The blog of In My Footsteps Podcast host and author Christopher Setterlund. It contains a buffet of topics. The wackiness of daily life with Initial Impressions 2.0. There is a link to the weekly In My Footsteps Podcast. Poetry collections, life topics, some history, and more. There is something for everyone here much like with the podcast.
Showing posts with label owl's head. Show all posts
Showing posts with label owl's head. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2010
In My Footsteps: Trip 87: Rockland, Maine
In My Footsteps
Christopher Setterlund
Trip 87: Rockland, Maine
October 2, 2010
The next town over from where I stayed in Owl’s Head, Rockland, Maine is a popular tourist destination and it is easy to see why. Called ‘Catawamteak’ by the local Abenaki Indian tribe which means ‘great landing place’ Rockland is a small town yet it has all of the amenities of a larger town. It was known as Lermond’s Cove and then ‘Shore’ village from when it was settled in 1769 until adopting the name Rockland in 1850.
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| Wyeth Center, as seen from 'inside' a sculpture. |
Rockland originally made its name through shipbuilding and the production of the mineral lime
. However as time passed into the latter half of the 20th century it became popular due to its amazing Main Street with many shops and restaurants. There are also some really nice art galleries. I checked out the Farnsworth Art Museum on Museum Street and enjoyed the outdoor collection on the rear lawn.
. However as time passed into the latter half of the 20th century it became popular due to its amazing Main Street with many shops and restaurants. There are also some really nice art galleries. I checked out the Farnsworth Art Museum on Museum Street and enjoyed the outdoor collection on the rear lawn. The Museum specializes in Maine’s role in American art with pieces ranging from the 18th to the 20th century. There is also a separate building across the street called the Wyeth Center which houses man paintings from the Wyeth 
family of artists who were all realist painters during the 20th century. If you want to see some nice sculptures while still being outside you can walk around the rear lawn and see some nice pieces. I do not know much about art but I was able to appreciate what I saw so it should not deter any visitor from checking them out.
family of artists who were all realist painters during the 20th century. If you want to see some nice sculptures while still being outside you can walk around the rear lawn and see some nice pieces. I do not know much about art but I was able to appreciate what I saw so it should not deter any visitor from checking them out. |
| The original Knox County Courthouse c.1875 |
A spot that might not be for everyone but is something that interested me is the Knox County Courthouse. I enjoyed it because there is a very modern building attached to an older looking building. The older building, the original Knox County Courthouse, was finished in March 1875 by W.H. Glover and Company at a shade under $62,000. The new building is an addition to the Courthouse which was completed in 1979. It is something to see the drastic differences in architectural styles in a hundred years. The original Courthouse building has more of a personality while the new addition is much more to the point with little creativity to it. Much like with art I do not know much about architecture but this striking difference is something that was quite apparent to me.
The fabulous Main Street is one part small-town with many local establishments and shops adorning the one-way street. Then it also has a sort of Broadway vibe due to some nice flashing neon signs for places like the Strand Theater. There was one particular sign on the corner of Main and Elm Street for a restaurant that had the word ‘EAT’ spelled out diagonally twice, a total of five letters which lit up. It ended up being a piece of art created by Robert Indiana
attached to the Farnsworth Museum which I only found out while researching this article. I saw it many times during my trip and it always gave off the Broadway 
vibe as I watched each letter light up one by one. Things like that added to the brilliance of Rockland’s Main Street.
attached to the Farnsworth Museum which I only found out while researching this article. I saw it many times during my trip and it always gave off the Broadway vibe as I watched each letter light up one by one. Things like that added to the brilliance of Rockland’s Main Street. |
| Rockland Breakwater, about halfway out. |
Any trip to Rockland must include the ocean, it is virtually impossible to journey here and not spend at least some time along the shore. For those who might not want to do too much exploring there is the Rockland Harbor Park on Main Street. Here there is a spectacular view of the harbor. On this day there were still many small boats on the water as people held on to their summer fun even into October. There is a nice harbor walk trail leading along the water around the harbor and out to a pier that you can walk out onto the water.
At the entrance to the Harbor Park there is a really nice Fishermen’s Memorial. It has a small anchor atop a large concrete slab with the year ‘1854’ behind it representing the year that Rockland was incorporated as a town. Little things like this memorial reminded me that fisherman still risk their lives each and everyday that they go to work.
