Chebeague Island

I love the ocean. Maybe it's something to do with living on the prairies, after all, I love the mountains too. Or maybe it goes back to childhood summer holidays on Vancouver Island with many happy hours on the beach.

To see a little more of New England and to get to the ocean, Shelley and I took the train from Boston to Portland (Maine) and then the ferry to Chebeague Island where we stayed at the Chebeague Island Inn. The inn is expensive, but we figured it balanced out with our (free) nights of camping.

It was a nice quiet contrast to the hustle and bustle of Boston. The inn is a lovely place to stay. It has a great verandah to sit and look a the view, an attractive lounge, and a great restaurant (the only "fancy" restaurant on the island). The menu doesn't have any vegetarian main courses, but we threw ourselves on the mercy of the chef and he created wonderful meals for us. The deserts were also great, especially the homemade gelato and ice cream.

The island isn't very big, just four or five miles long. The inn provides bicycles and it's an easy ride around. There isn't a lot to do or see. (There is a small golf course right next to the inn, but we're not golfers.) But if I've got the beach, I don't need much more - I can spend hours poking around finding shells and crabs and watching the birds. When the tide was out we walked over to Little Chebeague Island. (Where you can camp.)

We didn't have much time in Portland, just enough to have lunch as we passed through to and from the ferry. On the way there we ate at the Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, and on the way back at the Olive Cafe. Both were good. (Thanks to Yelp and its iPhone app for helping us discover them.)

(click to view photos)