After a relaxing weekend with Alexa in Vermont, I picked up my friend Elizabeth and set off for the next adventure. Elizabeth is a dear friend of mine who is starting her own baking business, specializing in personally designed cakes. You can check her out on Instagram @rosemaryandrhubarb. Since she works from home, and had limited her social engagements, we felt it was relatively safe to travel together. So off we went!
Our plan was to tour through Maine, stopping at various local cideries along the way and hiking in between. Weather was relatively uncooperative, and we quickly learned that the tourist industry in Maine closes after Indigenous People’s Day, but we managed to create some wonderful memories together anyway!
The first stop was Rococo’s in Kennebunk, ME for an afternoon ice cream treat. Sadly it was closed. But don’t get too sad for us, we squeezed in a stop on our way home. Boy, was it worth the wait!
So we pressed on, in the gray, dreary weather, towards Portland for our resting place for the night. Urban Farm Fermentory is a Harvest Host location and one of my favorite cideries in Maine! They produce all kinds of beverages, including delicious kombucha and jun. Everything was sopping wet when we arrived, and bitterly cold, but we were not stuck at home, so we weren’t too sad about it! We enjoyed a drink under the tent, blueberry cider for me, and then rushed back to the van to dry off and warm up! Thank goodness for the van.
We passed the afternoon and evening with boardgames at the table – Spot It!, Speed, and Uno. And ordered poutine and roasted brussel sprouts from Duckfat downtown. We saved our spot at UFF with a cone we borrowed from the loading dock and drove over to grab it hot out of the fryer. Overall, despite the rain, it was a great first day away.
The next morning we woke up determined to taste donuts from Holy Donut. We had to get there before all the gluten free one were gone! The sun decided to reveal itself from behind the clouds, so we opted to walk the mile to the downtown location. We could almost taste them as we walked down Exchange Street, but when we arrived we found a closed sign on the door. The downtown location is closing! Nooo! What to do now? Well, the other Portland location was only another mile away, so we decided to go for it. My fingers were crossed the whole time that the gf donuts wouldn’t be sold out.
We walked through new parts of Portland, by parks and various community buildings, greeting everyone we saw, until we arrived at the shop full of hope. And guess what? They still had PLENTY of gf options. Totally worth the 2 mile walk! Plus, they had hot apple cider to warm up our chilled hards. Win. I picked out a chocolate glazed, a chocolate toasted coconut, and an apple cider donut to try. Three isn’t too many, right? With mouths watering, we hurried over to the park and found a lovely bench to sit in as we dove into our treasures. And they didn’t disappoint! Even the seagull nearby knew they were tasty – he kept trying to sneak in for a taste. I was feeling generous that day and left behind a few crumbs for it. 😉
With this great start to our day – sunshine and donuts – we couldn’t wait for what else was ahead. As we approached UFF as our walk back, we came across several murals adorning buildings along the bike path. Beautiful works of art representing different styles and different artists from Portland area. Walking always leads to a different perspective. So happy we walked into these masterpieces.
The good vibes and sunshine followed us on our way north to Boothbay Harbor. While most attractions in the area were closed nearby, we learned that the Boothbay Region Land Trust has several properties full of hiking trails to enjoy. To stretch our legs before the sun slipped below the horizon, we headed over to Oak Point Farm for a walk.
The well marked path led us through the woods to a cove filled with cold Maine water. We climbed down the embankment and across the slippery, spongy seaweed to taste the water’s temperature ourselves. Yup, cold! But so refreshing and clean.
With a little time left after we finished our loop through the fields filled with milkweed pods bursting with seeds, we drove over to Hendrick’s Head Lighthouse. The tide was still out, so we were able to climb over more noodle like seaweed and up onto the rocks to see the lighthouse out on the point. The setting sun cast a golden glow along the water, a magical scene. After our climb down, we studied the sand on our walk back, searching for sea glass and sparkling rocks. We spotted snail trails and air bubbles were other creatures had dug themselves below the surface. Everything felt peaceful.
Content with how our plans turned out, we headed back to the campground for dinner and a campfire. A lot of pine needles and a little “girl scout juice” (EVOO) and we had a warm fire to enjoy as we connected over different tales.
The next day, knowing we had a full day of sunshine once again but that more rain was coming, we were motivated to spend as much time outside as possible. We drove to the Lobster Cove Meadow Trailhead and headed out on our hike. Despite it being mid-October, the colors were still popping in the trees. The forest trail brought us out to the water and we found a hidden bench to sit on as we admired the view. A few frogs poking their heads above the surface kept us company as we soaked up the sunshine.
The rest of our hike took us through the forest on the far side of the cove, then back through golden meadows with reeds blowing in the afternoon breeze. A few wispy white clouds began to roll in as the afternoon approached, but we managed to absorb a little more vitamin D before heading back for lunch.
That afternoon and evening the temperature dropped quickly and the winds picked up steadily. We tried to make a fire to stay warm, but the swirling air made it tough to comfortably keep the fire blazing in the fire pit. After dancing around the flames for a while, trying to avoid the smoke as it constantly changed direction, we gave up and went inside to warm up instead. You win some, you loose some. Overall, it was a pretty great day outdoors.
Friday called for rain, all day, again. While spending the first day in the van all day had been fun, we knew we didn’t want to do that again. Instead, we decided to try out three different cideries across Maine. Ricker Hill in Turner, Orchard Girls in Kingfield, and Tree Spirits in Oakland (ok – the last one was more of a winery). After driving 300 miles on consecuitve days during our trip out west, all this driving didn’t seem like a big deal at all. Plus, it passed the day enjoyably!
We enjoyed all three of our stops, but Ricker Hill was definitely our favorite and one we hope to revisit sometime soon. The great place about this spot is they also have PYO apples, a maze, and pumpkin farm!
Beyond the taste testing, driving through the small Maine towns and admiring the countryside was my favorite part of the day. We drove down backroads lined will yellow and orange trees glowing against the gray sky. The unceeded land of the Wabanaki Confederacy is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in New England.
We rested that night at Tree Spirits, another Harvest Host location, before driving home on Saturday. We couldn’t go home without stopping at Rococo’s though! So, there we went.
Despite it being cold and rainy, we couldn’t pass up homemade ice cream. Especially not at Rococo’s with all their unique flavors. We both picked out an ice cream flight – mine filled with dark chocolate, blood orange, salty sweet cream, and ginger molasses – and headed back to the van to enjoy it in the warmth. No sooner had we sat down than we dove in! Probably some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted – and I’ve tried a lot! Flavorful, creamy, and unique. Can’t wait to visit their test kitchen one day.
The joy of the ice cream brought out the sun and we were treated to a beautiful drive the rest of the way home. Despite a few obstacles, Maine was a great next chapter on my season of travel. Elizabeth was a lovely travel companion.
Tonelli's Travels 