Lulu

If you ever find yourself in Bar Harbor on a nice day, and have a few hours to kill... go for a ride with Captain John on the (modified for passengers) Lulu.  Here's a link to learn more about their schedule, rates, etc.  Lulu Tours ..  Try it, you'll like it!  As a matter of fact, this was our #1 most favorite paid attraction in Maine to date.  If you were able to go to a dictionary and look up the definition of "an ambassador to the Maine Lobster Industry"  - you'd see a picture of Captain John.

The standard tour takes you out of Bar Harbor from the Public pier, through the breakwater, and a few miles out to Egg Island and the Egg Island Light.  You will spend some time viewing bald eagles, puffins, several species of gulls, and the main attraction, harbor seals.  The captain gives the island and the wildlife a wide berth.

The rocky shore is lined with harbor seals and their pups.  Once again, I am hoping for a little better digital camera for Christmas (that's a link to the one hint hint).  In this picture you can actually see some of the harbor seals hangin' out on the rocks.  Some appear light brown in color while others seem to melt into the rocks around them.  There are probably a dozen of so of them in this picture.

If you happen to be on the tour in the May / June time frame you will also be privileged to see the harbor seal pups hanging out with their Mom.  Pictured here are two Moms with their pups except one of the Moms disappeared when I said "SMILE".   Afterwards,  you motor back into and behind Bar Island where the captain pulls up numerous lobster traps from 50 feet of water. 

 Here, Captain John pulls up a trap with 3 lobsters "in the parlor".  A trap consists of two heads (ports of entry - where the lobsters first enter the trap), a kitchen (which is where the lobsters enter and where the bait bag is), a parlor (the apparent exit after eating), and a juvenile escape port.  By law, the traps must also have a larger escape port should the pot be lost at sea - typically a stick of wood which holds a trap door closed will rot and the trap door opens.

Captain John is using the lobster gauge.  You can see the notched area which measures the minimum length of the carapace (3.5 inches).  In this case the lobster is too small by about 1/8th of an inch.  The other side of the gauge is the notch to measure the maximum length of the carapace (5").  Any lobster with a body over 5" in length (that would be a lobster weighing 4 to 5 pounds) must be returned to the sea.

Here's a borrowed picture to illustrate the main parts of a lobster.  I assure you, the captain goes much deeper into the biology.

 Lobster men and the state of Maine do an excellent job self regulating / regulating the industry which is why they are able to supply 90% of the lobster sold in the USA without endangering the numbers of lobsters in their territorial waters.  It's an education the entire trip out, while at and behind the islands, and on the way back in - the captain is wired!  That is, he wears and amplified remote microphone and uses it ever minute you're on the boat.  He has been a licenced captain for 30 years and has mastered boats (ships) up to 100 tons.  Needless to say he knows ever inch of the water and the area land masses.  He was the most upbeat, knowledgeable person (well, at least in this element) I have met to date.  And do NOT try to match wits with him - his mind processes information faster than a speeding bullet.

Thanks to the folks at  the Lobster Institute for letting me use this picture.  The web page for the picture is  http://www.lobsterinstitute.org/media/172.jpg

Vengence Is Mine....

You'll see this guy in the parking lot of Ruth &Wimpy's Restaurant on Route 1 in Hancock, Maine.  Before we arrived in Maine this year, I promised myself that I would "slow down" in the consumption of these wonderful crustaceans and have been doing what I consider a really good job.  Two a week is very reasonable! 

Now then, normally if you were to see a 10' high plastic lobster in front of a restaurant your common sense would tell you to beware the tourist trap - right?  Becky and I passed the place by a number of times but finally were persuaded to stop by a sign outside - Lobster and Potato $8.95, Crab Roll $5.99.  And so we did and were both surprised and amazed to see a dining room slam full of Mainers!  Both our meals were delicious and all the plates that passed by us on their way to other customers looked equally a good. 

