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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is used to being photographed. But when his human mother had a cute idea the other day…?
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His Lordship was less than pleased.
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I think I’ll be paying for this folly. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when….
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But yes. He’s definitely plotting something.
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Every fort needs a kitchen and while this one probably didn’t contain many time saving appliances, it was large.
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This box was used for dough.
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And this was the table to knead it on.
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That’s a serious amount of bread.
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The enlisted mens quarters seemed to go on forever, but ironically construction of the fort was never completed and only 20 to 54 troops were garrisoned here during the Civil War. When 575 troops were stationed here during the Spanish-American War, they bunked outside the fort in tents.
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The powder magazine was found behind an extremely thick door and was heavily guarded.
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I’m hoping there was a no smoking sign posted as well.
One last walk around outside, past the D Battery cannon mounts.
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And we were done.
So that was Fort Knox. Impressive, well cared for and a big tourist draw.
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My. Husband. Took. Pictures.
That’s a triple A review in my world.
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These strange discs were lined up on the parade ground so the husband had to investigate.
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Having had my fill of stairs that day, I let him.
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Turns out they were storage vaults for ammunition.
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Alongside of that wall was a room with a broken water line that fed from a 27,000 gallon cistern…
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And next to that…
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A room with a giant rock. Because who doesn’t love that?
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The officer’s quarters were far from luxurious. Geesh, look at that lumpy mattress.
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But as cold and damp as Maine can be, at least they had a fireplace.
Now let’s take a strange turn here shall we?
Please note the mock up of a Revolutionary War officer seated on the right and the blanket draped over his chair. I wanted a better look at him and took this untouched photo from his other side.
Notice anything strange?
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*cue the Twilight Zone music*
You. Can. See. Through. The. Blanket.
What the Hell!
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If you’re a history nerd like me, you’ll love exploring this fort.
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And even if you’re not, like my husband? It’s still a pretty cool place.
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Did my knee enjoy the spiral stone staircases? It did not, but I lived to tell the tale.
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Is it wrong the first thing I thought when I reached the top was… how do they get the lawn mowers up here?
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The views are lovely..
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And there’s the bridge we visited earlier in the day.
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And if you’re looking for proof this was an amazing place? There’s my husband taking pictures.
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My husband never takes pictures.
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It’s a good thing there was an ambulance because I almost fainted from shock.
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After visiting the Penobscot Narrows bridge observatory, we turned our attention to Maine’s largest historic fort which is literally right next door.
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Fort Knox, named after General Henry Knox, America’s first Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery in the Revolution. He spent his final years just down the road in Thomaston. And yes, that other Fort Knox in Kentucky is named after him as well.
The first thing we saw upon entering the Fort’s grounds?
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Proof!
I’m guessing this was a Halloween decoration as they host a big event here for the holiday. Or rather, I’m hoping.
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The Fort sits on a peninsula jutting out into the Penobscot River and was deemed the perfect defensive spot in 1844. Almost a million dollars was spent on its construction, but it took Congress 25 years to allot those funds and as with most government run projects, it was never actually completed.
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But no matter, it’s still an impressive place.
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More Halloween decorations, which to be honest annoyed the photographer in me.
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Yeah, Stephen King rules. We get it.
A diagram of the fort.
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The minute you enter through the sally port you’re struck by how well designed this was.
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The granite was local and expertly fitted.
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Inside? It’s all about the canons.
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Small cannons.
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And Big Bertha ass cannons.
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You know every single child ignores that sign.
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Room after room of cannons. Two floors and four batteries contain mounts for 135 of those babies but only 74 were ever brought to the site. Not as many as it could hold, but that still requires a lot of balls. In more ways than one.
To be continued..
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These sparrows have it in for our poor cat and are seriously driving him crazy.
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All of a sudden there are flocks of them gathering on our back deck and Lord Dudley Mountcatten is positively beside himself with angst.
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He cackles, he cries, he paws at the window and howls to go outside.
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And then runs right to the bushes where they hide when I oblige.
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His Lordship is not a graceful feline and more often than not falls flat on his face.
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Unless he’s sticking it in the bush on purpose.
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He’s on a leash, but there’s not much walking going on.
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Those birds should be ashamed of themselves. Before long Dudley will be needing kitty Valium.
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Do you have a bucket list for your own state? Mine is long and varied because somehow we never find the time to see the wonderful things in our own backyard… or in this case, the yard two hours away.
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But last week I checked this off. The tallest bridge observatory in the world.. which just happens to have Maine’s fastest elevator. Good thing too, my knee would never survive a staircase 420 feet up.
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The construction of this cable stayed bridge was big news in these parts and people anxiously looked forward to its completion. Started in 2004, completed and opened Dec. 30, 2006. And yes, we’re more than a little late to the party.
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I’m not sure the pictures do it justice, but trust me it’s quite something.
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Was my bad knee happy there were a few flights of stairs after we got off the elevator? No….
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But I sucked it up and climbed.
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And the 360 degree view was worth it.
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Sam Champlain was here.
Suck on that Kilroy.
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I’m including a video that has an annoying reflection of me throughout. Try to ignore that and enjoy the view…
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I don’t know if you remember, but last year I posted about a giant rubber duck that appeared out of nowhere in the harbor of a Maine town. No one knew where it came from or who deployed it… but everyone loved it and reported sightings with gleeful enthusiasm.
Now?
It’s back…. and yeah. Bigger and better than ever. 
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Last year it said “Joy”, this year it’s “ Greater Joy”.
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A random floating giant rubber duck is a beautiful thing.
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Our last stop in Stonington wasn’t planned, and we just happened to drive by… but it was a lovely end to the day.
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Random public access to beaches is common in Maine. They’re not marked, they’re not named, they just are.
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And sometimes they have a fabulous rock that looks like a sleeping walrus.
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Ah, Maine…
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This float had been pulled up for the season.
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And if you know anything about the coast of Maine, you know sand is at a premium.
Mostly it’s rocks, which my ever intrepid husband continues to climb…
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Not always gracefully.
😉
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Heading out of the harbor proper, we found some scenically beautiful spots.
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For gorgeous coastline, it’s hard to top Maine.
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We drove at will, no destination in mind. And sometimes cutting down side streets resulted in dead ends.
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Like a marina we didn’t know was there.
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Other times there were loop roads….
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With extremely peaceful seating.
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And if you want peace and quiet? Take a tip from that guy.
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He certainly had the right idea.
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River's world..... 