ME II: trails!

· Maine Event

We had a real vacation day today with very little to do. We headed on the ferry to Portland to meet our friend RJ to get a cart to lug our things to our regular place on Spring Street on Sunday. I think most of you know but the trick about Peaks Island is that you need to bring your own sheets and towels. I sent a box ahead to my friend, however, now we have our two suitcases and two backpacks plus a box worth of stuff to lug back to Portland on Sunday morning. We are going to do it in two trips and this is all possible because of our dear friend.

There are too many people here. Peaks is a tourist destination for all kinds of daytime visitors plus people like us that stay here seasonally - moms with kids, families with visitors, cruise ship elders, biking teens, etc. The ferries hold 399 people and 12 cars. They are full in the morning coming out to Peaks and full in the evening going back to Portland. A full ferry is less pleasurable than it sounds. Anyway, that's all to say don't go on vacation in July and August on Peaks. It was actually a lovely day today 80° with cooler ocean breezes, nice in the shade kind of weather. Too warm in the sun. We went on another nice walk on the inner dirt roads which have lots of cattail marshes and birds and there are still puddles from the rain. On our way back we decided to venture onto an unmarked trail that we were pretty sure led to a loop back to our house and it was completely magical and included an outrageously beautiful pond with lilypads and a kingfisher. The island is roughly the same size as the peninsula part of Portland with far fewer people, industry, and merchants. We ended the day with stir-fried steak (the charcoal got wet in the rain), sauteed thinly sliced turnips, and a salad.

red cooler selling water for 2 dollars
On non-rainy days these self-serve coolers full of water for $2.00 are positioned around the island on the Seashore Ave. loop that most people use.
country road with trees overhanging it
This is one of the alternate ways home if Seashore Ave. is too full. The big trees are Red Oaks which I have a special love for.
a dirt road with trees and bushes and blue sky
This is an example of these inner dirt roads that we wander around on looking for birds.
a trail with long tree shadows
The beginning of the trail we went on today that turned out to be a loop back to our house skipping the people and the sun.
bridge over marsh on the trail
More sweet elements of the trail
dark trees looking out onto sunlit ferns
Sunlit ferns.
Marshes, oh my!
lake reflecting trees and clouds
And a lake! We later learned its name is Brackett Pond.
another view of the lake with a cloud
Another view of the same lake.
lake with plants and clouds
Couldn't resist. Just one more.
ferry near Cushing island
This is a ferry on the backside of the island as you are looking at it against Cushing Island. It's likely coming back from Baily's Island which is a great hiking destination. Last year they weren't making any trips due to the pandemic. You can see the ferry map here, note they leave out Cushing Island because they don't provide service to that island. We spotted this sitting on a stone fence as the day cooled off and it was still to hot to be inside.
spider on a rock
We looked down and saw this Fishing Spider come out on the warm rocks.
many rocks covered with many spiders
Then we looked up and all the rocks had one or more spiders as far as the eye could reach left or right. So many spiders.

Have a creepy, crawly evening.

Sending love,

Tawnia

And birds of the day:

  1. Song Sparrow
  2. European Starling
  3. Rock Dove
  4. Catbird
  5. Herring Gull
  6. Common Eider
  7. American Crew
  8. Double-Crested Cormorant
  9. House Sparrow
  10. Ruby Throated Hummingbird
  11. Northern Cardinal
  12. Black Capped Chickadee
  13. American Goldfinch
  14. Blue Jay
  15. American Robin
  16. Northern Mockingbird
  17. Great Black Backed Gull
  18. Belted Kingfisher
  19. Semipalmated Sandpiper
  20. Osprey