Bucket Lists & The Easternmost Point – Lubec, ME
We were having a heat wave. It was the third week of Sept and “the beast” was parked in the northeastern-most point in the continental US. We were so far north that we were having trouble staying on US Cell towers (our phones kept roaming to Canada), yet it was sunny, a very toasty 80 degrees (almost too warm) and just beautiful.
Whaat????
Lemonade Without The Lemons
We’d been hesitant to come this far north this late in Sept, but it was turning out to be one of the best decisions we’d made all year.
It was almost end of season so things were starting to shut down with campgrounds emptying out (a few had already closed) and tourist spots starting to close up shop, but for whatever reason Mother Nature just hadn’t caught up yet. So we were enjoying that most delicious (and rare) mix of having practically everything to ourselves combined with some of the best weather we’d had all summer.
Blissful end-of-season quiet with perfectly calm and warm, brilliant sunshine and it was ALL ours. Plus of course “the beast” was parked in a prime spot on a superb site overlooking the sparkling blue water of the bay.
We were flummoxed, but we definitely weren’t complaining!
Sometimes life sends you lemons and sometimes it just skips the sour part altogether and sends you sweet, beautiful lemonade ready for the taking. The latter are rare and beautiful moments, if you’re awake enough to recognize them. We were currently cruising and we were fully aware of what that meant. This was a time to savor, a time of reflection and healing, and it was about to get even better with a several bucket items that were about to be crossed off the list.
The Easternmost Point*
Lubec is a sleepy little town with a fulltime population of only 1,359. It sits right on the border with Canada separated only by a narrow bridge, and it lies as far north as you can get on the East coast of the USA*. This obviously makes it a quirky attraction for folks wanting to take that “I’ve been to the easternmost point in the US” selfie, but that wasn’t the reason WE were here.
No my dear blog readers, the reason WE were here was to see the fine lady who guards the coast just south of Quoddy Bay. Plus although we didn’t know it at the time, we were here to drink some beer, discover some amazing chocolates and take a trip to Canada. This little town of the north was going to delight us in more ways than one and provide the perfect end-point for our NE travels this year.
As our base to explore the area we chose the one and only RV park in town (Sunset Point RV Park, full review coming), a super cute little place with fabulous views and the friendliest campground hosts we’d ever met. We arrived early Sat AM, settled into our site (narrow but scenic) and planned our explorations.
First up…the lady of the bay…
*NOTE/ There’s many ways to distinguish the “Easternmost Point” in the USA depending on whether you go by longitude (then it’s actually Pochnoi Point in Alaska), direction of travel (which places it in the Virgin Islands) or some other designation. Technically East Quoddy Head is the Easternmost Point on the US mainland with Sail Rock specifically (just east of Quoddy Head) the Easternmost Point in this area.
West Quoddy Lighthouse (1808/1858)
West Quoddy Lighthouse, so named because she’s located on the West side of Quoddy Bay (the East side of the Bay is in Canada) is the only “candy striped” Lighthouse in the US. Her unique look has made her one of the most frequently depicted American lighthouses on calendars and posters, and she’s so darn pretty than even folks who aren’t that “nutty” for lighthouses are captivated by her allure. For aficionados like us she’s an iconic light and she’s been on our bucket list for YEARS.
First built in 1808 (later rebuilt. The current tower is from 1858), she sits at the very tip of Quoddy Head Park, a 541 acre peninsula just ~4 miles from downtown Lubec. She’s 49 feet tall with a 16 foot diameter base and thanks to the spectacular cliffs that surround her, she beams out her light 83 feet above sea level.
And she’s so frikkin’ gorgeous!!
We planned our ENTIRE trip up here to see this lighthouse, confirming and double-confirming that she would be open (Sat only this month) for tours in the tower. So as soon as we’d checked-in at the RV park we gathered all our photo gear and zoomed over like excited kiddies for a view.
