It would take a lifetime and more to enjoy all the beauty of Maine. To climb every mountain, hike every trail, walk all the beaches, canoe every lake and sail along the coast would certainly be a good start, but only the beginning. So to help you out with your quest to get to know Maine (even for those who live here) I am going to assist you in prioritizing the things you really don’t want to miss. I guess we could call it “Your Maine Bucket List.” (I’m assuming you’ve all seen the movie).

I’ll add something to this list every week, along with complete and detailed instructions on how to implement the list. So we better get started because this is a pretty good size bucket list.

Maine Bucket List #1

WHALE WATCHING

I’m starting with this because this is one thing you don’t want to miss. I remember the first time I went whale watching. It was in early August and the weather was perfect. When I arrived at the dock there were about 30 people signed up for this trip and we were all anxious to board the boat and get started. Cameras hung around necks, bags of snacks and drinks in tow, we were ready for an adventure.

The captain announced we were heading to Georges Bank, an elevated area of the sea floor separating the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean. They say that at one time Georges Bank was actually part of the North American mainland. Until the last century, it was considered one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Now several areas of the Bank are closed to commercial fishing for an undesignated time, due to overfishing. But the whales still come to feed every year starting in mid April until October, when they head south.

You may see any number of whale varieties on your whale watching trip. Among the most common are:

• humpback
• pilot
• minke
• finback (these can grow up to 80 ft.)

Other whales, not as common include:

• sei
• sperm
• orca
• right

Here are a few well established whale watching trip companies:

Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company

Downeast Windjammer Cuises and Ferries

Boothbay Whale Watch

Odyssey Whale Watch

First Chance Whale Watch

Get your Maine Bucket List underway this spring, summer or fall with that all important Whale Watch!

April 16th through 18th, Ogunquit will host their annual Patriot’s Day celebration with a series of events.

What better way to ensure your children know the history of Maine, than to see it. Re-enactments capture the imagination of children and adults alike.  Give your children and yourself the opportunity to experience the making of history!

Some of the scheduled events include:

Re-enactment of the Sons of LibertyMeeting
Fife and Drum Concert
Re-enactment of Paul Revere’s Ride

For a complete schedule with event and time visit the Ogunquit Web Site. You’ll also find information on other activites taking place in Ogunquit this spring.

Here are some great new Maine t-shirts in an assortment of styles and colors, including the new hooded sweatshirt. Click on the pictures to get size, style and color selections for each shirt.

 

 

 

 

PAN FRIED MAINE BROOK TROUT

4 brook trout, cleaned, with head & tails left on
2 tbsp. flour
Salt
7 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced chives

Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper
towels. Dust lightly with flour and sprinkle with salt. In a
large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter(reserve 4
tbsp for sauce) and the oil. When it is hot, put in the
trout and fry over medium-high heat.

When browned, turn and brown the other side; each side will
take about 3 minutes. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons
butter with lemon juice and chives in a small saucepan. When
the trout is done, transfer to a warm platter and pour on
the lemon-butter sauce.

ENJOY!

Calling all birders, photographers, adventurers and nature lovers to the Annual Downeast Spring Birding Festival. This is such a wonderful opportunity to see so many Maine birds in one area. The festival list states over 230 birds you might see in late May. So pack up the bug spray (first) and then the camera and everything else and head Down East. You can get all the details on their web site.

 Some of the birds you might see are:

Bald Eagles
Atlantic Puffin
American Woodcock
Black Guillemots
Mergansers….  and so many more.

Be sure to arrange for a boat tour to Machais Seal Island if you are serious about seeing Maine’s coastal birds, especially the fun and beautiful puffin.  Norton of Jonesport will take you right to Machais Seal Island where they land. They have experienced bird spotters on board to assist you with viewing and identification. They have been in the business since 1939 and have had some well known visitors to their boat tour, including Roger Tory Peterson, Canadian Geographic, Marlin Perkins and the Wild Kingdom, Portland Press Herald, New York Times, Boston Globe, Newsweek, Bangor Daily News, Yankee magazine, US News & World Report, National Geographic. You can visit their website or give them a call at 207.497.2560 or 207.497.5933

LODGING:

