Taking the Fork in the Road: Lobstah and Chowdah in Maine

Me at LL Bean

One of our first stops in Maine was Freeport, home of LL Bean and some of New England’s busiest outlet mall shopping. We zipped through LL Bean to buy a few things then drove to Old Freeport down by the wharf.

A connected house

Driving to Old Freeport we saw our first “connected house” where the house and barn are one rambling building. We learned that this was most common in New England states like Maine during the 1700s and 1800s. Those practical New Englanders used them as a way to stay out of the winter weather.

At the wharf we found what we’d been searching for: an old school lobster shack where Russ could have a truly fresh lobster. The lobster couldn’t have been any fresher since it was plucked from the water not far from the shack, then kept with its fellow victims in a tank. After Russ OK’d his lobster, they boiled it on the spot and served it up with corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, and plenty of butter of course.

Russ's future meal

While we were heading to our car in the parking lot we heard a man with a big attitude tell the parking lot attendant “Boy, take a good look at that tag. You won’t see one of those again” about his Washington plates. Russ laughed at that and said “I’ve got one just like it.” Turns out the guy was from Anacortes, Washington, about an hour from where we used to live.

The next day we went to the old part of Portland where we saw a tall ship that the Coast Guard Academy uses as a training vessel. The ship has a unique history in that it was built in Germany in 1936 and then came over to the US shortly before WWII. The construction of the ship was intricate. The hull and masts were steel. There were ropes going everywhere, although the cadets on board confessed that they don’t actually tie all those fancy knots as part of their training.

The old part of Portland down by the docks was filled with old buildings and cobblestone streets. While we were there Russ had clam “chowdah” at Gilbert’s which everyone said was the place to go. After a big bowl of chowder, Russ agreed and gave it a thumbs up.

Chowdah time

Russ and I are always drawn to small towns and the older parts of cities. As we’ve traveled through the US it’s been amazing to look at all the manufacturing facilities that have empty parking lots and closed signs. You can tell from the downtown areas that cities are struggling to find something to fill that gap. We can’t help but think of all those jobs that have disappeared. So now we’re trying to buy American-made items whenever possible. On a happier note, I was intrigued by banners posted in a small city near Portland that we drove through: Artists Work Here. I loved the idea that there were artists creating away throughout the town.

Some people never grow up

After we left Portland, we moved on to Bangor, partly to go to the Bangor State Fair. When Russ and I were growing up the Tulsa State Fair was a big event, so big in fact that we got a day off from school to go to the fair. The Fair had it all: a raucous midway, fast rides, livestock, exhibits, and the buildings full of booths hawking gingseng knives and shamwow-type products. Later when we had a farm we went to smaller county fairs too. Small or large, I loved them all. So when I read that Bangor was having their State Fair we made it a point to be there.

OK, so it wasn’t the Tulsa State Fair but it was still fun to be at a fair. Fried foods definitely ruled, especially the Fried Dough which struck me as being a particularly honest (and funny) description of what you got. Even though small, the livestock barn was filled with kids proudly displaying their animals. Like Russ said, every fair is the same but every fair is different because of the local culture and what’s important to that area.

After talking to other RVers who’ve been to the Canadian Maritime provinces, we were even more excited about that part of our trip so we cut our Maine visit short and left Bangor for our first stop in Canada: Moncton, New Brunswick.

Some of our other favorite photos from Maine: