Trip to Maine 2002

In early May 2002, I traveled to Maine to attend the annual Maine Libraries Conference in Augusta. I had a great time in Augusta, the conference was very good, and my two presentations were well received. My family first visited the Augusta area in 1955 when I was just three years old (you can do the math), and after having spent so many summer vacations at Pinerest Cottages on Lake Maranacook, this trip was all the more special for me.

Saturday I drove from home to Maine by way of Brockton, MA, stopping overnight to visit my sister Mary and her family, and the next day I headed up to Maine. At Portland I left the interstate and visited two places I had never seen before, the L.L. Bean store in Freeport and the DeLorme map making company in Yarmouth. I then took some back roads up to Augusta, drove through Winthrop and Readfield on my way around Lake Maranacook, and then went into Augusta.

Monday I spent the day at the Maine Libraries Conference. Tuesday morning, bright and early, I headed for the Maine coast. I had visited the coast only once before, seven years ago, and I really wanted to see more of it. I had already made hotel reservations in Bar Harbor for Tuesday night, Brunswick for Wednesday night, and East Windsor, CT for Thursday night, so I had a fairly good idea how far I'd be able to travel each day, and how much (or how little) I could see before moving on.

During my all-too-brief travels through Maine I realized that I was about two-to-three weeks too early -- many of the trees had only buds on them, and the flowers were not as numerous or varied as I knew they would be later in May. Still, because this was very early in May, there were very few tourists, and that was certainly a big plus!

My first stop was along the Penobscot River north of Searsport. I also managed to see a little of Winter Harbor and Prospect Harbor before turning south and heading down the coast to Bar Harbor.

Once I got to Bar Harbor I ignored the town, and ignored the hotel, and went straight to Acadia National Park. I had heard it was beautiful, and it sure is! I visited Jordan's Pond, Eagle Lake, and went to the top of Cadillac Mountain. The views from the top of the mountain were wonderful in all directions but especially nice looking out over the water and islands. I spent most of the afternoon walking and driving around Acadia and exploring a little of Mount Desert Island. I imagine it's jammed with tourists during the summer, but it was peaceful and beautiful that day in May.

I finally found my way to my hotel for the night, The Bar Harbor Hotel - Bluenose Inn -- what a fabulous hotel! The room was wonderful, and the views from the private balcony were stunning ... and they were even better the next morning. The hotel isn't cheap, although off-season the rates are very reasonable, and I highly recommend it.

The next morning I reluctantly left the Bluenose to head south along the coast, but I had one more stop to make on Mount Desert Island. The father of a colleague designed and built the Asticou Azalea Garden, and visiting there early in the morning was really a treat. Again, it was just a little too early in the season for most of the plants to be in bloom - there were buds on every plant, but few blossoms. Still, the grounds were really very beautiful, and I really need to visit the garden again, later in the growing season, to get the full effect.

My next stop was Camden, a really pretty fishing port along the coast with many fine restaurants and shops. I'm not sure if it was here or in Freeport that I saw the most people, but neither place was really crowded, and for the most part, traffic congestion was something I had left behind me. I had lunch and spent some time browsing through the shops, then continued down the coast to Brunswick.

By the time I got to Brunswick I was beat. I had a quick dinner, watched a little TV, and went to sleep early. The next morning I went down the coast a little more, then headed west through the southern part of Maine, through southern New Hampshire and into Vermont before getting on Interstate 91 south through Massachusetts to East Windsor, Connecticut. I stayed over night there, and continued on home the next day.

In all, I drove over 2,000 miles (my longest road trip yet) and managed to drive through parts of all six New England states ... and I had a great time! Along the way I saw family and friends, met some new friends, had some lobster and fried clams, and saw a lot of really nice countryside.

But the next time I travel north, I'd like to stay just a little longer! {grin}