Maine Summer Memories: An Odyssey in Drive
Standing in the parking lot of a Kittery outlet mall, we knew there had to be more – not just more landscape, of course – but more Maine, the Maine we read about and imagine. Although our guests from Sweden had a great time wreaking havoc in the outlets, it was not the taste of “Vacationland” my wife and I had been hoping to show them.
By Robert Todd Felton
So we hatched a plan: Rather than return that day to our home in Western Massachusetts, why not wind our way north along Route 1, eventually ending at some cozy coastal hamlet pulled right out of some postcard? A brilliant plan. The first indication of its brilliance was that it was shared by a multitude of intrepid travelers stuck in a massive traffic jam in Old Orchard Beach.
When we finally extracted ourselves from an hour of snarled traffic, we were all a little nauseous. But with high hopes, we kept driving toward a resort with activities. We could make it.
Bath was cute, but there was no good place to stay…same for Wiscasset. Then Rockland. It wasn’t that these places weren’t appealing; it was just we had no reservations. So we kept moving on that coastal Maine drive, until the journey became epic and our plan seemed, well, less brilliant.
Then, we reached Camden. Camden is that kind of coastal Maine town that is both picturesque and feels authentic. While my car mates desperately began looking for a place to park, I kept my foot on the pedal straight through town like an express train. I had my eye on the 800-foot hunk of granite peering over the back of town like some benevolent giant. I had read about Mount Battie and knew the hike to the top would be a great way to burn off the hours of driving and catch the last gasp of the sun.
The trail wound up through a copse of Douglas fir where the ground was soft and springy underfoot. We climbed fast, propelled by the time spent in the car and the fact that there was not much time before sunset. After a few last switchbacks and a scramble or two over sheets of exposed granite, we stood panting on the summit.
Soft puffs of fog hung around tiny rock outcroppings dotting Penobscot Bay, and the harbor was pockmarked with bobbing boats. A green layer of pines stretched away to the west, where the sun inched closer to the horizon. As the air began to cool and I stopped breathing hard, I began to relax. Even if we were going to have to spend the night in the car (which we didn’t – one of the other sunset watchers knew of a perfect place just outside of town), we knew our plan was really brilliant all along.
Find equally great hikes with a view in Our Picks: Great Hikes with a View.
Where to Stay Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina | Samoset Resort | West Street Hotel
