Maine Fall Lighthouse tour and whales galore

Fall in Maine

We just finished our last lighthouse tour for 2009. This one day tour was a long day. We began at 8:00 am and finished at 10:00 pm. The day was not sunny but was a nice, cool fall day. The foliage was pretty but due to the rain we had earlier in the season, it was spotty.

Our first light was the Rockland Breakwater. We walked the breakwater, which is .08 miles out
to the light. This early morning walk was very exhilarating. We then went on a boat ride to see the Curtis Island Light and the Indian Island light. Stopped at Wassus for one of their famous hotdogs and then went to the Lighthouse Museum and gift shop.


Our next lighthouse was the Owls Head light. To get to this light it is about a 1/4 mile walk.
Then it was on to Marshall Point where they were suffering a power outage. The light in the tower was out (this light is a fixed light so it shines 24 hours a day). It is on a generator and if there is no electricity the light comes on at night. Fortunately for our guests, the light came on before we left and they were able to get some good pictures. You can see a picture of this light elsewhere in our blog. The fog horn was blowing (1 blast every 10 seconds) because it was a little foggy and misty.

We then continued to the Pemaquid Light (which is featured on the state of Maine quarter), where we were able to climb the tower. By this time it was twilight and the visibility was minimal, but it's always fun to be able to go into the tower. We walked the grounds around this beautiful beacon and onto the rocks, which were getting slippery due to the drizzle which was now coming down. We felt fortunate to get this last lighthouse in before the rain.

The gift shop at Pemaquid light was still open and all their items were marked half price because they are closing for the season. There is a restaurant at the gift shop and that is how we ended our day - with a great meal.
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THE WHALES came to Maine this year in large numbers. The boat captains said they have never seen so many whales congregated in international waters off Downeast Maine as they did this summer. The Downeast area was filled with right whales, finbacks, humpbacks and minkes. This is the area where we usually do our whale watches and the picture below is one of the humpback whales we captured on camera in the Bay of Fundy. Humpback's are our favorite as they seem to be more social and act like they are putting on a show. They are very graceful as they arch and come out of the water only to dive back in, nose first, leaving their tail out of the water. When they disappear beneath the surface they leave, what is called, "a footprint on the water".

Humpback whales all have a marking on the underside of their tail. Each mark is different and the whale watchers are able to distinguish whether or not it's the same whale they are seeing or a different one. Some of the whale boat captains name them and can tell if they come back each summer. The Humpbacks don't arrive in the Bay of Fundy until August (usually the second week). They come north to colder waters, where the feeding is good and go back to warmer waters for the mating season. This year the feeding was exceptional. We hope they come back next year when we tour downeast again - the second week in August. Anyone interested in taking a tour with us will need to book early, we are already getting requests for information on our 2010 tours.
Check our website and watch our blog for more information.

Humpback whale taken on one of our tours Down East

Maine Lighthouse Day

LIGHTHOUSE DAY

OWLS HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

Fresnel light

Waiting to go inside the light

Maine Lighthouse Day on September 12 was a big success. The number of lighthouses that were open were 29 and not the 52 that had been hoped for. By the time it took to travel between the lighthouses, wait in line to go inside and have lunch, we were able to go into two of them. The lighthouses were open from 9 am to 3 pm.

The two we chose were Owls Head and Marshall Point. These lighthouses are not open to the public so this was a real treat. Both have been shown earlier on this blog. Coast Guard personnel were at each lighthouse to answer questions.

The lighthouse with the most people standing in line to see, was Owls Head. This lighthouse stands on a tree studded hill and is one of our favorites. It can, also, be seen in all its glory on our website at http://www.maineexpressions.com/. A little flat memorial stone, beside the standing one, in the right bottom corner is in honor of Spot, a little Lighthouse dog. He became a hero one stormy day when a mailboat, off the coast, was in trouble. The window to the light was covered with snow and ice and the light could not be seen. Spot, who sometimes pulled the rope to ring the bell, was unable to do so that day because the bell was encased in ice and couldn't be rung. Spot stood and barked until the Captain heard him and was able to direct the boat safely to shore. A charming little children's book "The Lighthouse Dog", written by Angeli Perrpo, about this little Spaniel, is available for purchase. Check your bookstore or email us for more information.

New pictures are shown above for you to enjoy. It includes a picture of the 4th order Fresnel Light (1856). The light is a fixed white light and the fog horn gives 2 blasts every 20 seconds. Plans are underway for Owls Head to undergo a face lift, after which, it will (hopefully) be open to the public.

