Maine in 48 Hours
A Quick Peek into Maine and Her Majesty
I set out on a quest to experience three distinct aspects of Maine:
Exploring the wilderness in search of moose. During the spring and summer months, moose can often be spotted grazing in marshy areas or along the edges of lakes and rivers.
Indulging in the finest lobster dinner. While lobster is available year-round in Maine, the peak season occurs during the summer months, from June to August.
Hiking through Acadia National Park along the scenic coastline. Cadillac Mountain is the first spot in the United States to see the sunrise.
Moosehead Lake
Why go? It's the gateway to logging country. The area is remote, still wild, and has dark (untouched) forests. In other words, critters are still roaming free and unfettered from human trespassing and development.
Due to time constraints, we had to forgo exploring the wilderness on foot and instead opted to take to the skies in search of moose. It was a bit of a gamble, especially considering that mid-afternoon in the heat of summer isn't prime moose-spotting time, but we decided to take our chances and hope for the best.
The town of Greenville with population 1,141 permanent residents (it swells to over 6,000 in the summer), serves as the main (and only) hub for the lake, and gateway into logging area, further north.
We stopped by Rowboat Joe's, a dockside restaurant and tavern. We ate a quick lunch of clam chowder and lobster rolls, then strolled through downtown to explore the unique shops talked about in the travel guides.
There was one in particular that I’d read about—Northern Maine Minerals.
Northern Maine Minerals is a family owned business. They got their start in upstate New York—what started out as a hobby mining Herkimer Diamonds, turned into a mineral and fossil business. I was particularly interested in seeing their selection of local minerals and precious gems.
I’m a crystal and mineral hound. I started rock collecting and polishing as a kid and that interest morphed into always being on the lookout for high grade crystals, especially in locations where they’re mined. I used them for metaphysical reasons (a phase I went through while getting teacher certified in yoga—crystals are used in Hindi religion which is ground zero for yoga—at one time, now I like decorating the house with them.
Maine's gemstone production is well-known worldwide for its high quality of pegmatite minerals such as tourmaline, feldspar, garnet, and quartz.
I could have spent the entire afternoon looking at crystals, but we had a seaplane to catch, the main reason for stopping at Moosehead Lake was to see moose. Carl isn’t particularly enamored with looking at rocks so off we headed to Currier, the seaplane people.
In the air
I’m not going to pretend this was a great or even good experience. I didn’t like it at all, and it was expensive for what we got: an aerial trip over the lake that yielded nothing but views of pretty water and dense woods.
“This tour over Moosehead Lake provides spectacular views of Squaw Mountain, Mt. Kineo, and the Spencer Mountains before heading east past Lobster Lake and then returning over Moosehead. This is a good opportunity to see wildlife from the air. $140 per person.”
What Currier neglected to mention, and I didn't think to inquire about, was that the trip lasted only 30-40 minutes. How on earth were we supposed to spot moose in such a short time, unless they had a sign hanging over the trees saying "Moose Crossing Here"?
While Carl got cozy (not) in the third row, I ended up as the co-pilot. They conveniently left out that we had to share the ride. Those sea planes are small and not the smoothest flyers. Plus, no air conditioning, and we were sweltering.
I do not advise cruising around in a seaplane. Don’t get me wrong: seaplanes have their place, getting from Point A to Point B might be it, though. They also advertised a safari by boat, God knows how many people they might have piled on the watercraft, and I’m not certain we would have seen any moose that way either.
Moose are shy and sneaky, until one or a few decide to come out and stand in view while you’re driving in a moose sighting zone on the highway—you likely won’t live to tell the story anyway, so that doesn’t count.
Two states down, and still no moose.
Surry and lobster
Maine is best known for its fresh lobster of course, but there’s also a contest to find the best lobster roll. I scoured travel guides, online reviews, and called locals to narrow down my choices for the best.
We chose to stay in Surry because I found an AirBnB for a reasonable price ($183 a night) on a pond (which in Maine talk is referred to as a lake) no less, and with access to a pontoon boat. It was close to Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, and Perry’s Lobster Shack—one of the best for serving lobster rolls.
I’ll step up and say that unless you like mayonnaise and white bread the lobster roll might not be what you expect. They’re highly overrated from my perspective, and for $37, I’d rather spend the extra and get a full lobster dinner with trimmings.
The next night we hit the Union River Lobster Pot for an authentic lobster dinner.
Maine Lobster Dinner: We each ordered a 3 lb. hot boiled lobster, cooked outdoors in saltwater cookers and accompanied by hot drawn butter, french fries, and coleslaw, priced at $56. We also savored a bowl of traditional clam chowder for $9.95 and topped off the meal with blueberry pie served with ice cream at $11.95. Carl enjoyed 3 beers at $9.95 each. It was truly one of the best meals I've ever had in my lifetime.
