Ogunquit Beach
9 June 2023
Life nearly got in the way of this vacation twice, but on Memorial Day we set out, the car packed around Janice. We were aiming for Ogunquit, Maine, for two nights, as our first stop.
I'd been there a couple of times when I was a kid. I don't remember much about it. Family vacations were always stressful, cooped up as I was in a moving box, a constant target of derision with no escape and no say in what we'd be doing when. What I do recall is a musty old hotel called the Lookout that was on top of a hill; a person called a "bellhop" who had lots of freckles; a path along the rocky shore called Marginal Way; running on a sandy beach and tripping into cold, cold water; and a store on the harbor in Kennebunkport where my parents let me and my sister get fabric hand puppets. Mine was a black dog. Hers was a yellow bird. Also ther was a wooden statue of Nixon, arms raised, hands in peace signs, waist-deep in a pond at an art museum by the sea.
The drive was relatively painless as these things go. We got stuck for a few miles in Connecticut, because that's what Connecticut highways are about.
When we arrived at the Terrace by the Sea, chosen because we could get an ocean-facing room for sunrises, we had enough time to walk across a bridge to the south end of Ogunquit's 3-mile beach.
From our room, we could see the shore and the inlet of the Ogunquit River.
On the way to the bridge we passed a candy shop whose storefront pretty much defined the look of the town.
I took some photos from the bridge.
No clams, no dogs, and no fat-tire bikes either.
We walked to the parking lot at the southern end of the beach. Despite the clear skies and the holiday, the lot was nearly empty. I guess it was too cold and the hour too late for sunbathers.
I was having fun with the footprint shadows.
Reminded of how much he hates walking in sand, Jack waited in the parking lot while I walked along the southern tip of the beach.
Judging from the lack of a seaweed line, I figured it must be high tide.
To the south was the rest of Ogunquit's shoreline, abrupt and rocky.
The tide is strong here.
We walked into town and had dinner at a place Jack had picked out and reserved ahead of time. That's his job on vacations: find the restaurants with good food and a decent wine list.
After dinner, I took a quick walk along a boardwalk at the edge of the hotel. It led to the next street over.
Looking south:
The tide was receeding.
I set my alarm for 4:45 a.m. Sunrise would be at 5:06.
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