October 4,2022 - Rockland, ME

 

October 4, 2022  - Rockland, ME

Today was again a beautiful sunny day.  Temps were around 50s all day.

We did no long rides today. Furthest we went was to Camden

for a Lobster/Lighthouse Cruise.  About 10 miles.

Head for coffee before the cruise and look at this sign: 

This guy was out on the front of the boat standing on just a wire.  Crazy.

Here is the boat.  If you look closely, you can see him.  YIKES, not me. 

I guess it's just part of everyday life for them.

Headed to the boat for our cruise.

First thing we see are Harbor seals.  You think of a seal as black, but these are

white or light gray in color.  They were just sunning on the rocks today.

We rode around and saw 2 lighthouses.  But these are not manned any more. 

Most are done electronically.  Such a cool pic against the blue sky.

Next we are going to run the traps. The first thing they explained was

that the traps stay in the water about 3 days before they check them. 

Traps have buoys attached and they are identified by the colors so the

fisherman knows which ones are theirs.

They pulled up one of their traps and it had 2 lobsters and 4 crabs. 

For both, there is a size limit. 

Lobster measures from the top of the shell.

 

This one would be considered a keeper, but all are thrown back.

One of the ones they caught was a female with eggs.

FUN FACT:

The developing embryos remain attached to the female for an estimated 9 – 11 months.

Brooding females care for and protect their eggs. Landing egg bearing female lobsters

is prohibited in all US and Canadian waters. This management measure is one of the

very best protections afforded to lobsters.

So this one went back in the water.

She let us hold them.

   

Then it was time to set the traps. She asked for volunteers and guess who jumped up?

Yep, Larry and Jamie.  They had us in stitches during the process. 

Does that surprise you?

Bait they use here is pogey (not sure of spelling). 

They are oily and have a smell to them.

They break them in half and put them into a netted bag. 

Few people were a bit squeamish when they did this. 

Larry and Jamie were loving it.

As this was not bad enough.  They then took 2 fish and pushed a rod

thru their eye to feed a line thru it.  This is then tied to the inside of the trap. 

This got a few more groans.

Then they attach the buoy and push it over.   Taking a bow before sitting down.

Headed back into the harbor.  This was so beautiful.  And Camden is a neat little town. 

 We ended here with lunch of lobster rolls and lobster melts. 

REALLY good and REALLY expensive.

Headed to Mount Battie to see the town from a bird's eye view.

Fun Fact:

Mount Battie is one of the peaks of the Camden Hills that loom above the harbor at Camden Maine. 

There is a tower on top: In grateful recognition of the services of the men and women of Camden

in the World War, 1914-1918.

View from the top was breathtaking.  

This is Camden Harbor.

Next we head to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.  GPS said15 miles 45 minutes.  REALLY!!!

We go to the parking lot in about 20 minutes.  Ahhh GPS must be messed up. 

Then we looked at the lighthouse.  It was about a 20-25 minute walk to get to it. 

I guess GPS was right on this one.

 Look how little the people are on it.

Now look at the walkway…. A little rough to walk on and you REALLY had to watch your step.

Are we there yet?  You can barely see the lighthouse.  We are about ½ way there.

Almost

Not much to look at when we got there.  And it needed to be painted.  LOL

Fun Fact:

The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse sits at the end of a granite breakwater

that stretches 4,346 feet into Rockland Harbor. During the seawall's 18-year

construction, a series of temporary lights and lanterns were placed to warn mariners.

Construction of the breakwater was completed in 1900. The permanent lighthouse

was finished in 1902. 

Let's head back.  Pretty cool pic.

Temps: 50s

Miles: very few