Fort Sumner Park

There are not a great deal of tourist activities or sights here in Portland. It's definitely a magnet for tourists and it seems that Portland used to be the quiet and friendly gateway to the great beyond in the main of Maine. The state number plates used to have the slogan 'vacationland'. The state number plates now say 'the way life should be' and they both help explain it's appeal and charm. The hustle and bustle of the large cities on the east coast are not that far away and Portland offers a break from the present and also a glimpse in to the past. This brings me on to one of the few tourist attractions available, the narrow gauge railway.

Alice and I took a short journey along the beach/harbour front on the narrow gauge railway. It represents a slice of local history whereby these particularly narrow trains used to access parts of the state before cars became commonplace. Riding on them now, their creaky wooden chassis and intense vibrations felt from your feet to your head are a way to appreciate travel of yesteryear. We travelled one way along the line and got off for a fifteen minutes break. The convivial conductor entertained us passengers during this time by asking us questions and openly talking about his holiday plans for the coming year. We were soon back aboard the train and slowly bouncing our way back. It was a pleasant way to see the Atlantic Sea and pass a few hours.

There was a busy donut shop that we passed yesterday afternoon and it had closed due to having sold out of all their donuts. We made sure we didn't mss out today and Alice had the chai flavour and I had the pomegranate. Both were good solid donuts and as they stressed, they did taste different having been made with local Maine mashed potatoes.

That was about all the excitement we could take for today and decided on returning early to our accommodation and having a Netflix session. Apart from leaving for a filling and tasty vegan meal for dinner nearby, we spent the rest of the evening watching 'Stranger Things'.

Song of the Day:
The Monkees - Last Train to ClarksvilleRead more