Half way to Canada

[Buckethead]

Most things in Maine can be found elsewhere. There are plenty of places with trees. Many of those places also have mountains. A few of them even have the combination of mountains and trees along with a fantastic coast line.

No place in the western hemisphere offers a better vantage point for all of these natural wonders than the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.

Now its not just my Mainer pride that makes me say this. I'm not a Mainer. I'm a transplant. No mater how long I live here, I'll always be From Away. No, the fact is, the observatory at the top of the southern tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge is one of 3 of its kind. One is in Thailand. Another is in Slovenia. The one just outside Bucksport, ME, is the only one of its kind in the western hemisphere. And damn is it cool!

There was an article in Rider magazine a while back that sparked my interest. Alan Paulsen had come to Maine in search of moose. While he didn't have much luck finding the elusive quadrupeds, he did manage to stumble across the tallest occupied structure in the state. His travelogue inspired me to hit the road on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

Viewed from Rt 1, approaching from the south:


The left hander to get down to the park is a tricky little sensor light, and I hadn't had lunch, so I headed down to the Bucksport House of Pizza and caught a great view from across the bay. Fort Knox is on the right.


Finished lunch and headed down to the park. Admission of $5 lets you traipse all over Ft. Knox and gets you a ticket for the tower. The new bridge is just downstream from its predecessor and parking is underneath the two.


The entrance is at the base of the south tower.


The elevator, the tallest and fastest in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont, takes about 50 seconds to get you up to the equivalent of the 42nd story. I was amused to see the buttons in the elevator marked 1st and 2nd floor. The view that greets you:


The Observatory Deck:


Awww.... They look like ants!


The town of Bucksport, ME, as viewed from the top.


Hello down there, little Ducati!


Back down at the bottom, the trusty Duc and I decided to storm Fort Knox. I hear there's gold in there!


Interestingly, Ft. Knox, ME, and Ft. Knox, KY, were named for the same Maj. Gen. Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War.

While the fort tour experience is absolutely as cool as the Observatory tour, the pictures don't really do it justice.

If your plans ever include a stop-over in Midcoast Maine you should go out of your way to play tourist at this place. If you happen to be on your moto, I recommend heading up on Rt. 1 to take in the coastal scenery, but head back via Rt. 3 through Augusta for a better ride.

[roy-nexus-6]

You know, this is a damn nice write up! Throw in a (google) map or two, and you've got the makings of a really sweet 'pre-planned' ride. 

Actually, that might make a nice addition to the forum!  [moto]

[Big Troubled Bear]

Really very nice photos and great views, BTW like the sport classic

[Buckethead]

Thanks, guys!

I've got the Google map saved, but I can't figure out how to post up just the map itself.

I'm loving the Sport. I've put on over 2500 miles since I picked it up on April 23. And I don't know if it was the rich sea-level air, or just all the steady cruising at 65, but I managed to get 160 miles out of a 3 gallon fill up!

[m1moto]

Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

[Mac_48]

Nice bike If you really want to see a good view go to Seattle and go to the space needle   btw screw canada, they not only raised the drinking age  ONLY FOR AMERICANS, they also are the home of vs...I guess that isn't enough to offset all of the good times there, but I am pissed at them right now [/end rant & threadjack]

[somegirl]

Nice report and pictures!

I've got the Google map saved, but I can't figure out how to post up just the map itself.

Above the map, on the right hand side, there should be a link called "Link to this Page".  That will give you a link that you can post up.
Since the address is quite long, you might want to use tinyurl.com to shorten it.

Or, you could capture a screenshot of the map and post that.  Let me know if you need help.

[DoubleEagle]

Such a neat place . I don't remember if it was Rider but there was a tempting article about a ride in Eastern W.Va. that I could make on a weekend from home. Sweet bike and it looked like a glorious day for a long ride. Glad you got to enjoy it.

[Buckethead]

Thanks, MsInc!

The Map

It was a great day, with decent roads and some gorgeous scenery.

I did get stuck behind some of Milwaukee's Best, but with the DS1000 engine, that problem was short-lived.

I'm still absolutely in lust with the Sport Classic. I've racked up over 2500 miles since I picked her up April 23rd.

[eyeboy]

btw screw canada, they not only raised the drinking age  ONLY FOR AMERICANS

  now where did you hear this nonsense?

[clittelm750]

  now where did you hear this nonsense?

I've never heard of anything like that either ... Drinking age is only a suggestion there anyway

[eyeboy]

I've never heard of anything like that either ... Drinking age is only a suggestion there anyway

actually no, but since a lot (all?) of the states are 21 it must seem that way if you see an 18 or 19 year old drinking.