Maine, we have arrived!

Coastal Maine

Amherst, MA to Kittery/Boothbay/Bar Harbor, ME  

First stop post Amherst was in the cute little border town of Kittery, Maine (right across from Portsmouth, NH). Our Austin ultimate friend and former teammate Patrick Treviño, his wife Tina, and kids Lucia and Diego have managed to pull up the stakes of their deep Texas roots and relocate to Maine. 

Diego, Patrick, Lucia, and Tina posing as a family of sea creatures. They were amazing hosts, and we spent our time taking the dogs to run around at the local seaside park, talking over amazing homemade meals (Patrick smuggles suitcase loads of food back from San Antonio every time he travels there for work), and touring the quaint town of Portsmouth, NH across the water. One morning, Lucia and Diego took Mike and I on a walking bakery tour to sample all the local delicacies, which resulted in Mike finding his most perfect pastry of all time: the French cruller. It's a New England thing, an intensely sweet cross between a popover and a donut. I'm also happy to report that Hudson did NOT eat either of their two cats. 

After hanging out in Kittery, we we determined to head up the coast to Acadia National Park. We stopped in Portland, ME for lunch to see what all the fuss was about regarding lobster rolls, and ended up at a food trailer in beautiful seaside Fort Williams park. This postcard worthy image was oh so cliche Maine. 

It's hard for me to get behind lobster. I don't love the taste, or texture, not to mention it's the diamond equivalent of the seafood world. The prices are wildly inflated, not necessarily due to supply and demand, but a highly manufactured sense of social classiness. During colonial times it was considered trash food fed to indentured servants and prisoners, and it was canned and sent to soldiers on the European front during WWII. It gained stature partly due to railroad companies in the late 1800s serving it to inland customers who had no idea how low status it was, and therefore it became a fancy schmancy requested delicacy. 

My ridiculous moral positions on lobster aside, the truth is that our $17 lobster roll just tasted like tasteless and slimy crab. I'm with the colonists on this one, "Give me crab, or give me death!" I'm pretty sure that's how it went. 

Once again, the ultimate community comes through big time. I'm not sure how we get so lucky, but once again we were the beneficiaries of some wicked good fortune (as they would say up here). When we were sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Portsmouth with the Treviños and their frisbee friend Dave saw us and sat down. After hearing that we were headed up the coast, he offered for us to stay in his INCREDIBLE vacation house right on the water in Boothbay. He's an architect, everything was wood, and the house was full of little details and touches that made my heart swoon.  For example, there was an astronomy telescope nook on the 3rd floor, and at least 7 bay windows with comfy reading nooks overlooking the forest or bay. 

The view of low tide from the wrap around porch [swoon].  

This is the view of the house from the water.

There were a few kayaks tied up off the dock, so we went for a nice sunset kayak the first night we got there. Living in landlocked Austin, we're not accustomed to basing our schedule off of the earth's rhythms, but here it was important to pay attention to them. Due to the extreme tides of the area, this trip would not have been possible just a few hours before or after. 

We kayaked down to Ovens Mouth Preserve, a beautiful spot a few coves away. The next day I went back for a hike with Hudson because it was so beautiful and serene. 

The dog and the lobster regarded each other. We bought some crab from the dock in Boothbay to make a pasta with the first night, and Hudson met his first live lobster. 

The second day Mike and I went our separate ways, he on an extended kayak trip and I to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. It was awesome, and something my mom would have absolutely loved. My favorite part was a "senses" garden where they had specific sections of plants you could taste, touch, see, and smell. 

Dave recommended a few short hikes in and around Boothbay. This one, Porter Preserve, had an amazing view at sunset. We then went into the harbor for a delicious halibut dinner. 

After a few restful days in Boothbay, we headed onward to Acadia National Park. After Boothbay, while beautiful, Acadia was less impressive.  I was also itching to get to the mountains in northern Maine, and it was packed with people. The main draw of the park is biking or walking the beautiful historical carriage roads (built by John D. Rockeffeler Jr.) that criss cross through the parks. 

Mike did a trail run on one of them with Hudson on our second day there while we were driving the scenic loop around the park, which was beautiful. 

We did manage to get a few hikes in. This one is a view of Echo Lake, a short walk from our campsite. I went for an early morning jog to Echo Lake one morning and took a dip in the chilly water while Mike took Hudson on a driving tour of the southwestern portion of Mount Desert Island (the island that most of Acadia is located on). 

While on tour, Hudson almost got caught in a lobster trap. 

Hudson and I waiting for Mike to get his beach fix at Sand Beach, one of the only natural sand beaches in the northeast. The water ranged in temperature from 45-55 degrees F, no thank you! 

Hudson, ready for more adventure in the mountains of Maine!