E = Easternmost

Maine has the distinction of being the easternmost state in the country. The easternmost town is located in Lubec. Within its limits is familiar West Quoddy Lighthouse. Stand on the rocks below and you are at the easternmost point in the United States. This is also the closest you can get to Africa from the USA which is of particular interest to me. I have a deep love for the African continent and have spent three summers there in recent years.

The West Quoddy Lighthouse had a postage stamp issued in its honor in 1990. The name of this famously candy-like striped lighthouse comes from the local Passamaquoddy tribe. Those bright colors are not only picturesque, but helpful as DownEast Magazine explained in their September 2019 issue: “The first two [towers], built in 1808 and 1831, were white and tough to see in the famously thick Down East fog. Whoever thought to paint stripes on the 1858 tower has the gratitude of generations of mariners, along with those in the Maine tourism, greeting card, and calendar trades.”

West Quoddy Lighthouse (photo credit: Michael DeRamo)

In the mind of many Mainers, the best part of being in this easternmost category is our coastline. Nearly 3,500 miles in length, it is marked by great diversity. Along it, you can find sections with giant rocks and others with tiny pebbles. There are long stretches of sandy beaches that allow for barefoot walks, but other parts which are made up of great boulders where it is possible to be engulfed by waves and washed into the ocean.

Some of my favorite things about Maine can be found along this jagged line: the smell of the salt air, the sound of seagulls and foghorns, as well as the waves crashing against the rocks. I’d love to explore all 3,500 miles. Considering that we have 105 communities located on the coast, it looks like I’ll have the opportunity to see much of it when my visits to every town are able to resume.

Until then, you can see some of the coastal places already featured, such as Pemaquid Point, Two Lights State Park, and Harpswell.

This post is part of my A to Z Challenge Series with the overall theme, “This Maine Life.” I am covering a Maine-related topic with a different letter of the alphabet every day except Sundays throughout the month of April 2020.