April 2023
I had fond memories of my past overnight trip to Maine 15 or so years ago which included a memorable day in Portland. So, I returned there this go around only to be greeted by pelting rain and mid 40’s temps. Unsurprisingly, the only folks out walking were a few stray tourists and a some folks whom by all appearances were homeless. On the plus side, I had arranged to meet my fellow traveler and friend Natalie (we met traveling in Colorado and I finally caught up to her as she was on her way to her next destination) and her cousin at Coffee By Design. I walked the downtown area after they left but given the wind and rain and cold, was not loving it so grabbed an olive bread at Standard Baking Co, hopped in my car, and made my way up the coast to Bath before giving up and turning west back toward northern New Hampshire. I thought I might find a cute town to stay in along the way but nothing seemed to be open nor very inviting and much of what I saw was a bit run down. I was also back in the land of Trump signs. Do you really need a permanent sign honoring your idol and did you do this for any other politician – all year round every year? Anyway, the natural beauty was great but the weather not so much which may explain why people were not very talkative or friendly in general. I hope to return in the summer and see Acadia National Park as well as visit Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
YORK BEACH. Drove through on the day before the storm and looked like a great place to visit in the summer. I took a walk along the Cliff Walk which had these amazing rocks and then stopped to take photos at the Nubble Lighthouse though ended up more interested in the birds.
OGUNQUIT. My last stop on the day before the storm and I just drove through. Lots of folks milling about on a Saturday and looked to be a nice place to hang out for a day.
PORTLAND. Did not love it as much this go around, probably due to the lousy weather and few folks walking around. There are some historical buildings and interesting architecture and were it nicer out I would have lasted longer. I thought I might stay here but the weather was not looking to improve and wind and rain on the unprotected coast is not a fun experience. I had originally hoped to take the car ferry from here to Nova Scotia but it does not start running until late May – and from what I could tell based on the weather, with good reason.
ACADIA AND DESERT ISLAND. I finally made it to the northern portion of Maine and Acadia National Park. My friend Fred hosted Jeff and I at his house on Desert Island near Bar Harbor and the park. We rose earlyish to hike up Cadillac Mountain (not sunrise, that would have been way too early) and found it not crowded at all on a Thursday. Great hike and highly recommend it. We took the South Ridge Trail which starts just outside the park which is an option if you don’t want to pay to go in (we entered after since we had my park pass but the hike was the highlight). We did do the mandatory Bar Harbor stop which is nice but quite touristy with all the cruise passengers. On our way up to Canada (deserving of an entire post), we stopped at Wild Blueberry in Columbia Falls which has the history of blueberries in the region and very tasty blueberry muffins.
