June 2021

For ten magical days I have let myself forget that there would be a goodbye at the end, yet here it is.

Once upon a time we went to India and chose to skip the most crowded attraction in favor of other places slightly off the tourist trail. I still believe that decision paid off and we had a more enjoyable trip without the stress of waiting and jostling for a place to take THE picture everyone has already seen. Obviously, you see where I'm going with this. At one point today Baylie got out of the car and walked along the stalled traffic that had been waiting for about an hour so she could scope out the situation with the unmoving line. In the end we chose to wait it out for our turn to park for 10 minutes, walk down the path, and say "Yep, that's a lighthouse". We loved it, because this trip is perfect, but I think overall I still stand by the "Taj Mahal Principle" when it comes to the must-see attractions.

We are at the most historic old inn on Mount Desert Island. Sitting out by the peaceful pool overlooking this lovely bay feels like we are staying at some rich old relative's estate. The Asticou Inn was a good find by Baylie for our last "real" night. Tomorrow we head for Bangor to get ready for our early flights home.

Drove up the coast from Rockland to Bar Harbor yesterday. Gorgeous drive, but we almost never actually saw the coast through the trees. Luckily the payoff was in the destination! Bar Harbor is an adorable town with so many cute shops and restaurants it is an overload of choice! The view out to the water from the little park in the center of town is gorgeous, the buildings are all adorable, and if lobster is your thing you can find it on every corner. Today we drove into Acadia National Park (along with every other person who is currently on the east coast) and we did a little hike that was surprisingly lacking in lighthouses. Tomorrow's goal: locate stereotypical lighthouse for obligatory photo! But for now. We are lounging by the pool with one of the best poolside views I have ever had.

Drove 3 hours to Rockland, Maine today, the starting point for our drive up the coast. Spending one night in this cute little town with a view of a harbor. Walked down the quaint main street and found the tiny little Cafe Miranda. Ended up ordering from a guy who told us all about his memories of taking his son camping on the Kern River! The world is so strangely small.

Saratoga Spa State Park was lovely, but we didn't spend much time there. We wanted to get on the road to Boston and have plenty of time in the city. The Godfrey Hotel turned out to be another perfect location, just a block from Boston Commons. Yesterday we followed the 2.5 mile brick path that takes you past the site of pretty much every event from the Paul Revere chapter in your 5th grade history book. Very cool, but we found just looking at the neighborhoods to be equally cool. We found a great Italian restaurant the first night, but honestly you can just stumble out the front door blindfolded and fall right into a great place to eat or drink around here.

Today we head for the Maine coast and start searching for rocky shores and picturesque lighthouses.

As always, there are more pictures in the gallery!