Ghosts of islands past

I found an interesting short glimpse of the ruin of Little Chebeague island in a set of photos over at the Maine Island Kayak Company's blog (http://maineislandkayakco.blogspot.com/) in a post dating back to Halloween of 2008 titled "Island of Ghosts." The photos are well chosen and haunting, yet lovely.

For anyone who has the opportunity to boat out to the island, it looks like it is well worth the trip.

To quote the blog:

The Abenakis left shell middens here dating back thousands of years. More recently there was a large hotel and small community lasting from the mid 1800s until it was taken over by the Navy for use as an R&R facility and firefighting training. Once the Navy left in the 1940s, no one else came. Now the once proud "clamshell walk" is getting taken over by the bittersweet, the structures are uninhabitable and the only footfalls are made by the deer.

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According to Wikipedia,

The nearby island of "Little Chebeague" is accessible on foot, via a sandbar that appears at low tide. Being that there are many fresh-water underground springs and rivulets, low-tide exposed sandy areas such as the sandbar, or coves, often have "quicksand" zones that must be noted with caution. Little Chebeague, approximately 3/4 of a mile long, is uninhabited and mostly dense shrub and forest. Owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, it is an undeveloped park where picnicking, camping and swimming are allowed, but no facilities are provided.

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Ferry service to the larger Chebeague Island is available through the Casco Bay Lines ferry (cascobaylines.com).