Woodsy setting with a view of the Penobscot River.

Where's Waldo?

Coastal County In Maine During Autumn Ideal For Sampling Lobster, Visiting Maritime Museum, And Enjoying Bright Colors

Coastal Maine‹just the thought of it conjures up beautiful images of rocky shores, romantic lighthouses, and quaint sailing and fishing villages.

Autumn in Waldo County, Maine fits that picture perfectly with chilly mornings warming up to great toasty afternoons.

From Belfast to Searsport, an anchor of port activity in mid-coast Maine, to Winterport on the Penobscot River, Waldo County is a captivating New England destination. Located in mid-coast Maine on scenic Penobscot Bay, this idyllic setting spotlights the character of New England with its working port towns and picturesque rural villages.

Beginning the day with a sumptuous breakfast at the Londonderry Inn in charming Belfast was a mouthwatering delight for one's senses. Entering the large country kitchen set one's taste buds on fire with the scents of bacon and sausage sizzling and muffins fresh out of the oven. Feasting on a three-course "farmers' breakfast" we enjoyed fresh fruit such as broiled grapefruit, those freshly baked muffins and delicious entrees cooked and served by Marsha and Fletcher Oakes. The Oakes have owned the Londonderry Inn in Belfast, the Waldo County seat, since 1997 and have five beautiful guest rooms. The Inn was originally the Sanker Farm Overnight Tourist House in the 1950s‹the first B&B in Belfast. If you travel to Belfast, staying at a B&B should be a must and I feel the Londonderry Inn should top the list. Rates are $95 to $140 per night based on double occupancy and the tasty, start-your-day-off-right breakfast is included.

The Maine coast is an amazing 3,478 miles long with more coastline than California. With that vast length, it's recommended to tour the scenic coast in sections. Penobscot Bay, being one-third of the state's coastline, is a gorgeous place to start in Waldo. Shaped like an elongated triangle, the bay is 45 miles wide at its mouth and 37 miles long.

Located in Searsport, the Penobscot Marine Museum is Maine's oldest maritime museum. One can enter the 19th century world of seagoing families, learn about the intriguing world of lobsters, or take pleasure in Marine artwork depicting dramatic tall ships.

The life of a lobster was really a fascinating exhibit which showcased its life from larvae to "fit for your plate". Because sea currents control where the eggs and larvae go, Penobscot Bay's western areas are ideal for catching lobster larvae from the east. Lobsters are bottom feeders or crawlers and water temperature affects their movement and shedding of their shell which allows for growth. Lobsters hide from predators in the many sunken ships of the coastal Maine area. Because he was the one "that always got away" the largest documented lobster was 44 lbs. 6 oz. and 3-4 feet long.

Exploring the daily life of a seafaring region is what the Marine Museum is all about. Tour the restored home of a sea captain filled with treasures from his travels around the world, a fleet of antique boats or the Pirates' Hideaway where the "small fry" can play pirate and take part in a treasure hunt.

Scale models of those tall ships depicted in the Museum's artwork might be available for viewing at the BlueJacket Shipcrafters in Searsport. The oldest ship model company in the United States, building scale models for more than 100 years, BlueJacket Shipcrafters has more than 75 ship models from extraordinary one-of-a-kind museum pieces to remarkable ready-built decorator models and unique sea-themed craft kits. There are approximately 60 kits available but owners Suzi & Jeff Marger or their "crew members" are often asked "why don't you have ... ?" but it's difficult to have everything people want as the cost to develop each nautical kit is an amazing $8,000 to $20,000.

With tourism being the No. 1 industry in Maine, a unique attraction is the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory where visitors can have a bird's eye view of the Penobscot River from the 420-foot high observatory, the tallest occupied structure in the state. This new bridge, one of Maine's most ambitious construction projects with 1.9 million linear feet of cable, replaces the engineering marvel built in 1931, the Waldo-Hancock Bridge.

The new bridge was built in half of the expected time with groundbreaking in December 2003 to completion in December 2006 with its first traffic. The Waldo-Hancock Bridge had been under repair when engineers discovered extensive deterioration of main cables which forced the state's transportation department to put weight limits on the bridge. That discovery put the new bridge on the "fast track" to completion.

"Protector of the Penobscot" is the Fort Knox State Historic Site, Maine's first and largest granite fort. Named after General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War and Commander of the Artillery during the American Revolution, Fort Knox was built because the British had a nasty habit of sailing up the Penobscot River and attacking during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The need for the fort was to protect the Penobscot River Valley defensively from the British but no money was allocated to start construction until 1844. Finally construction began, continued for 25 years and stopped in 1869, with work still not completed. Built from granite, Fort Knox is an engineering feat worth a visit with the bonus being a beautiful view of Bunksport, Maine across the Penobscot River. From April through October, events are held at Fort Knox ending with Fright at the Fort, one of the most popular attended events in Maine.

Traveling through Waldo County led us to Winterport Winery in, of course, Winterport, Maine. Specializing in fruit wines such as blueberry, cranberry, apple and pear, with no grapes being used, the Winery also has a wonderful store. Items such as blueberry tea, all kinds of jams, crackers, muffin mixes and a great blueberry-raspberry chocolate wine make this shop unique. A truly Maine experience was our "lobster bake" at Three Tides Waterfront Bar in Belfast, a hip new spot with an eclectic atmosphere. Dave (the owner of Three Tides) was the grillmaster for the lobster bake which took place on the waterfront over an open fire and consisted of 1000 pounds of seaweed made into a layered bed with eggs, then potatoes, whole lobsters and clams. All of this was topped with more seaweed and a wet tarp and cooked outdoors near the water from which it was harvested earlier in the day. It was absolutely delicious.

If a tour of the almost 3,500 mile Maine coastline is on your travel agenda, picturesque Waldo County is a must see with its nautical history and beautiful scenery

If you want to go; check out www.waldocountymaine.com Email to:info@waldocountymaine.com

Tollfree: 800-870-9934.