MAINE: my final frontier. These are the voyages of the Scooter Vespa 250 i.e. Super. Its continuing mission - to explore America's most heavily forested state - to roam the vast coastline, numberless lakes, and mighty mountains. To boldly go where no scooter has gone before!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Down Bailey Island way

There's an old Downeast story that begins with an old Mainer being asked where he's from:

"Bailey Island way," the elderly gentleman says.

"Lived there all your life," is the next question.

"Not yet," is the pragmatic answer.

A couple of weeks ago, Mike and I rode down Bailey Island way, with Tina and Kevin, a pair of scooter riders from Portland. The weather was so marvelous, it was hard to go inside to have lunch, but the Cribstone Bridge Restaurant is so wide open and is actually over the sea that the momentary confinement was pleasant.

We were seated in the picture-windowed section in the front of the photo. Come summer, we'll surely try out the pier seats.

The restaurant is named for the one-of-a-kind bridge one rides over the reach the dining room.

This plaque explains the amazing structure.

Close up, it's easy to see that nothing but the weight of the stones is holding the thing together.

The sky over the island was brilliant

And the clouds and open sky made for some fascinating lighting

Mike explains the bridge to Tina and Kevin - and even with that, they still decided to ride over the structure to the restaurant.

Note Kevin's scooter - a 1985 Honda Elite 250
This spot is called "Land's End," because this is where the land ends

 

11 comments:

  1. Love the opening of this post. Great photos. The bridge is fantastic.
    ~k

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    1. Keith,

      Thank you - pleased that you liked it. And the bridge is truly remarkable. Considering how powerful the tide is, and how wild the waves can be, I can't believe it's been standing since 1928.

      Tom

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  2. Brilliant entry, indeed. And the pictures are marvelous, especially the last one.

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    1. Sonja,

      Thanks - new camera and new photo software.

      Tom

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  3. Excellent photos! I see a new life to your photography! Software and a fresh eye, maybe.

    And where did you get that blue sky?

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    1. Martha,

      Thank you - new camera (Canon SX 40 with x34 zoom lens), new iPad 3, and new software - Snapseed for iPad.

      I used to have a much smaller camera, and I used a tiny netbook with very poor screen resolution. I'm thrilled by the new stuff.

      I used a saturation filter tool of some kind to deepen the sky - I have no idea what it is, or if I can find it again in the program.

      But it is a lot of fun playing with this new technology.

      Tom


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    2. Good for you. I look forward to seeing what you can do with your new camera!

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  4. So beautiful.

    That bridge really is a marvel.

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    Replies
    1. Trobairitz,

      Thank you. The bridge is really worth the trip to Maine. Easy for me to say, but really, there isn't another bridge like it in the world.

      Tom

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  5. Nice post, I can almost taste the food and smell the sea air. My wife and I love Maine. There's nothing like it for melting away stress.

    Who knows. You might get some more moto visitors coming your way next year.

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    1. David,

      Thank you. I hope you and your wife can visit next year. Let us know when you may come, and Mike (scooter for fun) and I will create maps that lead to nowhere, and Mike's specialty - he knows where to eat great Maine food, even though he is from New York City!

      Seriously, we will welcome you whenever you can come. I love to share my amazing state with visitors.

      Tom

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