It’s only ~10 short minutes drive to the light but it feels like a world away. Small, curvy roads that wind onto a quiet forested peninsula and a small parking lot overlooking the light. Often the area is cloaked in thick fog and the lighthouse is barely visible, but on the day we arrived she was brilliantly uncovered with all her candy-cane stripes glowing proudly in the golden afternoon sun. A stunning sight!
We rushed straight inside and that’s when our hopes were crushed. By total dumb, unlucky coincidence the interpretive ranger had to leave unexpectedly that morning for a personal issue, so the tour that we had so carefully pre-planned to attend was cancelled. The tower was locked and there was literally no way to see either the staircase or the lens room. Nooooooooo!
Oh well what can you do? She was everything we could have hoped for and more. The grounds were beautiful, the surrounding hiking trails were wonderful and the light herself was gorgeous. I just WISH we could have gone inside the tower and seen the Fresnel lens {{insert heart-broken crying emoji here}}.
VISIT & PAW NOTES/ West Quoddy Lighthouse grounds & visitor center are open daily 10AM-4PM mid-May through mid-Oct. Tours of the tower are given at intervals during this time (check HERE for current tour info). Dogs are not allowed inside the historic lighthouse structure, but are welcome in all surrounding grounds and trails (in West Quoddy Head).
Beer And Chocolate
Our heartbreak from not seeing the lighthouse tower was somewhat mitigated when we realized that we could drown our sorrows in both beer and chocolate just minutes from our RV site. It’s enough to take the edge off just about any kind of disappointment, is it not? And we discovered both on that very first day in Lubec.
I’ve always loved small Northern coastal towns, both for the smell of the sea and the feel of them. Maybe it’s because I’m Scandinavian (we’ve got the history of the sea in our bones, after all) or the fact that I spent all of my childhood summers in a small coastal fishing village in Denmark, but something about these towns just speaks to me. It’s the reason we love the PNW coast so much, and it’s the same reason we’ve enjoyed Maine.
And Lubec fits into that mold perfectly.
It’s a teeny little place with a few eateries, a smokehouse museum and some bright, quirky houses squeezed into a 4-block span. You can walk the entire town in less than 10 minutes, but if you look closer you’ll notice the interesting doors, the murals and the lighthouse (Mulholland Point) across the pier from the harbor. For such a small town it’s got a boat lot of charm.
And of course no-one can miss the brewery. Lubec Brewing Company is cute little place right in the middle of the “downtown” strip. On the outside it advertizes gluten-free, vegan and organic produce and on the inside you’ll find a super cozy interior with large, overstuffed sofas, peace signs and poems of love written on the walls. It’s such an odd piece of big-city modern/hippy in the midst of a such a small, seemingly traditional fishing village. We loved it right away, of course.
And it’s a SUPER friendly place. When we arrived it was pretty much the only thing open in town. There was music playing and the warmth of wood and antique lights drew us in, but we had Polly with us and with nowhere to sit outside we thought we might have to give it a miss. On a lark I walked in and asked if we could bring her in.
“Of course you bring her in” was the response “sit anywhere you like.”
Which was followed shortly thereafter by one of the 5 or so patrons inside who asked
“Are you WheelingIt?”
Yup, not only had we found a dog-friendly, organic farm-to-market brewery/eatery in a teeny town in NE USA, but we’d stumbled on blog readers too! We sat down with them at a large family-style table and enjoyed a most excellent evening with wood-fired pizza, homemade soup, beer and great conversation. Our new friends had spent the entire summer traveling in Canada through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia the PEI and gave us all kinds of inspiration for future trips. What a great evening & a great find!
Oh and I mentioned chocolate didn’t I? Well Monica’s Chocolate is a lovely shop that’s located literally right across the road from the RV Park in Lubec, and it’s a stop worth making!
