Road Trip, Day 2: Rockland/Camden — Coasting Toward Blue

DAY TWO: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Ending point: Camden, Maine
Starting mileage: 188,463
Ending mileage: 188,535
Daily total (miles): 72
Trip total (miles): 240

We spent our first day of the road trip in Boothbay Harbor, with an overnight at The Topside Inn. Everything about the inn was fantastic—but the true highlight was the included breakfast. If for no other reason, go for the thinly sliced English muffin bread and the whipped cinnamon butter. Seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed buttered toast more in my life. I thought I snapped a photo, but alas, I did not. My memory of that bread and butter combo will have to suffice. Okay, enough with the melodrama…

In addition to the fruit, yogurt, granola, breads, and butters, juice, and coffee, the inn offers a daily made-to-order breakfast entree as well. Today’s special: chocolate-ricotta pancakes and crispy bacon. The chocolate flavor was barely-there (which I appreciated), and the pancakes were fluffy and moist. An awesome way to start the day.

With that hearty breakfast to tide us over, our adventures began. First stop, Owls Head Lighthouse in Rockland, Maine, 49 miles away from Boothbay Harbor (about 1:10). Again, a chilly and drizzly start to the day, but the weather could certainly be worse—it’s New England, after all!

Owls Head Light is tucked away at the tip of Owls Head State Park. The lighthouse station was established in 1852, and features a fourth order Fresnel lens. G and I were both struck at how short the light tower itself was—only 30 feet—but it’s perched high above the sea on a bluff, so the light seemed much, much taller.

After our quick visit, we made our way to the second lighthouse of the day, one of my favorites, Rockland Breakwater Light, about nine miles (22 mins) away from Owls Head. We’ve been to this light before, as we’ve visited Rockland a few times before. While we wouldn’t be visiting the Farnswort Art Museum on this trip, it’s a MUST-SEE, especially for fans of N.C. Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. And just about 17 miles away, is Olson House, made famous by Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World—another must-visit. I’ve been in both winter and late fall, but I look forward to touring the house (only from Memorial Day until mid-October) at some point. Next time!

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is located at the end of a breakwater that’s 7/8 of a mile long. The wind was whipping today, and I’m glad I went back to the van to grab an extra layer. Yup, it’s the end of June, and I’m still decked out in five layers.

After our visits to the two lighthouses, we made our way to Camden, another quaint coastal Maine town about 7.5 miles from Rockland Breakwater. We meandered down to the harbor and checked out some of the windjammers and then found a place for lunch. By this time (about 3/3:30p), I was getting hangry. While some of the eateries downtown were breakfast/lunch only, we grabbed an outdoor table (in hindsight, perhaps a bit too chilly for that!) at Sea Dog Brewing Company. G and I both enjoyed apps of hummus/veggies/naan and fried pickles (again, balance) and burgers—the Sea Dog Deluxe Double (two 3-oz beef patties). While I’ve focused a LOT on lobster rolls on this blog, I’m a burger girl at heart—though these days, I’ve tried to limit my beef consumption. Still, a burger every once in a while sure hits the spot. And this one definitely did!

As this was our late lunch/dinner, we bopped around a bit before heading back to our second night’s stay: Whitehall, located on High Street, just a few minutes from the downtown area. Renovated in 2015, Whitehall has a really cool, relaxing vibe—a perfect spot to lay our heads for the evening before heading off to Monhegan Island tomorrow…stay tuned!