Maine in Summertime

In an effort to satiate my desire for adventure this year, I reached back in my photos so I could write about a wonderful trip we took to Maine in 2018 – I hope you enjoy!

Portland (the one in Maine)

After arriving at the Portland Jetport (Portland Airport was already taken), Alex and I found where we were staying downtown and settled in.

East Promenade

The following morning was the fourth of July, and the town was aflutter as a result. The weather was hot and sunny, we began our trip with a walk along the Eastern Promenade. Embarassingly enough, I didn’t take many photos, but we returned that evening for some fireworks over the water, so here’s a fuzzy photo of that!

Fort Williams Park

Our greatest photo op was at the quintessential lighthouse pictured at the top of this page – the Portland Head Lighthouse. You can see this lighthouse by going to Fort Williams Park along the coast, and it’s quite busy. There’s lovely walkways leading right up to the lighthouse.

Allagash Brewery Tour

Allagash Brewery is considered to be one of the grandfathers of American craft beer. We booked a tour ahead of time and got to sample some of their finest – including the classic Allagash White! Before the tour, we grabbed some tasters. You know, for science.

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Peaks Island

A truly delightful afternoon was spent taking a ferry across Casco Bay to Peaks Island. For very cheap, you can rent a bicycle and bike around the entire island (about five miles). We stopped at Cairn Beach where dozens of rock piles had been created on the rocky beach. Here’s a picture of the most impressive one.

Portland Restaurants

Taco Escobarr was just across the street from where we were staying. They have traditional and unusual toppings for their tacos and when we asked if they had any hot sauce, we were brought a basket full!

Since I had never had a lobster roll before, we stopped at High Roller Lobster Co and I enjoyed my (surprisingly cold?) but picture-perfect lobster roll!

Honorable Mention also to Blue Rooster Food Co – a delightful sandwich shop near the port that was a great stop from the afternoon heat.

We loved Portland and wished we could spend more time there, but what a whirlwind of fun and adventure we were able to squeeze into two days!

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park is a three hour drive from Portland, but it is so worth it. Hours from the Canadian border, it is green and smells of salt spray. Situated next to Bar Harbor, it quickly became one of our favorite National Parks.

Hiking

Beehive Loop

The one must-do hike at Acadia is the Beehive Loop Trail. Just 1.5 miles round trip, but criss-crossing a small rocky mountainside. The views of the ocean only get better the higher you climb. At the summit there’s a sign denoting you’ve made it to 520 ft above sea level. Coming from the land of 14,000 ft peaks, we just had to take a picture of it. Not recommended if you have a fear of heights, but the hike was absolutely delightful!

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Gorham Mountain

We tacked onto the Beehive Loop with a loop up Gorham Mountain. It wasn’t as adventurous as the Beehive, but this loop took us past the beautiful Bowls Lake and through more lush forests.

Dorr Mountain

At a summit of over 1,200 feet, Dorr Mountain is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise in winter. Sadly, we couldn’t make sunrise, so we drove up the mountainside in the early evening. Absolutely worth it, though, for the wind-swept views!

Rock Climbing

The highlight of our entire trip was rock climbing at the ocean’s edge at the Otter Cliffs. Here, you start at the top of the rock wall, rappel down to the ocean, and climb back up. It’s really amazing, and the sound of crashing waves will never leave your ears. We hired a guide to show us the best routes to climb. It was rainy, which meant fewer people, but also it meant slippery holds! Every ascent was well-earned!

Bar Harbor

Because Acadia is situated next to a town, we waited out the afternoon’s rain by hopping around the local restaurants. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t take any pictures, but I had my first raw oyster (not for me) and wild blueberry pie (all for me)! We enjoyed the atmosphere of the small (but pricey) town. And, since we were on a budget, we decided to drive the hour to Bangor and stay at a cheap hotel there.

Bangor

This small town was homey and simple to visit. We spent some time around Bangor and it’s neighbor city, Brewer. After a full day of Acadia, I will still able to get down by the Penobscot River and try my first official New England Clam Chowder! So warming after a day in the rain.

The next day, our first stop was the iconic Paul Bunyan statue. For whatever reason, Bangor, ME and Portland, OR both made 31 foot statues of Paul Bunyan in 1959. The internet says the Oregon one is more famous, but I find it much uglier. We loved this 3,700 pound masterpiece, complete with ax and peavey. The statue was massive, and a delight to see!

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After the statue, we stopped at two breweries (Geaghan Brothers and Mason’s Brewery) and enjoyed walking down the flower-filled riverwalk behind Mason’s. Really great way to start an afternoon.

After the brewery and riverwalk, we then headed just outside of town to check out the Bangor City Forest. Our first time in a marshland, we loved walking the boardwalks over the Orono Bog and enjoying the shady trees on our hike after the bog.

Alas, we had to leave Bangor and head back to Portland for our morning flight. We stopped, though, in Freeport where we got to visit the flagship LLBean store and it’s 16 foot tall rubber-bottomed boot out front.

After that stop, we headed to the Sea Dog Brewing Company located in Topsham on the edge of the Androscoggin River. (For those keeping score, that’s 4 breweries in as many days.) Our beers next to the river were the perfect end to a fantastic trip!

If you haven’t been to Maine, you really must go. We have nothing but fond memories of the beer, sights, and adventures as we romped up and down the Atlantic coast!