Why I Love A Maine Vacation

There are many reasons why I love a Maine vacation. Getting to run along the Atlantic. Goofing off by the Bean Boot. Eating all the delicious food, the burgers and baked goods, special meals out, and ice cream galore. But I think the best part is the feeling of being totally at peace, a feeling I had on our day in Kennebunkport and have had in the past in this place. To me, taking a vacation means truly getting away from everything that weighs you down in daily life, and for some reason, I was able to spend more moments doing just that in Maine than I have been anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

A Maine morning I haven’t shared thus far on the blog is the few hours we spent at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth. I’ve always loved lighthouses, the way they represent a beacon in a storm, providing a light for safety and guidance, and stand where the land meets the sea. My favorite painting is of another Maine lighthouse, Edward Hopper’s Lighthouse at Two Lights. So I was excited to visit this lighthouse with Brett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was misty and cool for May, but the weather actually seemed appropriate for exploring the lighthouse and the rocky coast on which it stands. After all, a lighthouse is needed most when seas are choppy and skies are gray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took a stroll along one of the trails that runs by the ocean in Fort Williams State Park, where the lighthouse is located, after visiting the museum inside. You can only go up to the tower one day per year, a Saturday in September, and the next best way to experience the lighthouse is to stand on the rocky cliffs directly across from it in the park. Which is exactly what we did. The rocks were too damp to climb out very far, but even from where we stood, it was pretty spectacular. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being in a place like this really allows you to step back and give your brain a break. It’s not as difficult to let go of the things that clutter your mind on a daily basis, because all you’re thinking about is the natural beauty and the magic of what man made to watch over, but not to interfere with, what nature wrought with the ocean and the rocks. At least it isn’t for me. When I’m looking out over the ocean with the lighthouse to one side, I’m not thinking about work or organizing things with family and friends or how I’m going to fit my marathon training plan into my life this summer. I’m just taking it all in. Maybe a little part of me is eagerly anticipating the ice cream I’ll get later in the day, but that’s it. And that sort of moment didn’t just occur at the lighthouse, it happened in Kennebunkport too, standing at Walkers Point or clambering on the rocks at the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s the main reason for my loving a Maine vacation. There’s just something about the place. The tagline for the state’s tourism industry is that Maine is the way life should be, and I wholeheartedly agree. We should be able to take a step back, relax and reflect, far more often than we do in this crazy world. I like to think of this blog as an outlet that allows me to do it on a regular basis, but getting away from everything completely? That’s special, and rare, and I don’t take it for granted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What kind of place allows you to take a step back and reflect?

 

Are you more interested in exploring natural wonders or checking out new cities?

 

Do you like lighthouses?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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