Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast: Peaks Island

Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast
with Jennifer Ellen Parker
This past Labor Day I found myself discovering the rocky coast of Maine without the girls.  We had glimpsed Peaks Island on our first adventure this past Summer aboard the Bagheera from the Portland Schooner Company.  I remember looking across the water at the small island thinking it was charming and putting it on my list to make it there one day soon.  A friend had invited me to spend Labor Day together, an adventure in its own right, one where we would hop in the car and see where the day took us.  It sounded delightful and grown up, a break that I was looking forward to.  The morning arrived with bright sun and chilly temps.  The thermometer was supposed to reach seventy so I opted for a pair of khaki shorts, flip flops, a t'shirt, and a roll neck sweater my mom had knit a few years back.  We had talked about following the coast but were unsure if we would head north or south. 

The minute my friend suggested spending the day on Peaks Island I replied, "perfect".  We packed a few necessities in a back pack and jumped on 95 North.  In less than one hour from South Berwick, Maine we were parked in the garage just behind the ferry terminal.  The tickets were next to nothing for us to make the quick jump to the island.  People gathered at gate 5 with their bikes, dogs, coolers, and carts, dressed casually and relaxed.  I looked over at the Portland Schooner ticket booth and relived the adventures the girls and I had shared this Summer along the rocky coast of Maine and smiled.  We had discovered  many wonderful places together and enjoyed creating memories that will last a life time, well at least for me.  The ferry's horn blew and everyone walked down the short ramp and onto the boat; we found a spot outside on the upper deck in the front so we could watch the harbor and island as we approached.  

The view from the bottom of the hill as we exited the ferry made me happy to be spending the day on Peak's Island.  I looked up and saw quintessential cottages and storefronts taken out of a page of history.  It reminded me of my childhood, when I lived on Spofford Lake and we rode our bikes all Summer and skinned our knees chasing fireflies and grasshoppers through tall grass and rocky knolls. He grabbed my hand and led me up the hill and suggested we walk and try to find a beach.  The crowds went right at the top of the hill so we went left.  There were a handful of stores and cedar shingled buildings that offered the normal sweatshirts, trinkets, and souvenirs and a couple of places to stop and eat at your leisure overlooking the picturesque harbor.  Hours passed without our even knowing it.  We explored the tiny nooks and crannies among the cottages by the water's edge and picked up delicate little shells to add to my Summer collection.  Our conversation about life, the world and nothing much at all filled the space between us as we were passed by families on bikes, golf carts, dogs on leashes running with their owners.  Our day ended with lunch on the patio at the Inn.  We sat and smelled the sweet harbor and ordered beers and marinated mussels.  Lunch lasted a leisurely hour or so and finished just in time for us to catch one of the late afternoon ferries back to the mainland.  The ride back was cooler and reminded us that Summer had just about ended and soon the leaves would turn a golden hue of gold, amber, and orange.  The rocky coast of Maine doesn't close as the temperatures drop, it might even become a little bit more interesting for some to explore and discover.  I'm looking forward to the upcoming months and seeing what it has to offer me and the girls.