I spent five days on Cliff Island, one of approximately two hundred islands scattered across Casco Bay near Portland, Maine.
Cars aren't allowed on this passenger ferry from Portland
Cliff Island is remarkably beautiful and peaceful. It is home to a small community of roughly 75 year-round residents. Many live from the sea by fishing for lobster. Less than ten children attend classes in a one-room school house.
Most get to the island by passenger ferry departing from Portland. No cars are allowed on the ferry, and, as a result, Cliff Island has few cars. This is one of the secrets behind the island’s tranquility. Instead, residents and visitors walk, bike, or rely on golf carts to get around the small island.
Update: A few people asked for the specifics of where we stayed. I had a great experience and gladly recommend the Grey Ledge Cottage. Here is a listing.
Here are some of the photos I took from my visit:
Less than 10 kids attend Cliff Island's one-room schoolhouse
Open three days a week for two hours each day.
Inside the public library
lobster traps in the bed of an old pickup truck
a wall of lobster traps lining the road
A buoy sculpture, not a sculpture by David Bowie
tide pool
tree swallows (What's a tree swallow? CO2.)
ferns
multi-stemmed birch
azalea
tree in a slow process of toppling over - notice how thin the soil is over the rock
lilacs
