The Maine Event!!

Last week we drove along the New England coast to the great state of Maine. When we crossed the border into Maine instead of the traditional road sign simply stating "Welcome to Maine" it read "Maine - the way life should be." We discovered several reasons why this IS the case. They say that the 3 L's are why people visit Maine:

First L for Lobster. As you would imagine lobster is everywhere in Maine. Reasonable prices and a plethora of local restaurants serving this delicacy make this wonderful food more of a staple.

Second L for LL Bean. The largest outlet of LL Bean is in Maine. There are also many other smaller outlets that offer daily bargains on all items.

Third L for Lighthouses. This was one of the main reasons we planned this trip. Maine has a total of 64 active lighthouses. We had the opportunity to visit/see 5 of them: Portland Head lighthouse (the most photographed lighthouse in the US!), Pemaquid lighthouse (the lighthouse that is on the state quarter for Maine), Bass Harbor lighthouse (amazing sunsets here make this one of the biggest attractions for Acadia National Park), Rockland Breakwater lighthouse (this sits in the city of Rockland where the only lighthouse museum in the country resides), and Egg Rock lighthouse (Acadia National Park). Surprisingly Michigan and Massachusetts both have more lighthouses than Maine which is #3 in the US for the quantity of lighthouses.

Our week was filled with hiking, sightseeing, dining out, watching sunsets and sunrises. It was a little bit of heaven on earth. We stayed in a small cottage on Mount Desert Island just outside Acadia National Park. It was perfect with a small kitchen & recliners. The rocky New Enlgand coast is replete with all types of trees that make quite a distinct landscape. One of the highlights was waking up early to watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. This peak is one of the tallest on the eastern seaboard allowing us the opportunity to be one of the first people to see the sun touch US soil for that day. We took a sunset cruise on the only 4 mastered schooner in Frenchman Bay. A local musician and his daughter provided perfect entertainment on this relaxing cruise.

What a great experience! We will definately be back to visit again. Enjoy the slideshow.