Good-bye to Maine, hi New Hampshire

Touring has its perks. Like sitting shoreside Saturday on Peaks Island, simply off Portland, Maine, consuming lobster rolls, looking at the sailboats and playing the cool Atlantic breeze.

Touring has its pains. Like Southwest cancelling your flight to Chicago on Saturday night, and not using a extra to be had flights from Portland till Monday and all of the apartment automobiles bought out.

Extra at the pains later. You didn’t come right here to examine our issues. You got here right here to learn concerning the pleasures of Maine.

So on our final (part) day in Maine, Trish the Dish and I snuck in a few last-minute adventures. (A reader requested who’s Trish the Dish? Patricia Break of day King of Moore, Oklahoma, misplaced her thoughts and married me 42 summers in the past. She’s been my lighthouse ever since).

We took the Casco Bay Ferry to Top’s Island for lunch, then we drove during the upscale Portland suburb of Falmouth, en path to the airport.

Tramel’s journey weblog: Portland Head Mild is superior through land or through sea

What number of people live to tell the tale Peaks Island, Maine?

Between Portland and Portland Head, the place the sea meets the bay, take a seat 136 islands. Maximum uninhabited and maximum a part of Portland’s town limits. However a number of the islands have both citizens or summer time vacationers or each. And Peaks Island is essentially the most populous of the ones 136 islands, with an estimated inhabitants of virtually 1,000 year-round and any place from 2,000 to 4,000 in the summertime.

Peaks Island is set 3 miles off the Portland mainland and obtainable by way of ferry. The Casco Bay Ferry runs 10-12 occasions an afternoon, sporting automobiles, other people and motorcycles. It’s rather crowded. The 12:15 shuttle over to the island incorporated a marriage birthday party, whole with groomsmen in tuxedos. The ferry left some automobiles and pedestrians in the back of, since the boat stuffed up, and something you by no means wish to do is overload a ship.

The trip around the bay is 20something mins, so through 12:45 p.m. we have been on Peaks Island, which sports activities an fundamental college, library, police station, ice cream parlor, grocery retailer, artwork galleries, two museums, a kayak apartment and a golf-cart apartment.

Tale continues

Lengthy Island, any other inhabited Casco Bay island, seceded from Portland in 1993, and in recent times, each Peaks Island and Nice Diamond Island have attempted the similar, to no avail. I don’t know the politics concerned, however I do know Peaks Island, 720 acres, is a jewel.

Once we landed, we walked instantly to the Island Lobster Corporate, which sits at the bay and has two ranges of out of doors seating, plus a grassy knoll of picnic tables close to the water. For lunch, Trish the Dish had a lobster roll and I had fried scallops, since they’re thought to be a Maine staple and I hadn’t attempted them on our shuttle. The lobster roll used to be the most efficient of the week – filled with luscious meat – and my scallops have been just right.

Island Lobster Corporate is an endearing undertaking, since there is not any center guy. A circle of relatives runs the operation from sea to desk. The husband has a lobster boat; the spouse runs the eating place.

After lunch, we attempted to discover Peaks Island by way of golfing cart; alas, like we’d uncover with the airport apartment automobiles later within the day, they have been all bought out.

So we loitered across the Ferry dock, playing our ultimate day at the sea.

Tramel’s journey weblog: Visiting Maine’s Previous Orchard Seashore is a time device

Taking the Casco Bay Ferry

The Ferry can deal with about 10 automobiles at a time and loads of walkers. The boat used to be some distance much less crowded returning, because it used to be the center of the day.

The Portland waterfront is rather spectacular, with a wide variety of business transport happening, and in a single day, the cruise send Norwegian Pearl had docked.

Portland and its suburbs account for seven of Maine’s 10 maximum populous towns. Portland has about 68,000 citizens; Lewiston, about 35 miles north of Portland, is Maine’s second-biggest town, with about 36,000 other people. Bartlesville is relatively larger.

