Coastal Maine and New Hampshire
I have some catching up to do in this blog. Lois and I crammed a ton of experiences into the February-June timeframe. Major destination after destination, we clawed our way across the southern states to avoid winter weather, then made a big turn to the north to stay ahead of summer humidity. During this time, Lois and I:
Spent 4 months on the road.
Traveled 6000 miles through 19 states.
Stayed at 20-ish locations.
Worked our way through the good, the bad, and the ugly of full-time RV living.
Mentally graduated from “What the heck are we doing?” to “How hard can this be?”
That said, the unspoken ultimate destination for this year was New England, specifically Maine. It was there we planned to slow down, retreat from the heat, and have some summertime fun while the rest of the country baked. And what do you know? That’s exactly what happened! This is a recap of our mid-summer adventures.
Freeport, Maine and Casco Bay
The north end of Casco Bay is about a third of the way up the Maine coast. We chose this location because we were desperate for a place to stay over the 4th of July weekend, and everything in New Hampshire was booked. Little did we know, exploring this 2nd choice area would become the highlight of our summer. As Lois and I learned more about this gem of a location and began to see with our own eyes its scenic beauty, we decided to first extend our one week reservation to two. Then just a few days later, Lois and I changed it to four weeks.
With Harold-the-RV safely anchored at the RV Park, we were more than ready to slowdown and enjoy camp living. But even so, Freeport and the nearby Casco Bay peninsulas/islands provided us endless opportunities for adventure, exploration and enjoying God’s beautiful creation on a relaxed schedule.
But let’s talk first about shopping. Freeport is the corporate home to L.L.Bean. Needless to say, it didn’t take long before we dropped more than a few bucks on a much needed wardrobe change. And what a day that was! In Freeport, perched at L.L.Bean’s galactic center, the town features no less than 5 of its stores:
Clothing
Home
Hunting and Fishing
Bike, Boat and Ski
Outlet
Whoa! Needless to say, it took more than one visit to conquer it all.
And if that weren’t enough, the L.L.Bean shopping complex draws many of its competitors to town. Main Street is practically an outdoor mall with good dining sprinkled here and there. Somehow the city strictly requires businesses to maintain a New England architectural vibe. Nice job!
As for one’s everyday shopping — Walmart, Home Depot, and other national retailers — the nearby cities of Brunswick and Topsham have everything else. From the point of view of shopping convenience, this three town locale seemingly has it all. And when it doesn’t, Portland (Maine’s largest city) is just 30 minutes away.
That aside, Casco Bay is very beautiful. It engulfs long finger shaped peninsulas that stretch many miles out to sea, all of which have multiple neighboring islands interconnected with bridges. We were able to visit harbors, lighthouses, lobster restaurants, rugged coastlines, and scenic stops of all kinds. This region is idyllically scenic. And though we got occasional thunderstorms, we had mostly dry days with pleasant temperatures and relatively low humidity compared to everywhere else on the Eastern Seaboard.
One big surprise - Lois and I enjoyed lunch plus an afternoon walk at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Designed with something for everyone, this very large natural area is filled at its center with ornamental gardens, whimsical wooden giant trolls, New England style outbuildings, and coastal hiking trails. It was very busy that weekend, but a well timed thunderstorm nearly cleared the place out, leaving only the hardy souls behind (we had raincoats!). In my humble opinion, it is second only to the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, BC. Coastal Maine’s top ranked gardens near Boothbay were both a surprise and a delight to visit.
Last but not least, I can’t remember how many evenings we ended the day hanging out at South Freeport Marina. Sometimes gray and foggy, other times partly cloudy with the harbor bathed in “golden hour” hues, we enjoyed people-watching as folks jettied to and from their anchored boats via small rigid inflatable dinghies. Seeing us perched on the deck overlooking the marina, people often stopped by to say ‘hi’. And sometimes, upon learning that Lois and I are full-time RV’ers, for a half-hour or more we would share stories back and forth about our respective land versus sea adventures. Good times!
Footnote to Lois and I… We could live here. 😀
Click Images to Enlarge
Newport, Maine — A Brief Stay at an Inland Lake
After Lois and I finished our nearly month long visit to Freeport, our subsequent two stays in Maine were designed to buy us some time while we waited for access to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, perhaps the most sought after vacation area in Maine. it is a very busy place, and you need to plan your reservation in advance.
At some point during our stay in Freeport, we secured a site at an RV Camp just outside of Acadia for mid-August. But this left us with a 2 week gap to fill after leaving the Casco Bay Area. Our first choice was to find an RV Park at the next bay / coastline north of Freeport, about halfway to the National Park. Unfortunately, the RV Camp we chose wasn’t available for the full 2 weeks that we needed. So what to do? For something completely different, we decided to spend a few nights near a relatively unknown inland town named Newport, camping at the shore of Lake Sebasticook.