Monica is from Peru and makes all her chocolates by hand. She’s a fascinating lady with a most incredible & humbling story (it’s not mine to tell but if you’re curious to find out how a Peruvian lady ended up in a little town on the northeastern tip of the US, ask her how she got here. It’s an incredible tale of heartbreak and strength).
She met us at the door, welcomed us in and offered several free (yes, I did say free!) tastings. You can tell she is proud of her creations and rightly so. We enjoyed some delectable cognac-infused truffles, delicious fruit-based bonbons and mouthwatering dark almond bark. Everything was amazing and we ended up buying as much as we could possibly carry. DO NOT miss this place!
Last but not least, we discovered ONE more place worth checking out while you’re in the area. Becky’s Seafood is a teeny little food truck just around a mile north of the RV park. She’s not always open, but when she is she sells a delicious smoked salmon stick and makes a mean fish & chips (apparently the lobster roll is pretty good too). Another great stop.
VISIT & PAW TIPS: Lubec Brewing Company is open year round Thurs-Sun. Dog-friendly inside the brewery! Monica’s Chocolates is also open year around, all week 8AM-6PM. NO dogs allowed inside the shop, but there is seating outside the shop for those willing to take turns inside. Becky’s Seafood Truck is open when she’s open (just check as you drive by into town). She has a large outdoor seating area in the back which is dog-friendly.
A Day Trip To Canada
Being this close to Canada we simply couldn’t resist the urge to nip across the border for a day visit. And there’s good reason to do so too!
Campobello Island lies just across the border and is home to Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Here you’ll find 2,800 acres of natural beauty, where you can explore walking trails, beaches, bogs, forest, and spectacular ocean headlands. It’s the ancient home of the Passamaquoddy people and also the place where the Roosevelt’s spent their summer vacations. It still has their original house, as well as a daily tea ceremony “Tea with Elanor”.
And of course there’s a LIGHTHOUSE (well actually two, but there’s one that’s truly remarkable).
Head Harbour Lighthouse (1829)
The most famous light this side of the border is the northern sister of West Quoddy Lighthouse.
Known as Head Harbour Light (or sometimes East Quoddy), she’s a spectacular light with a unique red cross day-marker (the Cross of St. George) built on a small, rocky islet off the northern tip of Campobello Island. First lit in 1829, she’s got a 51 ft tall wooden octagonal tower, a beautiful keepers house, oil house, a fog bell house. She is the oldest surviving lighthouse in New Brunswick and is almost unchanged since the day she was built.
If you’re a lighthouse enthusiast she’s another absolutely “must-see” in the area, and she is only accessible (or even visible) at low tide…..and by that I mean COMPLETE low tide!
Campobello Island is just south of the Bay of Fundy, home to some of the biggest tides on earth and those tides are visibly dramatic at the lighthouse too. At low tide the lighthouse is accessible by a 20-min hike across 2 rocky beaches, a bridge and several tall, skinny metal ladders that scale the steep cliffs, but a few hours later the entire access is completely covered in deep water. There’s no way to see the light at high tide and you do NOT want to get caught out there when it rises.
Once again we loaded Polly in the car for this trip, making sure we bought both our passports and Polly’s rabies certificates. We went straight through customs at Lubec (they even gave Polly a dog treat!), drove over the bridge and cruised ~20 mins across the Island to the light which we’d timed carefully to coincide with low tide. We were met by a super friendly volunteer at the start of the trail who not only gave us a complete history of the light, but also offered to watch Polly while we did the hike (what a lovely lady!). It was a beautiful clear day (it’s often fogged in here, so we were lucky), the hike was gorgeous, there was literally no-one around and the light herself was totally stunning. Our very first lighthouse in Canada, and she was a total treat!
VISIT & PAW NOTES/ Head Harbor Lighthouse is located at the northern tip of Campobello Island costs $10 to visit and is only accessible at low-tide (check tide levels HERE). The hiking trail to the light takes ~20 mins and includes several rocky beaches and steep metal ladders. It is NOT advisable for dogs. If you’re lucky like us however you might be able to leave doggie with the volunteer at the beginning of the trail while you hike out and back. If you’re coming from the US side you will need passports and valid rabies certificates (for paws) to cross the border.
