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The Maine Loon

December 4, 2014 / offthemaineroad

Maine is home to some amazing wildlife. Moose and lobsters and black bears…oh my!

One of the lesser-known animals living in the Pine Tree State is the loon. Now, the loon is a strange animal. It’s like a duck, but it’s not. In fact, loons are one of the oldest species of flying birds still living.

Loons can be found on license plates, t-shirts, and even socks (just go to Urban Outfitters in Portland, you’re bound to find some there). However, the most popular place to see a lone is in one of many lakes and ponds in Maine. Enter the Maine Loon Project. Its mission has two components: raise awareness and protect the Common Loon, and survey the population of loons in Maine’s lakes and ponds.
One Saturday in July each year, over 900 volunteers arise early and flock to lakes and ponds in order to count the population of loons. You may think loon counting is an easy task. It’s not. Not only do these volunteers have to count loons, they must count the number of adults and chicks.

During my summers, I have had the privilege to see quite a few loons. Here’s one that I saw three summers ago.

A Maine loon in Crescent Lake, in the Sebago Lakes region of Southern Maine.

A Maine loon on Crescent Lake, in the Sebago Lakes region of Sourhern Maine.

For more information on loons, check out the links below.
http://www.gma.org/tidings/loon.html

http://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/loon.htm

The 10 Commandments of Being a Mainer

December 2, 2014 / offthemaineroad

Every society needs some type of ground rules, so I have created the 10 Commandments of Being a Mainer.

(Did I mention that I like lists?)

Thou must take a spiritual pilgrimage to Acadia National Park to see the sun rise.
Thou must consume a Sea Dog biscuit at least once in thy life.
Thou must own at least one L.L. Bean product in thy house.
Thou must consider lobster as a Maine staple.
Thou must gather wild blueberries in Maine’s northern woods at least once in thy life.
Thou must climb Mount Katahdin at least once in thy life.
Thou must be enthralled in the beauty of the Maine loon.
Thou must have at least one sighting of moose.
Thou must savor the delicious taste of Maine clam chowder.
Thou must find beauty among the harshest of Maine winters.

The Old Port: A Peek into Portland’s Past

December 2, 2014 / offthemaineroad

I thought I would start this post with a brief lexicon for non-Mainers.

Portland – the largest city in Maine. An active shipping port for lobster, hence the name. (Oh, and did I mention that it’s on land?)

The Old Port – a district of Portland, Maine, known for its cobblestone streets, 19th century brick buildings and fishing piers. (Source: Wikipedia).

That’s all you need to know for now. So let’s dive into why this small area has become one of my favorite places in Maine.

I like lists. So I’m going to list the top 10 reasons why The Old Port is the best place to visit in Maine. (Reference to The Late Show with David Letterman.)

You get to walk around feeling like you’re in the 1800s. How cool is that?
Let’s go back for a second. You can walk. No need for Uber (although there is Uber in Portland), just your own two feet.
You can take a ferry and explore islands such as Peaks Island and Great Diamond Island.
There’s a crazy festival at the beginning of June where you can savor food, enjoy live music, and even ride a ferris wheel.
There’s hibachi and sushi at Fuji Restaurant. And it’s pretty darn good.
It’s the perfect stop on the way to Freeport, Brunswick, or Acadia. Or if you’re stopping on your journey south, you can have a bite to eat before heading towards Kennebunk and Kittery.
There’s Cool As A Moose, one of 4 locations in Maine. What are the other 3, you may ask? Well, there’s Brunswick, Freeport, and Bar Harbor. (Good trivia question, by the way). I’ve had the privilege to visit 3 of them – Brunswick is still on my to do list. And of course, there’s a Life is Good shop as well, because who dares to despise a store with the main focus of happiness?
There’s the Flatbread Company, which is known for their thinly-crusted goodness.
It’s the home of the Portland Sea Dogs, at Hadlock Field. Enough said.
There’s not one gelato place, but two. (Read more about the “Gelato Wars” here.) For the past couple years, Gelato Fiasco (my personal favorite – more on this to come in a future post) has risen to become a gelato superpower, extending their empire from their flagship store in Brunswick. There’s also Gorgeous Gelato, if you want to sample more than one serving of this Italian treat. (I once told a friend who was visiting Portland to head to Gelato Fiasco as a must-visit place. Sure enough, they stopped at Gorgeous Gelato and settled for their frozen delicacy. We spent the next few months recreating the “Gelato Wars,” basing our arguments on articles like the one above.)