Happy accidents do happen! It was a fantastic place to stay — tree lined, beautiful water, dense hilly forests all around. Our RV site was just steps from the water where we could play in the lake or sit on the docks watching the sunset. And of course, given its scenic beauty, it provided lots of photo ops.
Bucksport, Maine and Penobscot Bay
As we put Lake Sebasticook in our rearview mirror, we crawled closer yet towards Acadia National Park as we made our way to our next destination. Situated on the Penobscot River, the harbor town of Bucksport has clear sailing down the waterway, out to the Gulf of Maine, and eventually to the Atlantic. We knew next to nothing about this area ahead of time apart from it was near Camden, a must-see harbor town and the namesake of one of our grandsons.
As we pulled into a nearby KOA Holiday, an allegedly top-tier RV Park, we arrived at a very tired looking campground that had seen better days. Big rigs such as ours were relegated to what we unaffectionately named “The Quarry” - a large flat area sparsely surrounded by trees with campsites that were more gravel than grass. And given the current dry conditions in Maine, the precious grassy areas were crunchy and not very green. Moreover, there were power lines that stretched across our view… we were not impressed.
That’s the bad news.
But the good news is the Penobscot Bay region is yet another incredibly scenic location to explore, full of quintessential towns on the water such as Belfast, Castine, Blue Hill, and of course Camden and Bucksport, too. All similar in experience — boats, shopping, restaurants, friendly people, full of history, photo ops galore — yet each one unique in their own special way:
Bucksport — A working class community that, by chance, was gifted with a gorgeous suspension bridge across the Penobscot River. We often frequented its drive-in restaurant — great food!
Camden — A tourist destination and sometime home to famous personalities. Shopping and dining were excellent. Nearby Battle Mountain offered a stunning view of the town and its beautiful surrounds.
Blue Hill — A relatively small community full of life. The town is nearby a reversing tidal river and cascade that was amazing to experience. On a different day, we joined in their Blueberry Festival — yummy pancakes, good vendor stalls, and live music as well.
Belfast — A town with a nice balance of what coastal Maine has to offer. It is not so much a tourist destination, but with good shops and dining, we enjoyed a perfect afternoon at the marina and main street. Unlike many of today’s harbors, Belfast has a beehive of maritime activity — so fun to watch and experience.
Castine — Tiny and quiet. The town has a topnotch museum. Nearby, there is a secret walkway that passes alongside a privately owned lighthouse, across a cliff, then down a long stairway to the rocky shore below. In town, we stumbled upon an extraordinary restaurant co-run by a friendly local born gent and a renowned Hawaiian born Cordon Bleu chef who, interestingly, was visited just the day before by a vacationing Ted Allen of TV’s “Chopped” cooking competition — amazing!
All together, our 11 night stay in the Penobscot Bay region was way more than we expected. We’ll be back.
It Began and Ended in New Hampshire
We love New England for its people, culture and scenic beauty. But best yet, the New Hampshire / Massachusetts border is home to many dear friends.
Thank you, Steve, Jackie and Tammy for having us over. It was so great to see your beautiful home in Derry. And so kind of you to invite Ron and Sue as well. The food was spectacular! Good fun, laughter, and weather made for a perfect day in your lovely backyard. Steve, you made a late comeback in Corn Hole, but it was, of course, your home field advantage. I’ll be ready for you next time! And though Steve could not see us on our return trip — poor guy, vacationing in Scotland with Jacob 😀 — it was great to join you, Jackie and Tammy, for Greek food in Manchester.
Ron and Sue, what a lovely time we had at your home as well. You, too, live in a gorgeous neighborhood. What a wonderful home, inside and out. We love the way you capture memories through out your house. As you said, every room has its own story to share. A special thanks for scheming with Lois to celebrate my birthday. It can be otherwise a bit lonely on the road during special occasions. The turkey dinner was fantastic, and with your help, Lois fixed me up with my favorite cake, and a birthday balloon, too!
And if that weren’t enough, Lois and I are so grateful that all of you visited us for dinner at Harold the RV - Ron and Sue in Hampton Falls, NH… Steve, Jackie and Tammy in Freeport, ME (thanks again for delivering Lois’ prescription meds 😀)
We treasure our New England fiends. Lois and I are so blessed by you!
When not seeing friends, Lois and I explored New Hampshire, getting to know the various towns in and around the coast. As for the shoreline, it is small but mighty. Just 13 miles in length, it doesn’t take long to drive it. Nonetheless, it has great beaches. Hampton Beach in particular is huge and sandy! Lois and I will never forget the powerful thunderstorm that pounded us one twilight evening (see pictures below).
But Wait, There’s More!
Our final stops in Maine were Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Visiting this beautiful corner of our country was a “bucket list” item for me, and it did not disappoint. Our experiences in this enchanting natural area are certainly deserving of its own blog… stay tuned!
