On Tuesday, we drove to the West Quoddy Head light without difficulty. The scenery was pleasant and we were able to see parts of Washington County that we had (until then) only heard about via the news media. We passed a building shaped like and painted to resemble (i.e., it was a bright dusky blue) a blueberry. It was pretty amazing!! The voice on Papa Bear's GPS (known as Bridget, the voice on Mama Bear's GPS is Brenda, though Gypsy - i.e. GPSy - was considered) was unfailingly patient, precise and accurate.
We paid the entrance fee and walked around the grounds of the light, then went inside and viewed the exhibits that told stories of the light. It was authorized by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808, but is not the oldest lighthouse in Maine (which is the light at Cape Elizabeth in Portland, Maine.) I loved the entry in one of the logs: the morning dawned clear, changed to rain, then to snow. A rescue had to be made for a schooner that had run aground. I also loved that at one time the fog warning would happen in the following way: the ferry (I am not certain to where - perhaps Grand Manan, New Brunswick) boat captain would blow the whistle on the ferry, and then the light house keeper would set off a cannon repeatedly. Today they have an automated fog horn, and the light is solar powered.
After exploring the museum in the lighthouse and the grounds a bit more, we went to the nearby picnic area and took the steps to a rocky beach. We spent some time exploring the rocks, watching boats work lobster pots and sail, feeling the wind and watching the water.
We then journeyed to Lubec, Maine, where we spent the night in an inn near the waterfront. From the inn, we could see Campobello Island, New Brunswick. In the morning, we arose, insured that Papa Bear, who had packed light and only had his US state driver's license with him, would be able to return to the United States if we entered the Island, and then went onto the Island. This particular border crossing has what is called a "Friendly Border" because of the International Park on the Island. The park shows President Frankin Delano Roosevelt's summer place.
We went first to the East Quoddy Head light. We were unable to get close to it because it was high tide, but we were able to see the churning waters in the area, the light, and even some whales!!
Our next stop was at the International Park. We went to the visitor's center, saw a film, and many, many pictures that depicted the life and work of President Franklin Roosevelt. From the visitor's center, we went to the see the house. It is lovely. The grounds have beautiful flowers and the view to the Bay of Fundy is spectacular.
The house itself is kept much as it was when the Roosevelt's lived there. One point I feel I need to make is that Roosevelt spent summers growing up on Campobello Island, and then summers there when his family was young. His family continued to spend summers there even after he became too busy to travel there for extended stays. When the family visited, they brought their servants and hired people from the Island to help them.
There are 34 rooms in the home. The first two floors show the house as it was during the time the Roosevelt's lived there. The children were tutored even in the summer, so there was room for the children (five), Eleanor and Franklin, the tutor, and many servants. Water was pumped to holding tanks on the third floor, using a wind mill or a mechanized pump when the wind mill was not working. Campobello Island had no electricity until the 1940's, so the family used kerosene lamps. And the only telephone/telegraph on the Island was about two miles away from the family home. There was a large megaphone that was placed on the porch when they were there and Frankin and Eleanor would use it to call out to the people at the beach. We were told that Eleanor could be heard at times in Eastport, the village across the Bay of Fundy from the home. We were also told that the larger pieces of laundry were sent out to the island for washing and processing; intimates were done on-site by the servants.
One item on a display just outside the house struck me: it said that President Roosevelt had many, many New Deal programs in his attempt to end the Great Depression by spending the country out of it; and that not all of them worked, but some did. It made me think about the current status of our country and about how we seem to want everything to work instantly and well. I wonder if it is us, or the news media. Perhaps journalists need to try to show opposing views of each report: may not earn huge ratings, but would certainly be fairer than some of what we see these days, in my personal opinion.
We had purchased wonderful chocolates in Lubec and considered visiting the store again before we departed, but decided that we would keep the store in mind should we visit again in the future. The trip home was uneventful. We really enjoyed everything we did and Mama Bear is thinking that perhaps next summer we need to plan to visit Campobello again and also each of the ten Maine state parks!!
Pictures are from Papa Bear and are as taken.
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