TGIF: Riding Southport Island

After a carb-loaded breakfast a the Tugboat, Craig and I took off for a ride on Southport Island,  described here.  It really is moderately hilly and more of an intermediate ride.  Not for doing alone because of the traffic and almost non-existent shoulder.  The ups and downs are pretty much constant, but none super long.  At the beginning of the Southport Island loop, proper, there is this really cool swing bridge.  Instead of being a draw bridge to let ships pass by, a Maine DOT official sits in a roost on top of it and every half hour he swings the bridge out to let ships pass through.  Pretty neat.

This is a picture of the bridge swinging out.

Isn't it cool!?

You have to walk your bike across because the bridge itself is actually just a big grate.

There is an osprey nest on the top of the swing bridge.  We spent some time watching it.  Osprey build their nests really high, and they return to them year after year.  This is the first year for this nest, and after standing there for a while, it kind of blew my mind that they would build there at all because it's constantly noisy and the darn thing swings out every half hour!  But build they did, and they have a thriving nest with multiple babies -- maybe four?

Tried to catch one in flight.  They are HUGE!

Pretty harbor shot along the ride.

A huge No. 2 pencil statue outside the Southport School.

Southport Central School, Maine

Civil War Veteran's grave next tot he fire station, Southport, ME

Southport, ME Fire Station

Hendricks Head Light

Cuckolds LIght -- being renovated.

One of Craig's neat harbor shots.

And another....Boothbay this time

After dinner at the Ebb Tide (Burgers!) we went for a walk and Craig snapped this shot at a store on the way.

Also on our walk, we saw this dad with two of his kids sailing through the harbor.  They were having so much fun.  I wish every kid I know could do this at least once.