The Roosevelt Cottage (1897)
After our lighthouse fix we drove back to Herring Cove for a short, wooded hike by the water followed by a stop at the main visitor center to tour the Roosevelt Cottage (we took turns with the dog) and walk around the grounds.
Originally built in 1897, the property was purchased by FDR’s mother as a summer residence in 1909. The house is 36 meters long (119′) and 10 meters (33′) wide and contains 34 rooms all of which have been historically decorated to the way the house looked in the 1920’s (while the Roosevelt’s were in residence). It’s a wonderful visit and the on-site interpretive hosts have a wealth of interesting information about the Roosevelt’s and their time in the area. We didn’t get to attend the Tea Ceremony next door (no dogs allowed), but we totally enjoyed our visit and hikes in the area.
VISIT & PAW TIPS: Roosevelt Campobello International Park is open mid-May to mid-Oct and is FREE to visit. Dogs are not allowed inside historical buildings, but the surrounding grounds and all hiking trails within the park are dog-friendly. If you’re coming from the US side you will need passports and valid rabies certificates (for paws) to cross the border.
Heading South
The five days we spent in Lubec marked the end of a pretty magnificent East Coast trip.
Despite everything that’s happened this year we’ve had some pretty incredible adventures and we literally couldn’t have found a better place to finish the story. Perfect weather, quiet beauty and exactly the sleepy little kind of coastal town we both love. In many ways Lubec reminded me of the raw & wild Oregon Coast. It’s still Maine, but it felt so much more remote and untouched than the rest of the places we’d been this summer. Many blog readers had told me that “downeast Maine” was the prettiest stretch of the coast and we certainly experienced the draw. This is like the old of Maine, the way things were before what they became what they are with modernization and tourists. I’m so glad we made the trip to see it!
We finished up our days here with one of the best sunsets we’d seen all summer, a stunning display of fiery orange and reds that exploded in brilliant threads right outside our RV window (they don’t call this place “Sunset Point RV Park” for nothing). It felt fitting and a fine adieu to our northern travels.
From here we were headed South, chasing the end of Fall and easing into the beginning of our Winter plans. Although we didn’t know it at the time we were about to head in a direction we hadn’t anticipated even a few months ago (yes, life things have changed again), but that story is not for now. For now we were still dreaming in the land of Maine and we had ONE more stop to do before that dream ended. The cold was (finally) coming and we were about to experience the best campground we’d seen all year. This was the beginning of Change, and if initial omens are anything to go by we were going in the right direction.
Useful External Links:
- Visit Lubec -> Useful link HERE
- Visit Campobello Island -> Useful links HERE and HERE
- West Quoddy Lighthouse -> official website HERE and history HERE
- Head Harbor Lighthouse -> site info HERE and history HERE
Oh yea! Lubec is one of the places we are planning to visit (I’m from St Croix, USVI home of the Easternmost (navigable) tip of US territory so it’s a necessity) and now all my planning has been done by you alongbwith your beautiful photography. Looks so lovely!!
So glad it was helpful. We really loved Lubec. Such a great little surprise of a town!
Nina
BTW, if you guys have time while in the City, the Chihuly Exhibit at the NY Botanical Gardens is well worth the ride to the Bronx.
Thanks! The Bronx is one of the items on our “list” while we’re here in NYC.
Nina
Da Bronx is wonderful and if you’ve already planned to go up there also do not miss The Cloisters. It’s fabulous! The views of the Palisades in New Jersey alone make it worthwhile.
