Portland Head Light
Category Archives: Travel
Essex Steam Train and River Boat Ride
Just because I’m back home doesn’t mean I’m sitting around resting on my laurels or anything else. No indeed not. It has been a very busy summer so far. I’ve been lamenting that I haven’t once been down to Chatham to chase seals or great white sharks, or to Bristol to check on the Osprey nest. Even my Great Blue Heron at Oliver Mill Park seems to have given upon me. I haven’t seen him at all since the out of control kayaker nearly ran him down.
One of the things I wanted to do this year was check out the Essex Steam Train in Connecticut. I was waiting for the summer schedule when they had a combination train and riverboat ride. It seemed like the best use of time and money to do both. When I saw the schedule online on my return from my mini vacation I jumped on the chance to go.
The cost was quite reasonable. An adult ticket was only $26.00 for the combo. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I came prepared. My GPS delivered me right to the station where signs directed me to the gravel parking area.
I gave myself plenty of time because I wanted to get lunch out-of-the-way and in case I got lost. The Trackside Cafe was open in a vintage railcar.
They had pre made sandwiches in a cooler and hot dogs on a hot dog rotisserie. I opted for the hot dog, a bag of chips and a diet coke. Why is it that hot dogs taste so much better when you’re on an excursion of some kind. Anyway I enjoyed the ambiance of the little railcar while I ate my hot dog then went exploring.
The gift shop was tiny but across the way was a model train museum.
The sign welcomed me to Little River Junction. It had a wonderful model train that you could play with. It wasn’t just a display behind a glass window. The multiple trains could be run at the same time and the various villages lit with glowing windows and miniature attractions. Really fun.
Outside, as I waited for the train , I met a fellow who was dressed rather outlandishly playing a ukulele.
He said hello so I answered. That broke the ice. He is “Ramblin’ Joe” a sort of street entertainer.
I think when it’s busy his role is to keep the waiting passengers entertained and answer questions for them. He is certainly hard to miss!
The train pulled into the station and the passengers from the earlier trip stepped out. Then the engine was uncoupled, driven back to the front of the train and recoupled to take us out for our ride. That process was pretty interesting and brought out the serious train buffs to photograph the whole process.
My seat was in the open air car. Passengers in this car are warned that this is a real steam engine and cinders and soot may fly into the windows and trust me, it did!
I paid special attention to the route and where the train crossed major roads or streets in case I want to “Chase the train” sometime. That’s how you get the great shots of a steaming locomotive traveling down the tracks. We stopped to let people off for Gillette Castle and another stop at Deep River Landing.
We passed several marshes and conservation areas that looked like interesting places to go bird watching but it was hard to get decent pictures from the moving train.
At the end of the line they did the recoupling again and we started back. I was wondering when and how the River Boat came into the equation when I saw the boat from the train window. Pretty soon we were at Deep River Landing again and they were telling us to get off the train for the Riverboat ride.
We could clearly see the riverbot as she approached the dock but our attention was soon diverted to the process of climbing down from the train.
Peaceful Meadows
Well back on the home front I continued with the unofficial review of area Ice Cream stands. A good friend recommended Peaceful Meadows on Rt 18 in Whitman. I definitely knew where that was. I drive by it quite often. What I didn’t know was that this is only one of 3 Massachusetts locations.
There’s a Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream stand at 109 West Grove St, Middleboro, Ma and another at 170 Water St, Plymouth, Ma. The correct address of the one in Whitman is 60 Bedford St, Whitman.
Peaceful Meadows started out as a dairy farm in Whitman and that is still the main location and there is still a dairy there. In fact all of the ice cream served at all 3 locations is made right there on the farm in Whitman.
I can see the appeal of the place for a family with children too, at least the Whitman location. I have not been to Middleboro or Plymouth but I think they are just Ice Cream Stands. The Whitman location is the farm and it is really a working dairy farm.
When you pull into the good-sized parking lot you see cows grazing in the pasture that backs the ice cream stand. The barn itself is open to the public and the day I was there contained a “pre teen” calf. You know what I mean..not a cute little baby but not fully grown up yet either. The mother cow was in an enclosure next to the calf. I hesitate to call it a stall as it was more like a mini corral . The sides were open. Children were picking up handfuls of hay and feeding both cows. They were gentle and let the little ones pet and scratch their heads while they munched.
