Portland Lighthouses

Today we took a private tour of the Portland Lighthouses.  I saw an ad to view these lighthouses at some astronomical fee.  They listed the Lighthouses they saw on the bus trip so we just routed our own way to all of them.  Who wants to ride on a bus if you don't have to do that!

Our first stop was at Two Light State Park near Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  The park opened in 1961 and has 41 acres of rocky headlands.  There are twin lighthouses at the end of Two Lights Road.  The lighthouses were built in 1828 and were the first twin lighthouses on the coast of Maine.  The first of the two lighthouses that we saw is no longer in operation and is now a private home.  The other light is still active and visible from 17 miles at sea. We couldn't find that either of these lighthouses had any other name.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day with a slight breeze.  We had to wear jackets but the temperature was in the low 70's but it was still really nice.

This lighthouse can't be seen from Two Lights State Park but we traveled to the end of a residential street to see it.  

This is another home in this neighborhood.

After we walked around the area where the first lighthouse was outside of the park, we headed to Two Light State Park.  We paid of fee of $6 or so to drive into the park which was well worth it.

We parked the truck and walked over to an area where there was a nice path next to the ocean.  They had benches sitting in several areas along the path and we choose to sit at a few of them and just watch the waves. 

We had a wonderful time strolling along Casco Bay and watching the surf crash along the rocky shore.

This tower was used during war time to keep an eye on the coast.

Downy Woodpecker

Our next stop was Cape Elizabeth, Maine which is home to the Portland Head Lighthouse.  It is situated on the shores of Fort Williams Park.

Battery Blair

Portland Head Lighthouse

For more information on this beautiful lighthouse, go to http://www.portlandheadlight.com/about.html

This is definitely one of the most picture perfect lighthouses that we've seen!

Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse

There are 21 Ram Islands in Maine - a very popular name for some reason.  This lighthouse is Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse.  It is a stone tower in Casco Bay that is visible from Portland Head Lighthouse. 

For more information on the Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse, see:  http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=780

Our next stop was lunch so we stopped at Joe's Boathouse at the Spring Point Marina in South Portland, Maine. 

We both had their haddock sandwiches.  

You can't beat them in these parts!

The Marina

A view of South Portland, Maine

After lunch we drove just a short distance to find the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse.

The Spring Point Lighthouse

For more information on the Spring Point Lighthouse, see:  http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=545

That's us in front of the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse

Then we headed over to see the sights in Portland Harbor.

Fort Gorges

The construction of Fort Gorges on Hog Island in Portland Harbor began in 1858 and was never really occupied as a fort.  By the time it was ready, weapons had advanced to the point that the fort was worthless.

For more information about Fort Gorges, see:

http://maineanencyclopedia.com/fort-gorges/

Cormorant

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse aka But Light in Portland Harbor
For more information on it see:
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=544

The Common Loon in Portland Harbor

The Bug Light

Bug Light with South Portland in the background

For more information on the Liberty Ship Memorial, see:  

http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=50474

Near where the Bug Light Lighthouse is located in Bug Light Park, is the Liberty Ship Memorial.  This area was once home to the large World War II Shipyard that covered 140 acres of land.  

Lots of boards giving information about the World War II Era and the Ship building in this area.

We aren't quite sure what this is in the Portland Harbor.

Inside the Memorial

The board at the front lists all the ships built in the shipyards prior to 1945 when it was closed down.  There were a LOT of them.

Another look at the Portland Breakwater "Bug Light" Lighthouse

After we left the Bug Light area, we drove over to Portland to see what we could see.

Waterfront in Portland, Maine

A world globe sculpture donated by the Rotary Club of Portland is located on the southeast corner of Franklin and Commerce Streets near the Franklin Pier in Portland.

Some of the buildings in this area of Portland 

near the harbor that have been refurbished.

The Courtyard by Marriott is the old downtown in Portland

Then we headed on back to the campground after a wonderful day of sightseeing!