sunset

QUICK PICK – Sunset Walk at Perkins Cove Maine

March 24, 2021Rick & Kathie WetmoreLeave a comment

“Quick Pick” a Photo Essay series highlighting a specific place, moment, or event from our travels or everyday life.

Perkins Cove in the town of Ogunquit Maine is a charming harbor village, known for it’s small artist community, restaurants, shops and a small harbor sheltering a mix of lobster boats and pleasure craft.

These photos were taken during a sunset walk we took around the harbor in June of 2016. We did a weekend getaway in celebration of our 45th wedding anniversary. Ogunquit, Perkins Cove and the southern Maine coast are very familiar to us. It is only an hour drive from our home, and we had spent the first couple of nights of our honeymoon back in 1971 at nearby Cliff House resort before driving to California to start our new life as a married Navy couple.

It was a short walk from our accommodations at the Hartwell House Inn to Perkins Cove. As you walk along the narrow Perkins Cove Road, you started getting glimpses of the harbor between the grey weathered clapboard covered homes and shops. Once you pass Barnacle Billy’s restaurant, the harbor view opens up, the lobster boats on their mooring lines all pointing out to sea. A small floating dock in the foreground with a cluster of colorful rowboats.

Quick Dinner

We decided on a early, light dinner, so we would have time walk along Marginal Way and watch the sunset later in the harbor. Chowder and a Lobster Roll were what we were craving so we went the The Lobster Shack for a simple, low-key dining experience. Rustic picnic style tables, plastic plates and utensils, it was perfect. The Clam Chowder was rich and creamy, big chunks of clams and potatoes. The Lobster Rolls, toasted hot dog buns over-stuffed with buttered lobster meat, a small side of tangy cold slaw and chips. Topped off with house wine. Nothing fancy, but really good! The waiter’s tee-shirt asked the question… got tail?. Well, there was tail meat in the lobster roll, so yes!

Marginal Way

We walked along Marginal Way after eating. Marginal Way is a public pedestrian walkway that is about one mile long, starts (or ends) at Perkins Cove and goes along the rocky shore all the way to the town of Ogunquit. The views are stunning looking out over the Atlantic with the rugged, rocky shoreline in the foreground. You pass in front of multi-million dollar ocean view homes and there are a few small coves with sand beach strips breaking up the mostly rocky shore. It was getting close to sunset, so a golden glow was tinting the scene.

Part Time Bridge Tender

Back at Perkins Cove, we walked on the foot bridge that crossed the narrow channel. This is a great location to photograph the boats in the harbor. This foot bridge is a draw bridge, which must be raised so boats can enter or leave the harbor. Anyone who happens to be on or near the bridge may be called on to open the bridge for approaching boats. A sailboat was returning from sea and the gentleman piloting the boat was blowing the whistle and calling on his bull-horn for someone to open the bridge. Well, I was near the operating switch, so it was my turn to open the bridge. Yelling for everyone to clear, I pushed the button as directed and the motorized winch raised the bridge, and our friends on the sailboat passed safely into the harbor, just in time for sunset.

Day Ends with a Stunning Sunset

Hope you enjoyed this “Quick Pick” photo essay. More to come, so please follow to get notifications when a new post is available. I’d be interested in your comments or questions, so please comment below. Thanks!

South America Cruise – Part 2

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020Rick & Kathie Wetmore

Chilean Fjords & Glaciers

Puerto Montt

As we cruised south along the Clilean coast, our first port of call was Puerto Montt in what’s called Chile’s lakes region. Since there was no large dock facilities, we anchored in the harbor and used the ship’s tender boats to get ashore.

The lakes region is a popular hiking and adventure area of Chile and most of our cruise’s optional excursions were focused on high activity. There were demanding hiking tours, white water rafting and horseback riding. We decided to do the included excursion, a coach tour of the town and a visit to the small town of Puerto Varas on the shore of Lake Llanquihue, one of Chile’s largest lakes.

Puerto Varas is a resort town that has summer activities such as boating, hiking, and water sports. There is also a winter influx because of skiing in nearby mountains.

