Cabin Fervor in the Maine Woods
Weathervane atop cafe at Point Lookout, photo by Robin Tierney
Losing yourself in nature is one way to find your true self. This sentiment has been suggested by thinkers from Thoreau to Deepak Chopra.
Midcoast Maine offers a great package deal of nature: deep woods, coastal shores and mountains. There’s something about the area that stokes thoughts of settling into a cabin and wandering into adventure. I found the perfect spot for modern-way wayfarers who want to enjoy the rugged terrain without roughing it: Point Lookout Resort. Combining comfort with biophilia, Point Lookout’s eco-friendly, affordable lodging is tucked in Northport on the edge of Lincolnville, between the woods and the Penobscot Bay.
The scenery’s splendid, especially with the leaves turning brilliant in the autumn breezes. There’s plentiful acreage — the property spans 387 acres on Duck Trap Mountain — but if you bump into other folks, they’d nearly as likely to be locals as much as guests. Point Lookout has a locals-welcome policy, unlike gated resorts. Folks walking dogs and practice uphill climbs on bicycles offered tips for exploring the adjacent towns along coast-hugging Route 1. On my bike, I was ready to roll.
Knights Poind at Point Lookout Resort, photo by Robin Tierney
Art-spotting at the resort and just north at Northport Landing Gallery, I found incredible monumental bronze sculptures depicting deer, bears and other beautiful fauna indigenous to Maine. The sculptures stopped others in their tracks as well, evidence of humans’ innate love and respect for our fellow beings. Further up Route 1, I found art in many forms: folk art surrounding a cantina, a hand-painted sign for a farmstand, handcrafted hoops swirled by outdoor exercisers, and in Belfast, fun galleries, very nifty street benches made from scavenged materials, and totem-like garden muses — and sea muses down in the harbor — carved by a local artist. At Waterfall Arts Center, there’s a six-foot-tall turnip person made of hay and twine.
Adding to the panoramas were old red tugboats in the bay and jacked up on land and terrific, lovingly maintained late-1800s architecture. Smart down-to-earth souls as well.
Tugboat parked by Belfast boatyard, by Robin Tierney
ECOVORE sleeps: The 106 individual cabins at Point Lookout combine clean rustic exteriors with such interior comforts as kitchenettes, cushy beds and decidedly post-Thoreau amenities from digital TV to WiFi. Companion animal-friendly, too. Everything looks new, even though the resort was developed in the 1990s. You might be tempted to spend all day relaxing on the screened porch overlooking the rugged rolling hills. But there’s plenty to keep you off your duff. Such as a bowling center, and more my speed, a steep road for jogging or biking to the Summit, where what little breath I had left was taken by misty views of the Penobscot Bay. Later I jogged down the mountain and across the road to Point Lookout’s beach, which is carpeted with sand, shells and rocks and rich in views of distant boats. I also enjoyed hiking a few miles of wooded trails, one of which leads to a tranquil mountain pond where I spotted birds, frogs and wildflowers without the distractions of other humans. I hear snow-shoeing’s great in the glittery winter landscape.
ECOVORE eats: A few miles north of Point Lookout, Belfast tempts eco-conscious, flavor-lusting diners with several great cafes. And the local bounty give cooks plenty to work with, from juicy berries to rainbow chard. Here, local-sustainable is an easy commitment to make. I devoured a fantastic seasoned tofu-cabbage dish at the all-vegetarian Chase’s Daily on Main Street. No website; the owners are too busy running their family farm and bringing its daily bounty to the cafe. That bounty is used for the cafe dishes as well as sold in a market anchoring one end of the space, which is a classic 1888 building with high tin ceilings, its walls accented with provocative artworks. Expect to wait a bit for your food, but it’s worth it.
This Gothic beauty was once a bank, photo by Robin Tierney
Most of my sustenance came from the Belfast Co-op, one of the best I’ve ever visited. Farm-fresh produce (kale, fiddleheads), Maine-made breads, vinaigrettes and other vegan-friendly goodies, and creative, zesty ready-made salads. One of the managers told me that by popular demand, the co-op deli always offers a vegan soup, several weekly vegan specials, and a vegan cheese pizza with sundried tomatoes and artichokes that sells out fast (unfortunately that was the case during my visit). The co-op has a chef who’s vegan.
Tempted to visit? Check out Waldo County area travel info here. Want to share your finds? Go wild in the comment section below.
Bike mural in Belfast, photo by Robin Tierney
