The Events of Wednesday, October 13, 2010

          After an adventurous and tiring day yesterday, we took things a little slower this morning. No sunrise; no mountain climbs. Just a wake-up, preparation, breakfast, a little shopping, and then departure for a day of a little less adventure. Our destination was Rockland, a quaint little town on the sea. The road to Rockland involved passing over a bridge: the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Although the view was nothing extraordinary, the cable-stayed bridge was. From a distance, you could see its two towers over a sea of fall foliage. Not a big point of interest, but cool if you happen to need to drive over it. Also on the way to Rockland was an information center, where we got brochures about camping, lighthouses, and our future activities.

          Once in Rockland, we had a great lunch by a calm harbor full of lobster boats hauling the day’s catch. We had read in the AAA Tour Book about the Maine Lighthouse Museum, so we decided to check it out. Although all of us agreed that it could have been designed much better, it was very informative. There were tons of original lenses, lights, foghorns, and countless other artifacts. I was intrigued about the Fresnel (pronounced FREH-nel) Lens, which helped the lights become brighter and save more fuel. There were two types of Fresnel lenses: the belt and the bulls-eye. The belt lens provides a constant source of light from all directions, but the bulls-eye lens is set on a rotating pedestal, so it provides flashes of light to ships. Unique patterns of flashing light can identify the lighthouse, so in addition to warning ships, coastal lighthouses can also be a good navigational tool. The other cool exhibit was about the way beached ships were rescued. Through a whole bunch of intricate processes only a skilled sailor would know, a Lyle gun is used to shoot a line up to 600 yards. Next, a kind of zipline is rigged between the mast and the shore. The stranded crew slides down in a neat chair that is made of a flotation device with canvas suspended below. In an ideal situation, all make it to shore safe and dry before the ship goes under.

          We had also heard about a lighthouse that can be accessed by a mile-long breakwater, so we decided to head there next. We walked all the way across and stayed dry—until the last 30 feet. A large lobster boat came speeding by and created a large enough wake that water sloshed onto the granite surface, soaking us up to our ankles. Trying to escape the next volley of waves, we headed up the stairs to the lighthouse, only to learn that it was closed for construction. Disheartened and wet, we headed back barefoot, splashing in puddles and having lots of fun. Once we got back, Dad called ahead to our campsite in Wiscasset to check that they were open and to make reservations. In this time of year, campgrounds (especially in the northern states) start to close because business slows and temperatures drop. Few campgrounds are still open at this time of year and they are closing rapidly. Luckily, the campground we were looking at was still open (but only until Saturday!). We set up, had dinner, and then did math until bedtime. Ahhhh…. calm, relaxing, and not stressful. Not a bad day!