Summer 2021

Just a few pics and videos from some summer camping.

Starting with some family time at North of Highland Camping Area in North Truro, Massachusetts.

https://www.capecodcamping.com

Mostly a tenting campground. Only a few hookup seasonal sites of the 237 sites.  Lady Blue likes her dry camping spot

Kids love camping at NOH.

Ready for an afternoon of crafts, they discover an inchworm.

Then there happens some collecting of pine cones, sticks , and leaves, and paper flowers to give it a home.

Uncle Sean has only to ask and a volunteer is immediately there to help with camp dishwashing.

Cousin Emilie has the best time.

So hard to get together after summer. More so when there is a good distance between homes-Rhode Island to New Hampshire.

Oh---and besides the fun of the campground there is that short 15 minute walk( or you can drive to a paid parking lot) to one of the best ocean beaches in New England. 

Head of the Meadow Beach

So much fun!

The three sisters and families love getting together.

The time goes by too quickly.

A last event is visiting a familiar restaurant from the past

50 plus years.

The Whitman House Restaurant 

Yes, those are local Wellfleet oysters for starters 

An added video from back at our house

on our dirt road.

One lone thistle with a happy bee.

Soon , off on another camping spree.

This time to Maine, beginning with

 Winslow Park and Campground in Freeport, Maine

Along part of a walking trail, a view of Harraseeket River and marina.

This park has other wonderful views of Casco Bay.

For this trip we had a very nice wooded campsite. In the past we had been able to have a site on the ocean. This year there are many more campers in September.

We always haver some reason to walk the main street in Freeport. And at least walk into LLBean and look for the huge clock(not working this time??) and maybe some camping, cooking, clothing, and live fish.

After, it is a short few hours drive to Lobster Buoy Campground in South Thomaston. It is towards the end of the finger of land . South of West Penobscot Bay and Southwest of Vinalhaven. Basically, you are looking out at the Atlantic Ocean 

Lobster Buoy on Tripadvisor

With an early reservation, you have a good chance of a water view site for your electric and water hookup. Tenting sites are much easier to reserve with an ocean view

Our site had a partial view this year. 

Next year we will try to reserve earlier.

 A little over a mile from the campground is one of Maine's most liked Lobster Shacks.

McLoons Lobster

The link above is to the website.

You will notice that it is now closed for the season.

A little video to look around the harbor.  On the Maine map you would note that McLoons is on Spruce Head Island. Driving here is a total immersion into the fishing communities of this part of Maine.

Many boats in the harbor, but almost all are working boats.

Like many other restaurants and shacks in Maine, McLoons adapted to Covid with a covered tent for safe seating.

Another discovery(thanks to Mr. Ashcroft) was 

The Maine Oyster Trail

Take time to inspect all of this website. It is divided into geographic sections of the Maine coast. 

We listed a number from the Midcoast tab and from there the Damariscotta River south.

Aphrodite Oysters is only about a football field away from McLoons Lobster, on Spruce head Island. They operate out of their home on the harbor.  As a small business , their main work appears to be in the commercial boats(again quite a few-maybe 30 or so)in this section alone.

Above is their magnet-phone card

Below is the very attractive presentation of our dozen oysters.

They were definitely some of the best we have ever had.

Below is the view from the front of Aphrodite Oyster.

McLoons would be to the left a ways out of sight.

The next move is back south on Route1 to a left on route 127 out of Woolwich(just north of Bath).

We are headed a good distance south towards Georgetown. At the end of one section of the split of this peninsula is Reid State Park looking out at Sheepscot Bay and the end of Sheepscot River.

The other side is where we head first to Sagadahoc Campground looking towards the Kennebec River.

Sagadahoc Bay Campground

This campground has a number of sites with views of the ocean.

We decided that we would instead take a very private campsite up in the woods. We had many opportunities to view the ocean while here.

Above is one of the tenting sites(not accessible to RVs) with a view of the ocean.

Above is a view of the beach close to low tide. Sand goes way out to the break in the land. You can walk on the sand easily. Also you can buy a license and rent equipment to dig clams if you wish. Yes- you have to buy a license. Hard to see, but there is a person clamming out there.

We did say beach. Above is the same view , a little after high tide.

Being sandy, it is a very popular beach for swimming.

Oh, did we mention that cooked lobsters are delivered hot, right to your site. We enjoyed it so much, we had lobster both nights we were there

Leaving the campground we drove over(much longer ride than you would think)to Reid State Park. If you were at the beach pictured previously , this park would be to your left, a very short boat ride.

From this video , you may see that this is a very popular beach with sand and a good surf for swimming.

If you are wondering about the picture below.

We ordered these very comfortable swivel chairs from Bernie and Phyls way back in February.  Then ---with Covid--we kept getting notices that the 6 to 8 weeks took until the end of September to finally receive them.  With the delay, we will gratefully acknowledge that the delivery was free.