Maine Coast - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 813

and beach pea, all of which can be seen along the paths that lead to the beach. At the end
of a strip of land jutting into the sea, you can also visit never-completed Fort Popham.
5. Reid State Park
Passingthroughalandscape inwhichevergreenforestrimstheocean shore,Rte. 127leads
to Reid State Park, an attractive mix of rocky headland, marsh, and dunes. Piping plovers
and least terns nest on the park's long beaches, which are salted with grains of feldspar
and schist. Among the other minerals found here—don't be surprised if you come across
a rock hound peering through a magnifying glass—are quartz, calcite, mica, garnet, and
hornblende.Strollalongoneofthemanypathsforanintroductiontoarichblendofseaside
vegetation, including blackberries, raspberries, meadow-sweet, and—be on the lookout for
and beware—poison ivy.
6. Wiscasset
Intheearly1800s,Wiscassetwasthehomeportfordozensofclippershipsthatcarriedfish
and lumber to distant lands. Today, though, with its picture-perfect setting of pretty homes
on wooded slopes along the Sheepscot River, it seems hardly surprising that Wiscasset has
become a haven for writers and artists.
Althoughtrafficthroughthecenteroftowncanbeheavyonsummerweekends,theside
streets are usually quiet. Among the delights to be sampled there are the old-time court-
house, clapboard mansions, bed-and-breakfast inns, and shops offering antiques, pottery,
and artwork.
7. Boothbay Harbor
Once a little fishing village, Boothbay Harbor has evolved through the generations into a
bustlingsummerresort.Windjammersandothercraftsetoutfromthequaintwaterfrontfor
sightseeingtoursoflighthouses,seabirds,whales,seals,andoffshoreislands.Charterboats
offer deep-sea fishing trips, searching the waters for bluefish and tuna. Visit the Coastal
Maine Botanical Gardens which is a 250-acre exceptional botanical garden with its glori-
ousformalgardens,impressivestonework,man-madewaterfalls, andmore.Rte.96,which
heads down to Ocean Point, is a particularly scenic byway, with glimpses of foamy, seeth-
ing surf and thick pine forests along the way.