This was a rather fun and unique field trip. We were able to take a ride on the
Mail Boat that runs in Casco Bay out of Portland. Maine has many islands and there are a lot of folks who live on them year-round - not just lobster harvesters either.
Getting excited to head out....
We were able to see how the mail boat operates. Just before we left the harbor, we saw a harbor seal which is always awesome.
We spent a lot of time sightseeing on the ride out. I love the ocean and this was a perfect day to be out on the water. We even spotted this guy hanging out....(actually, the captain pointed it out to the us all...)
We weren't able to get off the boat anywhere along the way until we reached the last stop. We had about a 30 minute layover while mail was unloaded and loaded. We walked just up the hill from the dock to check out a small gift store there. We went with a group so we really invaded the little place! Just as we got back to the boat, Happy told me he had left his mittens so we both literally ran up the hill back to the shop to look for them and ran back down the hill to make the boat before it left! The mittens were found....still on the boat. At least we got some exercise in!
On the ride back, the captain allowed the homeschool kids in our group to come in to the pilot house to see how the boat works. They loved this.
We learned that there is one island that has children who attend high school in Portland. The Mail Boat is their "school bus" and they ride it both to and from the mainland each day for school - no matter the weather.
On the way back, the captain was kind enough to take us close to a few lighthouses - one of my favorite things to photograph.
This is
Ram's Head Light. I've only been able to see this from the main land before and it looks
very small from there. In fact, the lighthouse in the background here is the one where I've usually visited. It was very neat to see Ram's Head so up close.
This is Portland Head Light - I have never seen it from the water before so this was fun.
And lastly we saw Spring Point Lighthouse on the way back in to the dock....
Overall it was a really fun day.
Day #3/175 Days