We had an hour of free time to wander the town. The lakefront park and walkway offered some stunning views with two volcanoes in the background. The cone shaped Mt. Osorno looks very much like Japan’s Mt. Fuji.

There was a small artisan center where local handcrafted goods could be purchased. In this part of Chile many German immigrants settled in the mid 19th Century, so many of the buildings, homes and gardens maintain a German look. The local food still retains quite a bit of German influence as well.

After a few hours ashore we returned to the ship and our ship departed late afternoon to cruise south through the inner passage and Fjords, next stop, Amalia Glacier.

Amalia Glacier and beyond

Sailing south from Puerto Montt, we left the protection of the inland channel and headed out into the open Pacific. A gale force westerly wind greeted us with its accompanying 15-20ft waves which gave us a bit of a rough ride for the rest of the afternoon and overnight, but we were treated to another beautiful Pacific sunset.

Impressive Pacific taken from our veranda with a GoPro

Treated to another beautiful Pacific sunset.

The next morning we entered the shelter of another inland passage as we headed to the Amalia Glacier. This area reminds us so much of Alaska waters. The waterway is surrounded by big snow covered mountains with deep U- shaped glacial valleys and the occasional mountain Glacier. As we cruised deeper into the bay, the Amalia Glacier came into view. The Captain was able to maneuver the ship within a mile of the glacier and we hovered there for about an hour giving everyone a great view.

Sailing the fjords heading to the Amalia Glacier.

Amalia Glacier originates at the great Southern Patagonia Ice Field.

Leaving the glacier behind, we headed for our next destinations; Magellan Strait, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia Argentina and then around Cape Horn into the Atlantic Ocean.

Useful Links

Picturesque Porto

October 27, 2019October 27, 2019Rick & Kathie WetmoreLeave a comment

After two days in Lisbon our Viking Cruise itinerary had us heading to Porto where we would join our river cruise ship, the Viking Torgil. On the coach ride to Porto we stopped in Coimbra for a tour of the historic University of Coimbra, followed by some free time in the town and then a traditional Portuguese lunch at República da Saudade restaurant accompanied by Fado music. The university is the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest, continuously operating universities in the world.

A video recap of our visit to Coimbra

Portugal’s second largest city, Porto holds a place of great traditional importance. The town lends its name to the port wine produced in the region and throughout the nation. Located along the Douro River, the city boasts picturesque neighborhoods, fashionable restaurants and cozy coffee shops. Like Lisbon, Porto has a rich past; its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A great walking city where you find narrow cobblestone streets brimming with romantic buildings spanning the centuries and a stunning Romanesque cathedral on a hilltop overlooking the river and city.

At the riverside, small barcos rabelos, boats once used to transport casks of wine, paint a charming scene. A major landmark on the river is the Ponte Luís I or Luís I Bridge. This iconic metal bridge, a true engineering marvel, built in 1886, connects Porto with Vila Nove de Gaia. The bridge has two levels, the lower level carries vehicle and pedestrian traffic while the high upper level is for street tram and pedestrian traffic. The upper level offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Douro, Porto and its surrounding areas.

Our ship, the Viking Torgil was docked across the river from Porto in Vila Nove de Gaia, where all the major Port makers have their warehouses. You see all the big names on these warehouses and tasting rooms such as; Sandeman, Taylor, Cockburn’s, Croft. The riverfront adjacent to our vessel is a very lively waterfront area with many restaurants, bars, shops and other attractions. A nearby cable car carries you up to the top of the hill where the upper level of the Luís I Bridge crosses over to Porto.

Some interesting facts about Porto:

Porto is one of Europe’s oldest cities, having been founded inBC as a Roman settlement.
With its six bridges that cross the Douro, Porto is known as the “City of Bridges”.
Two of Porto’s six bridges were designed by Gustave Eiffel before he began work on his famous namesake tower in Paris.
Porto is Portugal’s second largest city.
In 1996, the city’s historic center was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The city is famous for its historic port wine trade, the center of which lies at Vila Nove de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro River.