Mount Kineo

In our pursuit of getting out State Park Passport book stamped at all the State Parks in Maine, yesterday we struck out for one that has been on my bucket list my whole life...Mount Kineo.  The biggest reason I'd never been there is because for all intents and purposes Mount Kineo is an island in Moosehead Lake.
In its heyday Kineo was a summer destination for the very wealthy, those who take the summer off and spend it at a New England resort.  There are a few of those remaining like Mount Washington in New Hampshire.  You can click this link to see what the Mount Kineo Hotel looked like and also so you can compare the area then to the pictures I took yesterday with the hotel gone.  (Wish I could have seen it)
So our journey began by driving an hour plus to Greenville, at the bottom of the enormous Moosehead Lake.  Arriving at lunch time we just happened upon a food truck selling authentic French crepes.  Authentic?  Yes, the lady making them had a very distinct French Canadian accent, something not so uncommon in Maine.
Then we drove another 20 minutes up along the western side of Moosehead to the tiny town of Rockwood, which sits about halfway up the lake and is where you can catch the shuttle boat over to Kineo.  These first few pics are taken from Rockwood.

It's not as difficult to get to this beautiful place as I thought.  It's 10 bucks apiece for a roundtrip ticket to the island, about 10 minutes each way.   Yes, after a 15 minute walk to the bottom of the trailhead up the mountain, up indeed we did go.  I am so proud of Shelly because she did climb this sucker with me.  The following pictures are taken by yours truly at various vantage points along the rim looking back onto the spit of land where the hotel once stood and now has some very nice private summer residences and a little golf course.

Looking back at Rockwood

I can't believe I almost forgot to mention that we saw many Peregrine falcons soaring along these cliffs.  Once I saw seven of them together.  The last couple of photos were taken from spots where I was able to look down on the falcons flying.  Alas, I could never get them on film.
The last picture from yesterday is taken from the deck of the clubhouse while having a well-deserved beer.

As a bonus for you, if you'd like more, go below the fold and see a few pictures we took last weekend at Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde.  You may recognize this lighthouse if you've ever seen a little-known movie called Forest Gump.