A couple of days ago we crossed the border into Maine — yippee!! This photo is of a highway sign that captures pretty well, the whole premise of the easternmost of the U.S. States. By next week we’ll be at our final destination — Nicatous Lake in Downeast Maine. Once there, we’re planting ourselves for 8 days. The area around Nicatous is remote, with no electricity, running water or cell phone reception. What you will find there is a 40-mile long freshwater lake full of bass and wall-eye/pickerel, and surrounded with loons, osprey, coyote, deer, eagles, beaver, frogs and immense quiet. I can’t wait to get there...

But first, we’re hanging out in the more touristy coastal area where T grew up, visiting with family and letting T get back to his roots. Maine’s shores are unbelievably beautiful with thousands of miles of rocky coastline and clean sweet air. Little wonder it is invaded every summer with vacationers (like us) hungry to leave urbananity behind.

We’re also getting our fill of the incredible way Mainers have with seafood — creamy stews and chowders crowded with meat and still smelling of the sea, perfectly deep-fried popcorn-size Maine shrimp, clam strips, scallops and haddock with just a kiss of breading, and of course, steamy fresh-from-the-dock lobsters, mussels and clams.

Maine is renown for the incredibly sweet lobsters that abound in the cold waters of the Atlantic here, but what is less known is that Maine is home of the best fried seafood in the United States — Bar none. Truly, only in Italy and Greece have we had better fried seafood, but those were in a completely different style and variety of catch. And the best place to savor Maine’s deep-fried seafood done right is at the Sea Basket in Wiscasset (there’s a limerick in there somewhere, but I’m not that talented...). The way deep-fried is done at the Sea Basket, even the french fries aren’t greasy and taste of true potatoes. This is one place not to be missed if ever you’re between Boothbay and Bath, or on your way up to Acadia. It’s right on Route 1, just before you enter the town of Wiscasset if you’re coming from the south. We’ll be there one more time before we leave, because we didn’t have the oyster stew on this first visit.

And speaking of all things Maine, if you believe there are moose in this state, there’s still time to enter to win a copy of the “Moose Watcher’s Handbook” that GL is giving away on June 30th on her site, Maine Musing... check ‘em out!

Sunset from West Harpswell Island our first night back.

Tags: Travel