Blueberry Patch Motel & Cabins – 207-434-5411
U.S. Rte 1 Jonesboro, Maine 04648

Bluebird Motel – 207-255-3332
231 Dublin Street Machias, ME 04654

Blue Butterfly B&B – 207-255-0115
46 High Street Machias, ME 04654

Captain Cates B&B – 207-255-8812
Rt. 92 Machiasport, ME 04655

Collins Hill Inn – 207-733-4300
7 Water Street Lubec, Maine 04652

Crimson Maple Inn – 207-255-6948
1 School Street Machias, Maine

Harbor House on Sawyer Cove – 207-497-5417
Jonesport, ME

Hearts of Maine – 207-483-4396
5 Ocean Whisper Dr. Addison, Maine 04606

Machias Motor Inn – 207-255-4861
109 Main Street Machias, ME 04654

Maine View House
P O Box 35 Machias, Maine 04654

Margaretta Motel – 207-255-6671
Rt. 1 Box 353 Machias, ME 04654

Meddybemps Cottage Rentals – 207-255-6257
95 Rim Road Machiasport, ME 04655

Micmac Farm Guesthouses & Gardner House B&B – 207-255-3008
47 Micmac Lane Machiasport, ME 04655

Morning Glory Seaside Inn – 207-497-3467
541 Mason Bay Road Jonesport, ME 04649

Riverside Inn & Restaurant – 207-255-4134
P O Box 373, Route One East Machias, Maine 04630

Robinson’s Cottages – 207-726-9546
231 King Street Edmunds, Maine 04628

The Inn at Schoppee Farm B&B – 207-255-4648
21 Schoppee Dairy Road Machias, ME 04654

The Peacock House B&B – 207-733-2403
27 Summer Street Lubec, ME 04652

Welch Farm Cottages – 207-255-0133
86 Roque Bluffs Road Roque Bluffs, ME 04654

Wildflower Inn – 207-255-8271
601 Main Street East Machias, ME 04630

For more information about Down East Maine contact the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Sugarhouses all over the state of Maine open their doors to the public the 4th sunday of March, each year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take your family to see how maple syrup and sugar is produced. Maine has an abundance of sugarhouses anxious to have you stop by.

West Minot Sugarhouse
West Minot SugarhouseMaine 119 & Maine 124
West Minot, Maine 04288
Description Pancake breakfast 7-12 am. All you can eat $6.00, children under five $1.00. Maple syrup, candies, cookies, popcorn, fudge, etc. for sale. Horse drawn wagon rides 8 am-2 pm for a fee. Jigs and reels music 1 pm-3 pm. Free. This year we will be serving our breakfast at the West Minot Grange, much more room! Restrooms available, handicapped accessible, retail sales offered, wholesale sales offered. Hours: 8am-4pm
Email slatbake2001@yahoo.com
Phone 207-966-3643

A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm
WEB SITE
Black Mountain Rd
Sumner, Maine
Description Draft horse gathers sap and we demonstrate syrup making with a wood fired evaporator. We tap over 400 trees using metal buckets. Free tastes of our extra dark maple syrup. Maple tea & coffee 50 cents a cup; Bake sale with maple recipes. Farm store open. Restrooms available, handicapped accessible, retail sales offered Hours: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Email info@awinkleinthymefarm.com
Phone 207-388-2979 / 207-212-4058

Nash Valley Farm
Nash Valley Farm
Nash Road,
Portland, Maine ME
Description Come to the country for everything maple! Visit the sugarhouse, sample syrup on ice cream. Delicious and creative maple products available for sale. Hayrides and farm animals. Can accommodate bus tours, restrooms available, handicapped accessible, retail sales offered on Maine Maple Sunday and year round. Hours: 9:00 – 4:00; Maine Maple Sunday
Email nashvalleyfarm@myfairpoint.net
Phone 207-892-7019

For an extensive listing, check out the Maine Maple Sunday Map from the Maine Maple Producers. After you pick up some wonderful maple syrup from your favorite sugarhouse, try these great maple recipes.

Maple Glazed Chicken Wings

Preheat Oven (425)

2 lbs. fresh chicken wings
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Maine Maple Syrup
________

Combine melted butter and maple syrup.

Place chicken wings on baking sheet.

Bake 5 minutes, then baste with syrup/butter mixture. Bake

10 minutes more, baste and turn with spatula.

Baste and bake 10 minutes more. Then baste again and bake 5

minutes longer, or until browned.

Yummy served with a nice Maine potato salad.
________

Maple Apple Crisp

Filling
4 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup Maine maple syrup

Topping
1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/3 cup flour
½ sliced almonds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sliced apples, lemon juice, cinnamon and syrup in a large mixing bowl. Mix topping ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.

Grease a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, and spread the apple mixture across the bottom of the pan.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Spread the topping evenly over the apples and return the pan to the oven. Bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees until topping is crisp.

I happen to be in Orlando as I write this and I can tell you I have NOT seen a moose since I arrived. I think it’s fair to assume they don’t come to Florida.

