Maine - Vacationland

On every general Maine license plate is their first and only state slogan: Vacationland and as you enter the state you'll see on the Maine State Line sign it reads Vacationland. I've mentioned to friends and family before that I would never choose to live in Maine because the winters are harsh with consistent snowfall. Nothing deters me though from wanting to visit Maine. I wish I could go to Maine multiple times each year. See my earlier post about my family connections to Maine. Maine- my second home

Camden, Maine

The coast of Maine is so different from other parts of the country I've visited. The southeastern coast of the US has sand beaches stretched out for miles and miles. The Pacific Coast has similar ocean cliffs and rocks that dip down into the ocean like Maine, but it is lacking the small town and villages like on the coast of Maine one after the other. The coast of Maine is lined with towns and villages. Villages are smaller than towns and can have anywhere from a population of a few hundred to a few thousand.


The village we stay near for vacation is Camden. Camden is a harbor village on the coast. We stay at a cabin my mom's family had built on property that has been in her family for generations. Our cabin is in Lincolnville, Maine which also is on the coast just north of Camden. And this is where we spent a week with Krista & Daniel. Here are some highlights of our fun in Maine! There is so much I want to share that I'll just have to make this into two blog posts.

Our first day in Maine everyone enjoyed sleeping in. Well, I had planned on sleeping in, but for some reason I was awake at 7am. For those who know me well, this is very unusual. I love my sleep and love getting plenty of it. What made my 7am wake up even stranger was my body should still have been on Mountain time which was only 5am. I couldn't figure out why I was awake, but I was and ready to start enjoying vacation. My parents along with my brother David and girlfriend Nichole had already been in Maine for a while and overlapped their last days with our first days. As my dad is an early riser, he was already up and going when I got up at 7. We decided to go out for a nice father-daughter kayak ride together as the lake was smooth as glass. This was the only day I woke up this early, but I'm glad I did to have this time in such a beautiful setting with my dad.

After everyone was up and going, us 3 young couples headed out for a Maine hike. We hiked Mt. Battie which overlooks Camden Harbor and the Camden Hills. Camden's slogan is "where the mountains meet the sea." Granted, Camden Hills had nothing on our Colorado Rocky Mountains, but it was still incredible ocean views from on top of Mt. Battie at a whopping 800 feet. 

After our hike, we enjoyed boating and swimming and then got ready for our Lobstah Bake. (Not sure why it is called a bake because you don't bake the lobsters your boil them). I'll write another post about our Lobster Bake because I'd love to share details and more pictures that will make this post just a tad bit long for reading. 

Our next two days in Maine were filled with cloudy skies and downpours of rain turning into drizzles of rain. We spent most of those days relaxing in the cabin reading books and playing games. We also made a quick trip to Camden to do some shopping in the rain. We decided to head back to Camden on the next sunny day and eat dinner on the harbor and grab a few more gifts from some Camden shops. A couple mornings we enjoyed pancakes with wild Maine blueberries.

We spent a couple sunny days at the cabin and spending time canoeing and kayaking on the lake. It was a little cool to swim as the hottest it got was in the high 70s during our trip. We all did jump in a couple times to swim while the sun was out. Our last night at camp, Caleb & I walked down to the dock to see the stars. The sky is so open above the lake and covered with stars because you are far away from any town lights. As we sat there, I saw a shooting star and then Caleb saw a shooting star. Then we both saw 2 more at the same time. Caleb said there was no way we'd see that many shooting stars in one night. I thought it was because the sky was so clear and big that we saw those. He was the smart one and found out there was a meteor shower going on right then. We called Krista & Daniel down to the dock and all enjoyed our last evening laying on the dock seeing more than 20 shooting stars and having great conversation with each other. When I look up at the sky and the grandness of it, my thoughts go right to how indescribable and grand our God is. We talked about how much order, detail, and beauty there is in our universe and it's all by God's great design.

I'll be writing another blog post to talk about our lobster bake, our time at Lincolnville beach, and our day spent in Acadia National Park. 

As I've written in this blog for almost two years, it has become more of a journal for myself. I know I don't usually write about deep philosophical things and I don't write about tips on being a housewife or how to make the best chocolate chip cookies (although I do have a recipe I consider the best!). I may not follow common blog type writing, but this is the great thing about blog writing: You are the creator and you get to decide what topics you'll write about. For me, blogging is journaling the adventures that Caleb & I enjoy and sharing how God provides for us and where He leads us. Another post will be coming in the future about plans and dreams that Caleb & I have been talking about pursuing within the next year or so. If you have something you are passionate about or enjoy writing, then why not try starting a blog. You can do it!