Maine

Maine is on the top of my short list for most favorite state. The beauty, land, people, and wildlife make this a place I would love to visit often. It has a mysterious appeal that I have only scratched the surface of exploring and I have yet to see a moose! The foggy days in the summer, however, make it harder to enjoy sunrises and sunsets and the winters, I’ve heard, can be harsh, so it’s not on the top of my list for places to put down roots.

I fell in love with the lupines, these are the beautiful purple, blue, and sometimes pink and white flowers that grow wild and abundant in Maine. 

Portland Head Lighthouse

The most photographed lighthouse in America, Portland Head Lighthouse and I can see why. As long as there isn’t any fog, which Maine seems to have a lot of in the summer, it is a stunning location! 

There are rocks on both sides of the lighthouse and people are allowed to climb down on them, for photography or just for adventure. 

Jaden found climbing up the sides of the rock faces a challenge and really enjoyed the adventure, while mom took her pictures. Ha!

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park is one of the few national parks on the east coast and a beautiful one at that. You can drive around it in about 20-30 minutes, but if you intend to stop at the overlooks and take a few hikes, it will take days to see it all. And if you want to see it from the top, you will need reservations to drive up to Cadillac Mountain. 

There’s also a horse drawn carriage ride that is popular and will take you can take along the back roads of the park. We didn’t end up doing that as we had other plans, but I’ve seen pictures of how beautiful it is through there.

This is at one of the overlooks at the park. It’s nearing sunset and Ben and I went out to see Acadia just after we arrived. The sky was set to be perfect for a sunset picture… but then fog hit us and it continued for most of the time we were there.

There are many spots along the road that you can pull off and enjoy walking along the rocks that line the beach and watch the water crash into the cliffs. That was Jaden’s most enjoyable part while Ellie and I enjoyed the view.

He’s definitely a teen now, so trying to get a picture of him standing and smiling is more difficult now. If you have teens, I’m sure you can relate, but it’s a moment like this that really draws out the more natural feelings of the moment. Just leaning over the bridge, watching the water in the creek below pass beneath him.

As night grew closer, the fog became thicker, until it encompassed nearly everything around us. These rocks were the only thing that could be seen. As I was taking this shot, I heard the water splash several times. I have no idea what was out there, but the sound kept moving closer… and picture was done and it was time to leave.

Bass Harbor Head Light

I don’t know how other photographers are able to get this shot, but other photographs I have seen have been taken even further out than I was. I was perched on the edge of a series of rocks that protruded nearly twenty feet out into the ocean waters. I didn’t bring any equipment with me either, other than my camera. I can’t imagine the precariousness of setting up a tripod out on this rock pile. I should have had the kids take a picture of it while I was out there. Great view though, and beautiful lighthouse through the fog.

The Easternmost Point of the United States

Did you know that Maine is actually not the northernmost state in the contiguous United States? That award goes to Minnesota, but Maine does get the award for the easternmost state. The farthest easternmost point that you can travel to is located at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.

We decided to travel there since we were so close anyways. (Two hours is close when you travel the U.S. as we do.) And why not go a few miles further into Canada since we were there already?

We made a few stops along the way to try to break up the drive and give the kids a chance to see the Maine coast. 

We stopped to see the lupines (purple/blue flowers) and the waterfalls. Some of the trails up along the coast were overgrown and needed some bushwhacking to be able to hike them, so we skipped them. 

The thing was that these places were so isolated that we didn’t see anyone for nearly the whole day. We had them all to ourselves to enjoy as wild nature was meant to be enjoyed. That’s something you don’t get while visiting a national park.

These trees grow along the coast at low tide. When the water comes back in, I’m assuming because we didn’t stay that long, it would go back up to the sides of the cliffs that the trees are perched on. Just to the left were the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

Here is the last building you would run into if you traveled as far east as you could go in the United States. This is the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse on the eastern shore of Maine. 

The fog horn was blaring in a repeating pulsating tone to warn approaching ships of the dangerous cliffs that lie below.

After a two hour car ride, the kids wanted to get out and run around, so getting them to stand still for this picture was really hard. I have about 20 others of them running around and goofing off before I got this one. Haha!

New Brunswick, Canada

We were only a few miles away from a little island in New Brunswick, Canada. So what do you do when you’re that close? Naturally, you go! I had brought the kids passports and their birth certificates with me so we drove across the fogged over bridge and into Canada. 

Mulholland Point Lighthouse

The fog was so thick, it was difficult to see much on the island, but there were a few important landmarks we did not want to miss. The first was the Mulholland Point Lighthouse. 

We wanted to see what a Canadian lighthouse looked like as compared to an American one. I didn’t hear any fog horns blaring here and the light wasn’t on. This led me to assume that this lighthouse is no longer in use.

We tried looking out into the distance, but could only make out a few posts that had been placed out into the water. For what purpose we couldn’t tell.

The border guard had said “Hello and Bonjour” when I had arrived at the crossing. Both English and French are spoken in Canada and are both shown on their landmarks and traffic signs.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Summer White House Cottage

I didn’t realize it initially, but once you cross there border into Canada, there is a one hour time zone change. This was incredibly helpful to know, because by the time we got to where we were going, we still had an hour left before they closed. 

Did you know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a summer cottage in Canada? This is where he came during the summer months when he needed a quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the White House. His kids were tutored here when they were away from the city. They later spoke about the fun times they had at the cottage and how they were the best days of their young lives. 

This was the summer cottage’s cozy living room. FDR’s hat sits on the table as you can imagine him sitting down and leaning back in his chair, pipe hanging from his mouth as he takes in the view out the back window.

The kids table sits beside the window, dishes neatly arranged, while the main dining room table is beside it entertaining the guests.

In the corner of the room is a large horn that Eleanor Roosevelt used to call in the children when they were out playing in the yard or down at the beach. It was said that she could be heard for several miles away when she called to them through the horn.

Upstairs, the Roosevelt’s bedroom is neatly arranged with a fireplace and seating area by the window.

A makeshift school room was put in place to have the children tutored when they were here.

The bathrooms had indoor plumbing for baths and toilets, but their hands were washed in a basin. 

The kids play room came equipped with a large sailboat and model airplane. They were mostly played with on rainy days, because the kids were often found outside.

After we finished our tour of the Roosevelt’s Cottage, we crossed back over to the U.S. side and went to grab some dinner at a seaside restaurant called Fisherman’s Wharf in Lubec. They had amazingly good food if you ever get the chance to make it there.