Moose have a body temperature of 101-102 degrees making it possible for them to tolerate extremely cold temperatures. In the winter they go higher into the mountains where there are heavy coniferous wooded areas that not only provide food but also help them to remain cooler. Moose can start panting at 68 degrees. I’ve been told the bulls go higher in the mountains than the cows and calves which stay a little lower. They group together in “moose yards” or “sheds” as the locals call them. These are generally in coniferous wooded areas and the moose will trample down the snow to get to the vegetation underneath. The shade from the coniferous trees helps keep moose a bit cooler.

A few hardy moose-lovers hop onto snowmobiles, skis or snowshoes for winter viewing but most people enjoy finding and watching moose in the spring, summer and fall. Don’t know where to find a moose? Well there are people who do know and operate moose touring businesses. One moose tour business in Western Maine is Mooseland Tours, owned and operated by Brenda and Leon Marcotte. Brenda is a life-long moose watcher and has turned her experiences and knowledge into a really fun business taking people like you and me out on tours to find and watch moose. Check out Brenda’s web site Mooseland Tours

Long before Europeans settled in Maine, the people of the Abenaki tribes were utilizing the tasty wild blueberry. Dried and pounded, along with the native cranberry, it was worked into pounded venison and suet and formed to make pemmican cakes, a staple in the harsh winter climate of Maine. Dried berries were also used in kinnickinnick, Indian tobacco. Both blueberries and cranberries were used as dyes for clothing, baskets, porcupine quills and were an important storable food staple for the settlers when they arrived.

Wild Maine blueberries are a favorite round the world. Their popularity has grown even more as their antioxidant properties have become known. Blueberry lovers enjoy them fresh picked, as well as in pies, muffins, cakes, cobblers, jams, syrups and herb teas.

The wild blueberry is smaller but packs more of the antioxidant, anthocyanin, than cultivated varieties.The flavor of the wild Maine blueberry is strong and sweet. They spread by underground runners, never planted like cultivated berries. Wild blueberry growers do take advantage of modern crop management methods to encourage growth and continued crop quality.

Wild Maine blueberries are available in supermarkets in many forms. They can be purchased frozen (my favorite when fresh is not available),canned, dried and, in season, fresh. If you are fortunate enough to be in Maine during blueberry season you can pick or rake your own.

When fresh blueberries are not in season, or if you live somewhere other than Maine (Is that even possible?) you can use frozen Maine blueberries which will work perfectly in every recipe,or just thaw and eat as is!

Don’t know where to find blueberry products year round? Wymans of Maine is a long established business offering the very best frozen Wild Maine Blueberries and Wild Maine Blueberry products. Visit their web site, Wymans of Maine , to find retail locations, order online or find a great new recipe to prepare foryour family.

Wild Blueberry Struesel Coffee Cake

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
_____

1 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 cups Maine wild blueberries
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 Tablespoons sour cream
2 Tablespoons sugar for top

Struesel Mix
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup cold butter
_____

Sift the dry ingredients and combine in a mixing bowl. Add wild Maine blueberries. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, sour cream and melted butter. Combine the milk mixture with the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.

Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch square pan. Prepare streusel by cutting the cold butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Spread the remaining batter over the layer of streusel, and top with 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve after cooling.

As a child I always looked forward to warm summer days that might influence my parents to take us to Old Orchard Beach. I loved everything about it! The arcade and exciting rides are still there and probably a bit more exciting now then they were back in the 50’s. I never could decide what to do first.

I loved the pier and the “forbidden” fortune teller dressed in her bright gypsy dress and layers and layers of necklace chains and bangle bracelets. I remember one pair of earrings she wore that dangled and dazzled all the way to her shoulders. I thought she was amazing when she told me that someday I would have two children. Well, I did have two, and then 3 more!

Named for an apple orchard, planted in the last half of the 17th century, and standing on high ground, overlooking a long sandy beach, Old Orchard Beach was a landmark to ships and sailors for 150 years.

Today, Old Orchard Beach is a favorite destination for many people, including Canadians, who flock to the beach by the thousands each summer.

Quaint cottages, retro motels, cozy cabins, bed and breakfasts, and luxery hotels line the streets some facing onto the beautiful seven mile stretch of beach. Just down the road a mile or two in either direction, are campgrounds. Whatever type of accomodations your family needs, you’ll find it at Old Orchard Beach.

Well stocked gift shops are everywhere! Food stands have all the usual treats including those famous Old Orchard Beach “French Fries with White Vinegar.” The famous and popular pier, was rebuilt and opened in 1980 following it’s destruction in a devastating storm. Maybe 2010 is the year for your family vacation to Old Orchard Beach!