West Quoddy Head Light--since 1808, there has been a lighthouse there to guide ships through the Quoddy Narrows.
A lobster boat putts from one trap to the next.
blood of many Down East Mainers, and Katy’s husband was a sixth-generation lobsterman. The most unusual moment of the day came a few hours later when we returned on the mail boat ferry with the school kids and their teachers. As we waited at the dock for the kids to board, suddenly two teachers began loading a dozen or more large music drums onto the boat. As the boat began to bounce over the waves, I chatted with the music teacher, a locally known musician, and he explained that he was bringing the drums off the island after teaching the kids about West African music. Back on the mainland, north and east of Mount Desert Island, the Schoodic Scenic Byway made for another beautiful day trip. This drive takes in a remote part of Acadia National Park at Schoodic Point as well as some stunning and classic coastal Maine vistas beyond that. The small town of Winter Harbor is home to just a few boats, but it was the area around Prospect Harbor that made us feel we were really getting Down East. As we photographed the little lighthouse and cluster of lobster boats, a weathered lobsterman in wet knee-high rubber boots came up the gangway from the dock and began to tell us about his life on the ocean. Eighty-two years old and very spry, his eyes twinkled as he described his first offshore fishing expedition with his grandfather on New
England’s Grand Banks when he was only 9. He smiled broadly as he told us he still makes his living every day from the sea. Traveling further Down East along coastal U.S. Highway 1, we arrived in Lubec, the easternmost town in America. This village hugs a tiny harbor and has a colorful main street. Nearby, we found the unusual red and white candy-striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse standing proudly on a bluff. Taking a short bridge to Campobello Island, we left America behind for a few hours and explored the pretty Canadian island of Campobello (a passport is required). At the far end of the island, the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse marked the dangers of the craggy shore and one-upped its American candy-striped companion across the bay with a brilliant red cross emblazoned on the front. We learned that it is possible to walk out to the tiny lighthouse island at low tide, but the timing of high tide prevented us from going. Continuing our trek Down East along the coastal route, our last stop was the town of Eastport. Not many tourists make it this far Down East, and we were enchanted by the slow pace and authentic flavor of seaside village life in such a remote spot. Small homes built as much as a century ago lined the narrow roads around town, and in each of the small eateries we visited we were
DOWN EAST MAINE
COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2018
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