The Chihuly exhibit ends on October 29th
Any plans to see some of the lighthouses on the Hudson? Kingston/Rondout Creek has the Hudson River Maritime Museum which has a very good display about the Hudson River lighthouses. The Esopus Meadows lighthouse you can see from the banks of the river but there are tours of the Rondout Creek light. If you come up that far definitely visit some of the microbreweries in Kingston.
While you were visiting the real deal – Head Harbour Lighthouse, I was visiting a replica in Lake Havasu City. Out of all the replicas around Lake Havasu, Head Harbour Light is my favorite. I would love to see the real one and the Bay of Fundy has always intrigued me. Sounds like you had a fabulous visit to the northeast. Hope you’re enjoying some fabulous eastern fall foliage with plenty of photographs to share.
It was so interesting to see your pic of the Havasu replica on FB that day…such a coincidence! I do love those replicas. Nice way to get inspiration for future visits.
Nina
We love Maine and when this happens “So we were enjoying that most delicious (and rare) mix of having practically everything to ourselves combined with some of the best weather we’d had all summer.” it doesn’t get any better.
Totally agree! It was such a treat to be there at the end of the season. And the warm weather made it all the better.
Nina
Lovely, lovely post. Sigh…
We actually had the heat on in the house in late August (just outside Augusta, ME). But then September happened! So glad you caught a spell of great weather. It continues into October — 70 degrees today, practically unheard of for this time of year. Global warming! Your posts have me rethinking my retirement…. may be sooner than originally planned….
It’s been so crazy warm this fall! We’re finally seeing some cool(er) weather in the evenings, but we’re still enjoying 70 degree days here in NYC too. Can’t say I’m complaining, but it’s def not normal..
Nina
Love to read about the lighthouses you visit. We just came back from Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland has 56 lighthouses. We got to something like 26 in 3 weeks. Several required our 4wd Jeep to access and others required lengthy hikes. The Rock is 900 kilometers East to West, (roughly 550 miles) and other than Trans Canada Highway 1 most of the roads are narrow and twisty. Not a problem in our 36 Cl A but slow.
What an awesome adventure!! We’d love to go, but I know we’d have to rent a real 4WD (our CRV wouldn’t cut it in those really rough spots). And 56 lighthouses!! {{swooon}}
Nina
Glad you made it to Lubec! one of our most favorite places in Maine. Please tell me that in your five days there you managed to eat at Cohills and across the street Franks. The Shepards Pie at Cohills is famous among those who visit Lubec often. Across on Campobello is a small family restaurant called, wait for it…., The Family Restaurant. Great fresh haddock fish and chips right off their boat. It only gets fresher in Newfoundland.
Glad you made it to Lubec!
We did not make it to those spots, so that will just have to go on the “list” for a future visit. Cheers much for the tips.
And yes, I’ve heard that it just gets better further north. We met SO many blog readers (both here and at the next spot) who’d spent their summers up in Canada and just LOVED it.
Nina
Oh, I just love settling in for a nice long read of one of your delightful posts. You have such a wonderful way of describing your journeys; I keep adding more and more to our own bucket list! We are beginning our RV life next year after hubby retires from teaching and coaching and we have so much to see and do! Can’t wait!!
Thank you for the blog, it really is just perfect!
Exciting times! I know it can seem like forever (waiting for that day to get on the road), but it’ll be here before you know it. Wish you the BEST of travels once you get out here!
Nina
Sorry about this, my inner smart-aleck, know-it-all is begging to get out–and I can’t resist!! I hope you can forgive me!
The Easternmost point of the USA is in Alaska. One of the islands of the Aleutian chain is on the other side of the International Date Line, making it the easternmost point in the USA. I do believe it is uninhabited, so maybe that doesn’t count!
Don’t you just hate smart-aleck, know-it-alls!!
I did mention that in the blog post (see the Note in italics, underneath “The Easternmost Point” paragraph). It actually depends exactly how you define “easternmost”, but if you go by longitude then yes, it’s in Alaska. If you go by direction of travel it’s in the Virgin Islands. And if you confine it to the continental USA, then it’s Quoddy Head.
