“Lobster” – if you mention Maine, this seems to be the almost unanimous first response. So it was very apt to spend our first day in the pine tree state at Rockland Lobster Festival. We ate lobster rolls and chowder, saw the massive steamers where, to that point in the Festival, 13,680 lobsters had been cooked (and counting!), watched crazy people try to race across the water on a path of lobster crates, posed by the giant lobster from the procession and even bought a bauble made from reconstituted crushed lobster shells as this year’s Christmas Tree memento.

Rockland Lobster Festival Rockland Lobster Festival Rockland Lobster Festival - crate race

Needless to say, this was not the last lobster we ate, though in all honesty it doesn’t rank in our all time favourite foods. But dinner at a lobster pound, Thurston’s in Bernard on Mount Desert Island, had to be done, looking over a classic working harbour as the sun dropped low over the water.

The classic lobster dinner Tackling the classic lobster dinner! Thurston's Lobster Pound at Bernard, ME

Kayaking out of Rockland harbour, round the headland to the lighthouse and back to shore through the lobster boats at Owl’s Head was pretty awesome too – I’ve always been a bit nervous around boats that can move faster than I can when paddling; no sweat.

Paddling out of Rockland Harbour Paddling round the headland to Owls Head Owls Head Lighthouse Paddling below the Lighthouse Owls Head Lighthouse Paddling into Owls Head Harbour

And, everywhere you go, even in-land, the landscape is punctuated by the bright signatures of the buoys that stake out a lobsterman’s pots.

Owls Head, ME Owls Head, ME
Owls Head, ME Owls Head Harbour - Lobster Shack Thurston's Lobster Pound at Bernard, ME Buoys - each lobsterman's buoys are different, a kind of signature Bernard Harbour Bernard Harbour Bernard Harbour

(You can click on any photo to see all the photos in the post as a gallery with full titles)

To be continued . . .