Also located on the grounds is a little store with packaged ice cream, milk, homemade cookies and wonder of wonder, maple syrup and maple syrup candy. Be still my heart. That is a major weakness of mine. I left quickly before temptation could sway any resolve.
Having explored a bit it was time to taste the wares. I stood in a short line until it was my turn. I’m not very adventuresome when it come to eating so I am normally happy with a simple dish of chocolate but today I decided to try a sundae. Pretty basic…vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. Whip cream and nuts of course , hold the cherry.
You can’t fault the serving size. This didn’t come in a dish. This was in a large plastic cup. There was plenty of hot fudge too, not like some places that give you a little dot of hot fudge and call it a day. My treat in hand I looked for someplace to sit back and enjoy.
There were no little tables with bright umbrellas, no picnic tables on the grass under the trees, only one small bench and a few boulders. Most people were sitting cross-legged on the ground. Perfect for little kids and maybe me about 10-15 years ago but now my joints might let me get down there but I’d never get back up!
Eventually one of the kids left the bench to go look at the cows and I quickly claimed the vacant seat. Time to dig in.
Hmmm. Very strong vanilla flavoring. I’m not sure I like it quite that strong. Also the ice cream, being homemade fresh from the dairy was very, very rich. That’s not a bad thing unless, like me all that butterfat tends to upset the digestive track. The hot fudge had a slightly burned flavor like someone hadn’t cleaned out the old before adding the new. So far I can’t give them high points. It certainly wasn’t the worst hot fudge sundae I’ve tasted but I wouldn’t put it in the top 10 either. I didn’t finish it. Most of it landed in the trash container.
Bottom line…I can see why it would be a favorite place for families with the cows to watch and the open barn to explore. Another Plus is that this is not a seasonal stand. It is open year round. There’s ample parking but not enough seating unless you like the ground and I’d only rate the ice cream a C.
So to my friend who loves this location all I can say is sorry. It isn’t to my taste. Maybe it is to yours and that’s good too. It’s why there are many choices out there. If everyone liked the same thing we’d only need one and where’s the fun in that?
Is There Gold In Fort Knox?
A few months ago I saw a program called Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and the Episode was about Fort Knox and whether there was really gold stored there or not. Of course they were investigating Fort Knox, Kentucky. I don’t know about you but I didn’t know there was also a Fort Knox in Maine. In fact since Fort Knox ME was built in 1844 it is actually the FIRST Fort Knox predating the Kentucky Fort Knox by around 70 years as building didn’t begin on the Kentucky fort until 1918.
Fort Knox was built to protect the Penobscot River Valley from Naval Attack. Located in the town of Prospect, ME, Fort Knox is also known as Fort Knox State Park or Fort Knox State Historical Site.
During the American Revolution and again during the War of 1812 enemy ships entered the Penobscot. During both wars Great Britain seized control of the river, fought battles in the surrounding towns and claimed the land for the British Crown.
To prevent history from repeating itself for a 3rd time, the American Government authorized the building of a fort on the Penobscot Narrows. This was the first and largest granite fort built in Maine. The design was similar to later Maine forts such as Fort Popham on the Kennebec and Fort Gorges, Fort Preble and Fort Scammel in Casco Bay (Portland).
The fort saw two periods of military activity. From 20-54 troops were garrisoned here during the Civil War. Around 575 troops from Connecticut lived at the fort for a month during the Spanish-American War.
No enemy ships ever appeared on the Penobscot during these wars.
More detailed information and maps of the fort can be found on their website: http://www.knox.army.mil/
The day we visited it was very hot and humid which we were told is very unusual so climbing around the grounds was quite strenuous but we had a good time just the same.
Combined with the Observatory at the top of the bridge, it made for a memorable stop.
Now to address the question in the title, Is there Gold in Fort Knox? I would say with some assurance that the only gold in Fort Knox, Me is the rich historical heritage of the site. As for the question of Gold in Fort Knox Kentucky, I will leave that to Mr. Meltzer and his crew to investigate.