EcoRover Goes to Portland (Maine)

As those who know me will attest, I do not like to travel. Especially in the summer, when each day outside of Montana feels like a day taken from my life (in the same way, a day of troutfishing adds a day). Alas, but I have a research grant which entails publications and the inevitable and associated act of presenting papers at meetings...

Despite my reluctance to travel, there are several good reasons to venture downeast to Portland, Maine: fresh lobsters, the North Atlantic coast, and -- best of all -- its proximity to Boston, where daughter Emily attends college. We arrived after midnight and all the compact rentals were gone. In fact all the cars were gone. EcoRover in a Ford F-150 behemouth, oh man, what's wrong with this 10 mpg picture?:

Puffins
Apart from my conference, the first order of business:
Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica)

Puffins are a small auk driven to extinction by egg collectors and "hunters" (they killed the birds for fishbait) in coastal U.S. waters. Thanks to Audubon Society's Project Puffin, the birds have been successfully re-established on several islands, including Eastern Egg Rock:

We saw many puffins and a host of other rare seabirds such as Arctic Terns, but in the dense fog only this single photo came out (serious limitation of my little Canon elph):

I highly recommend Hardy's cruise for any bird watcher, endangered species supporter, or other naturalist. Despite the dense fog that rolled in, we had a great time (Mrs ER and Emily on the dock, before the cruise):

Lobsters
Hardy's Puffin Watch sails from New Harbor, also port for lobstermen. The lobsterman is a glorified figure in Maine, as this sculpture in Portland suggests (I like the tender, father-child relationship):

The glorification is well-deserved, however, for in addition to providing fellow humans with the tastiest bug on planet Earth they have also worked closely with fishery scientists and regulatory agencies to insure that the lobster harvest is truly sustainable. We watched these lobstermen sort their catch:

And soon were on the upper deck of Shaw's enjoying this marvelous fruit of the sea:

Portland Museum of Art
Little old Portland has a first class art museum--who'd a thunk it? In addition to some choice pieces by the likes of Renoir, Picasso, Monet, Matisse, etc, the current exhibition on "Art Colonies of New England" was simply outstanding. Moreover, there were some wonderful surprises, such as "Dragon Cement Company" by Yvonne Jacquette:

And Monhegan Island by Louis Lozowick, a Russian emigre artist who also did a number of pieces on early 20th century American industrial cities, such as Pittsburgh PA and Butte MT:

J's Oysters
With Emily on the train back to Beantown and a mid-day break from sessions, Mrs ER and I wandered upon one of Portland's finest:J's Oyster is exactly what you want a good oyster bar to be--friendly, a bit hard to find, favored by locals, and (of course) fresh, tasty oysters:

We also shared a bowl of mussels (in a traditional lemon-garlic-butter sauce) and declared them exceptional. In part, the charm stemmed from the friendly atmosphere--Mrs ER and I dined at the bar, and weren't through our first dozen before becoming "new best friends" with the locals:

Sebago Brewing Company
With the conference over, we sought out a brewpub. This was a bit challenging, because none were listed in the directory and the hotel staff knew only of Shipyard Brewing--a rather undistinguished beer. Mrs ER found a listing in a brochure for the Sebago Brewing Company (they've since expanded, but this is the original location):

They have two outstanding beers in their lineup: Frye's Leap IPA and Boathouse Brown Ale (EcoRover takes micro-brewed beer seriously):

The crab cakes were pretty good too, and the mussels (once again) exceptional (made with a lovely Brown Ale sauce):

I'm a little sorry that we were in Portland for four days but that I got to see so little of it. What I did experience makes it a wonderful small city, and a place I look forward to visiting again. Cobblestoned alleys and little shops to explore:

A city where kids get paid to paint graffiti/murals:

 [this photo removed upon request--see comments]


Where resident appreciate a cool ride:

And a good selection of fine Thai restaraunts (locals told us Tom's is the best, and we agreed):

There was one minor glitch, and that was our stay at the Eastland Park Hotel. Overpriced, it was a leit motif of humor for five days: it didn't take long to realize the big wet spot in the middle of the rug was the source of the cat pee smell; the air conditioner (which, thanks to cool rainy weather we luckily did not need) roared like the "jake brake" on a Mack truck; the room staff was always out of something ("Sorry, no washcloths today!"); the room telephone which would ring and flash but from which no voice could be heard; hotel security that needed three trips to locate & quiet the partying neighbors; the elevator that did not go to the top floor lounge; and the desk staff that found it almost impossibly hard to switch the room charge to another credit card. Oh, and let's not forget the fire alarm/emergency evacuation:

Well, Pobody's Nerfect!