Explore Isleboro

Tales of an island adventure

Fog settled on Lincolnville Beach as I peered out into the ocean. In the distance, I could faintly make out the island of Islesboro — my destination for the day.

Story and Photos by Kelly Michaud, Editor

Grindle Lighthouse overlooks Gilkey Harbor. The light, which was erected in 1850, is now the Islesboro Sailors Memorial Museum.

      The weather had indicated that the fog would eventually lift and a beautiful, sunny day was in the forecast. My friend Kim and I were heading to the island in adventure mode: We didn’t have a plan, we weren’t exactly sure where we were going when we got on land or what we would see. All we knew was we had two bikes, plenty of water and enough excitement to pedal us around the island. And if we were lucky, the weather would be on our side.

      We parked, grabbed our bikes and went towards the ferry terminal and purchased our tickets for the three-mile trip.

      It takes about 20 minutes to cross to the island aboard the Margaret Chase Smith, which can hold 30 cars and 230 passengers. The ferry was filled with vehicles — some to perform maintenance on the island, others packed full for an extended stay and others, looking like they were just returning home. A couple from Belfast was also spending the day on the island, exploring with their bikes — we asked them a little bit about where they were headed, but decided it might be more interesting if we remained clueless. We rested our bikes on the lower deck and climbed the stairs for a better view from above. We looked over a map of the island that we had grabbed at the terminal and tried to figure out where we wanted to go. Still, we really had no idea.

A crowd peruses items during a lawn sale recently at the Islesboro Historical Society.

      In no time, the fog began to fade, along with Lincolnville, and Islesboro came into view.

      In the past when I’ve heard about Islesboro, the first thing people mention are the famous actors and actresses who have homes on the island — John Travolta and Kirstie Alley — but I soon learned that Islesboro has more intriguing features beyond the famous visitor or two who escape there.

      The ferry steered toward the terminal in Gilkey Harbor and we unloaded; next to us stood Grindle Lighthouse, which was built in 1850, and overlooks the harbor. Connected to the lighthouse is the Sailor’s Memorial Museum, which is open to the public daily, admission free, but donations are encouraged.

      We unloaded and hopped on our bikes and made our way past those waiting to board the ferry to Lincolnville. The last time I rode a bike was in high school so I knew those first few pedals would be shaky and I accepted that the next day I’d probably be so sore I’d have regrets. But today was about discovering Islesboro not whizzing all around it in a car.

      We pedaled around the bend and made our way down Ferry Road. If your visit to the island includes bicycling, use extreme caution — stay to the right hand side and in single file — the roads are winding and fairly narrow. The island is about 14 miles long and just barely two miles wide so there is plenty of biking to exhaust most people.

Brenda Pinardi of Boston, Mass., searches for sea glass on one of Islesboro’s beaches. The retired University of Massachusetts art professor spends about a month on the island, relaxing and painting, each year, for the past 11 years.

      But while you’re panting as your legs push the bike up the hills and you’re watching for vehicles, there is one more thing you need to be able to do — wave. Nearly everyone who drove past us on the roads waved to us. At first, I thought we had just seen a few friendly people, but then I started counting... when the numbers got into the double digits, my hypothesis was confirmed — the people on the island of Islesboro have to be some of the friendliest people I have ever met. I almost always waved back too, unless of course I was about to fall off my bike.

      At the end of Ferry Road we had a choice to make — turn towards Dark Harbor or take a left on West Bay Road and head towards the Historical Society and The Narrows. We took a left. The plan was to go up to the Narrows and then work our way back down towards Dark Harbor. In a car, this would be an easy, feasible plan. On a bike however, your actions can be steered by a hungry stomach and sore body.

      We found the Islesboro Historical Society, where cars were lined along the road and on the grass for a lawn sale. Old games, children’s books, household appliances and other treasures were catching the attention of many. Nearby, a vendor was selling organic vegetables. After having a look around and realizing there was no way I could easily bring a washing machine back with me on a bike, we left the sale and headed down the road.

Vehicles line up to board the Margaret Chase Smith Ferry back to Lincolnville. Three miles of water separate the island from the mainland.

      Past the Historical Society, we wound our way up and down the hilly road and came to a landmark set to the side, in a field. Pulling our bikes over, Kim and I walked up and read the small plaque on the granite marker — “Site of the first recorded observation of a total solar eclipse in North America Oct. 27, 1780.” Islesboro has been around for awhile — it was first settled in 1764 and was incorporated by legislative act in 1789 as Islesborough, according to “Vital Records of Islesboro,” by Marlene Alma Hinkley Groves.

      We continued on our way and a short while later, we came upon one of the island’s many shore areas and decided to do some exploring.

      There, amongst the seashells, rocks and sand we found little pieces of sea glass. Flecks of green, amber, white and some blue speckled the sand and we started collecting. In no time, our hands were full of pieces of smooth glass, a natural souvenir to bring home.

      Climbing over seaweed and the rocks, I made my way towards the water, where a lobster boat and its captain were hauling traps. He wasn’t too far off in the water and yelled to us to “Check this out!” He held up the largest lobster I have ever seen — “Eight pounds!” he yelled, excited about his catch.

      After we had cooled our feet in the water, Kim and I consulted our map — from the looks of things, and where we thought we were, and how hungry we were feeling, our best bet would be to continue a little farther and grab lunch at Durkee’s General Store, located on the Main Road.

      At Durkee’s we found a lunch counter and pretty much anything anyone could need — groceries, household cleaners, movie rentals, souvenirs and our favorite, lunch.

      As we finished off the last bites, we looked at the clock and realized that if we wanted to have enough energy to make it back to the ferry on time, we should probably head out.

Island residents check out the vegetables available at a small farmers’ market on the grounds of the Islesboro Historical Society.

      Some proper planning, which I’m usually notorious for, would have clued us in to some of the other aspects of the island, which we ended up missing out on. If we had had the energy to explore the island more thoroughly, we could have visited the village of Dark Harbor, stopped at the Dark Harbor Store and had some ice cream or looked at souvenirs. We could have gotten a glimpse of the Dark Harbor House, a Georgian-revival mansion built in 1896, that is now an inn on the island — or we could have perused some of the other shops and seen more of the island’s essentials — the town offices, health center, Post Office, the Alice L. Pendleton Library, Masonic Hall, and the Islesboro Central School and the G.H. Kinnicutt Center — the school is housed in a turn-of-the-century blasted-stone mansion. Or we could have hoped to have a Travolta sighting.

      While biking limited us to what we could see in a few hours on the island, it brought us closer to what we did visit, and we were able to notice and appreciate the beauty probably more than we could have riding in a car. As you’re pedaling, you feel the breeze, absorb the sun’s rays, smell the wildflowers, hear the birds, smell the salt water and can be as leisurely as you want.

      Which we did.

      And there is no reason we can’t return to see more of Islesboro and continue to fall in love with it, just as those who call it home have.