"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot
First of all, look at this face! I can’t believe we left Bailey for three months. Yes, we were able to do and see more without her, but we missed her terribly. Next time she’s coming with us!
Monday through Monday (7/15-22) – Brunswick, ME
We arrived at my mother’s home in the charming college town of Brunswick after 7 straight days of through travel from North Dakota, the most consecutive days we have logged to date.
Since we planned to stay with Mom, we parked Pearl in the overflow parking at Cedar Haven Family Campground in nearby Freeport for a total of $50 for the week—a bargain! Because Maine is where I’m from, visits there are less about touring and more about catching up with family and friends. There were competitive games of Parcheesi (sometimes a little out of hand!), breakfasts and lunches at favorite local haunts, lounging around talking, doing the crossword, and getting ice cream (if you haven’t tried Grapenut ice cream, you are missing out).
But I will let you in on one of my absolute favorite places, which I insist on visiting once a year: Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. I guess whatever draws me to the place is also what drew Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, and countless other artists. There is something about the quality of the light, the lay of the land, the heavily ridged rock, the cry of gulls overhead, and the whitewashed lighthouse, which is smaller than you think it will be.
On the way there we visited the Pemaquid Craft Co-Op. One of my aunts has merchandise there, and I love to see all the pottery, quilts, and photography. We also visited the art gallery at Pemaquid, and then went next door to the little restaurant and gift shop. This year it was all a bit crowded for my taste—it IS Maine in July—but I was glad to have made it. Whenever I am in Maine I am not happy until I have a snout full of sea air.
Tuesday (7/23) – Hancock, NH
On our way home we decided to visit my aunt Lynn in the picturesque hamlet of Hancock. Because she and my uncle Ron used to do a lot of RV-ing, we had an asphalt pad with 30-amp service! Her home sits on a hill overlooking a huge cow pasture, and at night we could hear them lowing. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with her, dining al fresco on her porch in the evening and the next morning. She treated us so well that we have threatened to return!
Wednesday (7/24) – Hegins, PA
The next day we drove until we were too tired to go further, which put us in a nice wooded pull-through spot ($42, full hookup) at Camp-A-While Campground right off I-81 below Harrisburg. Our last night of camping (until Labor Day, anyway) was a bit of a fizzle. We were so tired that we ate some cereal and fruit for dinner and went to bed. This was a really nice campground, though, with lots of fun things for families to do. However, the traffic noise was pretty brutal, even a mile off the highway.
Thursday (7/25) – Home Sweet Home!
We were eager to get home at this point, and we were only a few hundred miles away, so we got on the road by 8 a.m. and arrived by noon. We parked on a nearby street (Pearl won’t fit into our driveway) and walked into the house, which was wonderfully clean and welcoming thanks to our housesitter. We unloaded two full carloads of stuff from Pearl, and I spent about 3 hours giving her a thorough cleaning. We slept well that night!
We are grateful for the opportunity to travel this way, and even more grateful to have so much that beckons us home.
Stay tuned for a trip wrap-up coming soon!