Riding solo. 5 beautiful days in Maine.

In May of 2019, the school district received a few extra days added to Memorial Day weekend because we had unused snow days. I decided to take a solo trip to Acadia National Park and explore Maine. When was I ever going to get 5 days off in May again? The drive was the longest I would ever take, and doing it alone seemed pretty scary. A few hours in, I stopped in Portland, Maine and had the first of a couple lobster rolls I would have. The lobster roll at the Porthole ended up being my favorite of the whole trip. I explored a little in Portland and continued on my way.

After I checked into the hotel, I went straight to the park. I stopped at the famous Sand Beach and had it all to myself.

If there's one thing I'm going to do on a trip is try to save money. I usually have a hotel breakfast and then make myself a PB and J to go with a banana and a granola bar. I do try to enjoy a dinner out if I can. At the Best Western, they served tea and cookies in the evenings. I would come in from a full day of exploring and grab some and head back to my room.

Day 2 was my first full day there and I wanted to hit all the iconic spots. Maine is absolutely gorgeous. Such a peaceful place to explore and be. I felt completely safe the whole time. I explored Thunder Hole, enjoyed a long walk along the Gorham Mountain trail and the Ocean Path loop. My last stop was to the Otter cliffs, where I watched some rock climbers tackle the cliff.

Day 3s first stop was to the Jordan Pond House. Before I took my long walk, I had to sit down and enjoy the amazing popover that the Jordan Pond House is famous for. The popover with jam and the pot of Earl Grey tea hit the spot. A older women came up to me and said, "it takes a strong woman to eat alone." lol

One of the places I wanted to see the most was Jordan Pond. I had gotten so many recommendations from everyone I knew, it was a must see. I tried to head there on day one, but it was way to rainy to enjoy it. So glad I went back on a much better weather day. I was able to take a few hours to walk the full trail around the pond.

Whenever I travel, I love to head to the local botanical garden. I spent a few hours walking through the Wild Gardens of Acadia. There's something so special about being amongst the flowers. The Wild Gardens of Acadia in Acadia National Park, Maine is maintained solely by a group of community volunteers. It maintains typical habitats found on Mount Desert Island. More than 300 native species are labeled to make identification easy in nine separate areas. The garden is open year round and is located at the Sieur de Monts Spring and Nature Center, just 2 miles south of Bar Harbor.

Day 4 I woke up at 3 am and headed straight up Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise. One of my favorite times of the day. Cadillac Mountain is a popular destination for visitors to Acadia National Park. Accessible by car, it is the highest point on the eastern side of the U.S., and offers magnificent views of the coast. Although, I was frozen the view was incredible.

I decided to take a drive to Bar Harbor, Maine to hang around town and check it out. Loved the whole vibe there. I walked around, had such a great time taking pictures, looking at the small tide pools, and of course I treated myself to another lobster roll.

I ended up staying the whole day and decided to go back the following morning and spent the entire day there, again. This time, I had lunch at Geddy's and enjoyed the best fried chicken sandwich. I went to an adorable shop called A little Mad and spent some big money on some artwork for myself. I stayed until it was almost dark and drove back to the hotel for my tea and cookies. It was my first trip alone, and since then I have done it multiple times to all different places. Maine has a big piece of my heart and I will always remember the time I spent there. I feel like I learned a lot about myself on this trip and I'm always grateful for that.

Thanks for following along and stay tuned. Many more adventure to come. Later loves.