Lobster Fest's

A trip up the Mt Washington Auto Road was great too with almost perfect weather and amazing views.

The road to Maine was definitely NOT Interstate! Rt 2 winds and twists, climbs and dips thru the White Mountains, just the way we like it! We found ourselves outrunning a thunder storm in Augusta Maine before stopping at the Rockland Elks Lodge.

Rockland Elks large camping area

A big property (32 acres) with 30 amp electric for 4 rigs and 15 amp for a dozen more, the camping area was busy due to the Maine Lobster Festival which just happened to be the weekend we arrived. Better yet Sunday is the free day being the last day of the event so we took advantage and explored the show grounds which are right at the harbor.

A Baseball fan LOBSTAH

We indulged in Lobster rolls, you can watch them boil the lobsters and just seconds later they are ready to eat! Talk about fresh. I'm still drooling thinking about them.

We also drove up the coast to Searsport where we camped with the motorcycle camper 11 years ago. This place was so calm and serene, with the waters of Penobscot Bay lapping against the seawall right next to the tent. We had to come back.

Our Motorcycling days at Searsport Shores RV Park

This was our RV in 2005

The prices have risen immensely since the last time with some sites being $90 a night, but we have such great memories of here that we made reservations for 3 nights at the end of September on the way back from Canada.

After 3 nights in Rockland we drove further up Rt 1 to Ellsworth Maine. Rt 1 follows the coast and there are delicious glimpses of the super Maine scenery. We're so high up in the RV that we can see over the hedges that block the view from the Fiesta. A quiet winding road, Rt 1 was free of traffic all the way.

The Elks Lodge in Ellsworth is right on Rt3 that goes directly into Acadia National Park and to Bar Harbor. This is a major tourist area and parking in Bar Harbor was at a premium but we lucked out and found free 2 hr parking right outside a nice seafood restaurant. MORE LOBSTAH.

Quick get more LOBSTAH the Downing's just got here!!

After wards we drove to Bass Harbor and did some rock scrambling to see the the lighthouse

On again to Hermon ME where we checked into an Escapee Rally being held by the North East Chapter. The name of the rally? LOBSTER FEST!! 

Our friends from Shanty Shakers, Bruce and Sue and Marty and Peggy were there before us and welcomed us to the event. Soon we felt right at home and started meeting more new friends thru this great Escapees organization.

Marty and Peggy asked us along on a trip to Bath Maine to visit the shipyard there. We were glad to go along. We visited the Elks Lodge first, then took the boat tour of the Kenebec River to see the lighthouses and get a close up view of the latest Navy ships, the DDG 1000 class “Zumwalt” destroyers. These are often called the Stealth Destroyers, being shaped so as to deflect rather than reflect radar beams. I worked on these occasionally over the last 20 years of my working life. My company was the lead on the initial design for the class.

Lighthouse on the Kenebec

DDG 1001 Stealth Destroyer

We must have done things right lately as we missed the heavy rain which ended when we arrived, started after we got into the museum on the way back from the cruise then ended again as we exited the museum and went for dinner at a nice local restaurant (where LOBSTAH was on the menu)!

LOBSTAH BLT

Saturday we got up ready for the highlight of this rally. LOBSTAH! We've eaten lobster every way we could except for? Plain old lobster. The Escapees Chapter 3 asked us back when we registered how many we'd like so we signed up for 2 a piece. Today we take delivery! I watched as they got the giant steamers up to the boil then filled them with 3 ice chests full of fresh caught lobsters. Then they covered them with sea weed and let them cook.

Quick grab a LOBSTAH

Cooked and ready

Bruce and friend

It takes a LOT of lobster to feed 50+ people and they had leftovers! Plus you could sign up for clams too! Lots of fresh corn, various salads. Did we ever eat.

Luckily Barbara left room for champagne and desert! (Just).

It took all our energy to stagger back to the rig for a nap!! So much energy that we extended our stay an extra night to let us digest all the LOBSTAH.

A final note:
I'd like to say that no Lobsters where hurt making this document. (They were dead when we ate them). Further Lobsters do not scream when they get cooked, otherwise we would have gone deaf from all the noise this past couple of weeks!