Back To Nature!! – Thursday – June 20, 2013

Bill and I have spent the last four days driving the interstate highways to get to Maine and we're in desperate need of a major nature fix!!  We found what we needed without driving more than 9 miles total today:o))

Our plan -  to visit The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve which includes Laudholm Farm an amazing public/private volunteer preservation project. 

Our campground is located in the lower left of this map, The Wells Reserve is in the center and Rachel Carson NWR is located in the upper right.  Yep, it was only 4.5 miles from the campground to the NWR…our kind of driving day;o))

 

 

To get this day off to a special start, we decided to get a REAL breakfast!!

 

If you look very closely at the map, right where Rt 1 and Rt 9 split,

 

there is a local diner which was featured on the TV show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives;o))

  

 

Bill had the omelet and potato breakfast and I had to get Blueberry Pancakes… We’re in MAINE!!

  

 

Once we were totally stuffed, it was time to walk it off!!

 

 

Our first stop,

 

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is made up of many separate divisions, all marked in brown. 

 

We visited the Upper Wells Division which is the headquarters.

 

(click on any photo to enlarge)

 

“Rachel Carson was a world-renowned marine biologist, author and environmentalist who served as an aquatic biologist and editor-in-chief for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She has been credited with launching the contemporary environmental movement and awakening the concern of Americans for the environment.”

 

 

We spent some time in the small visitor center learning about Rachel Louise Carson.

 

Be sure to click on the website link above or click HERE

to find out more about this amazing woman.

 

 

Next we walked the 1 mile Nature Trail.

 

 

It is a beautiful, well-maintained trail with 11 descriptive stations along the way.

 

 

 

About midway along the trail,

 there is a plaque which marks the spot the dedication program took place.

 

“…all the life of the planet is interrelated …each species has its own ties to others, AND …all are related to the earth.  This is the theme of ‘The Sea Around Us’ and the other sea books and it is also the message of ‘Silent Spring.’”

 

This is the view from the dedication spot.

 

 

It was a wonderful walk!!

 I wish I could say “Thank you” to Rachel Carson :o)

 

Our next stop,
 

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and Laudholm Farms.

(click on any photo to enlarge)
 

 

The old farmhouse has been restored and is maintained mainly by volunteers!!

It serves as the visitor center for The Wells Reserve.

 

Each downstairs room has wonderful displays about the farm and the estuaries.

Be sure to click on the link above or click HERE to learn more about the Reserve and the Farm.

 

I just love old screen doors that bang when they close:o))

 

Next it was time to get outside again and enjoy this beautiful day!!
 

There are seven miles of hiking trails on the property.

It was suggested that we walk the Knight Trail up the hill to the highest view on the property.  Then continue to the Barrier Beach Trail and walked along the beach to the inlet where endangered Piping Plovers have built a nest.  Then we would back-track and walk the Laird-Norton Trail, a boardwalk trail, which connects with the Cart Path returning us to the Barn and Outbuildings.

So off we went, through the fields and up the hill… 
 

Yes, this is Bill’s tribute to The Sound of Music;o))

I’m not sure the hills were alive with the sound of music, but they were alive with flowers!!

 

At the top of the hill there is 'Mary's Bench'

which is a memorial to Mary Lord Kline who lived most of her life on this farm.

 

As the plaque says, I sat on the bench and could see the 3 houses where Mary lived:o)

 

We continued along Knight Trail and hung a right on Barrier Beach Trail.

 

We passed through the Salt Marsh to the beach access.

 

 

So this is what they mean by the Rocky Coast of Maine!!
 

Looking South                                         Looking North

(click on any photo to enlarge)

 

The Dunes are very different from the Sand Dunes we are familiar with.

 

We continued north along the beach to the inlet,
 searching for the Piping Plover nest.

 

We never found the nest,
but we did see a Piping Plover:o))

 

Next, we back-tracked on the Barrier Beach Trail to connect with the Laird-Norton Trail

which is a boardwalk trail through different habitats.

 

It was a beautiful stroll back to the farm.

The Barn

Water Tower and Storage Buildings

Another perfect hike to reconnect with nature!!

 

It was mid-afternoon by the time we got back to the campground. 

We just chilled until after dinner when Bill decided he wanted ice cream;o)

So we walked into town to an ice cream shop we had passed on our way home.

Along the way, we found some interesting things…

 

Never heard of a “Self Dog Wash” ?!?!

We passed this unique shop.

The copper just glistened in the sun!!

As we walked, we could hear a bagpipe in the distance. 

We knew we were walking towards the sound.

Then we saw a man walking through this old graveyard

playing Amazing Grace on his bagpipe.

 

Finally, we got to the Seaberry Ice Cream Shop.

At first, we didn’t think is was open.

There were no cars in the parking lot and no customers inside;o(

We tried the door and walked in to find a group of young people waiting to help us:o))

Turns out, this is a brand new shop… Yep, you could still smell the fresh paint;o))

They had just opened for the first time an hour earlier.

We were their FIRST customers!!!

Unfortunately, my camera battery died just as we got our ice cream.

We promise…

It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day:o)))