Sept 12 – 13, 2019 – Lake Pemaquid to Wassamki Springs
Sept 12 – We hit the road for Wassamki Springs Campground in Portland at 10am. The weather was great and we were only moving about 70 miles south…..so we anticipated a quick trip. That didn’t happen……we didn’t pull into our site at Wassamki Springs until almost 5pm!
Before we got 15 miles, we saw a roadside business on Rt. 1 that was selling handmade tables, benches and a few other things that are made from teak and rosewood stumps. The pieces were incredible…..and there were a lot of them! I have occasionally seen a few these kinds of pieces…..but never this many in one place. I learned that once a year, the local owner of the business (who is also a well know local boat builder) has several shipping containers of these pieces sent to him from Indonesia, where they were harvested and turned into beautiful pieces of furniture. We ended up staying there for almost 2 hours….we bought a weathered piece of teak driftwood with a fish carved into it. The owner can arrange to have something specific made if you are willing to pay 1/2 up front. I have an idea for a custom piece……we’ll see if I can get Nancy on board.
We hit the road and were soon driving through Bath, ME, a place I had been to before. I came to Bath with my grandparents on vacation as a young boy to visit my great aunt and uncle. They had a farm outside of Bath….I have fond memories of my time there. We also passed by the Maine Maritime Museum and saw part of the Bath shipyards. The Bath Ironworks and other shipyards are some of the oldest and most significant shipbuilding operations in the country. They have built many US Navy warships, including the very stealth-like Zumwalt guided missile destroyers.
Next stop…..the LL Bean Retail Store in Freeport. It was a little tricky driving around downtown looking for parking until Nancy found the LL Bean RV parking lot. We figured we’d stop for an hour or two…..we ended up staying all afternoon. The LL Bean Retail Store has helped turn Freeport into a retail destination city. It felt a little like an outlet mall (minus outlet mall prices). Nancy and I didn’t find anything we wanted for ourselves, but we did get Frisco a new bed, and Nancy picked up a few Christmas presents. (now that’s what I call advance planning!). We also had a burger at Johnny Rocket’s.
LL Bean Retail Store in Freeport
Our site at Wassamki Springs Campground
Sept 13 – We stayed around home most of the today doing some cleanup and repairs. Nancy made the short drive to Old Port in downtown Portland to check out the shops while I completed some maintenance and repairs. It looks like a neat area……I’m sure we’ll be going back before we leave the area.
Also, we discovered that a traveling pig show was in the spot next to us. Actually, they were farmers that retired and now they tour the country with the pig promoting a love of reading among school children. They travel with a Class A motorhome and a van that is appropriately stenciled. The pig’s name is Daisy and she is accompanied by two pugs named Lily Pug and Dixie Cup. The original Daisy died in 2005, so they got Daisy II and continued their mission. Believe it or not, the pig sleeps with them! They have been doing this since 1997 and have been on national television. He has done up to 300 shows a year! Wow…..what a great story!
Hey, when. a pig needs to go, it needs to go. The guy carries a cup around to catch pig crap…he said its not bad since it comes out in nice round, solid balls! Seriously…….?!
That’s all for today…