LOBSTAH RUN -Port Clyde ME

A very large slow moving HIGH was poised to dominate the weather in the northeast providing an opportunity for me to fly from West Chester PA (KOQN) to Rockland ME (KRKD) to visit a friend of mine. My friend and his family were vacationing in Port Clyde ME where I go every year with my family. When we vacation in ME we bring with us 2 kayaks, 5 bikes and one small motor boat. No room for the RV to explore the many Islands from above. Unfortunately my wife was not available for the trip but my good friend Scott jumped at the opportunity. Scott and I both played hooky from work on Friday and departed at 7 AM in the severe clear skies. Our route lead us around the NY Bravo airspace then direct to Portland and then on to KRKD overflying smaller airports as we went. The trip took 3 hours and 25 gallons of fuel. We did not see one cloud in the ski the entire way up in the morning. My friend Craig met us at the airport where we assumed the driving responsibilities and dropped Craig and his kids at a golf course and I drove around the area acting as a tour guide for Scott. He had not been to this area in ME and was interested in learning about the area as a possible future family vacation spot. The evening ended with cocktails and a great lobster roast with Scott, Craig, and his family. Saturday we awoke to a perfect blue sky morning. After some blueberry muffins and coffee we departed for PA with our overnight bags and four live lobsters that were to be consumed for dinner in PA. Again we did not encounter any clouds the entire way home. We had flight following all the way from Portland ME to West Chester PA and we even got to fly through the NY Class Bravo airspace. Flight following was very accommodating. Total time going home was 2.75 hours and 21 gallons used. I finally got my chance to see Port Clyde from the air. I will be returning to Port Clyde by car in two weeks for our annual vacation. Here is a link to my friend Scotts photos from this trip. Enjoy!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46981345@N06/sets/72157624310088137/

The only thing I REALLY want to do with my Rv, is fly it back to New England. It's what keeps me going. Thanks for the great pictures and motivation.

Port Clyde

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the nice write up and pictures. I also have friends in Port Clyde and have flown the 6 into RKD a few times. The pictures you took are very familiar places to me. Thanks again for sharing!

I did a similar trip this weekend

I flew from Richmond, Virginia to Lewiston, Maine (with a nice side trip to Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod). It was a great trip home to see family. Even got a slight tailwind in both directions.

One thought. You should consider flying over the NYC class Bravo airspace. It goes up to 7000 feet MSL. I used to be a bit intimidated about all the traffic and controlled airspace in the area. After having made the trip several times I just climb to 7,500 feet and fly right over the top. Legally, I don't even have to talk to the controllers (but I usually do ask for flight following which they often will not do).

or file IFR...

Great post, Jeff! I think there's an RV-8 based in the Rockland area - I've seen the plane but haven't crossed paths with the owner. Maybe we should volunteer him to host a fly-in. For anyone in the Northeast, Maine has a ton of great places to fly into and over. They don't call it "Vacationland" for nuthin'...

I've got a nice shot of Mount Katahdin from above, but I'll have to figure out how to add a pic on here. Looking down the sheer drop of about 2,000 feet is spooky, even from an airplane. Pics don't do it justice. Bar Harbor (KBHB) is also airplane friendly, as they have bus service from the airport to Acadia National Park for free, I'm thinking, curtesy of L. L. Bean. Oh, and keep the Seaplane Fly-in the weekend after Labor Day in mind as well - land planes come to Greenville Municipal Airport (3B1) with friendly transportation into town to Moosehead Lake for the seaplane ops and flying contests. Lots of stuff is there for non-flying types too.

Lots more in Maine, but those destinations immediately come to mind. Great pics of the scenery and mouth watering lobsters on the table! Definitely truth in advertising.

I spent a week in Port Clyde last fall with some friends from Colorado, wonderful place. Andrew Wyeth vacationed there every summer and painted many of his best works there, and you can see several of them in the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Also be sure and check out the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

Nice trip there neighbor !

Jeff,
How did you make that rock so well balanced and standing? Beautiful pictures nice write up. It's a morning newspaper for me.