Acadia was a planned trip. I wanted to show Jesse more of the east coast, and it had been a long time since I had seen it myself.
Two weeks. The Finger Lakes to the far corner of Maine and back.
Newport, then Salem
We walked the Cliff Walk in Newport with the mansions on one side and the water on the other, then drove up to Salem. We stopped at Proctor’s Ledge on the way in, where the hangings happened, before going into town.
Salem in the fall has an energy to it. We got in as much of it as we could and finished the night at Notch Brewery. I want to go back at Halloween and see the town really come alive and embrace its past.
Portland
A friend of mine lives in Portland, so Portland got a couple of days.
Breweries. Fresh lobster and crab. A speakeasy after dark. We found the quirkiest bar in town while we were killing time waiting on a brunch reservation, which is how the best bars always get found. We walked the promenade out to the lighthouse, finished at Oxbow Brewing, and ended up on a roof.
Camden
We met my friend in Camden and spent the afternoon out on his boat.
I found my love of sailing on St. John, and most of the time he was my captain. He was going to teach me to sail properly and get me my license the year I decided to leave the island for the last time. Some plans do not get finished. But you can spend one afternoon on the water with the person who started it and feel the whole thing come back.
The Beehive
Acadia is my favorite national park on the east coast. It is beautiful.
Jesse led us up the Beehive.
In his defense, neither of us knew how exposed it was going to be. I have a deathly fear of heights and it seems to get worse the older I get. We looked at the trail a little, agreed that if it got to a point where I did not like it we would turn around, and started up.
I admit that I do not like to fail. So I kept going.
I could have turned around. Honestly. There were a few times where I had to stop, close my eyes, shove my face into a crack in the rock and breathe through it. And then we were past the point of turning around, and it was finish the hike or admit defeat.
After a few stops and some fearful tears, we made it to the summit.
Jesse and I still talk about that hike. Yes, it scared the shit out of me. It also pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am better for it. I have done a lot of things over these years that push my personal limits, and that hike is a constant reminder of what I am capable of if I just try.
Sunrise, every morning
We saw the sunrise every morning we were at Acadia.
We would get up there an hour early, which costs you nothing when your bed comes with you. We lay there a little longer watching the windows, waiting for the color to start. Then I got up and made coffee while we layered up, and we went out into the cold.
Sunrise is always worth it. The potential of a whole day waking up in front of you.
Then down into Bar Harbor for fresh blueberry pancakes, which is the correct way to come off a mountain.
Home the long way
We stopped in Stowe on the way back to the Finger Lakes. Heady Topper from The Alchemist is one of my favorite IPAs and I wanted to put one in Jesse’s hand.
Then Burlington at sunset with the sailboats out in the bay. Local Ben and Jerry’s, obviously. Magic Hat before we left town.
And then the Adirondacks, for the first time in the van.
New England, season by season, in our east coast guide
Karlee & Jesse
