The Maine coastline just south of Portland

Our arrival in Maine completed our four corners of the US and our furthest east point! And a bonus is that we got to experience it with our good friend, Bill Greaver. Our first stop was in Portland, actually Scarborough a bit south of Portland, and Bayley’s Campground. This was one of the most “resorty” parks we have stayed at yet, filled with amenities and nightly activities. We got settled and the first order of business was lunch. We ended up at Ken’s, a local joint serving fresh seafood since 1929, which Mike & Billy loved (I had a burger). Back at the campground we headed over to the adult-only pool for happy hour and enjoyed the fun atmosphere with live music. We watched the Mariners back at the MoHo and had a relaxing evening just hanging out.

Mike’s ‘big catch’

The next day we headed out for some sightseeing. We drove up the coast to Cape Elizabeth and the lighthouses, a recommendation from someone we met in Florida. First one we stopped at was Two Lights, located at a dead end road next to the Lobster Shack restaurant. What a view! Further up the coast was Fort Williams and Head Light Lighthouse. The lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington in the late 1700’s and is said to be one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. The fort was huge and very well maintained – all by volunteers! It was an old military fort and served as a lookout in both WWI and WWII for the American soldiers, designated as the closest port to Europe. We walked around the grounds, then continued further up the coast to South Portland and the Bug Light House (not to be confused with Bud Light). A great viewpoint across to Portland and what I’m sure would be a prime place to watch the fireworks! Finally, we made our way into downtown Portland, parked and walked down the cobblestone streets to Commercial St, which paralleled the waterfront. A bit touristy, but not too crowded. We ended up at the Portland Lobster Company for lunch and Mike finally got his first Maine lobster! It was a cool spot overlooking the harbor. We decided to find some of the local breweries, Rising Tide and Sebago, as this town is known for them! Headed back to the MoHo, Billy & I sat outside while Mike fished until the mosquitos got the best of us. Wingfest for dinner and a movie, then the thunder and lightning showed up. Portland was a great stop and we really enjoyed Bayley’s Campground. Wished we had more time here.

Head Light Lighthouse, outside of Portland

Mike’s first Maine lobster

Got packed up and on the road by 10am. Mike and I were in our groove and it was fun for Bill to see our procedure and routine. We were headed north for Bar Harbor and decided to take the scenic coast route which was a bit longer, but pretty views over bridges and through little towns. Roads were a bit bumpy at times, but overall worth the extra time for the scenery. Arrived at Narrows Too Campground located in Trenton, just across the bridge from Mt. Desert Island and Bar Harbor (Bah Hah Bah). Actually turned out to be a perfectly located home base for us. We got set up in the humidity (still not used to it), then headed out to explore. First stop was Atlantic Brewing for beer tasting. Blueberries are big around here, so they featured a Blueberry Ale. I didn’t think I would like it, but it was delicious, my new favorite which I drank exclusively while we were there! We then headed to THE lobster joint that was recommended by 2 people – Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. Basically you go over to the live tanks and pick out what you want and they charge per pound. Either take to go, have them cook to go, or eat there. Mike & Billy proceeded to pick out 4 lobsters, about 2 lbs each, $92 worth. Compared to a sit down restaurant, these lobster pounds are the cheapest way to have fresh lobster. I had a beer and watched them eat about ½ of the first, had a few bites and took pics. I ended up driving back to the MoHo (only 1 mile away) and awaited their pick up call. I would have been sitting there another hour and the mosquitos were out, so I was more than happy to head back. They were both happy campers and will never forget this lobster feast they shared!

Billy & Mike getting ready for their lobster feed!