Marshall point was the other impressive lighthouse we visited. This is a beautiful light and it is not surprising it was chosen to be featured in the movie Forrest Gump. It has a fixed white light- Fifth order Fresnel lens. The fog signal gives 1 blast every 10 seconds.

This was the first year for Maine Lighthouse Day to be observed. We plan take part in this historical event again next year and will be offering another exciting weekend of Lighthouses, Mystery and Fun. If visiting lighthouses is for you, this is a great opportunity to get inside some that are not open any other time.

We will be doing 2 or 3 other overnight 3 to 5 day tours in 2010. Be sure to check them our later on our website. We sometimes will do private tours and have one coming up in 3 weeks when the foliage will be in full bloom.

We are the only ones, in Maine, doing Lighthouse Tours. Our lighthouses are spread out along 5,000 miles of coastline and unless you are familiar with the coastline of Maine, you will spend a lot of time trying to find some of the lighthouses on your own. We invite you to come with us and let us handle all the stress while you sit back and enjoy our spectacular scenery, lighthouses, lobster, and much more.

Our next blog will be about Whales in Maine. Watch for it, I think you will find it interesting.

A rare glimpse inside the lights | Portland Press Herald

A rare glimpse inside the lights | Portland Press Herald

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Lighthouse Day and Getting ready for 2010

Spring Point Lighthouse
photo by Janet Berger, may not be copied or used without permission.

Maine Lighthouse day is almost here.

Maine Expressions" lighthouse tours" is offering a tour on Sept 12 to several Maine Lighthouses. This is the largest effort of its kind in the nation, the event is designed to provide access, to the public, to all participating (about 30) lighthouses on that one day. We hope to be able to visit, at least, four.

Some of these lighthouses have not been opened before. This is a rare opportunity for all those who are interested in Lighthouses to spend a day visiting as many lighthouses as possible between the hours of 9 am to 3 pm on and not have to drive yourself from one lighthouse to the next. We provide the transportation.

Plans are being made for our 2010 tours and more information will be posted soon. We have met many wonderful people from all across the US and enjoy showing visitors our beautiful state with its magnificent beacons. We cover the coast of Maine from south to way Down East.

The tours are exhilarating, educational and fun.

Our tours have included Down East and Canada where we stayed overnight on Campobello Island and visited the Canadian lights, as well as West Quoddy Lighthouse. A whale watch on the Bay of Fundy, a visit to FDR's summer home and, of course, visits to some of the gift shops. We always try to go downeast during blueberry season, driving through the Blueberry Capitol of the world. A special stop is at one of the best restaurants in the area, famous for their delicious Blueberry Pies. We always try to include a lobster bake and when we go to Bar Harbor we stay in a cozy bed and breakfast, go to the top of Cadillac Mountain, take in a lighthouse cruise, visit the Bass Harbor Lighthouse (one of my favorites). Time is allowed for shopping and peeking into the lovely shops in Bar Harbor.

We are always on the lookout for special events taking place. One year it was the Indian Festival. Other things have included are Windjammer Festival, Strawberry Festival, Lobster Festival, A dinner theatre, Sail on a windjammer, gone inside some lighthouses that are open. Spent the night on Monhegan Island.

Monhegan Island is a place where artists congregate in the summer. It has no paved roads, no cars and is truly a place of beauty. The year round population is about 75. Lobstering is the primary source of income.

A real treat this year was a trip to Matinicus Rock, which is 22 miles out to sea and home to puffins and other birds. This lighthouse is not one that visitors coming to Maine usually see. Our boat Captain and his wife were from Matinicus Island (which we cruised past). You have, possibly, read about the turf wars happening on this Island over lobstering . The year round population on Matinicus is about 50.

Some of our lighthouses have been featured in movies and one of them, Pemaquid, is on the Maine State Quarter.

More information can be found on http://www.maineexpressions.com/ or

http://www.officialmainelighthousetours.com/

Maine Observes Lighthouse Day in September

Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine on a foggy day

Maine Lighthouse Day is being observed across Maine on Sept 12
when 52 Maine Lighthouses will be open to the public. This is the
largest event of its kind in the nation and the first time Maine has
ever undertaken such an exciting event.

It is being held in cooperation with the US Coast Guard, the ALF

and the Dept of Maine Tourism. The Coast Guard personnel is

coordinating detailed surveys of the condition of the lighthouses,

and a member of the Coastguard, will be present at each lighthouse

to answer questions and pass out information.

