Maine. I have never been to the state, but I always envisioned it to be full of small, quaint towns with art and good seafood. I was not disappointed. In fact, it was as if I jumped right on to page of coastal living magazine the few days I was there. I saw people digging up clams on the shore, I ate lobster, browsed the cute shops and for a moment, was living the life in "Vacationland," their state motto.
Max and I picked a perfect 2 days to explore. The weather was sunny, breezy and a perfect 70 degrees. The first night we stayed in a town called Bath in a campground off the beaten path. It was one of the top campgrounds so far on the trip. We were alone, I felt safe and best of all, the campground host boiled up a fresh lobster for dinner.
The next day we headed up to Camden and stayed at the state park along highway 1. The park was in a great location, but we spent the majority of the day driving up the coast and exploring different towns.
There are so many local artists and speciality shops, it's easy to miss a turn. All of the signs are on 4x12 inch posts on the side of the road so you have to drive slow to catch all of the attractions. It is easy to miss something so keep your eyes open.
Also, "vacationland" doesn't come cheap. It costs $5 each way in road tolls and the campsites have been the most expensive by far at $30 and $25, respectively. If you lived in Maine and drove to work in, say, New Hampshire...you would be spending $10 a day just to get to and from work. Add it up and it's $300 a month. Add Gas, a car payment and insurance and you are spending about $1,000 just to drive to work each month. Whew. Sure is pretty, though.
Each time I see a beautiful home along the road and see someone working in the yard, I think...awww, I could live here. Of course this is me saying this on a perfect sunny 70 degree day. I don't think I could survive one winter here.
Maine is everything I imagined it to be. I don't know if I will ever be back, but I am fortunate to say that I had an opportunity to visit. Here are some pictures from our stay: