We woke with more excitement than usual, because this morning our campground was having their Sunday campers breakfast...meaning no oatmeal and peanut butter bagels for us! We had the real deal this morning - eggs, sausage, home fries, toast, pancakes and a shot of oj. Crazy enough, when we sat down to eat, the people next to us were the same people we met in Acadia National Park. They have been on a pretty similar road trip around the New England states, and it was nice to chat with them again.
The campground we are staying at is a little different from most in that people are not passing through, they are set up for a month or more at a time. Some RVs have screened-in porches, fences, statues in the yard, etc. They also have lots of activities for kids. This weekend was Halloween, so yesterday there were costumes, a parade and a haunted house. Next weekend is Christmas already.
The weather was a bit overcast as we headed into Portland, but that didn’t seem to keep people in. The downtown/Old Port district was hopping, and we could barely find parking (free parking that is - metered spots are all free on Sundays). The Eastern Promenade is a park along Casco Bay that features a trail that goes downtown. We found parking there and walked along the coast and boat docks into the Old Port area. One cool thing we saw was a ferry from Portland to the southern part of Nova Scotia, about a 6 hour trip one-way. People were lined up in their cars to drive on board once the giant ferry docked.
To be honest, after being in really outdoorsy places over the past week and a half, we didn’t really enjoy being in the city with crowds of people around us. Portland itself looks like a cool city with tons of places to eat, drink and shop, but it’s pretty touristy. As we were strolling around the cobblestone streets and harbor area, Chad heard the World Cup final game being broadcast from a bar. We had to stop and listen to the final minutes as France beat Croatia.
There are a number of lighthouses along the coast, and it is popular for people to ride a bike loop to visit them. Since it was getting late in the day, we decided to do part of the ride tomorrow morning and drive to the ones farthest away today. Our bad. First, we thought we could get into a state park to sightsee, but in Maine, state parks charge a fee. That was fine once we realized the lighthouse wasn’t actually in the park. It was, however, on a private residence, so no visitors were allowed in. It makes sense now why people bike to the lighthouses. Maybe we will see some tomorrow.
We ate a late lunch in Mill Creek park in South Portland while listening to the sounds of two homeless men make fun of cyclists on the biking trail that runs nearby. Then, back to the campground to do laundry and eat ice cream. By this time, the sun had come out, and it was a perfect time to sit by the campground lake as our clothes washed.
Tonight is our second to last night camping on our trip, so we spent the evening soaking up the campground atmosphere.
