Yes, big ships really do cruise up the Penobscot River.  Catch this one today before it's gone.

The Irving oil tanker New England is in Bucksport this morning, more than likely off loading jet fuel to eventually be used by the big planes that come and go from the Bangor International Airport.  It's not everyday that one gets to see a 600 foot oil tanker cruise underneath the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, by Fort Knox and then into the harbor at Bucksport.

The New England, built back in 2005, makes it's way to Searsport quite often though, delivering things like gasoline, home heating oil, jet fuel, baled wood pulp, scrap metal and caustic soda.  It usually will unload and then leave the area making it's way to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where an Irving Oil refinery is located.

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The New England is a big boy, and has a gross weight of 23,519 tons and a dead weight of 37,515 tons.  For those that want to be in the know, gross tonnage actually has nothing to do with the weight of the ship but is a measurement of volume, the space located within the ship to store things.  Dead weight is what the ship actually weighs when loaded with things like fuel oil and jet fuel.

The New England was built in South Korea, is owned by a company in the Netherlands, and flies the flag of the Marshall Islands which are located between Hawaii and Australia.

Yes, this ship has been around the block.  It's now in Bucksport during a beautiful day in Maine.  So, break out the camera if you're in the area as it sails by the Fort and under the bridge on it's way to St. John once again.

The Best Restaurants in Downeast Maine for Lobster

So when your hungry out-of-state relatives or friends come to our great state, where do you take them for a mouth-watering lobster dinner?

The answer to that often asked question will be top of mind for a lot of Mainers this season, as thousands of tourists, relatives, and friends drive hundreds if not thousands of miles to take in the sights and eat what our state is most famous for, lobster.

Whether it's a lobster salad, in a hot dog roll, a broiled tail, thrown into a pot of boiling sea water, or god forbid, made into a lobster poutine, people near and far crave it, and as soon as they make it into this neck of the woods it'll be what they have for dinner that night.

While each of us already have a few favorite snack bars, take-outs, and restaurants in mind, it would be wrong of this author to pass along those personal suggestions. So, we're going to rely on the reviews of TripAdvisor to point our visitors in the right directions. We've focused on the Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island area, and here is what we found as we count our way up to the #1 most recommended place for lobster Downeast.

The General Stores Of Downeast Maine

These are the long-time general stores that are spread throughout downeast Maine. The stores that your grandparents picked up milk, beer, and that night's dinner at. For years they had been filled with things like fly paper, clothes, beef jerky, and that morning's newspaper. Now, you stop by for that slice of breakfast pizza, a tasty fried chicken sandwich for lunch, gas,and a handful of lottery tickets.

They're an important part of Maine's heritage, and their numbers are starting to dwindle. But we still frequent them to pick up the day's necessities and to keep up on town gossip.

They may not be owned by the original owners, and they may not look the same as they did years and years ago. But that same hometown feeling is there, the minute you set foot on their wooden floors. More than likely the same wooden floors that your grandparents set foot on.