The greatness that these 21.31 square miles of land has cannot be contained in a single blog post. So, there will definitely be more of the different attractions in this classic Maine city!

Cool As A Moose in Portland.

Who are you, and why are you writing about Maine anyway?

December 1, 2014 / offthemaineroad

I thought I’d take this time to introduce myself, since you’re probably wondering, “Why is this person writing random articles about places in Maine?” Well, let me tell you.

I currently live in New York. I’ve spent the past 7 summers both attending a summer camp in Maine and exploring the places in Maine, from the mountains to the coastline. Through these trips, I believe I have gained a comprehensive view of various locations in Maine, from Acadia to Wells, and everywhere in between. I have sampled Maine treats from the infamous Sea Dog Biscuit to Stonewall Kitchen’s Wild Blueberry Jam. This blog is a place for me to share my experiences, and for you to (maybe) savor these foods and visit these places yourself.

That’s about it. I’ll try to post as often as I can. Enjoy!

The Bean Boot: A Maine Symbol

December 1, 2014 / offthemaineroad

One of the quintessential symbols of the Pine Tree State is the Maine Hunting Shoe, aka the L.L. Bean Boot. Let’s start with a brief history of L.L. Bean. The company was founded as a one-room operation by Leon Leonwood Bean, a hunter and fisherman living in Freeport. Bean had created a waterproof boot, which he originally sold to hunters. He called it the Maine Hunting Shoe, and it has evolved into the great piece of footwear we know today. The Bean Boot is definitely an all-purpose shoe-it’s suitable for any weather from extreme cold to rain to the perfect sunny. Now I’m not the best person to talk to when it comes to fashion, but I’d say that these boots have become quite a stylish element to any Mainer’s wardrobe. Although I regrettably do not own a pair, I have come quite close with this accessory, pictured below.

To celebrate its 100-year anniversary of the boot’s creation, L.L. Bean built 2 “bootmobiles“, which is a 13-foot tall Ford F-250 frame in the shape of a boot. It’s quite a formidable creation, and has been seen cruising New York’s highways. One of the bootmobiles has been parked outside the Freeport flagship store for a while, and has been painted in the livery of the Boston Red Sox (see picture below).

Be on the lookout for the bootmobiles-they’re constantly on the road!

The Bean Boot at Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs (more on that later).

Maine’s soup is souperb

December 1, 2014 / offthemaineroad

In a meal one usually starts with the soup, so I decided to start this series of posts with the soup as well. Kamasouptra. In a quest to make Maine the “soup capital of the world”, this small business has developed quite the varied collection of steamy, hot soups. Their locations are spread out between the Maine Mall in South Portland, The Old Port, and the Freeport Public Market. I’ve had the good fortune to visit all three locations, and experience my personal favorite: the Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Soup. No, I didn’t make a typo; it’s actually called the soup soup, for who knows why. But the thing that stands out most to me about this soup establishment is the giant roll of whole wheat bread that comes with each cup of soup. It’s actually sometimes bigger than the cup!

So next time you’re in Portland or Freeport, give Kamasouptra a try in your quest of bowling for soup. I think it will come to you as a strike, and may be right up your alley!

(Yes, I know, too many soup puns.)

Welcome!

December 1, 2014 / offthemaineroad

Hello world!

This is the first of many posts on Off the Maine Road. Inspired by two friends who live in this beautiful state and a free long weekend, I decided to share my love and yearning to be back up North in a series of posts showcasing places that are “off the Maine road”. You can expect to read stories of everything from the best Maine treats, to the most picturesque hiking spots. These will of course be supplemented by my collection of photos taken over the past seven summers.

Enjoy!

(Oh, and if you are interested in knowing where the header photo was taken, it is atop Hacker’s Hill in Casco, Maine. This location offers sweeping views of Sebago Lake and the White Mountains).

(I do not endorse any of the products, services or businesses mentioned in this blog).