BenTha'er-Horizons

Maine

Lobstering

You find you really should like and want to eat seafood if you spend any time in Maine or the Canadian Maritimes. At this time of year, lobster is available most places. Lobster Rolls are very common along the Maine coast and we saw them advertised a lot around Bar Harbor.

The lobster is mixed with a mild “sauce” that is probably a mayonnaise type base. The rolls the lobster is placed on are interesting because they look a bit like a slice of thick toast that has a flat bottom about 1.5 inches wide with the two bread sides. This type of roll is actually better than a Hot Dog bun because it does hold the food inside much better. It just looks really strange!

Lobster boats are everywhere and Lobstermen the same at just about every small coastal town and harbor. These individuals are up at 4 to 4:30 a.m. during the season (May to July). They start checking their lobster traps close to shore and up to maybe one mile out. One fellow we met at the B and B we stayed at in St. Joseph du Moine put out about 300 traps to check every day. Of course, they have to measure them and check claw size, females for eggs, and other factors. One look at the symmetry of lobster traps........

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The reason I am writing about lobstering is that while we were traveling home, there was a news article about how lobster prices have dropped for Maine lobstermen. There has been a glut of soft-shelled lobsters on the market and the season started sooner. The drop in prices is making it difficult to make any profit currently. Lobstering looks like hard work though in the Maritimes, those lobstering seemed to live in comfortable settings or homes.

Just another area we are struggling with in the USA, with the decrease in Maine lobster prices.
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Yesterday was Bangor Maine

Waking up at the Shilo Inn near the Portland Airport, it is hard to believe that our wake up call yesterday was in Bangor Maine. It was a bright hot day in the Northeast yesterday, though not muggy. The weather in Boston was similar to what we would find in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

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Maine Lake near Bar Harbor

We found the airport facilities quickly and got the rental car returned. The Alaska Airlines gate area was comfortable and there were electrical outlets available for the intrepid. A view from Boston harbor to Logan International airport as planes line up.

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The flight was uneventful and we had a beautiful view of Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood as they lined up down the Cascades on our approach into Portland. The Thayers were tired so staying the night at the Shilo Inn made sense. Now on to home and our family and animals.

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The Thayer Farm
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Leaving PEI and Canada

As the evening ended last night and we drove back to Summerside, there was a spectacular sunset off to the west. We saw it over the fields and wished we could have viewed it over the Gulf of St. Lawrence along the North coast. Here is an example of a sunset over PEI.

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Today, we said goodbye to PEI with the hope to return some future day. Our B and B hosts gave us advice on where to get a photo of the Confederation Bridge located between PEI and New Brunswick. The bridge is about 8 km. long, and the longest bridge over a body of water that freezes.

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We had about a slightly over 6 hour drive from Summerside on PEI to Bangor ME. The border crossing was quick and we were welcomed back to the States. It is a very isolated drive on Hwy. 9. Many homes and businesses are abandoned. I think this could be the loneliest highway in America in my opinion, not Hwy. 50 in Nevada. (VT)
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Heading off to Maine today

We are set to leave around noon for our drive from Quincy up to Bangor Maine. Before we leave the area, I want to mention the Stone Cottage at the Adams House. The cottage in the picture has about 14,000 books belonging to the 4 generations of Adams. It also has the desk of John Adams where he wrote many of his papers and important documents.

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