New England, Maine

We got a Turo car in Cambridge and hit the road north. After an awkward stop in Salem, Mass (very touristy) and a brief lunch in New Hampshire, we made our first Maine stop at the Portland Head Light. It's so picturesque; I got pics from every angle! This is quintessential Maine.

We walked around the lighthouse and the remains of Fort Williams' batteries.

It's also on park grounds, so there was a nice trail around to a beach. We spent a lot of time there and definitely could have spent more, just enjoying the ocean sounds and scenery.

Eventually, we made it to to our hotel in the Portland suburbs. We left the kids with a movie in the hotel, and Mom and Dad slipped out for a little brewery date. We found a quiet, wooded street that had 3-4 craft breweries within walking distance. Someone was in heaven! The weather was perfect, the setting was idyllic, and we thoroughly enjoyed our parents' night out.

I had read that the LL Bean headquarters in Freeport were worth a stop, but I didn't imagine that we'd spend as much time there as we did! It's a complex of buildings around a lush green square with lots of inviting spots, including some fun photo ops. It really seemed like a community center with the concerts, movie nights, and other events on their summer calendar.

Of course, there's the actual store, really 3-4 different buildings depending on what you are shopping for. Here's Owen chilling with some color-coordinated mannequin bros.

We found a great porch with a picnic table, so we got our lunch stuff from the car and had a little picnic, followed up with Ben & Jerry's in Adirondack chairs around the corner.

Then it was hammock / rocking chair time, just soaking in the gorgeous weather and serene atmosphere. Apparently, there was too much hammock time, because the kids started getting a little too reckless/creative with their hammock usage. 😂

Maine was so far 2-for-2 on enjoyable days, but we had to press on to our cabin on Mt. Desert Island, so that we could get to Acadia NP the next day. Our cabin was out of the hustle and bustle of Bar Harbor, and it was on a peaceful plot of land that included a serene pond with resident ducks and more Adirondack chairs for R&R.

The pond also had a pedal boat, which was probably the kids' favorite part of the whole trip! They were out there as much as possible when we were at the cabin, and when they offered to give me a lift, I could not refuse!

In the evening, we headed to Bar Harbor and walked across the Bar at low tide. The kids and I had a great time looking in the shells and little tide pools temporarily left behind. We found several interesting critters and crabs.

We admired the myriad boats in the harbor, strolled around town, and ordered lobstah rolls (cha-ching!) while our laundry tumbled around at the laundromat.   

The next day we made it to Acadia! (We had to rectify missing this on our 2008 trip!)

We had an early reservation to summit Cadillac Mountain; at 1530-ft tall, it's the tallest mountain in Maine and afforded us some panoramic views of the park and the island. 

Then we proceeded down to the coast and walked along Ocean Path for breathtaking views where rugged rocks meet expansive blue ocean. Stunning scenery, but a little too populated for peak enjoyment.

A little photo magic, reframing and cropping in the top picture, doesn't show the truth of the crowds at Thunder Hole in the second picture... It almost looks like the spectators are there to see the kids in the wild. 😄

We hiked around quite a bit and took in all the beauty from Sand Beach to Thunder Hole and inland to Otter Cove.

It was a warm day, and the boys wanted to hike up to an overlook. Hadley and I opted to wait for them in the shade at the bottom of the trail. The boys said the Gorham Mountain trail and Cadillac Cliffs view were well worth it, and Hadley created a cute woodland diorama while we waited for their return.

That evening we had some down time at the cabin, picked up some delicious local pizza, and packed up to continue our New England road trip the next day. After picking up some souvenirs and cheesy pictures (Yeah, Buoy!), we headed north.

Just a quick drive-by of Stephen King's old, gothic house in Bangor...

And then we stopped in Augusta for sandwiches and to explore the state capitol building. We learned some Maine history and stumbled upon this epic balcony, full of rocking chairs overlooking a park, where we rocked ourselves peacefully for probably half an hour or more, just enjoying the perfect temperature and gentle breeze that begged us to stay put. It was one of my most memorable spots on our trip - unexpected, but perfect. Maine, you've done it again! I totally get why people like to "summer in Maine."