LATITUDES' JOURNEY: Cross Island (submarine communications!), Jonesport (amazing model RR!), and puffins, puffins, puffins (puffins!)

We found a new place to explore - Cross Island. Luke has wanted to go there since last year when boating buddy Dick told him about it. A mere 17 miles from Canada (directly eastward, Grand Manan Island), Cross is the nearest we can get to an amazing piece of Cold War history. These are the vertical support towers, nearly 1000 ft high, of the Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio array used to communicate with submerged submarines. For the techies - it transmits at 24 kHz with an output power of nearly 2 mega watts, apparently one of the strongest radio transmitters in the world. For some details, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLF_Transmitter_Cutler I'm sure this is now replaced with satellite communications, but still remains as an alternate.

The towers, with their red flashing lights present an eerie backdrop to the threatening grey cloud bank at dusk.

On our way to the island, we encountered a relatively new Maine business, salmon farming. There are 2 companies here, each with 3 or 4 of these large pens. For size reference, look at the 2 orange figures on the left side - they are men working on the netting that covers the pens.

Cross island is a MITA property - the Maine Island Trail Association. That means we can hike on the island. The old dock leaves something to be desired...a dry landing space at high tide. It was almost high tide when we got there and we barely made it to the higher dock. The dinghy was tied to float, and float she did - right over the submerged dock.

Fat, sweet-tart blueberries were everywhere!

The only remaining trail on the island that we found lead past on old (and still used) outhouse to a rocky beach.

We did find one more path, but it ended quickly at an unkept (and unsafe) bridge over a creek.

After the tide went down, we got back in the dinghy cruised around part of the island on water. The other end of Cross.

And a nearby island. Beautiful, beautiful Maine!

Next to another favorite place while we are down east, Jonesport. We took a raft mooring at Jonesport Shipyard, in the harbor with all of the lobster boats.

This old, well restored home graces the town dock. Some of Maine's wildflowers fill the yard. Remember this house - she's going to come up again in the next picture!

The kind boatyard owners lent us their car to go to Michas (the nearest larger town) for groceries. On the way back, we stopped in at a sign that says "Maine Central Model Railroad". This amazing HO gauge (1/87 th scale) model railroad is in a shed outside of the home, the "train yard' being about 30 x 40 feet . This is only about 1/4 of the set up. It is so filled up that you have to wander through narrow aisles to see it all. See the red Victorian house in the bottom left? That is the house above. Every building in this model was built by the owners, Helen and Buz. It took them 20 years to complete this set up.

A town wharf.

Buz died 6 years ago, but Helen still shows his favorite "joke" in the display....a hunter "taking a crap" while a bear approaches and his rifle (the little red handle to the left) is jusssst out of reach.

Here is Helen at the controls, running the tooting, puffing trains for us.

This is all free, just asking for a small donation. Sadly, the future of this wonderful model RR is in question. Helen is 84, and admits she can't keep it up much longer. There isn't a good home waiting for the wonderful work they have done.

We always knew Maine had fog, but boy, has she lived up to it this year! fog,fog, fog. As soon as we got an OK (not great) day to make the 9 hour trip from Jonesport to Acadia, we left. Our big excitement en route was to again pass the Petite Manan lighthouse with puffins. This time we really saw them! What more can I say... puffins, puffins, puffins!!!

Puffins with fish for the babies!