Notice bud light can for scale

The next morning, we got rolling after Egg McMiller’s and headed out to Acadia National Park. We bought a new yearly pass (ours expired end of May) then got on the 27-mile park loop road. Very scenic outlooks along the way, a mix between green tall trees, rocky cliffs and gorgeous lake/ocean views. Maine is actually a very hilly state, which we haven’t seen in awhile. Stopped at Thundering Hole which is an iconic place where the water can splash 40 ft in the air, but the tide was out so not much action. We took a detour out of the park at the south end to Northeast Harbor and nothing really much to see. Definitely the ‘quiet’ side of the island! This is close to Martha Stewarts home on Seal Harbor, but no sightings. Made our way north and headed up to Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the east coast at 1,530 ft. We wound our way up the hillside and found a parking place then walked the loop out to the viewpoints. Amazing 360 views all around, but very windy! We had our lunch in the car overlooking Bar Harbor, then made our way back to town. Parked and walked down the main street which was so familiar to me as Mom & I had been here on a cruise a few years ago. I loved the town then and was excited to return with Mike. We stopped in at Testa’s for a beer then to Bar Harbor Brewery for tastings. To our surprise, it is affiliated with Atlantic Brewery, so we had the same guy giving us our tastings as we did the day before. We went to another highly recommended spot, Mainley Meats, for dinner with ribs, wings and pulled pork on the menu. Worth the stop for sure.   Headed back to the MoHo to watch ‘We are the Millers.’ Hilarious by the way and oh so fitting!

Acadia National Park

View from atop Cadillac Mountain (I’m holding my hat because it was so windy!)

Got Billy packed up and we got on the road to Bangor. We took the scenic route and ended up stopping at a bridge in Bucksport that we had crossed on the way into town. The Penobscot Bridge and Observatory is a cable-stay bridge with only one of four bridge observatories in the world. Next to the bridge, was massive Fort Knox, the first and largest granite fort built in Maine. It was built in 1844 to protect the riverway leading to Bangor.   We walked through the underground bunkers, batteries and saw a real cannon. This was an unexpected stop, but one we all enjoyed. Made our way into Bangor and the Sea Dog Brewery for lunch (are you sensing a theme?) and sat outside on the deck overlooking the river. The town was setting up for an outdoor concert, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company. How cool!   We made our way to Bill’s hotel and got him all checked in. He was heading back down to Boston for a few days in the morning via bus before flying home to Seattle. We said our goodbyes, kind of sad, then made our way back to Bar Harbor. Got back to the MoHo, did laundry and had a relaxing night. So much fun to have Billy come visit us. I think he enjoyed living our lifestyle for a week and seeing the whole process of what we go through making our way from park to park. We so appreciated him making the effort to plan a trip to see us!

Penobscot Bridge and Fort Knox

Billy & Mike inside Fort Knox, checking out the cannon

Had a glorious morning sleeping in, then I took the car into Ellsworth for a LONG overdue haircut and color, washed and vacuumed the car and did a bit of shopping at the LL Bean Outlet. Nice to have some independent time! Mike did some chores around the MoHo, then we drove into Bar Harbor for the afternoon. We walked around town just taking in the scene and shopped a bit. Town was pretty hopping due to Holland America’s ms Veendam being in port, but even after she sailed away, still a lot of people in town. Bar Harbor is a very cute, resorty town, so I’m sure a popular place for locals to vacation. We headed back to the MoHo and walked down to the beach as the tide was out, then back to BBQ for dinner. A great day!

The Margaret Todd, Bar Harbor

Our last day in Maine. We had a lazy morning and did some cleaning and packing up since we would be getting on the road early the next morning. Headed into town around 3:30 to Geddy’s for an early dinner and to watch the Brazil/Netherlands World Cup game. The food was tasty and they had a fun atmosphere and we thoroughly enjoyed the Netherlands victory! We walked around town a bit, then headed down to the Margaret Todd, a 151 ft 4-masted schooner, for our sunset cruise. They had a BYOB policy, so we brought a nice bottle of white to enjoy. It was a bit crowded and touristy, but still fun. We were under full sail power which was neat, plus it was a beautiful evening to be out on the water. Got back to the dock as the sun was setting and to see the pink full moon rising – very cool! A perfect ending to our time in Maine. Next stop is New Hampshire!

On our sunset cruise – loved the BYOB policy!

Bar Harbor sunset

The moon was amazing – an orange/red color

Don’t miss more pics of Maine HERE! (Click on any photo, then view as a slideshow. May take a bit of time to load due to image size)