And if I were a better photographer, or had a better camera which ever applies to the picture to the left, you'd be able to see the benefits of consuming Maine lobster.  They are "highly nutritious and are a dieter's dream.  They are low in fat, calories and cholesterol lower than lean ground beef of skinless chicken or turkey.  Lobsters contain Omega-3 fatty acids which reduces hardening of the arteries and decreases the risk of heart attack.  Lobsters are also high in amino acids, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamins B2, B3, B6, and B12.  They also contain Calcium, Zinc and Vitamin A.  My God!  Lobsters are God's answer to the perfect food - forget all the hype about eggs - except those found in female Lobsters.  Did I fail to mention that their taste is right out of this world?   Aside from all of that.... if you can't believe a paper place mat, just what source of information would you trust?

So... how many folks do you think posed for a picture as I did in this one?   It must be in the tens of thousands and I would guess the vast majority would have been kids - or old farts like myself that haven't learned the technique of "growing up".   After a day trip on  The Lulu with Captain John, I noticed an anatomical anomaly on this creature... it has two "crusher" claws instead of one crusher and one "shreader" - oh well.  By the way, more on Capt. John and The Lulu later.

How much did you say those clams cost per pound?

Here in Maine soft shell clams, also known as steamers, long necks, and spitters cost $2.50 a pound. In Billings Montana they would probably cost $6.50 or even more. Well, to be fair to those who dig clams commercially, the price needs to be adjusted upwards by a factor of 10! I went out onto Long Cove clam flats for 45 minutes - got 48 clams (about 2 pounds), 2 blisters, and one hell of a cardio workout.I described my clam rake in a previous post. That, a bucket, and a pair of good boots are all you need to go "clamming". Although as you'll see in a picture to follow, I am including a pair of long rubber gloves. If you look close in the picture above, you'll see me out there diggin' clams. I went a bit further out into the flats but I started sinking in to within a few inches of the top of my boots - so I came back in a bit. Below is a close up and as you can see, the mud is well up over my ankles. It is very hard to move around. The suction is unbelievably strong. To lift a leg, you need to twist your foot about 10 degrees and pull up immediately. Forget to do the little twist action before taking a step, your body will move forward but your foot will stay right where it was and you will go ass over tea cup into the cool, cool mud.

The process of raking clams is pretty straight forward, (referring to the close up) with one hand you push the tines of the rake into the mud right down to the bend in the tines a few inches from the tell tale hole that the clam made burrowing its way into the muck. Immediately after you rock the rake up and away from you which brings up about 5 pounds of mud and a clam if you read the signs right.Here's what I looked like after less than an hour on the flats. I learned that one other "tool" is needed - a supply of water to wash both clams and hand.

Here's what 48 (2 pounds of) spitters look like fresh from the flat. I was talking about finding the tell tale signs of finding clams. I learned first hand that day how they got their alternate name "spitters". When the clam is burrowing further into the mud, you'll see a stream of water come up from one of the holes - a sure thing!

Yes, I am a sucker for punishment and will get out there again. It is a great workout and you get a prize for your labor - lunch! There is a moral to this blog post... next time at your fish mongers or the seafood counter at the supermarket - don't complain about the price of clams - believe me, it is well worth the money - regardless of cost.

Retirement has become boring...

Becky and I have landed here in Trenton, Maine and I am bored stiff. And so, I have decided to take a part time job. Actually, I found the first job and a second part time job offer came with it - so I took them both. Well, as it turns out I couldn't help but grab a third. So for six hours a day, I am going back to work.....

Part time job 1: For two hours a day, I sit in my EZ lawn chair and make sure the tide go out.........

Part time job 2: For two hours a day, I sit in my EZ lawn chair and make sure the tide comes back in..........

Part time job 3: For two hours a day, immediately following low tide, I walk on the beach and dig for clams. By the way... digging for clams is optional.....

Those jobs should keep me busy don't ya think?

