Calais, ME

Some people call it CAL-Lay and others call it CAL-LIS but we call it our last stop before we cross the bridge and drive into Canada.

Our last blog came from one of the nicest little campgrounds that we have visited. Lots of grass with minimum of dust and dirt. Four other RVers and one tenter, all with both big and little dogs - Shadow had a great time with all of his new friends. This is our waterfront site at the 9 foot high tide. Low tide looked like the mud bank at FB. It's here that we found out where the term "Down East" came from. This is what they say - in the old days they sailed the boats downwind up the coast with a wind from the southeast  and downwind, southeast was shortened and became "Down East".

We drove off of US 1 on the scenic drive of what is called the Bold Coast. The map showed a light house at Cutler Point  which we never got to see because there its on a Navy base that we couldn't get into. We did see about 30 towers and several communication dishes that a neighbor said were on top of an 80 foot high building. Funny, no one that we talked to knew what went on at the base. The map says US Naval Radio Station.

Then we got up to Quoddy Head State Park and viewed the Quoddy Head Light which along with Portland Head and Nubble seem to be the most popular Big 3 Lights. This light with it's third order Fresnel lens is still operational and is maintained by the US Coast Guard. In 1858 this red and white brick tower replaced the original which built in 1808 and is the most easternmost light house in the United States.

There's a plaque in the yard that says that this is the EASTERNMOST POINT IN THE U.S.A.

This is the bridge to Campobello Island made famous as the location of FDR's summer home. It's now an International Park and we spent our first night in Canada at Heron Cove Provincial Park. It actually snowed here in the morning but with the temp at 37 degrees it didn't stay on the ground.

Leaving the park we drove through the town Lubec and got this shot of the Lubec Channel Light. Susan spotted a yarn shop that wasn't open so Lubec went on our list of stops on the way home.

You can see Eastport from Lubec but you have to drive around the bay to get there. It was our destination for a couple of reasons. Being Saturday we had to get to the  Post Office before 12 to pick up our mail. And the parents of Ann Margaret, my youngest son's wife live in Eastport.  We had talked to them a couple of days before and Ed, the father, was going to the funeral of a relative on Saturday and Sally had  to work on Sunday so they are on our return home list, too. On my son's recommendation we ate lunch at Quoddy Bay Lobster and had the best seafood chowder and lobster roll that we've eaten so far. And their cole slaw hit a home run. Even Susan who doesn't normally eat slaw didn't even leave me a bite.

We over nighted in a campground near Eastport and this morning drove to Calais and we're going through a checklist of items before we go back into Canada for an extended time. One is to sort out with AT&T how we use our iPhones in Canada and how we get the internet, etc. We'll be in Canada for 2 - 3 weeks and the blog may be sporadic or, maybe, not at all.

Can't wait - tomorrow's Memorial Day and there's a parade down to the bridge to meet a parade another parade coming from Canada.