6/2/06 (Friday): As they say in Maine, today was wicked good! We started off routinely enough with a trip to the Ford dealer to have the truck tires looked at (they were wearing unevenly). Dealer didn’t want to do anything about them—said it was probably from hauling the 5^th wheel, and that they weren’t badly worn. I’ll look into it a little further, but I’m inclined to believe him.

Since we were partway down the peninsula, we decided to drive the rest of the way down to Port Clyde. It’s a very scenic drive (like all of them in this part of the world). Many of the houses have stacks of lobster traps in the front yard and work boats in the back. We visited the lighthouse there and Wiley tried fishing from the rocks, but it was pretty high up and the rocks were slippery, so that didn’t work. Besides, it was drizzling and kind of chilly.

We stopped at a little shack on the pier and had a great lunch. The place had apparently been written up in Gourmet Magazine and had also been on the Food Network. After lunch, we headed back toward home, but got sidetracked by the sight of a guy fishing on a little inlet. We parked and Wiley fished while I sat on a rock and read. The rain had stopped by now, and the scenery was excellent. Wiley caught one striper, but it was undersized. Meanwhile, I was taking pictures and enjoying the view. A couple of guys came into the pier with six big crates on their boat, three of rock crabs and three of lobsters. I chatted with them a while. This was their best catch of the season so far. I asked what they’d do with it now, and they said they would load them on the truck and take them directly to a couple of restaurants.

We headed home again, and again we got sidetracked by a sign pointing the way to Birch Point State Park. This is my new favorite place in Maine (I seem to find a new one every day)! It had a rocky beach, but unlike most of the other beaches, these were big, smooth rocks. It was low tide when we arrived, and the spaces between the rocks had many tidal pools. They’re very interesting to look at. The pictures don't do them justice because the water is so clear it almost disappears. They have different kinds of seaweed in them and many small crustaceans. Again Wiley fished, and again I sat on a rock and read. Heavenly!

We finally did make it back to home. I made an omelet and fresh picked corn on the cob for dinner. Now it’s time for a shower and bed. One of the few things I miss is a bathtub! I’d love to have a nice hot soak right now!