The final spot I visited was the highlight of my trip to Rockland. The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a definite must see for any visitor. The only thing that might hold some people back is the fact that the breakwater is just short of a mile in length. For me it was a no-brainer that I would take a walk out to the lighthouse since the beam of light from the lighthouse continuously ran across the walls of the Wataview Cottage where I stayed right across the harbor.
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| Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse |
The walk out to the lighthouse is not that difficult, the breakwater is fairly level. There were many people on the same path; some even brought their dogs with them. Once I made it out to the light station I was excited to find out that I would be allowed to climb up into the lighthouse so I could see Rockland and Owl’s Head from forty-feet high. It was too windy on this day to go outside at the top but the view was still out of this world. I thought that coming from Cape Cod I might have been the furthest traveler at the lighthouse but I was surprised to talk to a couple from Quebec and another from Minnesota!
The breakwater was built between 1881 and 1899 to protect the harbor and the lighthouse was built in 1902. Despite it being a fairly sound location I was able to see old photos where the breakwater has been totally submerged under rising water. I was glad it was a sunny day. When the Coast Guard announced that they were going to tear down the lighthouse there was massive public outcry. First the nearby Samoset Resort took over the responsibility for the lighthouse’s upkeep and then the Rockland City Council took over the same duties. Today the lighthouse is safe from the wrecking ball.
Rockland is a small town but it can also be referred to as a tourist destination, a waterfront town, an artsy community, and for a few thousand people it is home. I highly recommend taking in the Farnsworth Art Museum, walk, shopping, and eating on Main Street. Then you can get some sun and exercise walking out to visit the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Have fun and happy traveling!
For more In My Footsteps items follow my Twitter Feed, view more photos at the In My Footsteps fan page on Facebook, or visit my homepage at ChristopherSetterlund.com. Thanks for reading!
Directions: Farnsworth Art Museum: Take Rt. 1 into Rockland, turn left at Main Street. Take 4th left onto Museum Street. Museum is on left, parking on right.
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse: Take Rt. 1 into Rockland, turn left at Main Street, follow it 1.4 miles. Turn right at Waldo Ave., turn right at Samoset Rd., follow it to the end.
References: Wataview Cottage - Owl's Head, ME
Thursday, November 11, 2010
In My Footsteps: Trip 84: Owl's Head, Maine
In My Footsteps
Christopher Setterlund
Trip 84: Owl’s Head, Maine
October 2, 2010
Throughout the majority of my trips I have taken I have always felt that there was never enough time to see all that I wanted to see. Getting a chance to spend six days in Maine I thought would be a perfect way to correct that. Now, after finishing up my trip to Maine I have found out that even six days was not enough to see what I had wanted to see. That being said, my time in Maine was among the most fun that I have had in my life.
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| The living room at Wataview |
I owe a huge debt of thanks to my friend Steve Davis who allowed me to stay at his ‘Wataview’ home on Cottage Avenue in Owl’s Head.
This house has an amazing view of Rockland Harbor and the Breakwater Lighthouse. What a thrill it was for me to be able to sit out on the enclosed porch after dark and simply enjoy the sight of the lighthouse lantern as it spun rhythmically across the water and into the windows. It is available for rent up until the beginning of October and the website is included at the end of the article.
This house has an amazing view of Rockland Harbor and the Breakwater Lighthouse. What a thrill it was for me to be able to sit out on the enclosed porch after dark and simply enjoy the sight of the lighthouse lantern as it spun rhythmically across the water and into the windows. It is available for rent up until the beginning of October and the website is included at the end of the article.Owl’s Head is a small town in the mid-coast region of Maine. It was first explored in 1605 by Samuel de Champlain
and was called Bedabedec Point by the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. The name means ‘Cape of the Winds.’ The town got its name from mariners who thought the shape of the rock ridge where Owl’s Head Light currently stands looked like an owl. Though it has over 400 years of history the town was not incorporated until 1921.
and was called Bedabedec Point by the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. The name means ‘Cape of the Winds.’ The town got its name from mariners who thought the shape of the rock ridge where Owl’s Head Light currently stands looked like an owl. Though it has over 400 years of history the town was not incorporated until 1921. |
| Birch Point Beach State Park |
I found Owl’s Head to be in many ways an absolutely perfect snapshot of what I always had thought Maine would look like to me. After waking up to a beautiful sunrise over the harbor the first place I ventured out to was Birch Point Beach State Park. This area is one that would qualify as ‘classic Maine’ with its outcropping of rocks lined with straight-as-towers pine trees stretching out into the cool Atlantic waters.
