Day four of our trip included a fairly painless itinerary: Get into Maine, do some sightseeing, and stop for the night wherever fresh Maine lobster is available.
Since Stewbert and I tend to stick to the obscure when it comes to sightseeing, our first stop was in Hartland, New Brunswick, home of the world's longest covered bridge. At 1,282 feet, it was everything I expected the longest covered bridge to be, and more - we actually got to drive across it! Thus, I am overjoyed to report that I have crossed the world's longest covered bridge on my motorcycle - twice.
After an effortless border crossing in Houlton, we proceeded south toward the Atlantic coastline in Maine. Our destination was Quoddy Head State Park in Lubec, the easternmost point of land in the United States. Well worth the trouble to get there, Quoddy Head S.P. features well-marked foot trails overlooking rocky gorges rising 90 to 150 feet above the pounding surf. The beautiful striped lighthouse has guided ships around the headlands since the Civil War era, and across the bay we could easily make out the shores of Canada.
After Quoddy, Stewbert and I pressed south, along Highway 1. Coming into Belfast, Maine, something grabbed my attention that made me stop.
Overlooking the Atlantic was a place called Papa J's & the Lobster Bar. At sundown we walked in, and get this - despite that the kitchen had just closed, our kindly hostess Laura ordered up two lobsters, and even showed us how to properly eat them. At that point Jim, the owner of Papa J's, produced a bottle of champagne and cigars. The ambiance of the joint, the character of our hosts, and quality of food made this the absolute perfect way to toast the conclusion of yet another successful day.
- Dan Wegmueller writes a weekly column for the Times, and an annual journal from his summer motorcycle trip. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
Since Stewbert and I tend to stick to the obscure when it comes to sightseeing, our first stop was in Hartland, New Brunswick, home of the world's longest covered bridge. At 1,282 feet, it was everything I expected the longest covered bridge to be, and more - we actually got to drive across it! Thus, I am overjoyed to report that I have crossed the world's longest covered bridge on my motorcycle - twice.
After an effortless border crossing in Houlton, we proceeded south toward the Atlantic coastline in Maine. Our destination was Quoddy Head State Park in Lubec, the easternmost point of land in the United States. Well worth the trouble to get there, Quoddy Head S.P. features well-marked foot trails overlooking rocky gorges rising 90 to 150 feet above the pounding surf. The beautiful striped lighthouse has guided ships around the headlands since the Civil War era, and across the bay we could easily make out the shores of Canada.
After Quoddy, Stewbert and I pressed south, along Highway 1. Coming into Belfast, Maine, something grabbed my attention that made me stop.
Overlooking the Atlantic was a place called Papa J's & the Lobster Bar. At sundown we walked in, and get this - despite that the kitchen had just closed, our kindly hostess Laura ordered up two lobsters, and even showed us how to properly eat them. At that point Jim, the owner of Papa J's, produced a bottle of champagne and cigars. The ambiance of the joint, the character of our hosts, and quality of food made this the absolute perfect way to toast the conclusion of yet another successful day.
- Dan Wegmueller writes a weekly column for the Times, and an annual journal from his summer motorcycle trip. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.