By the way, my "clam rake" is homemade - sort of... I found the rake part of the tool in a local junk yard but the handle was gone. Luckily the rake still had an attachment spike on it. Then I found a piece of driftwood that fit my hand well, shaved a few burrs off of it, sawed the rake end square and drilled a slightly undersized (from the spike) hole in it. I filled the hole with gorilla glue and hammered the rake spike into the hole. Finally I wound Kevlar twine in and around the tines and ran it down the length of the handle and then covered all with black duct tape. Voila! A clam rake!

Can't wait to start my job... it's less than a 100 yards to the bay and about 2 hours from low tide so I'd best get out to my EZ lawn chair to start Job 1.

On The Road Again.....

Well folks, we've been in North Carolina for a month now with two highlights to report.. (1) my Daughter's wedding (see previous post) to Jeff and (2) the North Carolina Zoo at Ashboro.

The zoo is one of the "open range" types and consists of two "continents" - North America and Africa. There are a total of 5 or 6 miles of pathways in the 500 acre park. They really did it well for the animals - if they prefer not being gawked at by people animals, they spend their time as far away from the viewing decks as they can. And that could be 1/4 mile away or more. This is the only "open range" zoo I have ever been too and although most of the animals were a good distance from the viewing areas, I really think the animals were far more impressive that those you see in "a caged in" zoo. We shall visit other zoos' of this type as we work ourselves around the country.


A really "cool" exhibit in North America was the polar bear pool and that's the only picture on that continent I took where you can actually discern what animal was being photographed.


The giraffe exhibit in Africa was a bit more confined which made getting pictures a little easier. Good for the people animals but not so good for the giraffes. I think there were a total of four giraffes in the exhibit. They are just as goofy looking up close as they are on TV.


The elephants have a huge pasture to roam in. A drinking water pond was built right up against the viewing deck so the elephants spent a considerable amount of time within camera range. There were a few elephants way off in the distance - I got the impression they were "at home" there.

I'd never viewed a behavior they exhibited... there was a pile of really dry looking hay on the dirt pathway you see in the pictures. The elephants would scoop up a pile and carry it to the pool - you can see the pile to the left of the elephant. They would eat some right there at the shoreline and then get a drink.

Other than those shown, we saw perhaps a dozen or so other animals but these were the only "closeups" we could get a picture of. Bottom line to the zoo is... if you happen to be in the Ashboro area, take a day to visit it.

Last fall as we drove South out of Maine, the fall foliage was chasing us. Now we are on our way back up to Maine and we will be chasing the Spring foliage. From here its an overnight er in PA, a few days in my hometown of Pittsfield, MA to visit family, up to NH for a little warranty work on the trailer and finally, on May 1, we will arrive in Trenton Maine which is just on the other side of the bridge from Bar Harbor. this is where we will be until the end of October. BEWARE LOBSTERS!

http://www.barharborcampingresorts.com/content/4004/NARROWS_TOO/

Meet The Staffords....

Introducing "The Staffords".... l-r .... Nick, Haylee, Cariann, Pastor (who's name I have forgotten), Jeff, Mackensie, Ethan. How about this for a family! This was probably the nicest wedding I have ever been to. Informal, casual, relaxed - you pick the word, that's what it was. All I can say is that it was a Christian affair and if you want more specific than that, afraid I can't help. Cariann didn't stop smiling the whole day and is probably still smiling today. Perhaps it's just that I am her Dad, but she has the prettiest smile I have ever seen - perhaps it's Jeff that has put the glow in it. The Pastor obviously knows Jeff and Cari well as he made numerous mentions of how Jeff feels about Cari. He was using words like "gaa-gaa over her" and "head over heels for him".

After the "I do's", the whole family participated in "The Sands Ceremony". Each member had a small vessel of lightly colored sand. They took turns pouring their sand into a single larger vessel.

When done, the smaller ones were empty and the single larger one was full to the brim. I had never seen this ceremony and as they poured their sands, the Pastor beautifully told the story of the sands. I will leave the symbolism to your imagination and would bet that it is very accurate. Simply beautiful.