The road to the beach was closed so I needed to walk to get to the water. This was a welcomed addition to my trip as it gave me a chance to take in the rapidly changing leaves whose colors were made even brighter by the strong morning sun. The beach was magnificent as I hit it at low tide and was able to walk out on some of the dry rocks and get a great view of the Mussel 
Ridge Channel Islands which sit about a mile off shore. This area ended up being the best possible starting point for my time in Maine and it only got better from here.
Ridge Channel Islands which sit about a mile off shore. This area ended up being the best possible starting point for my time in Maine and it only got better from here. |
| Entrance to the Transportation Museum |
The next spot I visited was the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum located on Museum Street. The drive from Birch Point to the museum was so amazing that I almost did not want it to end. Everything shone from the sun, every home, every tree, it was all too perfect. The Transportation Museum has an unbelievable collection of items, it is a day trip all in itself. There are originals and replicas of aircraft dating all the way back to 1804. The thirteen-inch unmanned glider built by the ‘Father of Aviation,’ Sir George Cayley, is replicated here. It is amazing to see where aviation began to where it is today.
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| Owl's Head Harbor |
The Museum also has an impressive collection of antique cars as well including a three-wheeled open air vehicle built by Karl Benz 
in 1885. It looks incredibly out of place even among vehicles from thirty years later but there are many features to it which are still used in cars today. I found the vehicles from the 19th and very early 20th century to be the most interesting mostly because of the history and how these awkward looking vehicles actually changed the world.
in 1885. It looks incredibly out of place even among vehicles from thirty years later but there are many features to it which are still used in cars today. I found the vehicles from the 19th and very early 20th century to be the most interesting mostly because of the history and how these awkward looking vehicles actually changed the world.After leaving the Transportation Museum I headed to Owl’s Head State Park located on the northeast corner of the wide peninsula. It is here that the spectacular Owl’s Head Lighthouse resides. This area contains the rocky cliff that gave Owl’s Head its name, although it is impossible to see from where the lighthouse is situated.
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| Owl's Head Lighthouse |
From the parking lot it is a short walk to the lighthouse itself. The walk contains some more incredible views of the rocky cliffs and a gray sandy beach located near the parking lot. Once you get to where the Coast Guard Station and Owl’s Head Lighthouse are the cliffs get much higher and the views include all of the surrounding area.
I found it odd yet thrilling that a lighthouse was built in such a spot. Built in 1852 the lighthouse itself is only thirteen-feet tall yet it can be seen for miles because the light is 100 feet above sea level thanks to the gigantic cliffs. The stairway which leads up to where the lighthouse sits made for some fantastic photo opportunities, and the view from the top was the perfect capper to my day in Owl’s Head. The walk and the stairs should not deter anybody from paying this marvelous site a visit.
Although it is a small town population wise, and a new town as far as being officially recognized, Owl’s Head is filled with amazing places to see. The Owl’s Head Transportation Museum is a day trip itself and is a must see. I highly recommend paying a visit to Owl’s Head Lighthouse for the incredible views. For a taste of what I believe is ‘classic Maine’ there is Birch Point Beach State Park. If you see all of those places then I also recommend simply pointing your vehicle in any direction and taking a slow drive through the streets of this awesome little town. Have fun and happy traveling!
*For more In My Footsteps items follow my Twitter Feed, view more photos at the In My Footsteps fan page on Facebook, or visit my homepage at ChristopherSetterlund.com. Thanks for reading!
Directions: Birch Point Beach State Park: Take Rt. 1 into Rockland, turn right at Rt. 73, follow it 4 miles, turn left at Dublin Rd., turn right at Ballyhac Rd. Follow it to signs for park, there is some parking if gate is closed.
Owl’s Head Transportation Museum: Take Rt. 1 into Rockland, turn right at Rt. 73, follow it almost 3 miles, turn left at Museum St., there is a sign for the museum at entrance.
Owl’s Head Lighthouse: Take Rt. 1 into Rockland, turn right at Rt. 73, follow it almost 2 miles, turn left at N. Shore Drive. Turn left at Main St. near Post Office, turn left at Lighthouse Rd. follow it to parking lot.
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