Into the Bay, Up the River

The Fram's observation deck at night.
The 'H' is for Hurtigruten

A day of rain, with enough wind to make it biting, greeted us as we anchored in Rockland, Maine Thursday. Too nasty for me, even though I planned to revisit the Farnsworth Museum and its extensive collection of Wyeths, along with Chlde Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, Thomas Eakins and Louise Nevelson, among other American artists and sculptors. It's only a slight detour from my regular route to Bar Harbor each summer, so I'll return on another occasion.

After taking on a pilot in mid-afternoon we sailed Penobscot Bay to its namesake river, passing under the Penobscot Narrows bridge (pictured above), a cable-stayed span which replaced a 1931 suspension bridge I crossed many times en route to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. We anchored in the Penobscot River early in the evening a short tender ride from Bucksport, where we spent the morning and early afternoon Friday without rain or much wind, allowing us to take the elevator to the observation platform of the west tower (on the right in photo). Many also visited the original Fort Knox next to the bridge, but found no gold. The fort was built after the War of 1812 to protect against future British invasions. It worked until the Beatles landed.

Bucksport is still reeling from the closing of its paper mill a few years ago, but hope that a closed-cycle salmon farm to be built on the site will fulfill its promise of 700 permanent jobs. Between the fish farm and the town's effort to develop its tourist industry, the town's economic development director, Richard Rotella, told me they are optimistic for the future. A few more cruise ships each season wouldn't hurt either. Another town official, Jeffrey Hammond, told me the Fram is the largest cruise vessel to visit so far. With its deepwater anchorages and piers, which served the paper mill and continue to take in oil tankers carrying fuel for Bangor International Airport 20 miles upriver, the harbor infrastructure is suitable for smaller cruise ships like the Fram.

Although there are too many vacant storefronts to suit the town's economic development director, a few more businesses have located here, including some tourist-focused endeavors. My favorite (though it's opening hours did not coincide with our visit) was the Friar's Brewhouse. The Franciscan monks closed their bakehouse in Bangor and opened the tap house last April, brewing their beers on the side of a mountain just out of town. Next time I drive to Maine I'll sample their product. Their motto: "Holier Than Thou Brews".

Hammond and Rotella weren't the only locals at the town dock as we were tendered ashore. Plenty of locals came, binoculars in hand, to see the Fram. It was, to some extent, an event. I spoke to one couple from Searsport, about a dozen miles away along the west shore of the bay, who stopped to see the Fram en route to Millinocket.

Here are two foliage photos from the bridge's observation tower (higher than the Statue of Liberty, and the highest bridge observation tower in the U.S.)

Fort Knox, strong as its granite, never fired a shot in anger.