Acadia National Park
We chose to experience Acadia because forest meets sea, and it was touted as one of the most unique state parks in the US. It didn’t disappoint except that my planning left a bit to be desired.
I didn’t expect big crowds. So when planning this excursion I didn’t factor in times for getting to and from the Cadillac Mountain summit, finding parking places, and the trail congestion that felt reminiscent of waiting lines at Disney, something I wouldn’t do— even if the experience were given to me as a gift.
To do Acadia Park you must reserve an exact starting time to drive to the mountain summit. Sunset and sunrise times are really busy, but when I made the reservation plenty of times were available—and since 4:57 am was too early for our blood, we chose 7:45 to drive the park loop.
The road wound its way through dense forests as we ascended higher into the heart of the park. As we approached the base of Cadillac Mountain, the tallest peak on the East Coast, the air grew crisper, and the scent of pine filled my lungs, bringing tears of pure joy to my eyes. Towering pine trees lined the route as the road wound through the park, their crisp scent filling the air and mingling with the salty breeze from the sea.
I had never experienced the mingling scents of salty tang and pine before. I made Carl pull off to the side of the road so I could sit and breathe in the air while gazing off into the dark forest. It’s an experience I (knew) that would never capture again unless returning to this exact spot. I could have lingered all day, but we had a packed agenda so we drove onward to the top.
We drove around the 27-mile one-way loop twice, hoping to find parking spots for hiking but couldn't find any. Eventually, we gave up and visited the souvenir shop where we purchased two refrigerator magnets and a trail guide to remember our visit. Someday, I intend to return and spend a few days exploring the more adventurous side of my personality. This park offers perfect trails like Precipice and Beehive for adrenaline junkies like me.
Did you know refrigerator magnets have been proven to help with memory and improve mood? I didn’t know it at the time of this trip but recently found this out and now I’m collecting them from everywhere I go.
Bar Harbor
Bar Harbor shines tourist destination during the summer… if you like thongs of tourists, overpriced food and lodging, souvenir shopping, and the convenience of being close to everything. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a foodie, or a leisure seeker, Bar Harbor is the perfect blend of convenience and excitement for a summer getaway in Maine. — Lonely Planet Tour Guide
But I was having none of it. I can’t stand paying inflated prices and hanging with the masses, since Surry was close to the action it was the perfect place to hub out of, but since it was our first trip to Maine I felt like it wouldn’t be the whole experience without seeing what all the fuss was about Bar Harbor.
We discovered Jeannie’s Great Maine Breakfast, which satisfied us for both breakfast and lunch. We shared a buckwheat pancakes along with a Farmer’s omelet, accompanied by two cups of weak, shitty coffee and the most delicious strawberry/rhubarb jam I've ever tasted. The bill came to $73, not including the tip. We justified this as two meals so it didn’t sting as much, but I wasn’t happy with feeling like I got ripped off.
While exploring the town, I found Sherman’s Book Shop, a place I could have easily spent the entire day in. However, my husband Carl isn't particularly fond of this type of exploration. We only briefly strolled around the waterfront before deciding to move on.
Although the waterfront was beautiful, I doubt I would return. Instead, I'd prefer to head up the coast to Sorrento, which we did the following day, as we departed from Maine.
To wrap up the day, we grabbed a 12-pack of beer, stocked up on junk food, and returned to the Airbnb. We spent the late afternoon swimming and lounging on the dock. As sunset approached, we hopped onto the pontoon and cruised around (Carl captained) listening to the eerie calls of the loons echoing across the water, and then hit the bed and watched movies, a perfect ending to an almost perfect day.
Postscript: Maine is a magnificent state, so much so that if we can’t find a way to relocate out of the country, Maine is definitely on my radar for relocating inside the US. The cost of living is high, but the amenities: can’t be beat!
See you next week!
Sounds like a terrific trip! The tip about refrigerator magnets was interesting, too. However, I gave them up (for the most part) once my kids grew up (no more artwork to display!) I do collect Christmas tree ornaments from all my destinations as a reminder of the fun memories.
So pretty! Sorry the moose-seaplane experience wasn't all it was cracked up to be -- moose are sneaky, you'd never think something that big could hide so well! They must have learned to hide from the tourists unless they brought food, haha.
That's a great comment about relocating inside of the US -- that's an option many people don't think of -- and at least in the case of Maine, you're prepared for the winters -- they won't be a shock for you.