Now, back to the 2016 roadtrip I was actually on, vs. the trip I wish I could take! Apparently, I need to spend a month in Prince Edward Island, and one day I will go back. But this trip was born out of anxiety, so on I sped.
LEAVING CANADA
Heading back into the United States was far easier than leaving it! There was a kindly border control agent at the checkpoint to welcome me home and I was on my way. Only, at the point where I exited Canada into the very tippy tip of Maine, I had a choice to go either left or right.
I had downloaded offline maps to use on my phone while I was in Canada, and I sort of assumed that once I crossed the line into the States, I’d have cell service again. Which is totally not true at all, it turns out. I went one direction and drove for a little bit to see if it would kick in, but eventually, I had to pull over and use a paper map! God forbid! Cell service didn’t kick it for me until about halfway down Maine–when I realized I had turned cell service off to avoid roaming charges in Canada. Smooth, I know. I’m such a seasoned traveler.
PORTLAND AIRBNB
My next stop on this trip was Portland, Maine. And oh, blessed Portland, this was the city in which I finally found rest.
First of all, after half a day of Anne Shirley and half a day of driving, I holed up in my Airbnb room, a serene bedroom in a Victorian house. It looked like they rented out several rooms–I bumped into one girl coming out of a door that I thought was a closet! But it turned out to be a large attic room.
Otherwise, I didn’t speak to hardly anyone. I don’t even remember talking to the host when I came in. I think I heard them watching a Harry Potter movie downstairs, which I totally would have joined them in, but I was far too tired to people.
I hadn’t slept very well this entire trip until this room, where I finally slept deeply and soundly until the natural light streamed in the next morning! I felt like a new woman after that. Use this link to get $40 off your first Airbnb stay!
THE HOLY DONUT
My first stop of the morning was The Holy Donut! Healthy(ish) potato-based donuts in inventive flavors drew me in to try two flavors for breakfast–some sort of glazed chocolate and a seasonal fall apple. And they are hearty! I saved most of one of them to eat as a snack later.
FORT WILLIAMS & THE PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT
After breakfast, I spent the rest of my time in Portland at Fort Williams, the park that surrounds the Portland Head Light. The park has walking paths, a small beach, picnic tables, and some ruins of the fort and the walls of a mansion that pre-date the fort. But most importantly, there is the lighthouse, and I spent most of my time photographing it from various points along the rocky coastline.
You can’t ascend the lighthouse, but there is a small museum housed in the keepers quarters. It’s open 10-4 daily from Memorial Day to Oct. 31. The rest of the year, it’s open on weekends. There is a small admission fee of $2 per adult and $1 for kids age 6-18. Under 6 is FREE. Admission to the park and parking is also FREE. Nearby is a small seasonal gift shop.
Cruise ships and tour buses will frequently disgorge hordes of tourists at the lighthouse, so it can get crowded. The park was certainly calmer before the museum opened at 10 am. And for that reason, I didn’t visit the museum. I did, however, play photographer down a line of visitors at one point.
SETTING A TIMER
After walking around for a bit, I scrambled down onto the rocks near the lighthouse and actually set a timer for myself to sit still for 10 solid minutes. After driving 6-8 hours a day for six days straight, enjoying myself but finding it impossible to not be moving, not be doing something at all times, I forced myself into stillness at the Portland Head Light.
I set a timer on my phone and fidgeted for a couple minutes at first, but then settled into a true appreciation of my surroundings. The light on the water, the waves crashing against the rocks, and the feel of the sea breeze on my skin and in my hair.
I loved it so much I set the timer for another 10 minutes! Then I walked around to the other side of the lighthouse and down to a beach of large round stones and did it again! THIS was the rest that I was looking for. Here is where the view carried me away and I finally felt like everything was going to be ok. And I will forever be grateful to the rocky shoreline of Maine for that feeling of peace.
FOOD TRUCK LOBSTAH ROLL
Set up near some picnic tables on the cliff was a food truck selling Maine-centric food. That was even their tagline–Bite into Maine: Maincentric food.
I ended up with a lobster roll, a Main Root Beverages Root Beer, and a classic Whoopie Pie, which went into the car for later next to 3/4ths of a Holy Donut. I camped out at a windy picnic table with a bay view and had a fantastic lunch. One the expensive side, but there was lots of real lobster in that roll so I’m not complaining.
After lunch, I did some more walking and then climbed back in my car to head towards my next stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Tune in next time for the exit-through-the-gift-shop that is Hershey.
Nice photos, everything is so beautiful 🙂