The blog site limits pictures to five so I will end it with the traditional cutting of the cake. By the way, the cake was made by my youngest daughter, Sandra or "Sammy" as only I am allowed to call her. The bride and groom atop the cake were made of "leggos" by Ethan who has quite a collection of leggos.

I wanted to include a picture of a leggo recreation of a Starbucks Coffee Shop that Ethan did - Cari is addicted to Starbucks coffee. Hummmm... maybe that is another reason for the smile.

So to wrap this rather brief accounting of the wedding up, it was great meeting the Stafford clan and Jeff, Mackensie and Ethan... Welcome to the "Sacchetti" family!

The Creature From The Black Lagoon!

And now that I have a half way decent Internet connection, and have reinstalled our camera software, I can catch up with the goings on these past few months.

Well... winter is behind us, now we have to wait for the weather to catch up with the new season. Becky and I spent most of the winter in Citra, Florida which is in the North Central "horse country" part of the state. I certainly mean no disrespect to the folks that call that part of the state home, but other than a fancy RV Resort and a tired 9 hole golf course on premises, there isn't a thing to attract us back next winter. We did meet a really nice guy while there - our next door neighbor, George. Our first day in the park I was setting up my satellite dish and he came over to help. Four hours later we were receiving HD images. Thanks again George.


We moved up to Tallahassee towards the end of February and have spent the last month scouting out digs for this coming winter's campsite. We found it a little South and West of Tallahassee, in a small coastal community - "Holiday RV Resort" in Panacea, FL. But more of it later. I will describe it, and the next community South and West of it - Apalachicola, FL only to say that if you're looking for really inexpensive, sweet, tender, sea fresh oysters, either of those two towns is where you need to be. Apalachicola Bay Oysters in the shell can be had for little more than 10 cents a piece when ya buy a half bag. Depending on the size of the oysters that means anywhere from 7 to 12 dozen. Best dang oysters I have ever had.


Just outside of Tallahassee, in Crawfordville is the Joe Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. The picture below is taken from one of their tour boats, just after clearing the boat dock. Beautiful and in a sense, errie scenery like this drifted by for the entire 1 hour ride. The springs water is crystal clear and the state park operates glass bottom boats when the conditions are perfect. The day we were there the water was too stained but we were still able to see the bottom 10 feet down crystal clear. We are told that when the waters are optimally pristine, you are able to see down as deep as 120 feet.

Missed it by a nose! I would imagine we saw 100 alligators both on land and in the water. Our boat was filled to capacity so it was very difficult to get the pictures you really wanted but I did manage this one, and really dozens of others but I'll spare you. Actually there are two alligators in the picture - you can see the second half of the other one's tail pointing in the other direction.




It's an automatic reaction to jerk your arm back into the boat when you see alligators swimming along side.




We also saw quite a few Manatee's as well. Honestly, I didn't get to snap any pictures of them so I am borrowing this picture I took a few months ago further south. Well, I never claimed to be a photographer... all those dark colored bumps in the water are the Manatees... use your imagination.

In the following picture, you can see the curved, broken off trunk of a palm tree. The rest of the tree was cut off by lightning some years ago. But when the tree was in its whole, it hung over the middle of river, or "The Jungle" as the operator referred to it. It is the same tree from which Johnny Weismuller was seen swinging across the river in the original movie Tarzan. If it isn't that same tree, well, it's a nice picture of a quarter of a palm tree isn't it! Various scenes from the TV series "Flipper" were also shot in these waters.

Ahhh, at last! The claim to fame - the "thing" that put Wakulla Springs on the map! I know you know the name of this pool of water - it's The Black Lagoon. And we all know who, or what came from The Black Lagoon right? Absolutely, this is where The Creature From The Black Lagoon terrorized all that came too close. the boat pilot paused for a few minutes at its entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of it but to no avail.


So if you ever find yourself in Tallahassee, take a short ride to Crawfordville and visit the State Park. The boat ride is probably the best "paid attraction" I've been to in a long while.