Up at the crack of 5:00 A.M. Hitting the road at 6:00 A.M. 6:34 A.M. Heading to New Harbor, Maine to catch the 9:00 A.M. boat to Monhegan Island. The Hardy Boat Line takes us 10 miles through 100 foot swells (literally) slamming into our little boat every 4 feet and taking us into another world. (Literally)
Shaw's Lobster and Fish Market is right there on the wharf in case you all would like to order some wicked good Lobstahs and other salty delicacies. These things were alive just minutes before. (Don't think about it.)
Boarding the boat from the front and past the little Galley serving coffee, tea, snacks and homemade cinnamon buns, we were able to choose sitting inside or up on the top deck outside.
We I chose to sit inside. The captain said that the lower you sit in the boat, the less rocky it's going to be and since he wouldn't let me sit in the bilge, we sat in one of the inside benches. You see, I'm somewhat prone to motion sickness.....even just walking around on dry land sometimes.
This was the view from the back of the boat, before we shoved off. Looks calm, huh? Well now, the captain announces that he can see the big buoy way out there somewhere and IT appears to be bouncing around somewhat. Quite a bit, actually.
"We have some complimentary ginger candies in the Galley for motion sickness.", announces the Captain. Help yourself.
I took a handful.
Complimentary.
:-)
Complimentary ginger candies. (Taste like putting black pepper into your mouth, but whatever....)
I have no photos of the boat ride there. Not a one.The swells were so large, scenes from the Posiden Adventure and Titanic were scrolling in my head.
I could not move or take my eyes off of the horizon, which, btw, is what keeps one from puking. I sat like a zombie for an hour.
The boat literally fell from the top of one swell after another, I swear, a hundred feet.
(Captain says they were 4 foot swells, but what does he know....)
Mr. Downeastdoingstuff took a video of it on his i phone, but I don't know how to access that.
(Me? I have one of the first cell phone ever invented. No apps.)
So we had reservations at the Monhegan House, pictured below. There were old and/or mini pickup trucks from the major Inns waiting for us at the dock. We gave them our bags and they were waiting right outside our room when we checked in. Our room was the two windows on the far right on the second floor.
So we had reservations at the Monhegan House, pictured below. There were old and/or mini pickup trucks from the major Inns waiting for us at the dock. We gave them our bags and they were waiting right outside our room when we checked in. Our room was the two windows on the far right on the second floor.
Our room. All the rooms are basic farmhouse style rooms. There are shared bathrooms and showers down a long hall. At first that might seem yucky, but everything, and I mean everything, was spotless and it was maintained that way. Not a problem at all.
Toto toilets, lights that went on and off automatically, paper towel dispensers that gave you a paper towel. You didn't even have to wave your hand around at some unknown sensor to maybe get it to work. It just did. Nice showers.
Toto toilets, lights that went on and off automatically, paper towel dispensers that gave you a paper towel. You didn't even have to wave your hand around at some unknown sensor to maybe get it to work. It just did. Nice showers.
We stayed at this Inn 10 years ago and since then it's been freshly painted, remodeled and updated. It's very, very nice.
This was a view from the window of our room toward the Black Duck establishment and the harbor.
This was inside the Black Duck establishment. Starbuck's type of coffee and lattes, munchies and gifts. I bought myself a couple of gifts.
The Fish Market 'restaurant' provided outdoor picnic tables for it's patrons and seagulls.
Walking around, there were a million things to photograph. Now, I tend to exaggerate about things now and then, but this was no exaggeration. Notice the lighthouse on the hill!
How many photos did you take, Birdman??
I thought these were cute.
The Shining Sails Inn.
The Island Inn from the top of Lighthouse Hill. Manana Island is in the background.
After a walk to Lobster Cove, a sign on the ground pointed the way.
"Town", by the way, is our Inn, a Church, the Black Duck and the Post Office.
This is the main street in town.
We had our last lunch at this Cafe right next to the dock. Half a sandwich and yummy Clam Chowder.
This was not our boat, but ours was very similar. The ride back, at 3:15, did not sport the monster swells we experienced going to Monhegan. BUT, it was very choppy and we still we rocked and rolled quite a bit.
Took two more ginger candies and made it back to shore with my lunch intact.
It truly was a perfect weekend.
