Portland Head Light / Fort Williams
The rain stopped around 8:30 am. The plan for the day was to visit the Head Lighthouse and hike the area.
Portland Head Light
The Head Light lighthouse has a long history and is located in Cape Elisabeth, Maine. It was commissioned by George Washington in 1790 and has server to protect ships as they enter the Portland, Maine harbor. During the 350th anniversary of Portland, then Vice President George Bush rededicated the lighthouse in July 1982. The lighthouse area went through a transformation in the 1890’s, becoming part of a fort (see Fort Williams below).
The tower has been raised 20 feet twice, once near the end of the original construction and again during the civil war so that ships further out could see the beacon. The original light was powered by whale oil and the lens in the tower have been upgraded many times over the years, most recently in 2021.
There’s a plaque nearby that reads as follows:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow often walked from Portland to visit this Lighthouse. The keepers were his friends and it is believed he sat here for inspiration for his poem, The Lighthouse.
"sail on!” it says, “Sail on, ye stately ships!
And with your floating bridge the ocean span;
Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse,
Be yours to bring man nearer unto man!”
Wikipedia states, "“The grounds and keeper's house are owned by the town of Cape Elizabeth, while the beacon and fog signal are owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard as a current aid to navigation.”
If lighthouses are your thing, I would think this one would be on your list to visit.
Nearby is the Ram Island Ledge Light which marks the northern side of the main channel in the Casco Bay, Maine.
Trails
Once again, if you park close to the lighthouse, there is a parking fee. If you go to the bottom of the hill and take the road to overflow parking, there is a large field and parking is free. The parking lot is slightly higher than the lighthouse, so it’s mostly a walk downhill.
I walked most of the trails around the lighthouse, Fort Williams and the Cape Elisabeth children’s garden. I’m not sure why they call it a children’s garden, this is a beautiful park garden area that can be enjoyed by all. A met a woman with a lot of camera gear on her way to the gardens for a macro photography class. The full walk is about 2 miles.
Cape Elisabeth Children’s Garden: Grasses in the pond
I know many people that have taken up pickleball recently. I understand it is the fastest growing sport in North America. I’d never seen pickleball played before, and there were 4 courts near where I parked. So, I sat down and watched for 30 minutes, both singles and doubles. I can see why so many people are starting to play, It can be competitive, fun and a good workout. I just read that NBA stars, Lebron James, Kevin Love ,and Draymond Green have agreed to buy a pickleball franchise in an expanding pickleball franchise. There were two guys playing singles that were clearly very competitive and very skilled at pickleball. It was all fun to watch.
Fort Williams Park
The Fort Williams Park is the site of a decommissioned and largely demolished United States Army post. The fortification was initially finished in 1896 and the battery near the lighthouse was the first completed. Each battery was serviced by upwards of 100 soldiers. It was very active during WWI and WWII. The area transformed into an administrative site until 1964 when the entire property was purchased by the town of Cape Elisabeth. Many of the associates building remain on the property with plaques indicating what they were used for during the fort’s operations.
Dinner
I had dinner again with the same colleague living in the Portland. We tried to go to Foulmounth Brewing for dinner and a beer, but it was trivia night and the place was packed. At 6 pm, till closing, there wouldn’t be any seating for dinner.
We found our way down the street to The Taco Trio Mexican restaurant. This was very fresh tasting, authentic Mexican cuisine. Orders were taken at the entrance and we were each given a buzzing device to indicate when our meal was ready for pickup. They also had a bar which made mixed drinks and had a large selection of tequila and mezcal. Beers, margaritas, and palomas could be ordered with the meal and for takeout.
We returned to Foulmounth Brewing at 7:55, five-minutes before closing. I ordered a four-pack of the Foulmouthed Brewing - Knightvillan Bier Noir. I was looking for a stout but they didn’t currently brew a stout. I was told that this beer had a stout taste. Not even close. It was a good beer, for a local brew.