September 22, 2011

The weather man was right. With clouds, rain and some fog being the order of the day, we headed to Freeport and L. L. Bean. Our last trip to Freeport, a quaint little town with one L. L. Bean store, an ice cream shop and a couple restaurants was about 15 years ago. Now Freeport has five L. L. Bean stores, fifty-nine other outlet stores, and thirty restaurants! While we were walking round, the word “zoo” came to mind several times. One thing that all this progress has brought to Freeport is one of the nicest emergency services building anywhere. It appears that the growth of the town is bringing in plenty of tax dollars.

Our next stop was Maine Distilleries, home of Cold River Gin and Vodka. After all, we needed a bit of a boost after fighting the crowds. Maine Distilleries got its start out of necessity…the family farm was about to go under. At the height of the Adkins craze, the farm could not sell the potatoes which were its primary crop. The decision was made to make vodka out of their leftover potatoes, and the rest is history. Their vodka was chosen the best in the world in 2008. Gin production began in 2010. Now their products are sold in 13 states, including Virginia.


Our boat Captain, Ed Rice, told us about a “hole in the wall” Mexican restaurant in Brunswick, tonight’s choice for dinner. This is a place hidden in an old neighborhood, tucked between houses.
El Camino is a cozy, friendly restaurant with an eclectic mix of color and collectables on the walls. The food is original Mexican made with fresh local ingredients, and the Margaritas are absolutely grand. We arrived a bit after 5:00PM, and there was only one other couple eating; but, by the time we left, the place was full, with people waiting to be seated. Ed is now two for two!!

Tomorrow we will be sleeping in, and exploring Bath, a small town on US1.