Takeaways:

• Find the big ‘ol blueberry and buy some.  Also great for photo ops.
• Sometimes we need our GPS to get where we are going.  Sometimes it’s best to let it go and wander, or use a map, especially if it can be purchased at Eartha.  Just heading off in a car means you should also maybe be prepared to sleep in it (sorry Mom).
• Visit the Eastern most point in American at the very tip of Maine.  Then climb a mountain and feel the first rays of sunshine warm your face. Get there early and bring lots (and lots) of layers and blankets
• Don’t make your Vegetarian-ish friend try Lobster for the first time unless you serve them an entire pitcher of beer first (they still won’t like it).
• Post sunrise grab a bite to eat at Cafe This Way before wandering out to Bar Island (if it’s low tide) or discovering the rest of Acadia.  If you’re lucky you will be delirious like we were and it’ll taste even better.
• Pick out your favorite lighthouses before you go, otherwise you will be super tempted to visit every single one… which is too many.
• Plan to come back when you realize you want to experience this state during every season.

It’s time to talk about Maine!   Maine Maine Maine!  Now technically my friend Chelsea was supposed to write this portion (Hi I hate you Chelsea) but she is less into writing this blog than I am (I know, it’s hard to believe).

This was our first road trip together (we have since travelled together quite a bit).  Going into it I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I had been planning to do most of my travels by myself but when I was laughing so hard I was crying before even pulling out of the rental car garage, I seemed it would be ok.  Spoiler alert:  it was.

 

The plan was to just drive East.  The first real checkpoint I wanted to visit was the Eastern most point of the United States.  Unfortunately we got a later start than anticipated because of the wait for our rental car, but it ended up being perfect because we stopped for dinner and drinks in New Hampshire on our way to Maine.  Just changing Maine from state 10 to 11.  Read about New Hampshire here.

The next morning we woke early and began the drive again.  This was kind of when I realized we are pretty great road trip partners. Neither of us mind driving long distances and are both into stopping and jumping out whenever we find something interesting.  One of my favorite examples ever, is Wild Blueberry Land.  Maine Blueberries are a special thing.  They are tiny (as they are supposed to be) and delicious.  We had been wanting to get some anyway, but this shop was the best place we could have ever stopped.  It is actually SHAPED LIKE A BLUEBERRY.  The products are also delicious and wonderful and the woman who runs the shop is full of interesting stories if you have time to listen.

This trip is also when we came up with some pretty great business ideas (don’t ask me what they are).  It’s also the only time I can think of that we were truly lost (two years later and we still have never been this lost).  We had somehow wandered in a complete circle without realizing AT ALL until we started passing all the things we had previously passed.  It is honestly the strangest thing.  I can not explain how it happened, but it did, proving Maine has it’s own Bermuda Triangle.  All beware the Maine Triangle.  I can’t tell you where it is, but there’s an adorable shack covered  in buoys stuck inside.

We still managed to get to the most Easterly point in the United States (it’s so far North-East that you can see Canada and my phone was convinced I was leaving America).  There you will find West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, standing since 1808, in Lubec, Maine.    At the time I thought I would also be able to visit the most Northern, Southern and Western parts of the US, but I never made it . . . so they are still on the list :).  It was time to turn around and head back toward Bar Harbor (side note:  it’s super fun to say this with a Boston accent) but this time we were going to scale the coast line.

