Going to the prom

PORTLAND, Maine — The long walks allow us to open up with each other, inhale the soothing sea breezes and marvel at enormous cruise ships quietly slipping into Casco Bay

It is a mecca for out-of-breath joggers and hard-core walkers who enjoy traversing the Eastern Promenade's winding trails in the cooling salt air. The Eastern Prom also serves as an outdoor gym for numerous canines that dash across the hilly terrain that rises above a small rocky beach.

For mariners who can afford the gas — or the boat for that matter — dropping your vessel in the water at a launch and heading for open waters makes us all wish we were asked to come aboard and travel around Casco Bay. The harbor certainly puts on quite a show with sailboat races and enormous cruise ships drifting around the harbor.

For this family of three, the Eastern Prom and its next-door neighbor, the Old Port, gives us an excuse to pack a lunch, find a secluded park bench above the tranquil beach and just stare at Portland harbor's vastness without the interruption of an annoying cell phone, laptop or the television set.

Who needs technology when nature's allure and splendor make any social network on the Internet seem boring and inane.

The Prom is an inner-city refuge that delivers all of us from a planet enveloped in endless wars, hate and economic upheaval.

If you got the gas money and don't mind packing food, this is a cheap date with nature. After a three-mile hike around the prom, get the chow line going, open a book and find a shady tree. Do some people watching while you turn the pages of your book.

A park with a past

Besides the stunning views of Casco Bay, the Prom is sprinkled with history. There are two Civil War cannons perched on the grass. Below the two cannon is a gazebo and a breach-loading cannon from the "Maine," which was sunk in Havana Harbor and triggered the Spanish American War.

To the left of the gazebo is a giant mast surrounded by a gray deck rail from the U.S.S. Portland, a heavy cruiser that was built in Quincy, Mass., and commissioned in Boston in 1933. The World War II ship saw action at Coral Sea, Midway, the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Leaning against the old ship's deck wall and staring up at the tall mast allows anybody with an appreciation of old battle wagons to step back into its glorious past.

 

Other historical plaques can be viewed during walks on the trails that line the park.

Across the harbor, you can see Fort Gorges lodged in the middle of the bay. The Civil War-era fort was completed in 1865 and it was modernized in 1869, but was not garrisoned even though 10-inch Rodman guns were installed there. Fort Gorges was acquired by the City of Portland in 1960. The only way to visit the fort is by small boat.

The Eastern Prom is a historic park that rings around the Munjoy Hill neighborhood in Portland. The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is located there. A vintage train still transports tourists along the promenade.

Good place to park yourself

I was raised in a seacoast community, and that is why the Eastern Prom holds a special place in my seagoing heart. You don't need money to enjoy a park that offers every citizen something without wringing your wallet dry.

This family becomes certified beach bums and avid hikers. The television is often ignored while my son and I battle the surf at Popham Beach on searing summer days.

Newspaperman Horace Greeley once said, "Go west, young man."

But this clan would rather go East and spend their day on the Eastern Prom — a park that only demands that you enjoy yourself — at least for the afternoon.

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