The Lighthouses will be open, all at the same time and on that

one day only, from the hours of 9 to 3. Some of these lighthouses

have never been open to the public before.

This is a rare opportunity for lighthouse lovers to get inside some

of Maine's Lighthouses.

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Maine Expressions - Lighthouse Tours
is joining in this exciting event and is
pleased to offer a getaway weekend of Lighthouses, Relaxation,
Mystery and Fun. We plan to visit 4 lighthouses (if time allows).
Transportation will be provided to the lighthouses.

Included on this special weekend will be: 2 nights at the newly
renovated Quality Inn in Augusta, (rated #1 Augusta Hotel by
Trip Advisor), with use of fitness room and pool; 2 breakfasts;

1 dinner and party on Sept 12.

We will need your help to solve the mystery of the Breaking

Point Lighthouse. This is sure to be a fun and and memorable

weekend you won't want to miss.

Reservation fee of $100.00 must be received asap or no later than
August 27, with the balance paid in full by September 2.
Space is limited and expected to fill fast. To take advantage of this
opportunity, you will need to make your reservation now as space is
limited for this offer.
First 2 couples that sign up will receive a tee shirt of one of the
lighthouses we visit.
Cost of this getaway is $439.00 per couple or $299.00 single.

call now 207-622-0884 or email us for information

Matinicus resident says ban on lobstering punishes the innocent - Bangor Daily News

Our recent lighthouse tour to Matinicus Rock took us past Matinicus Island. The little island is 22 miles out to sea and just a few miles from the Matinicus Rock Lighthouse.

This area has very fertile waters for lobstering and has been subject to turf wars for years. In recent weeks it has gotten out of control.

The moral of this story is "don't mess with another lobsterman's traps".

For more information go to http://knox.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=168796
Matinicus resident says ban on lobstering punishes the innocent - Bangor Daily News

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Maine Lighthouse Tour, Matinicus Rock, Windjammers

We have returned from our trip to Matinicus Rock, shown here. We cruiused to the Rock with Captain George Tarkleson and his wife on their boat the Robin R. The Rock, 22 milesoff the coast, took us 4 hours total for the trip. We cruised around the Rock for an hour observing the Puffins and other birds that make the Rock their home in the summer months.

We didn't see whales, as we had hoped, but we did observe porpoises laying on the rocks. The day was relataively calm and we were thankful that there was no rain since we had so much of it this summer. Captain Tarkleson told us the day we went was the first time in a week the lighthouse was visible, due to heavy fog. When we left the dock in Rockland it was foggy, but the fog lifted as we got closer and we were able to see Matinicus Rock Lighthouse standing proudly upon the barran Rock. We were able to get some good pictures.

Our Captain and his wife live on Matinicus Island, Matinicus Rock is not connected to the Island. About 50 people live on the Island year round and in the summer it swells to about 150. There are cottages on the Island that you can rent. The school, this year, has 6 students. There is no doctor on the Island. Lobstering is the maine source of income for the residents of the Island.

After we got back to shore, we went to the Rockland Cafe for a delicious lunch (best fried shrimp ever). Visited the Owls Head Lighthouse, which will soon be undergoing a face lift and open to the public. We visited Marshall Point Lighthouse, featured in the Forrest Gump movie.

On this tour, we, also, took in the Windjammer Festival and crused out on the Ocean on the Island Lady to watch the Windjammers sail into the harbor. We passed by the Ram Island Lighthouse and Burnt Island Lighthouse. Burnt Island is owned by the State and used for educational purposes. In July and August you can take a boat to the lighthouse and get a tour to see how life used to be when lighthouses were manned by a lighthouse keeper and his family. Pemaquid Lighthouse was another lighthouse on our tour. This lighthouse is featured on the Maine State Quarter.

We visited the beautiful little town of Camden and drove to Rockport to see the Belted Galloway Cows. The cows were brought over from Scotland several years ago and are a big attraction in Rockport. They are sometimes called oreo cookie cows because they are black with a wide white stripe wrapped around their middle.

Other highlights of this tour were Portland Head Lighthouse, Nubble Light, Cape Elizabeth Twin Lights, Spring Point and Bug Lights, Lighthouse Depot, Pres. George H.W. Bush summer home, LL Bean and a few other interesting things. On our way to Matinicus Rock

Our Captain and his wife Robin, dog Rossi


Part of our Group

At the Owls Head Lighthouse

The State of Maine will be observing Lighthouse Day in September and 52 lighthouses will be open to the public. More about that, next time, when I get the details.