Schoodic Peninsula and Pickled Wrinkles

In my last blog I wrote about Acadia National Park where the main part is located on Mount Desert Island.   There is another smaller part of Acadia on a mainland peninsula which we heard was less busy.   Indeed we found this part of the park to be much quieter and more relaxing.   A scenic drive skirts around the edge of the peninsula with a few areas to stop and sightsee.   There were no traffic or parking issues and similar beautiful Acadia scenery.   PIctured above is our first stop at Frazer Point featuring a lovely picnicking area on the water with wildflowers and roses.  I found lots of colorful sea snail or periwinkle shells at the shoreline here.

Below is a panoramic photo of one of our stops along the scenic drive.

We spent most of our time at Schoodic Point which is the most southern point of the park and peninsula – a very large, rocky area with expansive views of Mount Desert Island, Cadillac Mountain and various islands in the Bay.   This is a great place to see the waves come crashing in against the rocky shelves like the photos below.

I walked around watching the waves for some time, hoping to catch a big one with my camera.   Mark my driver/photographer snapped the picture of me below near the wave action.  Some times he comes in handy.

After spending time near the ocean we headed to The Pickled Wrinkle, a restaurant recommended by a couple of store keepers we met while visiting the small town of Winter Harbor.   Pickled Wrinkle has to be one of the more unusual names we have come across for a restaurant, but perhaps the object on the sign to the left of the title gives you a bit of a clue as to the reason for the name?

There are actually pickled wrinkles on their menu and I wanted to give them a try.   They are large carnivorous sea snails also known as whelks, but commonly called “wrinkles” in Maine.   Unlike periwinkles that live along the tide line (like the ones I talked about above), these are larger and found in deeper water.   They are often caught by lobstermen when they haul up their traps from the ocean floor.   These wrinkles once helped feed hungry Maine families when times got tough and pickling was a great way to preserve these morsels.   Today, they are still served pickled and considered a delicacy.  I found them to be very chewy, giving my mouth quite a workout, but I thought they were pretty good.   Below is a picture of the pickled wrinkles.

It was here I had the first lobster roll of a number I was to have during our stay in Maine.   While I really liked them, Mark never showed much of an interest, often going for plain old fish and chips.   I could see the appeal of them as there is not the hassle of getting the meat out of the shell since it is all done for you and piled nicely on the roll.  Lobster rolls are not inexpensive, but there are so many lobster shacks and restaurants serving them in Maine that one is constantly reminded and tempted to have one!   Most of the time lobster meat for the rolls is already mixed with mayonnaise, but I found most places would accommodate with lobster meat that was mayonnaise free for confirmed mayo haters like myself.   Usually they would bring a little side of butter as well.

We had noticed an ice cream stand (Me & Ben’s Dairy Creme) next door and we headed there for dessert.  They had one of the more simple but delicious desserts we had during our Maine stay – blueberry soft serve topped with wild Maine blueberries and whipped cream.   I am usually not a fan of soft serve for an ice cream choice, but this was so good.   We ended up having typical Maine foods that day – pickled wrinkles, lobster roll and blueberry soft serve.

After dinner we drove more around the peninsula stopping for a look at the small town of Corea.   This place is a classic Maine fishing village with a harbor full of lobster boats and other vessels.

Lobster fishing is the primary industry in Corea but I was still surprised at the many lobster traps that seemed to be every where including big stacks on the piers.   In the early 1800’s the town used to be called Indian Harbor as it was occupied by the Passamaquoddy tribe, but the name was changed in 1896 when the town got its first post office.   I thought this place was so darling that I wanted to come back again and eat at the lobster shack on the wharf.  But alas, we didn’t make it back.  Below are two photos of the piers and many traps.

Thanks for checking out the blog and following along on our adventures through Maine!