Either way it’s an interesting little piece of trivia!
Nina
Lubec turns into a pirate town on Halloween . Fun place to be. Did you go to Quodie Head trails, has a nice arctic bog? Roosevelt Campobello International Park is wonderful don’t know if the bees are drunk on the nectar from the trees there that time of year ,but fun to see in the spring. The bees are on the ground wobbling around.
It turns into a pirate town? Awesome!! I’d totally be into that! We did hike a few of the trails at Quoddy Head, but we didn’t get to do them all (ran out of time again). There was way more to see and do in Lubec than we had imagined.
Nina
Wow, Nina, from the westernmost point at Cape Blanco all the way to West Quoddy Head….think of all the experiences you’ve had between those two sentinels. Whatever the upcoming changes you and Paul have in store, we hope it involves you writing about it!
I do feel incredibly blessed (and amazed) at how much we’ve been able to see and explore these past years. It’s been an amazing trip, with more to come I’m sure.
Nina
The PNW is my favorite place also, but your writing is so good and your pictures are so amazing, I have to go visit Maine. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
When we visited Nova Scotia we surfed the tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy on motorized rubber rafts. It was great fun. In all the years we’ve been married I’ve never heard Beverly laugh so much! 8^)
— jc&bev
We wish we’d had an extra day to go up and visit the Bay Of Fundy. The folks we met at the brewery (in Lubec) had been there and really liked the experience. Riding the tidal bore on a raft would be an AWESOME way to experience it!
Nina
Maybe if I could drop the Cowboy via helicopter into Lubec, Maine he would go??? Wonderful post Nina and gorgeous photos as usual!
I think this area would be a good start for him. The RV Park would be too tight, but then you could drive north into Canada, and from what I’ve heard I think that would suit him perfectly. Lots of wild nature, plenty of empty space.
Nina
all I can say is WOW!
also if you are into lighthouses check out Lake Minatare Nebraska lighthouse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Minatare_Lighthouse
Located near Scottsbluff, NE, it was built in 1939 as a mock lighthouse. I grew up there and played in it when I was a kid and we were at the lake for fishing or skiing!
It’s beautiful!
Nina
Oh my Nina, How could I have forgotten when I was talking about the Bronx to mention the Jeffrey’s Point Lighthouse (AKA the Little Red Lighthouse) at the George Washington Bridge!
We have been following along on your journeys for some time. We full timed for almost nine years and settled into a tiny house a year ago on the Oregon coast. We have never come across anyone else who has visited Lubec, Maine. We loved it there. We got involved in the pirate celebration over Labor Day weekend. We invite you to check out our travel blog at http://www.mytripjournal.com/johnanann08. Thanks for the great blog you do. We enjoy it very much.
Very cool! From your map I can see you guys traveled extensively all over the USA I see. AND you also ended up in Oregon (where we’ll likely end up somewhere along the line). We clearly have similar tastes. Thanks for sharing your story.
Nina
What a lovely depiction of your time there! I have to ask, was the small coastal fishing village you spent summers at in Denmark anywhere near Hornbæk?
It was around an hour south of Copenhagen, in a small town called Kalvehave. Fairly close to Møns Klint if you know where that is. I visited some years back and wrote about it on the blog if you’d like to see some pics: https://www.wheelingit.us/2011/08/30/hej-fra-danmark/
Nina
What a wonderful five days you had in Lubec. I follow along faithfully, but do not usually post…however today I just had to…Paul is wearing a Genesee Brewery t-shirt in one of the photos and reminded me of my hometown. It is certainly a small world…but yet so much to see. Safe travels to you and the Paws!
Rochester is such a great little area! We were lucky enough to spend several weeks with some buddies there earlier this summer, and Paul got the T-shirt from them as a parting gift. Glad we could give you a little taste of home nostalgia all the way up here in Maine.
Nina