Getting there took us through beautiful Maine country
side and again we were so impressed with the architecture of the area. Many
different styles are represented even the older style of building the home and
the barn all in one structure. We saw many mansions belonging to the one
percent.
The lighthouse was in good condition and we took
several pictures but respected the privacy of the owners and did not trespass.
There was not a passport station here however.
On the way to
the light house we saw several large building that appeared to be part of a
university campus. So of course we had to investigate. We discovered that this
is the home of the Maine Naval Academy. There were numerous residences and
university buildings, a students center,
and all of the other things you would expect to see on a large
university campus and yet here it was out in the middle of the small village of
Castine.
“One of America’s most historic small towns Castine
traces its beginnings to a French fur trading station established in 1814.
Seafaring nations long coveted the rocky heights above
Dice Head, which dominates the entrance to Penobscot River. Over the years the
flags of four nations fluttered above forts here and several battles were
fought for possession of the town.”
We drove to the dock and here was “ The State of
Maine” a training vessel, and many small boats. In the town we saw many GI Joe
types and there were several boards commemorating some of the battles that were
fought here.
By then evening was fast approaching so we returned to
the campground feeling so glad that we had stayed in Maine for another day.
Three days really was a great idea.
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