Hugging the Coastline of Maine
Original Post | August 2015
August in Maine is like a Saturday afternoon in Athens, Georgia, when the Dawgs are playing between the hedges. We experienced the lines that people warned us about, the small quaint towns overflowing with cars and people, the waterways filled to capacity with sailboats and lobster boats, yet we found a calming in the midst of all this activity. And you'll find the best lobster in the world, just off the Maine coast; and, for the scant people that are like us, not really lobster people, you'll discover that what you thought was lobster before, really wasn't. It could be the beginning of a new love affair.
We flew into Portland and after having spent a few days with family, we explored Route 1 and by the end of the week found ourselves in New Brunswick on Campobello Island.
“In wilderness is the preservation of the earth. ”
Port Clyde
Port Clyde has a rich history of fisherman as well as artisans from the Andrew Wyeth family. Wyeth himself spent many boyhood summers here. To this day, artists come from all over to find inspiration in the vistas of islands, sea and sky. Just head "downeast" as the locals say. This tiny village is peaceful and pristine, offering a slower and quieter pace than many towns. Twelve miles offshore is the remote Monhegan Island; it is reachable by ferry from Port Clyde.
Run with Forrest Gump on the Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde
Acadia National Park
Located on the rock-bound coastline of Mount Desert, Acadia National Park will transform your idea of what a national park should be. Soaring granite cliffs, cobblestone beaches, Glacier-carved mountains, deep lakes, marshes and dense forests, all surrounded by the ocean. The park was created in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson as the first eastern park. In 2016, it celebrates its 100th year. If you only have a day in Acadia, take the Park Loop Road, a 27-mile loop that covers most of the eastern half of Acadia.
Sunset on Cadillac Mountain, summit 1,530 feet.
The Schoodic Peninsula located near the town of Winter Harbor.
Heading up Cadillac Mountain, the view of Bar Harbor
Along the Park Loop Road, Thunder Hole
From the Jordan Pond House (the only restaurant within the park), visitors can see the Bubble Mountains.
Bar Harbor is considered the gateway to Acadia.
Roosevelt Campobello International Park & Campobello Island
Franklin D. Roosevelt spent many vacations on Campobello Island in New Brunswick. Today, the International Park (established in 1964) has preserved the Roosevelt home and grounds (2,400 acres) as a symbol of the cooperation of the United States and Canada. Stop at the Visitor's Centre for a historical overview. Purchase the hardest-to-come-by tickets, Tea with Eleanor, held twice daily on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Roosevelt first visited Campobello in 1883 at the age of one; by the summer of 1885, the home was finished and the family became summer residents on Passamaquoddy Bay.
You must have your passport to enter Campobello Island.
