As my local road trip drew towards its close (my recent post mentions a few Maine Sea Serpents), I set out to uncover a few obscure sites as part of Obscurium’s #MicroYearOfExploration project.
You can learn more about micronations and Obscurium here:
🗺️ About the Project
Participants in this project were asked to apply acts of exploration to document overlooked places, with a spirit of discovery for smaller journeys and not just epic expeditions.
The acts included:
- Visiting and documenting a rarely noticed place.
- Conducting an “act of exploration” (Straight Line Mission, Naval Expedition, Urban Exploration, etc.).
- Celebrating a historic act of exploration relevant to one’s micronation or culture.
- Releasing a joint stamp issue on the Northwest Passage and the lost Franklin Expedition.
I took part as “Dragonsinn envoy” 🐉, since I don’t have my own micronation.
Here are the three spots I visited.
1. Sipayik Trail (and sea cave) 🌊
Hidden at the back of the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Pleasant Point lies the Sipayik Trail, overlooking the wide expanse of Passamaquoddy Bay.
I followed an unmarked side trail until I reached a bluff. The tide was retreating, which revealed what appeared to be a small sea cave beneath.
The (to my knowledge, undocumented) hollow also reminded me of mythic lairs where sea serpents might coil in secrecy.
This discovery echoed the historic explorations of the Passamaquoddy people who have been rooted to Maine soil for thousands of years, and how Indigenous lore (and its dragon echoes) is deeply connected to natural landscapes and spirituality.
2. Former Calais Observatory 🔭
Only ten minutes from my residence, the path unfolded almost as a straight line mission: down the street, then a sharp ninety‑degree turn to the right.
At the end stood the former Calais Observatory with two granite stones once used to mount scientific instruments for astronomical observations in the 1800s. Though deceptively close, the site was hidden in plain sight, with no signs about the plaque or stones.
Marking the stones with my name card and Obscurium’s presence in a photo reflected an act of exploration in uncovering what was easily overlooked.
3. Calais Railway (Historic Lines of Exploration) 🚂
As an act of rural exploration, I visited a portion of the now abandoned Calais Railway after the former observatory.
Chartered in 1832 as one of Maine’s earliest railway projects, the Calais Branch stretched 127 miles (204 km), carrying freight and passengers from 1898 until the 1980s.
These tracks were among the first lines laid down to connect communities and move resources across the river. A century later, Dragonsinn launched in 1999 as one of the world’s first dragon websites, laying down its own pioneering lines by threading dragons into the web.
Both railroad and website were explorations of new frontiers. One carried lumber, the other carries lore.
Stamps
I contributed two portrait sketches (E and F) to the joint stamp issue on the topic of the Northwest Passage and the lost Franklin Expedition.
It was interesting to learn more about Inuit female Arctic explorer Arnarulunnguaq and Inuit oral historian Louie Kamookak this way.
Selfie
I didn’t take a ton of selfies because it was cold, but here is one.
End Notes
Exploration doesn’t always mean epic journeys. It can be noticing what’s hidden nearby and marking it with presence.
These three acts of exploration, from lairs to lines, formed my contribution to Obscurium’s #MicroYearOfExploration.