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Log inSO MUCH TO SEA
SO MUCH TO SEA
by Outspoken on Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:31 am
SO MUCH TO SEA
Maine beaches vary -- sandy, rocky, packed, tranquil -- nearly as much as the sunbathers and sportsmen who enjoy them. So get out and go check out the beach.
By DEIRDRE FLEMING
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Beaches in Maine are a mixed bag. Some have soft white sand, others have round rocks, and still others surprise us with island views you're not going to get in Florida.
Yeah, the ocean is cold in these parts. But parking is generally reasonable, and Maine's rocky shoreline is less than boring.
Certainly, there are a few public swimming spots that can take hours to reach in Route 1 traffic, like Ogunquit Beach.
And some have no sand beach -- such as Two Lights State Park. Popham Beach actually lost much of its sand in the Patriot's Day storm last year, said Will Harris with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Still others -- like Crescent Beach -- are rocky. But the Cape Elizabeth park is also a beautiful spot to search for sea glass.
Even the regulations at Maine's beaches can come with a mixed blessing. Take all those fences partitioning beachgoers from the nests of piping plovers. Sure, we're asked to give those speedy white puffballs room, but we also get to watch a seldom-seen bird from afar.
So here are some of Maine's most popular beaches -- and not even all of them.
Because even those of us lucky enough to kayak, surf or fish on the coast on a regular basis forget about how good we have it.
(Oh yeah -- this beach roundup is Part III of our "Get Out" series get the message?)
NICE SAND, NICE BIRDS
If beautiful fine sand for castles and barefoot casting is your thing, it's good to know your sand beaches.
York's Long Sands Beach, Wells' 3.5-mile stretch of sand and Scarborough Beach State Park offer some of the nicest sand in Maine. (Ogunquit's is nice too, but see above about Route 1 traffic.)
Scarborough Beach, which is owned by the state but managed privately by Blackpoint Resource Management, has some of the softest sand.
"The sand is beautiful, and the water is so clear for some reason. We get seaweed, but very little. The ocean opens right up; there are no islands," said beach manager Greg Wilfert.
The white sand (and, along some, rising dunes) also means these beaches are shared by those unusual plovers.
"A lot of areas are prime nesting areas for plover. They are skittish. While kids should have a good time, they need to watch that they don't go back in the dunes and chase the plovers or get into the nests," said Will Harris, director of Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands. "They're just kids being kids, but we are trying to protect the birds."
Of course, southern Maine has a list of popular beaches sought by New England surfers.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=201424&ac=Outdoors
File Photos
Maine beaches vary -- sandy, rocky, packed, tranquil -- nearly as much as the sunbathers and sportsmen who enjoy them. So get out and go check out the beach.
By DEIRDRE FLEMING
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Beaches in Maine are a mixed bag. Some have soft white sand, others have round rocks, and still others surprise us with island views you're not going to get in Florida.
Yeah, the ocean is cold in these parts. But parking is generally reasonable, and Maine's rocky shoreline is less than boring.
Certainly, there are a few public swimming spots that can take hours to reach in Route 1 traffic, like Ogunquit Beach.
And some have no sand beach -- such as Two Lights State Park. Popham Beach actually lost much of its sand in the Patriot's Day storm last year, said Will Harris with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Still others -- like Crescent Beach -- are rocky. But the Cape Elizabeth park is also a beautiful spot to search for sea glass.
Even the regulations at Maine's beaches can come with a mixed blessing. Take all those fences partitioning beachgoers from the nests of piping plovers. Sure, we're asked to give those speedy white puffballs room, but we also get to watch a seldom-seen bird from afar.
So here are some of Maine's most popular beaches -- and not even all of them.
Because even those of us lucky enough to kayak, surf or fish on the coast on a regular basis forget about how good we have it.
(Oh yeah -- this beach roundup is Part III of our "Get Out" series get the message?)
NICE SAND, NICE BIRDS
If beautiful fine sand for castles and barefoot casting is your thing, it's good to know your sand beaches.
York's Long Sands Beach, Wells' 3.5-mile stretch of sand and Scarborough Beach State Park offer some of the nicest sand in Maine. (Ogunquit's is nice too, but see above about Route 1 traffic.)
Scarborough Beach, which is owned by the state but managed privately by Blackpoint Resource Management, has some of the softest sand.
"The sand is beautiful, and the water is so clear for some reason. We get seaweed, but very little. The ocean opens right up; there are no islands," said beach manager Greg Wilfert.
The white sand (and, along some, rising dunes) also means these beaches are shared by those unusual plovers.
"A lot of areas are prime nesting areas for plover. They are skittish. While kids should have a good time, they need to watch that they don't go back in the dunes and chase the plovers or get into the nests," said Will Harris, director of Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands. "They're just kids being kids, but we are trying to protect the birds."
Of course, southern Maine has a list of popular beaches sought by New England surfers.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=201424&ac=Outdoors
File Photos
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
