This week we explored Rockland and Camden Hills State Park. It rained for most of the week, but we seized the opportunity to go out and take some pictures when the weather was clear.

August 17th:

Our journey into Rockland was peaceful. We strolled down Main Street in the late afternoon and stopped into the stores along the way. We browsed the selection at Atlantic Baking Co and did some window shopping at the Grasshopper Shop and The Puffin’s Nest.

We made a stop at the Puffin Project Visitor Center, a showcase of the amazing work this organization has done to rehabilitate the population of puffins on the coast of Maine. They are constantly working to advance the science of seabird conservation while encouraging protection and appreciation of seabirds worldwide.

We watched a 20-minute documentary at the visitor center that encapsulated over 40 years of work and the inspiration behind this project. If you are interested in reading about this amazing restoration project, you can get more info here.

The Maine Lighthouse Museum was our next stop. Located inside the Chamber of Commerce, the museum contained antiques, models of the Rockland harbor and it’s ships, retired lighthouse lenses, and stories about the men and women who have risked their lives to guard the light stations.

We were able to get a Maine sticker at the front desk and take some videos of the inside of the building. Check out our Instagram Stories for pics!

Our last, and most unexpected stop on Main Street was Skrimshaw Dispensary. Recreational cannabis use has been legalized in Maine, but the sale of THC products to non-residents is limited to only those with an existing medical card from their original state.

The doors were wide open and we decided to take it as a welcoming gesture and walk inside. The first thing you come across when entering the building is the grow room. Surrounded by windows, you can see all of the plants growing under their lights, a reminder that this product is naturally occurring and not made in a lab. We met Justin and Carol, two of the staff members at the dispensary. They gave us a brief history of their business and the recent changes in legislation that would soon bring them tons of customers from all over the country. We wished them luck and were on our way.

August 20th:

We decided to take a hike up the most challenging trailhead to the top of Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park. We started on the outside of the park at the base of the mountain and paced ourselves uphill, stopping to take pictures of the views and the trail before us. Some areas of the trail were steep and slick granite walls which required a bit of rock climbing skill.

When we finally reached the summit, there were many visitors of the park at the top who had driven from the entrance of the park to the summit. The Mt. Battie memorial tower stood at the peak, allowing guests to climb its steps another 30 feet for a magnificent view of Penobscot Bay, the Camden Harbor, and the mountains that meet the shore.

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped to build a cairn among the hundreds of others that were built by guests of the park.

Our Team Time Tuesday potluck was held at the Porpoise Point Waterfront here at Megunticook Campground by the Sea. The theme was appetizers and we brought tostones (twice-fried plantains) and an avocado dipping sauce.