Artist's cabin on Yellow Birch Farm

Rustic cabin, way Downeast, on a dirt road, on a sparsely populated wooded peninsula in wild, unspoiled Cobscook Bay. Near beautiful Reversing Falls Park. Not close to anything else! Wifi equipped. Outhouse, outdoor shower. Sleeps 2 or 3 inside; can also be used as a base for family camping, with ample tent space available on the 25-acre property. Ten-night minimum; discount for weekly and monthly stays. Half an hour from the Canadian border, the cabin on our 1787 farmstead is an ideal base for exploring the bold coast of Washington County. A week's visit would give you time to hike magnificent oceanfront trails . . . take a whale-watching trip . . . venture to the lighthouse on Campobello Island . . . shop for baskets at the Passamaquoddy community of Sipayik . . . check out the many galleries featuring work by local artists and artisans in Eastport . . . or just spend time writing, drawing, or painting. Much of the shoreline here is public land, part of Moosehorn Wildlife refuge, a birdwatcher's paradise. The cabin has a double bed and also a very small (< single) futon. If you have kids, you are more than welcome to squeeze them in any way you like, or set up a tent for them. The cabin is a simple Maine sporting-camp style guest space with two rooms: a 16x12 kitchen/living space and an enclosed 16x8 sleeping porch with a full-size bed at one end and an eating area at the other end. No bathroom: it has an outhouse (100' walk) and an outdoor shower (hot and cold water). No water view. (We're on a peninsula, with public access to the water a mile away.) I supply all linens: towels, sheets, pillowcases, blankets. The sleeping porch and outdoor shower mean that staying in the cabin can feel like the best parts of camping, because of the proximity to the outdoors. You'll wake up to birdsong, and if you step out the door at night you'll be astounded at the depth of the stars, in a place with no light pollution, and the depth of the silence, so far from a major road. Any interruptions in the nighttime quiet will be from nocturnal residents of the woods that surround you: coyotes serenading the moon, porcupines crunching apples in the tree outside your window, a resident barred owl calling "who-cooks-for-you?" But unlike camping, you will have a solid roof over your head, a real mattress (full-size; firm and new), a kitchen fully equipped with everything you need to make a real meal, a hot shower, and a wifi signal. Regarding the all-important wifi: This rural address gets internet service at ~10 mbps via DSL. The signal is fine for basic internet access (I depend completely on the internet for my daily work and research), but it's sometimes not sufficient for heavy-data use like streaming video. Everything on the cabin side of the driveway is "your" space: yard, clothesline area, campfire pit. Feel free to scavenge deadwood/softwood anywhere around the farm, or you can buy camp wood from front-yard stands along Route 1. There's a grate for cooking at the fire pit. My priority is that visitors have an experience of privacy and quiet and I let guests take the lead in determining the level of interaction. Since I live and work right here, I'm usually available on a moment's notice to help visitors with whatever they need. I sometimes need to travel, but if I'm going to be away I make sure my guests are settled and secure. SUMMER 2021: Depending on the pandemic situation, I may not be interacting with guests in person--but I'm always happy to help with requests and info via phone/text/email! Yellow Birch Farm is on 25 secluded acres on a dirt road on a sparsely populated saltwater peninsula. If you are looking for a coastal region of beauty and solitude (spectacular hiking, biking, kayaking, without the crowds of southern Maine); if you like a grassroots arts and music scene; if you are more of a camper than a B&B person; and if you don't mind putting your kayak on your car to get it to the water, this is the spot for you. This part of the Maine coast is a truly special place, the eastern seaboard's best-kept secret. A pristine coastal landscape still survives this far downeast: 4.25 hours north of Portland, 2 hours east of Bangor, 45 minutes from the town of Lubec (and 10 minutes beyond that, Campobello Island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick), 25 minutes from Eastport. Bring a passport if you want to cross into nearby Canada. (Note: Border is currently closed to because of the pandemic.) A local bus line--West Bus Service--makes a regular daily route from Calais through Ellsworth to Bangor (including stops at the airport and the bus station). Pembroke is a flag stop on the route, with the Bangor-bound bus passing through around 10 a.m. and the return bus passing around 6 p.m. No other public transportation is available, so having a car is helpful--but not crucial. Shell stations and Dollar General on Route 1 are about 3 miles away. I've had guests here who've managed for as long as a month with just a bicycle. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR OUT-OF-STATE VISITORS: Please familiarize yourself with the status of Maine's pandemic-related restrictions before reserving and check for updates again before traveling. Many of the region's usual summer offerings (restaurants, festivals) may be cancelled or closed until further notice. The situation is changing constantly, so please be prepared and keep yourself informed. Thank you! Some other general stuff to know as you think about your visit: Yellow Birch Farm is totally kid- and dog-friendly (sorry, no cats), but your pet will need to be on a leash around the farm and stay with you if you go out for the day. If you have a dog that barks a lot in unfamiliar settings, this isn't an appropriate situation. The Pennamaquan River, which runs through Pembroke, has some swimming holes, and nearby lakes and ponds have spots for public access as well. You might want to bring water shoes. Some people swim in the ocean, but it is COLD!