Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
deed from all around the world. Items include original art, prints, books,
calendars, postcards, replicas, clothing and working lighthouse models
up to six feet tall! The shop is open daily year-round, although hours vary
with the season. For store hours,
646-0608.
In addition to the retail store, Lighthouse Depot also publishes a 48-page,
full-color mail order catalog and has its own Website, www.lhdepot.com.
The Lighthouse Depot publishes
Lighthouse Digest
,
a monthly color magazine full of stories and pictures
about lighthouses all over the world.
Lighthouse Depot is located one US 1, off Exit 2 from the Maine Turn-
pike. To order a catalog,
800-758-1444.
Maine has nearly 70 lighthouses and light stations, many accessible from
the mainland. A brief description of each can be found in the appropriate
chapter of this topic.
Lobster Lore
Lobster is synonymous with Maine. And why not? Maine lobster is the
tastiest in the world. Whether boiled or baked, broiled or sautéed, mil-
lions of pounds of lobster are consumed with great relish annually.
While most visitors to the state will eat at least one lobster during their
stay, few know much about these delectable crustaceans beyond the fact
that they come from the ocean and fishermen in small boats use funny-
shaped traps to catch them.
Maine has more than 6,000 lobstermen. Many fish more than 1,000 traps
each. Each year, more than 20 million pounds of lobster are landed. Fish-
ermen work long hours, often leaving the harbor before dawn so they can
reach offshore traps in order to begin hauling at daybreak. The independ-
ent nature of lobstermen is the stuff of legend Down East. You cannot
help but admire the spunk of an independent businessman who goes
down to the ocean each day never knowing what awaits. Lobstermen, and
an increasing number of women, are at risk of fickle weather, being tan-
gled in their own lines, or simply being tossed from their boats. Fishing
off the coast of Maine is one of the most hazardous occupations in New
England. And, yet, with no boss, surrounded by a bountiful sea, with