 

We arrived when it was almost dark, just in time to grab a meal and find a place to stay.  Now, this is where we learned we are REALLY great travel companions.  Since we knew we wanted to wake up to watch the sunrise and feel the first rays to touch the U.S. and by the time we finished dinner it was already close to midnight . . . it didn’t make much since to get a hotel room, right?  So instead of finding a place to stay, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, emptied out the trunk, put the seats down to the back seat and turned it into a bed.  I definitely would NOT suggest this, we couldn’t have gotten much sleep, it was super cold and possibly illegal.  But we WERE the first people out to grab a seat for the sunrise.  The mountain would later become packed without us realizing bc it was so dark and we were so bundled all we could see was the sunrise and some shadows moving in front of us every once in awhile.  This was the first sunrise I’d purposefully seen since my birthday sunrise in Georgia and it was breathtaking.  Not only because it was beautiful, but knowing it was the first light of day in the whole country felt extra memorable.  Just remembering the sunlight warming my face and knowing it would slowly creep across the remaining 49 states reminded me I was traveling to heal.  As the sunlight warmed my body, it also washed my soul.  Letting the light filter out a little of the darkness that had crept in.  It was nice to know that no matter what difficulties I am struggling through, this star would have people fighting to be the first to watch it rise every day.

There is such consistency in the sunrise and sunset, the part of me that is a creature of habit appreciates it.  The sunrise is a nice reminder of our ability to change our path.  We see Spring as a time of renewal, but should we choose to wake up early enough there is a visible sign of renewal every single day in the sunrise.  Let’s all remember we can make changes both big and small to our lives whenever we want.  We may stumble along the way (as this blog continues, you will read about some of my my trip ups) but every day we DO have the opportunity to make the changes in our lives that we want and sometimes need.  Easier typed than believed, but maybe the more I type it, the more I’ll believe it and the more you read it the more you can as well.  (I am thinking about those of you who might be struggling.  Know that at this very moment I am sending love, good energy and hope your way.  You can do anything.)

Post sunrise we were tired, cold and exhausted so what did we decide to do but go for a walk across the Bay of course!  In Bar Harbour, there is a land bridge just off the coast that is accessible by foot depending on the tide to Bar Island.  We looked up when low and high tide were so we knew we could get out there and back safely.  It’s a pretty short, easy hike, but it is fun to wander around and look at all the items that have washed up during high tide.

 

Before heading out of town we wandered back through Acadia National Park.  Throughout the beautiful drive we stopped a couple times, one of which was at Thunder Hole.  We were hoping to see and hear some wild waves but we must have been there during a calm time.  We met a very nice local who told us all about what it CAN be like so at least we were able to imagine it through the eyes of someone who knows best.  Even without the thunderous waves, it was still beautiful, but we had places to go, seaside roads to travel and Chelsea had lobster to try for the first time!

On the way to our final destination for the night we stopped at another lighthouse.  SO many lighthouses, so little time and honestly I would love to go back and see many more.  This one was different and fun because it sits a mile off the coast situated on the Rockland Breakwater which was built from 1890-1899.  The lighthouse was added in 1901 and makes for an eerily beautiful place out there on it’s own.

When we finally made it to Portland we asked where we should go for lobster and ended up on the water again with live music, beer and a very kind girl who took our order and helped Chelsea feel better about eating lobster.   She swore we weren’t eating a baby.  The live music was fun and we went ahead and ordered a pitcher of beer to help Chelsea get through her lobster.  I’m sure it was great, but neither of us are lobster fans and to be honest I was probably the worst person to have taken her because I’m pretty horrible at cracking a lobster.  Funny enough, I haven’t had lobster since then and I am pretty confident Chelsea will never have lobster again.  A second pitcher was needed.

The next day we thought we had to get back to the airport, but suddenly Chelsea remembered she actually had one more day off (#lifeofaflightattendant) so we were able to extend our vacation.  We made a quick stop at Eartha the largest globe in the world and chelsea bought an atlas that has now guided us through a few other road trips.  (I just learned the map store has closed down, but Eartha is still there if you are nearby and have an extra 15 min).  We were then headed off to Vermont so I could grab a quick state 12 and check 3 states off on our road trip before headed back to finish New Hampshire.  On our way out of town I realized I was officially finished with state 11 and on track to get all 50, but I still have a feeling it will not be my last moments in Maine.  I need to return for more blueberries purchased from a large blueberry.