Thalheimer Trail Orr's Island

A farm road and woods trails offer a variety of walking options to experience.
118 acre property, operated by Bowdoin College as its Coastal Studies Center, makes up
the entire peninsula between Long Cove and Harpswell Sound. This is an active research
and residence facility. Please stay on designated paths and follow all regulations. Trail
maps available at the parking area.
Enjoy this short video of one of the trails and beach area.

 Some of the trails can be a little wet so bring along some good boots or go during the summer when the land is more dry. I walked the trail on the left of the road that leads down to the bar island. The woods were beautiful, dark and green. the smell of fall was in the air and the views going down to the shore were amazing. I spotted a bald eagle when I reached the edge of the shore line. I had my video running and caught glimpses of him.You can see him in the Middle left hand side of the picture below.  

I climbed down to the beach and it was wonderful.Tthe bar to the island was exposed and I walked about half way across. A great spot for pictures.

You can walk the shore for some time or cross over to the island. Just be aware of the tide. There are few places to get back up from the shore and it takes a little effort. So bare that in mind. The walk back up was nice but a little difficult to find the path. It was fall and the leaves had covered the trail. The trails are also not marked as well as I would like them to be. But you are on a small peninsula and so getting lost would not be easy.

I Give this trail 5 stars for it's beauty and 3 stars for its walk ability. Have fun. :)

Directions: Take a right off Route 24 approximately 1.7 mile south of the Orr’s Island bridge
onto Bayview Road. Follow the road to the end --- about 1 mile --- to reach the farm. Park in
the designated spaces (limited parking) on the right & left on the edge of the property. Do
not drive past the parking area into the farm. No camping and no groups larger than 10
permitted.

The Cliff Trail In Harpswell

The Cliff Trail in Harpswell is located just behind the town office on the Mountain Road. It is a trail of wonder that seems almost out of place on this stretch of land. You can park behind the town office and start your hike down a well kept picture perfect tidal inlet. The path goes in and out with the shore.The woods are deep and green with moss covering the fallen branches and stumps that are scattered along the way. As you go your way into the woods and leave the inlet behind a new world is revealed with large old pine trees towering overhead, allowing just a glimmer of light in. Ferns and reindeer moss cover the floor of this forgotten retreat. The trail is well marked with both white and yellow markers representing the two separate trails. My father in law, my dog ( ladybug )and I continued initially along the white marker trail. Up and down along a series of small hills and valleys till we came to a sign that stated we had truly entered a magical place. The sign said Fairy House Trail. In the deepest part of the wooded trail, if you looked carefully, were a large number of fairy houses that were constructed of various types of material. Wooden sticks, birch bark, moss, and even a fairy house with a stone roof. It was truly a magical sight to behold. I would have been satisfied with the walk if that had been the end of our trail but we had just begun to find the hidden treasures that were in store for us. We came upon the sign for the Cliff Trail loop and started our ascent to this magnificent overlook. Breathtaking views that can only be compared to some of the overlooks at Acadia National park. What a sight. The edge is very steep so you need to be careful and to keep your dog leached for their own protection. The trail followed this incredible stretch of cliffs for a good while and there were many places for resting and reflecting on the beauty of the place we live. From there we were led  back into the woods with it's many wondrous sights that only the most preserved northeastern woods can provide to the hiker. I found it amazing that we were only minutes form the town office and the cross road we call mountain. The trail is well kept and fairly ease to walk. The two trails are about a total of 3 miles and can be done easily in a couple of hours. A must walk when in the Maine Mid Coast Area.

Skolfield Shore Trail in Harpswell, Maine

Located on Rt.123 the Skolfield Shore Trail is a true treasure of the Mid Coast Maine Region. Maintained by the Harpswell Heritage Trust and loved by the local community. The trail has a little of everything. Deep woods with ferns and mushrooms to open fields with tall grass swaying with the gentle breeze to water front with breath taking views of the outer islands. The path is easy walking and has a lot of great features to it. Hand carved benches are located at beautiful overlooks. Rustic wooden bridges cross over steep banked valleys. The path is well marked and maintained. Wildlife abounds on the trail. Song birds, chipmunks and other native land animals make their home here. I would have to give this path an A for its ease to walk, combination of environments and beautiful views. I want to also thank the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust for maintaining this property so well.A Video Tour

                                                           

Mackerel Cove, Bailey Island, Maine

Mackerel Cove is one of those places that post cards are made for. Working harbor, beach, field of grass. boats and docks. It has it all in this one tight little area. I was a little early for an appointment at the log Cabin Inn on Bailey Island. So I thought that It would be a good spot to kill some time. It was beautiful there. I walked the beach and snapped a couple of pictures. If your looking for a quick get away this is the perfect location.

A walk on the Freeport, Maine's Mast Landing Trail

The mast landing walking trail in Freeport, Maine turned out to be a pleasant way to spend the morning. A easy walk with beautiful wooded trails and lovely vistas of waterways that are full of wild life and flowering plants.

Mast Landing
Audubon Sanctuary

Located one mile from downtown Freeport at the head of tide on the Harraseeket River estuary, Mast Landing is actively used by area residents year-round.

The 140-acre sanctuary consists of open fields, salt marsh, an apple orchard, freshwater stream, and mature evergreen forest. Caretakers reside in the old farmhouse (a.k.a. Millmaster's House).

Habitat

Mast Landing Sanctuary's open fields, apple orchards, alder lowland, and mature pine and hemlock forest provide a pleasant spot for walking, cross-country skiing and nature study.Mill Stream cascades over an historic dam and mill site before flowing into the tidal waters of the Harraseeket River.

The sanctuary attracts migrant shorebirds and songbirds and is a wonderful place to observe the courtship flight displays of nesting woodcock. Resident mammals typical of southern Maine woodlands include porcupine, mink, fisher, and deer.

A ride with no particular place to go

Went for a ride with the girls the other day. We had no idea where we wanted to go but did not want to stay in the house. So we loaded up the car and set out to have breakfast. What a pleasant surprise to find that Friendly's has added some new items to their breakfast menu.
After breakfast we set out in search of a landmark that we had heard of but were not sure if it actually existed. It was a beautiful day in the mid 70s and sunny. we headed north on rt.1 and found ourselves in Newcastle. We took a little road that headed us north. Farm roads,beautiful old homes and some wild turkey grazing in a field made for a lovely ride.
















After being on this back road for about 1/2 an hour we started to think that maybe this landmark was really only a rumor. As we started to think that maybe we should turn around before we ended up in Lewiston. We found it. It was magnificent. Everything that we had imagined that it would be. Cowsh*t Corner. There it was tall, proud and smelly. We had done it.



After taking in the beauty and breathing shallow so as to not pass out from the fumes, we headed south. We stumbled upon the river road.



Following the road all the way down to one of our favorite coastal towns and did the tourist thing. Great Fun!


After supporting the local economy we headed back home on rt.1. What a mistake that was. The traffic jam was 45 min to move one mile over the Wisscasset bridge. We should have known, after all it was Labor Day. So to give ourselves a treat and move about we stopped at a new crafting village.



We bought some blueberry soap and some Moxie jelly. We had a great time driving to nowhere and will do it again.
Try flipping a coin when you get to an intersection. Go right if it lands on heads and left if it lands on tails. I will be a great opportunity to see some new sights.