After redocking, we popped into our apartment automobile and drove a couple of miles north thru Falmouth, which a excursion information had informed us has changed Cape Elizabeth as Maine’s maximum prosperous municipality. Falmouth backs as much as the bay, with dozens and dozens of homes aligning the shore. We drove Direction 88, which for a couple of miles shows stately New England properties, now not opulent however sublime.

Then it used to be off to Portland World Jetport. We arrived manner early, 4 p.m., for a 6:55 p.m. flight, so shall we watch our granddaughter’s Alcott Heart Faculty softball recreation by way of the GameChanger app. Between innings, we dropped off the apartment automobile and made it thru safety. About 4:45 p.m. got here the textual content – our flight used to be cancelled. Climate in Chicago, which contained our connecting flight.

I knew what that supposed. Saturday night time? Small airport like Portland? We have been in bother. I straight away scurried right down to the price tag counter, used to be 3rd in line and were given us rebooked. Portland had no flights till Monday – a lot of people fly out of Maine on Sundays – however my New England geography paid off.

I were given us booked on a Sunday night flight out of Manchester, New Hampshire, 95 miles away. I made a fast itinerary. Recover from to Manchester on Saturday night time, discover a resort, and shall we spend a just right chew of Sunday exploring New Hampshire, a state we adored on our New England shuttle two years in the past.

Tramel’s journey weblog: Maritime villages in Maine’s Mid-Coast

Hassle used to be, the way to get to Manchester? I briefly realized the apartment automobiles have been all booked – it is summer time in Maine – and a taxi sought after $300 for the shuttle. So I ordered an Uber.

I’ve requested Uber two times to take me somewhat lengthy distances. As soon as, with our guy Joe Mussatto, from Grapevine, Texas, to Norman, looking to get house from the 2019 NCAA Match, when all of the DFW flights and apartment automobiles have been booked forged. That shuttle value us $180 and went easily.

Over again, I had to get from Purcell to Ada, and I batted .500. My first Uber motive force stated she couldn’t move that some distance. Every other Uber motive force used to be glad to take me.

Uber’s technique is to stay the vacation spot from the driving force till the client is picked up. That motivates drivers to pick out up all consumers, as an alternative of permitting them to decline journeys to unwanted locales.

I remember the fact that coverage. Nevertheless it doesn’t paintings when someone needs to head from Portland, Maine, to Manchester, New Hampshire. Nearly the similar distance from Oklahoma Town to Tulsa. No longer each and every motive force could make that dedication.

We batted .500 once more. The primary Uber motive force stated he couldn’t do it; he had to pick out up his children quickly. I am getting that. We’ve all were given lives to reside.

My moment Uber motive force didn’t wish to move. He sat and idea hard and long. Then he gave us the come on. Seems, the man lives in Lewiston and had simply introduced a buyer from Augusta, the state capital, 56 miles away.

He used to be a pleasant fellow. An African immigrant, 5 years in The usa searching for asylum, with a spouse, 3 daughters and any other at the manner. I am hoping the shuttle used to be financially rewarding for him with out an excessive amount of of a bother. The price used to be $169, and he reaped $89 of that. I gave him a $50 tip. So he were given $139. And he picked up a fare on the Manchester airport, after shedding us off. I am hoping the following consumers have been headed within the course of Maine.

At the shuttle to New Hampshire, I booked a resort and a apartment automobile – what did we do sooner than mobile phones? — and shortly sufficient Trish the Dish and I have been in a Kia Soul. We grabbed a small snack, discovered our Fairfield Inn and crashed.

Maine is in the back of us, however adventures stay.

Berry Tramel: Berry can also be reached at 405-760-8080 or at [email protected]. He can also be heard Monday thru Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports activities Animal radio community, together with FM-98.1. Give a boost to his paintings and that of different Oklahoman newshounds through buying a virtual subscription lately. 

This text firstly gave the impression on Oklahoman: Maine journey information: Taking Casco Bay Ferry boat to Peaks Island