Aug 27 2007
Never Mind, Summer is Back
My previous post about autumn arriving early appears to have been just what was needed to spur Mother Nature into sending a nice bit of summer weather our way. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and now Monday have all been very August-y. Friday and Saturday, especially, were so humid it was uncomfortable. Thankfully, one of the nicest parts about moving to Portland is that we’re within easy driving distance to a number of lovely beaches. Saturday afternoon simply called out for a trip to one of them.
We’ve already been to Higgins and Scarborough Beach in Scarborough, so we decided we’d try Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth this time. We’ve read several positive reviews of Crescent Beach on sites like TripAdvisor.com, and we even saw a newspaper article at the snack bar touting Crescent being ranked the #10 beach in New England. Crescent Beach was nice, but I’m not sure I’d rate it so highly.
First, the pros. There was more than ample parking. We went in the early afternoon on a Saturday in August and were expecting to find full lots. There were many cars in the parking lot, but the parking lot at Crescent Beach is huge. Finding a shady spot within easy walking distance of the sand was simple. There was also a very nice snack bar and good bathroom and shower facilities right near the beach. These were both much nicer than Scarborough Beach, just down the coast. Being the end of the season, the snack bar even had a half-price sale on ice cream, so we had to indulge. The sea breezes coming off the ocean were just what we needed to cool down on a hot summer’s day, and the sun bathing was great while the clouds stayed away.
There were some very nice views to be had, though the beach isn’t quite as scenic as Higgins, Popham, or Scarborough were. See my Flickr photoset for the pics I snapped. There was also a good bit of room on the beach itself. There were easily a few hundred people out seeking relief from the dog days of summer, but we were able to find a spot to put our towels down very quickly. No problems there at all.
There were, however, a few cons that we experienced, and this is why I question the top 10 rating. First, I must say in the beach’s defense, that we went at or very near low tide. I imagine that the following would not be as big a problem when the water level was higher. That said, we found the beach itself to be very rocky. Especially as we went down to the water to try to get our feet wet, we found too little sand and too many rocks to walk comfortably. When you’re trying to dodge waves and keep from getting too wet too quickly, having to step very carefully is not cool. Also, and again, this is likely a low tide thing, the beach was simply littered with seaweed. These two things coupled to definitely lower our opinion of this beach. Finally, at $4.50 per adult, the beach is slightly pricier than Scarborough Beach. It is, however, cheaper than parking a car with two adults in the Higgins area.
The water was also pretty cold, but it is nearly autumn in Maine, so that comes with the territory. She only managed to get in up to her ankles. I dunked myself completely, but I sure didn’t linger very long afterwards. Regardless of how hot it is, water that doesn’t quite reach 60° is not water in which you want to bathe leisurely. It was quite bracing, and it definitely cooled me off very quickly, but I’m not sure how the kids that were in there from the time we arrived until the time we left two hours later managed to do so without coming out looking like a Smurf.
All told we’ll be going back to Crescent Beach again next year to give it another try. Perhaps a little earlier in the season, and we’ll check the tide charts before we head out, too.