Day 32/60: Boston to Portland, Me

Got underway at 10:45. Within a few minutes, rain was pouring down. This is our first drive in the rain.  We have only 111 miles to drive. Dan takes a route that neither navigator will display, so it is up to me.

Our original intent was to enjoy the coastal scenery. As a way of giving focus to our exploration, we decided to have lunch in Kennebunkport where the elder George Bush has a home, just to see what it was like. We got there about 1 o'clock. The rain had paused but low clouds reduced visibility.
We stopped at the second restaurant we saw. After we left, Dan pointed out several fancy places, but this was about what we were looking for: the Pilot House Restaurant. They generally serve local haddock deep fried, but grilled simply, it had a wonderful flavor. We both had a haddock sandwich and iced tea. The service was exceptionally friendly. The young lady politely explained how to see the Bush estate and urged us to do so.

The coastal drive must be breathtaking in the sunshine: grand estates on hillsides on the left side of the road and rocky coastline flat on the right. After about 10 minutes of winding around we came to a pull-off beside the road with a view of a rocky peninsula projecting about a mile into the sea topped by a multi-building estate, marked by a mast with the US flag, the Bush sea flag (I assume), and one that I couldn't identify. The location is very exposed and Dan says that during his Presidency, a storm flooded the place.

Bush Estate
Jan's photo

Extreme Telephoto, enhanced in iPhoto
Jan's photo

A half-dozen other gawkers were taking pictures. A sign said "No buses or RVs". I bet it gets jammed out there on a nice day. A little further down the road we saw the guard box at the entrance to the estate. Beyond that it a scenic pull-off, Bush estate no longer visible, but the heavy sky wrecked it. We turned around and headed for Portland.

When we got settled into our motel in Portland, another slightly funky Best Western, without pausing to rest, Dan did a load of laundry, but I was strangely tired and napped for awhile. Then we had a grand plan of doing a shopping trip at Walmart and going to some interesting place for dinner, but the rain really got going about that time, so we went to the restaurant associated with the motel, and accessible from within the hotel, no going out in the rain. Lo and behold, the TVs are playing a game between the Giants and the Reds. We grabbed a table right in front of a TV, just like at home. Dan had a small steak, grilled perfectly; baked potato, steamed carrots, salad, wine. I had haddock chowder; it was excellent; also a small salad and Diet Coke.